Chapter 23: The Victory of the Infinite Dreamer
"Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! The arena has suddenly been flooded with non-human creatures… or perhaps puppets… an army?!"
"The contestant Aishimiru is completely surrounded! He's fighting back—"
"Where's contestant Haze? Where is he? We can't find him!" shouted the announcer in panic.
On stage, swords clashed, arrows rained down, and small artillery shells exploded, filling the miniature battlefield with black smoke and dust.
The once small arena had turned into a chaotic warzone.
"Why can't I escape?" muttered Aishimiru, nearly losing his mind but forcing himself to stay calm.
His battle instincts told him one thing: Find Haze and kill him. If he could do that, the soldiers would vanish.
If not—once his telekinesis was drained, he'd be done for.
The soldiers' attacks were weak, but he still needed Nen to defend—especially against the archers and artillery. Their sharp arrows pierced his defense no matter how he moved.
The artillery shells were worse—unstoppable, explosive. Every time he sensed them firing, he was forced to push his telekinesis to the limit.
After a Haze struggle, Aishimiru finally saw a sliver of hope—
The black vortex spewing soldiers began to fade.
"Out of soldiers, huh?!"
"I've changed my mind—I'll kill you all!"
The dreadlocked fighter roared as he realized the army had stopped multiplying. The existing soldiers began to fall one by one, dissolving into ghostly mist.
A few meters behind him, Haze stood silently.
Aishimiru didn't notice—his focus was consumed by the chaos.
The Treasure of the Infinite Dreamer had a rule that was easy to overlook.
It was already active the moment the "game" began.
The archers and artillery units' attacks were directional.
Once a target was locked, evasion was impossible.
That was the beauty—and danger—of complex Nen.
Unpredictable. Ruthless.
"Die!!"
Aishimiru, driven mad, smashed through the melee soldiers and lunged toward a cluster of archers, crushing several under his fists.
But before he could breathe, a cannon shell slammed into his back and exploded.
Smoke and flames erupted, and the telekinetic barrier around him flickered.
He staggered to his knees. His earpiece cracked apart.
"Ahhh!"
His eyes glowed crimson as he screamed, rising again and turning toward the artillery—
—but suddenly froze.
A chill ran through him.
From the swirling smoke behind him, a shadow approached—quietly, unseen.
"Do you always get this angry when you play games?"
The taunting voice echoed behind him.
He turned to strike—but it was too late.
Haze's finger sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, piercing the aura around Aishimiru's temple cleanly.
A spasm. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Haze slowly withdrew his blood-stained finger.
Aishimiru's body collapsed with a dull thud—lifeless.
The audience had seen nothing. The fight had ended faster than the eye could follow—hidden behind smoke and chaos.
"My god! It looks like Haze has defeated Aishimiru and made a stunning comeback!" shouted the commentator.
"No one could have predicted this ending! Aishimiru dominated the entire match, yet Haze… Haze is the one left standing!"
"Is this the start of his new legend?!"
When the smoke cleared, the crowd finally saw it—
Aishimiru's corpse lay at Haze's feet, eyes wide open but empty.
The entire Heavens Arena erupted in thunderous cheers.
It was a breathtaking battle.
Even if few understood Nen, everyone felt the tension and brilliance of the fight.
The victor was clear—Haze.
His fans screamed his name.
"Quick! Medical team!"
"Call the hospital!"
Staff rushed onto the stage to examine Aishimiru's body.
Heavens Arena always provided top-tier medical care after battles…
But this time, it was useless.
Anyone with eyes could see—Aishimiru was dead.
Without acknowledging the crowd, Haze, his left arm hanging limp, turned and limped off the stage like a battered veteran.
"Aishimiru lost!"
"He was said to be strong enough to challenge a Floor Master!"
"And Haze… can summon an entire army?!"
"This newcomer… he's terrifying!"
The other Nen users in the audience fell silent.
The rule of the 200th floor was simple—humiliate the new blood.
But this lamb… was a tiger in disguise.
Those who had once planned to challenge Haze shuddered in relief. Thank god it wasn't me.
In the audience seats, Jinsha sat trembling, unable to lift her gaze.
When Haze had first appeared, she had wanted to flee the Heavens Arena—to escape that dangerous man.
But someone stopped her.
"Hey, woman… you knew something, didn't you?"
A cold voice.
A man with Haze hair and half his face bandaged grabbed Jinsha by the hair and yanked her up.
She whimpered, tears welling. "I… I…"
Elsewhere, Zalon—dressed in a military uniform—watched quietly as staff carried away Aishimiru's body.
"You forced his ability too far, old friend," he murmured.
"I told you—never underestimate your opponent. You brought this on yourself."
He and Aishimiru hadn't been close, but they had respected each other.
Now, only regret remained.
For most Nen users, the sight of Haze's victory was enough reason to avoid him.
But Zalon wasn't "most people."
As a soldier, he saw Haze as the perfect warm-up before challenging a Floor Master.
"Excellent combat strategy, creative tactics, but… those summoned soldiers aren't strong enough," Zalon analyzed.
"They're effective only when the opponent's not too far beyond your level. Against someone much stronger, they're paper targets."
"Their real threat lies in the archers' accuracy and artillery fire… His reaction time's improving, but his adaptability shows inexperience. If I ever fight him, I'll end it in one blow—before he can adjust."
He closed his eyes, replaying the entire match in his mind, then turned and left silently.
Meanwhile, Haze sat on his bed, replaying every moment of the battle.
"His rhythm kept shifting—offense, defense, movement. His telekinesis wasn't much stronger than mine, but his timing was perfect. Every hit landed cleanly… it wasn't prediction, it was battlefield reading—instinct."
"My fighting style is too rigid. I rely too much on data and analysis. True masters adapt, create, surprise."
"I need more martial arts training. There's no shortcut for combat experience. But studying multiple styles will enrich my system—and sharpen my instincts."
He exhaled, staring at the ceiling. His back ached, his arm bled, and his mind throbbed.
Fighting a real opponent was utterly exhausting—physically and mentally.
But despite the pain, Haze smiled faintly.
"Still… that was worth it. Heavens Arena isn't just full of weaklings after all. There are some monsters here."
He pushed himself up from bed.
"Time to get patched up. The next fight won't wait."
(End of Chapter 23)