Chương 94: Newbie Killers

"Is there a contestant named Uvogin on the two-hundredth floor? What dates has he applied for?" The staff member froze. Of course she knew Uvogin. Like Aren, he had reached the two-hundredth floor without taking damage, and there had been a girl named Machi beside him. When those two climbed up, they had also created a storm of attention in Heavens Arena. But as Uvogin gradually displayed his strength, fewer and fewer people dared schedule matches on the same day as him.

He had not stepped into the ring for almost two months. On the two-hundredth floor, many contestants would rather let time pass than risk losing one of their four permitted losses. Because Uvogin had disappeared from the ring for nearly two months, Heavens Arena's novelty-loving audience had begun to forget him. Thinking of the hint given by the higher-ups, the staff member looked troubled.

"There is, but Mr. Aren, Mr. Uvogin's strength may be quite high. If you want to compete immediately, we recommend challenging another contestant first."

"She's right. If you want to compete, instead of challenging that monster right away, you might as well spar with us first." A sinister voice came from behind Aren. Aren turned toward the voice without surprise. Four obviously baptized contestants with strange appearances stood there. Each had either lost an arm, lost a leg, or used odd clothing and accessories to hide a physical defect. Aren had noticed their gazes from time to time ever since he stepped out of the elevator.

With a little judgment, he could guess that these people were the current generation's so-called newbie killers in Heavens Arena, just like Gido, Sadaso, and Riehlvelt in the future. After all, farming easy wins from newcomers was a convenient method. It could not have started only with those three. Many contestants who barely survived on the two-hundredth floor while dreaming of becoming Floor Masters would be interested in that kind of easy victory.

To protect their hunting ground and keep competitors away, newbie killers often worked in groups. Four was probably the limit. After all, a contestant could only lose four times. Any more than four people, and the group itself would have trouble dividing the spoils. Compared with the newbie killers from 1999, this group was even more ruthless. At least Sadaso's group only planned to take one win each from a newcomer, which still left room for the victim to remain on the two-hundredth floor.

These four clearly intended to drain a newcomer dry in one shot. Judging by their ignorance, people who awakened Nen through baptism were still amateurs who barely understood it. They were probably like yesterday's one-eyed boss. Seeing that Aren had never leaked a trace of Nen on the way up, they assumed he had not opened Nen. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. They had come to pick up easy wins.

Uvogin and Machi had not dealt with this problem. When those two climbed up, Machi had used Nen from beginning to end. Unlike Uvogin, who came to Heavens Arena to enjoy fighting, Machi had come purely for money. Naturally, her fighting style was different. She chose whatever was most efficient. With Machi as a reference point, people assumed Uvogin was a Nen user as well. When they could not judge him accurately, these not-so-clever cowards did not dare move.

One contestant with his left arm missing stepped forward and pretended to be friendly.

"Sir, you just reached the two-hundredth floor. You probably don't understand how this place works. We would be happy to have a friendly spar with you, so you can better understand the general strength of contestants above the two-hundredth floor."

"Exactly. We can't bear to watch a newcomer rush in without knowing anything, so we are willing to answer your questions first." The others chimed in, each speaking as if they were kind people acting for Aren's benefit. Aren's mind moved quickly. If not for the earlier incident with Tour, he would have ignored them completely. If they tried to play tricks involving Neon like Gido's group later did with Gon and Killua, Aren could simply assassinate them beforehand like Killua had.

Of course, Aren would not stop at a threat. But now Tour had appeared. Leaving aside whether Tour would retaliate after learning those alleyway fools were dead, Aren was already annoyed that his dinner had been disturbed. He wanted to make the man responsible pay. As a Floor Master, Tour might not stay in Heavens Arena all year. Aren was too lazy to search the world for him. In that case, he would lure Tour over. The best method was clearly a Floor Master challenge.

Once he understood that, the four fools who had walked right up to him gained value. At the very least, they represented four wins. Perhaps even eight.

"Sure," Aren said with a friendly smile.

"Let's have a friendly spar first. How about today, then the next three days? I'll fight each of you once. That should help me accumulate some experience on the two-hundredth floor." Then he turned to the staff member.

"Can I apply for matches today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that?" Under the field marked preferred match date, the form clearly allowed multiple dates.

"You can, but Mr. Aren, are you sure you don't want to reconsider? If you fight four days in a row, your condition may not recover perfectly." The staff member hesitated.

"It doesn't matter. We're only having friendly spars, aren't we? Everyone will stop at the right point." Aren smiled again, very "friendly." The four newbie killers could hardly wait for him to walk into their trap. They had no reason to be dissatisfied. They quickly agreed. While speaking, they glared at the staff member who had tried to warn Aren. One of them, the man whose legs were still intact, took four application forms from the desk and handed three to the others.

Before filling them out, someone still felt uneasy and peeked at Aren's form. After confirming that Aren had indeed written today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, he made a hand signal to the others. They all filled in their match dates with satisfaction. Once all five forms were submitted, the matter was settled. Even if Aren changed his mind later, he could not withdraw casually. The four newbie killers lowered their heads slightly, unable to hide their smirks.

"In that case, we won't disturb you any longer. We'll go rest. I am your opponent tonight. Looking forward to our match." Even after Aren completed the application so smoothly, the one-armed man maintained his friendly attitude. Aren extended his left hand, seemingly intending to shake with him. Halfway there, he appeared to realize something and glanced at the empty left sleeve. Although the man wore a wide robe to conceal it, careful observation showed there was nothing inside the left sleeve.

Aren smiled apologetically, withdrew his left hand, and switched to his right. For some reason, looking at Aren's apologetic smile made the one-armed man feel a wave of disgust. His face stiffened slightly. He shook Aren's hand quickly and left in a hurry without another word. After calming down, he still could not understand what had happened. But when he thought of the win he would gain that night, desire once again occupied his mind.

'As long as I beat Aren tonight, I'll have six wins. Then I only need four more weaklings...'

'Hahaha. I'll become a Floor Master, and then I'll enjoy wealth and comfort for the rest of my life.' After applying for the matches, Aren returned with Neon to the room Heavens Arena had arranged for him on the two-hundredth floor. The television turned on automatically. It displayed the location and time of Aren's next match. At nine that night, the arena on the two-hundred-fifth floor was already packed. Most of the audience members seated there were Aren's fans.

Although Aren's match had been decided at the last minute, the full venue showed exactly how explosive his popularity had become.

"Everyone, today we have a much-anticipated fight." The passionate commentator began her opening. After reaching the two-hundredth floor venue, even the commentator had her own independent booth above the audience. Through the booth's glass, the ring below was clearly visible.