"There it is, Killua's unique cat-like observation!"
In the arena, Killua circled his opponent, carefully observing. He did not move rashly.
His family's philosophy dictated that battles began with observation. First, judge whether the enemy was someone he could handle. Ideally, end it with a single strike.
"Player Augu charges forward! He has launched the first attack. Will he score with this strike?"
The young man on the other side had already rushed in, his steps light and swift, moving at astonishing speed.
A whip kick.
"I won't underestimate you because of your age. Against any opponent, I give my all. Even if you've already lost twice in the hundred-floor battles."
Ao Gucheng spoke sternly, his youthful face filled with seriousness.
He had watched the recordings. Killua's previous two losses had ended with his surrender.
And yet, in both matches, his opponents had been injured, while he himself had remained largely unharmed.
"Tch. I'll definitely win this time."
Killua crouched to dodge the whip kick. His right hand clenched, and his protruding fingernails sharpened like razors.
He was even faster than his opponent. In the blink of an eye, his attack was already aimed at Augu's neck.
Augu's eyes widened. The hairs on his body stood on end. He felt the threat of death.
Using the momentum of his whip kick, he forcefully twisted his entire body.
In an instant, their positions switched.
Augu stared at Killua, then raised a hand to his neck. Blood stained his fingers.
The referee raised the flag.
"Valid attack! Killua scores the first point!"
Heavens Arena used a scoring system.
Valid Attack: 1 point
Fatal Attack: 2 points
Victory required either 10 points or a direct knockout.
Scoring was left to the referees. There was no need to question their professionalism. Many of them were martial arts masters themselves. Incidents of arbitrary scoring were almost unheard of in Heavens Arena.
Killua's youthful face curved into a triumphant smile.
Kevin, seated among the cheering crowd, frowned.
"How can even a child be stronger than me? This world is really dangerous."
He was referring to combat skill.
The battle continued.
The situation quickly reversed. Killua took the offensive, forcing Augu into defense.
Every strike Killua launched was lethal.
The score rapidly climbed to 8 to 2.
"This Augu is stronger than the last opponent, right? So how is Killua dominating like this?" an enthusiast beside Kevin asked.
An obvious long-time fan replied proudly, "You wouldn't know. That kid improves with every battle. I watched him go from the first floor to the 140th floor in two months.
Last time, I thought he had a real chance. But after taking a few hits, he surrendered. Probably stamina. He's still young."
Kevin listened while watching the fight.
He had to admit that long-time arena spectators had sharp eyes.
Before receiving training from Biscuit, his vision might not have matched theirs.
Impressive.
"This child is so cruel. Every attack aims to kill," a middle-aged man muttered with dissatisfaction.
Another fan replied, "You're not from this country, are you?"
"What? Is there a problem?" the man asked, frowning.
This was the Mingbo Republic, one of the five great nations. As a citizen, some pride was inevitable.
The fan waved his hand and smiled. "I don't mean anything offensive. But Killua is a Zoldyck."
"And?"
"The famous assassin family. Legal assassins from the Republic of Padokea, the country right next to ours. Impressive, right?"
"There's such a thing?"
At that moment, a whistle blew.
"Fatal score! The winner is Killua! The six-year-old advances to the 150th floor!"
The entire arena erupted in cheers.
Augu lay on the ground clutching his abdomen, blood seeping through his fingers. Medical staff rushed in to treat him.
Killua, aside from a bit of dust on his clothes, appeared almost untouched.
He flashed a bright, childlike smile and waved to the audience, drawing even louder screams.
Kevin was already filling out forms at the registration desk.
The staff member explained the rules of Heavens Arena.
The higher the floor, the greater the prize money. After surpassing the hundredth floor, contestants received private accommodations equivalent to luxury hotels.
Every ten floors formed a tier. The 100th and 200th floors were major thresholds. Above the 200th floor, there was no prize money, only honor.
The rewards below that were extremely generous. After the 100th floor, prize money reached the millions. After the 150th floor, it rose to tens of millions.
The 190th floor awarded two hundred million.
No wonder so many martial artists gathered here. It was all about the money.
"Would you like to fight now?"
"Now?" Kevin asked, surprised.
The staff member nodded. "If you agree, we can arrange a match immediately."
"Then arrange it."
Kevin barely waited before being led to the arena.
As a newly registered first-floor contestant, his arena was relatively small.
Yet even here, the stands were nearly full.
During preparation time, Kevin rested in the contestant lounge, watching the ongoing matches on the television screen.
He quickly understood why even the lowest-level matches attracted so many viewers.
Betting pools.
This was actually Heavens Arena's primary source of income.
Many spectators constantly watched early matches, identified promising fighters, and placed bets accordingly.
Match after match ended quickly. Either one fighter completely overwhelmed the other, or both were inexperienced and scrambled until someone reached ten points.
"Player Kevin, it's your turn."
Kevin stood and walked toward the arena.
At this lower level, there were no dedicated commentators, only rotating referees.
It was only after stepping onto the stage that Kevin saw his opponent.
Around his age. Late teens.
Another white-haired one?
Kevin almost laughed.
His opponent was tall and thin, with long white hair flowing beneath a newsboy cap.
Another assassin family member?
Although unusual hair colors were common in this world, white hair was still relatively rare.
"Hello. My name is Kite," the young man introduced himself gently.
He doesn't look like an assassin.
Still, Kevin did not relax. He remained cautious.
"Kevin."
Just his luck. His first match.
And his opponent was a Nen user.
Among so many martial artists, Nen users were rare. Yet he encountered one in his very first fight.
Do Nen users attract each other?