Some days later, inside Heaven's Arena.
On stage, as a competitor, Manman was beaten to tears.
Everyone had already studied her information thoroughly; they all knew this young girl lacked fighting skills, had no real techniques, and was very inexperienced. The only thing to watch out for was her extraordinary defensive power and attack power.
Hence, as long as they could avoid her strikes while focusing on pounding her body, they believed they could win. Though the girl's physical defense was also frightening, some people had watched her matches and discovered that as the battle dragged on… Manman clearly showed signs of fatigue, and even her defense significantly weakened.
Therefore, if the fight went on into the late stage, they believed they could secure victory.
Indeed, Manman's amount of aura (Nen) was not large—very thin. She used Nen to diminish her sense of pain, meaning she could not feel injuries. Over time, she naturally couldn't keep up.
Moreover, her main personality didn't know any Nen techniques. During fights, feeling panicked, she would unwittingly waste a good deal of aura.
This further accelerated her aura consumption.
By the time she reached the 170th floor, a common sight in Manman's matches was that nearly all her opponents danced around out of range, hardly ever going in close. And Manman's tears weren't from being hit, but more from frustration… Because after all, if you can't hit your opponent even once while getting pummeled yourself, you're bound to feel upset.
Crucially, she knew her boss was watching her match live today. As an employee, she felt she was embarrassing herself, hence feeling a bit miserable.
A girl's emotions can just arrive without warning…
Xiang Nan, however, didn't really mind. Even though he had time to come watch from the sidelines, he stayed focused on his reading material most of the time. He would occasionally glance at the ring, not caring about the result at all.
"It's you, right?"
Just then, a person approached Xiang Nan and spoke coolly.
It was the provisional leader of "Star Alliance", that band of players.
After that conflict they'd had earlier, they had temporarily called things off, leaving each side to observe the other.
Everyone in Heaven's Arena had known about them, and the two sides had run into each other not just once.
Clearly, this man's question was directed at the recent string of unsettling disappearances—those missing Nen users.
"Need something?"
Xiang Nan did not even look up, replying rather dismissively.
The man had fair skin and shoulder-length hair, a rather debonair vibe, plus some ear studs.
Star Alliance knew Xiang Nan's background inside and out: that he held a significant position in the military, able to erase or cover up certain incidents from the public.
Not even the news had reported it. But from the perspective of a fellow player, Xiang Nan's intentions were too obvious… And with that "Dr. Death" moniker, they knew Xiang Nan had led his troops to hunt down Nen users in the past. Most likely, it was to gather experience or intel about Nen.
Outsiders might not figure out who the culprit was, but Star Alliance's members had no doubt that Xiang Nan was behind all those missing fighters in Heaven's Arena.
"Previously, we really did underestimate you, leading to some misunderstandings… But we also lost some of our members. Now we're minding our own business, though you're out here indiscriminately killing Nen users—this is going to impact our plans."
"There weren't that many 200+ floor fighters to begin with, and we rely on them to rack up wins. Now that you've killed them, what about us? A lot of them realized something was off and fled preemptively… We don't even have any decent sparring partners left. You owe us an explanation, don't you think?" the man said icily.
"And what's that got to do with me?"
Xiang Nan flipped a page of his book without looking up.
"Come on… The fights on the 200+ floors aren't that short of powerful contestants. They're still around, right? The only reason you're complaining to me is that none of you in Star Alliance dare challenge or provoke those more dangerous folks. So you pick easy targets."
Hearing Xiang Nan's words, the man's expression turned grim.
"We've been watching you for quite a while. Honestly speaking, from my observation of your group, staying here in Heaven's Arena is now totally pointless for you. If you truly want to get stronger, Heaven's Arena can't do that for you. The environment and resources here will never lift you beyond your present level… There's so much you could learn or grasp, yet you're like a group of blind men who see nothing. I'm killing Nen users for personal reasons—no need to explain that to you."
"My honest suggestion is: just leave. Some external experiences and uncertain journeys might actually change the course of your lives, and raise your limits a bit more. Otherwise, if you stay, your progress will remain minuscule."
For a low-level player to speak so condescendingly, lecturing them as though he was some senior figure, the Star Alliance leader looked like he couldn't hold in his anger.
"Are you sure you want to break things off with us?" the man exhaled sharply.
"It was you who tipped off those mafia people, bringing Illumi Zoldyck into this, right?"
Xiang Nan spoke calmly.
"…"
"I haven't even settled that score with you… If you're displeased, feel free to make a move anytime. Just as well, the 200+ floor Nen users have gotten cautious, so I'm running short on targets anyway. Switching to hunting you might be even better… You guys are obviously more valuable as prey."
Xiang Nan cast a mean grin at the man.
"…"
The man's gaze darted around.
Ultimately, he didn't dare spout threats and simply turned away.
In Xiang Nan's eyes, the Star Alliance rep's appearance was just a small episode. Once the other man left, Xiang Nan resumed his reading.
Soon afterward, raucous cheering erupted inside the arena. Though battered, Manman ultimately won.
Xiang Nan closed his book and rose to leave the venue.
~~~
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