The next day, Leo ascended to the 60th floor.
His first opponent was a nimble boxer focused on footwork, with a lean build and movement like the wind.
Leo did not finish him off with one blow like yesterday; instead, he chose to observe.
For the first two minutes, he was completely on the defensive.
The boxer's footwork was indeed exquisite—forward and backward glides, side steps, feints—each step perfectly timed to maintain the optimal distance.
Leo's probing attacks were easily dodged, and while the opponent's jabs and hooks hit Leo, they felt like nothing more than an itch against his strengthened Physical Body.
Leo observed carefully.
The way force was generated in the steps, the rhythm of weight transfer, the coordination between breathing and movement... After two minutes, he had fully grasped the essence of this footwork.
In the third minute, he moved.
The same gliding steps, the same distance control, but faster and more precise.
Shock flashed in the boxer's eyes, and before he could adjust, a hand blade landed on the side of his neck.
KO.
The second match was the same.
The opponent was a jiu-jitsu practitioner skilled in joint locks. Leo intentionally let him lock his arm to feel the force application techniques and the angles for breaking them.
A minute and a half later, he broke the joint lock and ended the fight with a shoulder throw.
From that day on, Leo's match pattern became fixed.
When encountering a valuable opponent, he would first defend and observe to absorb technical experience, then end it with one blow.
If the opponent relied purely on brute force or had nothing worth learning, he would finish them off instantly.
Two matches a day, advancing steadily.
His combat experience grew rapidly.
Boxing footwork, jiu-jitsu locks, karate force generation, and even unique techniques from obscure styles... these skills were absorbed and underwent Fusion, gradually forming his own combat style.
A week later, Leo reached the 180th floor.
During this period, he played a total of twenty-six matches, winning all of them.
The accumulated prize money reached 160 million jenny—the prize money at Heavens Arena increases with the floor level.
Above the 100th floor, the arena allocates private rooms for contestants.
Leo's room was on the 185th floor; it wasn't large but was well-equipped: a bedroom, bathroom, small kitchen, and a floor-to-ceiling window facing the city.
At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating.
His breathing was steady, and Nen flowed slowly around his body—this was the training of Ten.
"Ring, ring, ring—"
The phone suddenly rang.
Leo opened his eyes and looked at the caller ID: Gorenou.
Connecting...
"Hello, Leo..."
Gorenou's voice came through, sounding clearly exhausted.
"Are you doing okay, Brother Gorenou?"
Leo replied readily.
"Listening to your voice, it doesn't sound good."
"You caught that..."
Gorenou smiled bitterly.
"I've run into some trouble recently. I don't know if your Nen... has recovered?"
Leo raised an eyebrow.
It was obvious that the trouble Gorenou encountered was significant, as he had actually come to him for help.
"Yeah, it has recovered."
Leo said.
"What's wrong? Do you need help? Just ask; if I can help, I definitely will."
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, as if he was making up his mind.
"It's like this," Gorenou began to explain.
"A while ago, while I was traveling in Tote City, I accidentally got caught up in a Gang conflict. To protect myself, I took care of the people involved... and I also happened to save a lady."
Leo understood the gist of it as soon as he heard this.
This trope was too classic—accidentally getting involved in a Gang conflict, saving a key figure, and then being drawn into a deeper vortex.
He said teasingly.
"I imagine the lady you saved must have a very special identity."
After a moment of silence, Gorenou admitted it.
"That's right. That lady is the daughter of a Gang leader."
"That day, her father and some high-ranking members were traveling by car to another city. A rival Gang sent a large number of men to ambush them on the only road, killing her father and the others."
"She was also attacked, and everyone protecting her died. I just happened to be in the same store as her... and saved her."
"Afterward, to thank me, she paid me one billion jenny and asked me to be her bodyguard to protect her for a month."
Leo understood. Gorenou had been hired as a temporary bodyguard, only to run into a tough situation.
"Everything was peaceful for a while at first; I blocked several waves of attacks for her."
Gorenou continued.
"After things quieted down for half a month, the other side somehow hired two Nen Users."
"I barely managed to cope, injuring one, but I also sustained significant injuries. If they come again, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist."
"Just then, Vivian—that's the lady—saw the live broadcast of Heavens Arena on TV."
"I saw you, and I guessed your strength must have recovered, so I contacted you."
Gorenou paused, his tone becoming serious.
"I want to ask you to come and help me take care of those two Nen Users."
"The reward Vivian is offering is three billion jenny, which we'll split evenly. Of course, if you think it's too dangerous, you can refuse. Think about it."
Leo put down the phone and began to ponder.
Gorenou's strength in the original work wasn't top-tier, but it wasn't weak either.
Being able to injure him meant that those two Nen Users had a certain level of skill, but they shouldn't be too strong—otherwise, Gorenou wouldn't just be injured; he would have been killed outright.
The reward was very tempting.
Three billion jenny, split evenly, meant 1.5 billion each.
This was a huge sum even in the hunter world, enough for him not to worry about money for a long time.
But the risks were real. Gang conflicts were deep waters that could lead to more trouble.
Moreover, battles between Nen Users were highly unpredictable; without knowing the opponent's abilities, it was hard to say who would win.
And there was one more thing... Leo looked at the back of his right hand, where the dark red tattoo was faintly glowing under the lights.
Proof of Humanity required killing living organisms to obtain life energy.
For over half a year, he had only killed beasts and insects; he had never killed a human.
It wasn't that he couldn't, but that he didn't want to—he didn't want to become a heartless serial killer.
But Gang members... these people had blood on their hands. Killing them would carry much less psychological burden.
And the life energy provided by a Nen User would surely far exceed that of an ordinary beast.
Of course, if the situation became critical and threatened his life, he would retreat without hesitation.
1.5 billion jenny wasn't worth risking his life for.
After weighing the pros and cons, Leo picked up the phone.
"No problem. I'll take an airship over first thing tomorrow morning."
Gorenou's voice was immediately filled with joy.
"That's great! Leo, thank you for your help! Vivian will send someone to pick you up at the airport."
"Yeah." Leo acknowledged and hung up the phone.
He immediately called the Heavens Arena service hotline and asked them to help book the earliest flight to Tote City tomorrow.
As a 180th-floor contestant, he enjoyed certain privileges, and the staff handled this small matter quickly.
The flight information was sent to his phone: departure at 8:00 AM tomorrow, expected to arrive in Tote City the day after tomorrow.
Leo began to pack his luggage.
There wasn't much to bring: a few changes of clothes, money, and his phone.
He checked his account balance: 162 million jenny.
This was already wealth-level in the ordinary world, but in the world of Nen Users, it might only be enough to buy a decent piece of equipment or some high-value intelligence.
If he could get that 1.5 billion... many plans could be advanced.
That night, Leo didn't continue meditating; instead, he rested early.
Recharging his energy, preparing to face tomorrow's unknown challenges.
Outside the window, Heavens Arena was still brightly lit, and matches on various floors were continuing.
But Leo knew that his training here would be temporarily coming to an end.