After a five-minute walk, Victor entered the Heavens Arena once again. He walked directly to the elevator lobby and pushed the button. As soon as the doors opened, he stepped inside.
The elevator operator checked the ticket Victor had received from the referee and pressed the button for the 20th Floor.
As the doors closed, she smiled and began her standard introduction.
"This building is divided into 200 floors," she explained. "If a contestant wins on the 20th floor, they advance to the 30th, and so on.
However, if you lose, you move back down to the 10th floor. Once you reach the 100th floor, you will be entitled to your own private room."
Victor looked at her and nodded. "Yes, I understand."
The lady seemed satisfied that he was listening, but before she could say more, the doors opened. As Victor stepped out, she called out, "I wish you good luck!"
"Thank you," Victor replied as the doors hissed shut behind him.
Watching the elevator lady, Victor suddenly remembered a detail from the original story: Gon and Killua were once beaten by an elevator operator.
He couldn't remember if this was the same person, but the moment he had entered the lift, his Instinct had warned him not to act rashly. Even the staff here weren't as simple as they looked.
Victor walked to the counter and handed over his ticket. In return, he received an envelope containing the small amount of prize money from his first-floor victory.
Victor opened the envelope and saw only 150 Jenny. He calmly took the money, put it in his pocket, and walked toward the waiting room.
When Victor opened the door and stepped inside, he saw many fighters waiting for their turns. As soon as he entered, the atmosphere went cold. Everyone turned to stare at him a 12-year-old in the middle of a room.
Victor ignored their gazes, found an empty bench, and sat down to wait. After fifteen minutes, an announcement echoed through the room:
"#1999 Victor and #2001 Borg, please head to Arena D on the 22nd floor."
Hearing his name, Victor stood up. On the opposite side of the room, a massive man stood up as well. Borg was a nearly three meters tall and heavily built. Borg looked at Victor and made a slow slicing motion across his own throat, and walked toward the arena with a smirk.
Victor walked out and took the lift to the 22nd floor. Upon arriving, he entered Arena D. Unlike the first floor, the crowd here was massive and full of energy.
Victor stepped into the ring and saw Borg already waiting there with the referee. As soon as he entered, the commentator's voice boomed over the speakers:
"Ladies and gentlemen! We have a unique match-up for you today. On the left, we have Borg, who has overwhelmed every opponent with sheer power. On the right, we have Victor, a 12-year-old who knocked out his last opponent in a single strike!"
The big screens displayed replays of their previous matches side-by-side. The commentator continued, "Are you ready to gamble? Place your bets now!"
The odds on the screen heavily favored Borg. Borg gave Victor a disgusting smile, but Victor ignored it and waited for the start. The referee came forward and announced, "This match will consist of three 3-minute rounds. It will be decided by points or a knockout. Begin!"
The moment the word left the referee's mouth, Victor attacked. He vanished from his spot and instantly reappeared in front of Borg. Before the giant could even think, Victor buried a punch deep into Borg's large belly.
With a massive "Boom," Borg was sent flying through the air, crashing right into the audience seats.
Even though Victor had used only 10 percent of his power, the force of his new physique was insane.
the crowd, the referee, and the commentator all froze in shock. After a few seconds, they finally snapped back to their senses. The referee hurried over to check on Borg. He was bleeding from the mouth, but was still breathing.
Victor waited, but his system stayed quiet. There were no notifications and no new talents. He realized that Borg was simply too weak.
The referee looked up and declared Victor the winner, handing him a new ticket. The commentator, still sounding stunned, shouted into the microphone, "It looks like we have our winner already! A total knockout!"
Victor took his ticket and walked out of the arena.
He headed straight to the counter to cash it in. When he opened the envelope, he saw ten thousand Jenny, a huge jump from the 150 he received earlier.
With the money in his pocket, Victor left the Heavens Arena. His matches for the day were over, he would have to wait for the arena to call him for his future fights.
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Over the next three days, Victor defeated multiple opponents and reached Floor 90. Because his enemies were too weak for him, he only received [Language Comprehension (White)] fragments, which he finally fused into a Green talent.
Victor left his house and walked toward Heavens Arena. Today was his match for the 100th Floor. Although he didn't know who his opponent was, he was confident he would win.
Ten minutes later, he reached the arena and stepped into the elevator. He saw the familiar operator again, and as he stepped out onto the floor, she called out:
"Best of luck!"
Before Victor could respond, the elevator doors hissed shut. He walked into the arena and looked at the ring. Only the referee was standing there, so Victor climbed inside and waited.
Five minutes later, a boy with long black hair entered the ring.
Victor was surprised; the boy was clearly younger than him. However, he quickly calmed his mind and prepared for the fight.
"Welcome, everyone!" the commentator's voice echoed. "Today's match is between two young boys. But do not underestimate them! Neither of them has lost a single match. We will now replay their previous fights on the screen."
The big screen flickered to life. "Illumi has defeated every opponent with swift and precise movements!"
Victor watched the screen. The moment he heard the name 'Illumi,' his calm exterior remained, but a storm was raging inside his mind.
He looked at the boy across from him and thought, 'He looks nothing like the Illumi I remember. His eyes are still spirited and energetic. He doesn't have that dead, soulless look he has when he's older.'
Illumi, standing on the opposite side, noticed Victor's intense gaze. He looked confused for a split second, thinking to himself, 'Does he know me?'
The referee stepped forward, explained the rules, and then shouted, "Begin!"
The moment the match started, Illumi made the first move. He closed the distance between them instantly.
His nails extended like claws as he tried to pierce Victor's chest.
Victor who was already alert, dodged the strike and used the momentum to back away.
Watching the flow of life energy around the boy, Victor realized Illumi's aura was still flowing like a normal human which means that he hadn't learned Nen yet.
Sensing an opening, Victor closed the distance and launched a barrage of punches.
Illumi dodged most of them, but three strikes landed: two on his forearms and one across his face. The referee noticed the bruising and announced, "Hit! One point for Victor!"
Despite the bruises, Illumi remained calm. He began walking around Victor in a rhythmic pattern.
Suddenly, Victor saw dozens of Illumi's circling him; even with his talents, he couldn't tell which was real.
A sharp rush of air came from behind, but the attack was too fast to fully avoid.
Victor was sent flying two meters, crashed on the floor and formed a small impact crater.
"Clean Hit! Two points for Illumi!" the referee shouted.
Illumi stared at his hand, surprised. 'I used my full strength, but it felt like hitting a steel pillar,' he thought. 'His body is incredibly tough.'
Victor stood up slowly. Five puncture marks were visible on his back where Illumi's fingers had struck. Blood oozed from the wounds, but it stopped almost instantly as his [Steel-Vitreous Physique] began to heal his wounds.