Chapter 33: The 200th Class—Handy Fighter

Auren confidently approaches the single counter for the 200th class on the 200th floor of Heaven’s Arena and is greeted by a cheery girl, dressed in the typical Heaven’s Arena uniform. She beams at him, her voice sharp and bubbly.“Welcome to the 200th class!!! Please fill out the forms here!”

“Hmmm,” Auren murmurs, grabbing the pen and scribbling on the paper she hands over.

He skims through the contents briefly. “Waiver against Death, Waiver against Injuries…”

Nothing surprising here. Let’s just sign it.

“Thank you! Do you want to sign up for a fight right away? In this class, we use a self-service system! I can explain the rules, if you’re interested!” she says, still smiling.

“No need. I want to sign up immediately—it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. How many people are currently in the 200th class?” Auren asks, not in the mood for small talk.

“189 Fighters. We’re seeing a slight upward trend in membership, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long for your match,” she explains.

“Fine. I’ll be contacted once my fight is confirmed, right? If possible, make it quick,” Auren says, already losing interest.

“Of course…” the girl replies, smile still fixed in place, though it’s clearly starting to strain.

She then hands Auren a key to a new room with the number 2224.

Hmmm, just off by one… the number 23 keeps haunting me, but this time it’s a miss.

As Auren turns around, a few fighters who weren’t present earlier glance at him with mild curiosity.

No sooner has he stepped back from the counter than a man steps up beside him and declares, “Sign me up for the next fight, right now!”

“Of course, give me a few seconds… there you go,” the receptionist responds.

Auren studies the man. He’s relatively short and looks almost unremarkable—except for his left arm. Though it appears normal at first glance, Auren instantly notices it lacks any Aura.

A quick check using Gyo confirms it—it’s a prosthetic arm.

Not even bothering to use Shu to mask it? He should be able to easily use it with his Ten. Amateur!

Auren’s phone vibrates. He checks the message: his fight is scheduled for tomorrow night.

“Thanks for the win. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Auren taunts his opponent with a wide grin.

“You newbie! I’ll make you eat those words!” The man responds, looking angry.

Two women and two men nearby chuckle. One of the women, cloaked in a long robe, speaks up.

“Rezza, you’re so foolish. Didn’t you do any research? Enjoy your fight tomorrow, I’ll be sure to watch how you get humiliated… again.”

“What do you mean, Vinne?!” Auren’s opponent, Rezza, snaps back at her, visibly irritated.

“No wonder you’re still the weakest here with 0 wins and 2 losses. You really should’ve done some homework before accepting fights. That’s Demon-Claw Auren. Clearly, you missed his previous matches. I’ll enjoy watching you squirm—his Nen ability is strong.”

She thinks my claw... is a Nen ability?

“Do you want to challenge me as well?” Auren asks, keeping his tone as calm as possible.

The four shake their heads. One of the guys laughs, avoiding Auren’s eyes.

“Too risky. It’s much easier to aim for the uninitiated.”

Auren shrugs and heads back to his room. He contacts Konrad to inform him about the match, expecting him to keep the betting going, even if the profit to be made is not that much.

He trains for the rest of the day before turning in early.

The next morning, he wakes up to a surprise—an incoming call from an unknown number.

I told everyone I gave my number to not to share it. Who could this be? Heaven’s Arena staff?

“Auren speaking,” he says confidently into the phone.

“You’re that brat recruited by the two fatties? This is your Sect-Elder Grunah. I have a task for you.”

Who is this, and why does she think she can boss me around like a lackey?

“First of all, I don’t know who you are. Secondly, no one orders me around. I am not part of your sect, and frankly, I'm not sure if I want to be. You’d better watch your tone. If you’re proposing a deal, I’m open to it—but talk to me like that again and we’re done.”

“Brat, why are you so arrogant? You’re just a twelve-year-old kid—you should show some respect to your elders!”

“I treated the last Elder who talked down to me with kindness… then killed him when he least expected it. Me being honest with you is a gift. So again, what is it?” Auren asks, voice growing a bit sharper.

“I don’t like you or your attitude, brat. But I don’t have much of a choice right now. I need you… or, more accurately, your license. One of my dumb apprentices disappeared. She left our headquarters and vanished. I took her in when she was just a child. Apparently, she was hiding her desire for revenge all this time. She tracked down and killed the people who slaughtered her family. Got wounded in the process and caught immediately—now she’s in for life. Mass murder.”

“How about you get a lawyer instead of wasting my time? Why should I care? Also, great job getting deceived by your own apprentice. Why do you even care anymore?” Auren replies, already irritated.

I don’t see how this benefits me.

“The trial’s already over. She’s convicted—a lawyer can’t help her now. Her Sentence is something like 500 years—she’s not getting out. You should care because if you do this favour for me, I’ll train you for free. Your master begged me to teach you knife techniques, and I was gonna charge you a few billion, so this is your chance to save a lot of Jenny. I raised that girl carefully for eight years, and I won’t abandon her. She’s only fourteen, and her talent is exceptional.”

“I’m busy… I’m in Heaven’s Arena. I don’t have time to visit your Sect or city or whatever it’s called. Also, if she got caught, her talent can’t be that amazing,” Auren replies bluntly.

“Brat. I implore you to rescue her. That girl is talented—and despite her betrayal, I still love her like a daughter. I’ll teach you whenever you have time! Not that I think you’re worthy of learning from me yet anyway. My student can teach you the basics first. Just rescue her,” Grunah says.

“What do you mean by rescue? I’m not interested in busting her out of prison. Do it yourself!”

“As a Hunter, you can legally hire her for various tasks and have her sentence reduced over time. I’ll send you the details and the prison address. Please… just rescue her,” Grunah replies, sounding noticeably more desperate.

“I refuse. I’m not babysitting some brat. Goodbye,” Auren says, ending the call.

Thirty minutes later, his phone rings again. This time, it’s Bunu.

“Hello, Instructor,” Auren answers.

“Hehe, hey Auren. You won’t believe this—Grunah showed up at my place. Fell to her knees and begged me to convince you. Okay, she didn’t do that, but she sounded desperate. That hag, begging. It’s unheard of,” Bunu says, clearly amused.

“Sorry, Instructor. I’m not interested. I’ve got enough things I want to do, I don’t want baggage dragging me down,” Auren replies.

“I understand. But you should know—Grunah is the most skilled knife and dagger user I’ve ever met. And I don’t say that lightly. Also, she’ll own you.”

“There are millions of qualified instructors out there. I don’t like her attitude, and I’m not taking on her ticking time bomb of a disciple.”

“Our leader also asked me to convince you. If you accept, she’ll owe you a favour. You can still refuse, of course, but I’m telling you—this will benefit you more than you realise. Plus, it’ll secure your position in the Hollow Blade if that’s your goal.”

Buno and Bunu haven’t lied to me so far.

“If her Disciple messes around, I’m holding Grunah responsible. If the girl annoys me, it’s straight back to prison. If she refuses, I’ll end her on the spot,” Auren says bluntly.

“You won’t regret it… Hehe. You might even enjoy it.”

What does he mean?

“Which prison is she in? I have to pick her up in person, right? Are they really just going to release her? Don’t I need some official reason?” Auren inquires.

“Don’t worry about that. Grunah will take care of everything. As long as you show up, there won’t be any issues. Jenny can handle something like that easily,” Bunu explains.

“You owe me for this too, Instructor. It smells like trouble,” Auren grumbles.

Bunu laughs. “Kid, enjoy your life a little. What’s the rush? Anyway, what else is going on?”

Auren gives a short rundown of his time in Heaven’s Arena, wrapping up with, “Overall, the fighters are shockingly weak—mostly Nen novices. It’s a good place to gain experience, though.”

“Hehe, then enjoy your match later. I might watch it online,” Bunu says before hanging up.

That night, back at the Arena, a different yet equally cheery announcer hypes up the crowd.

“He’s been storming the Tower like a mad bull! Undefeated, brutal, and highly skilled—the mysterious Demon-Claw Auren! This is his debut in the 200-class!”

The crowd erupts with cheers as Auren steps into the ring.

“His opponent’s had a rough start—0 wins and 2 losses. It’s Rezza, and he desperately needs a victory!”

The audience glances at Rezza. Some pity him. Others laugh.

Auren sizes up his opponent.

I don’t sense anything special. But I won’t hold back!

“We’re using the standard point system! Weapons are allowed! Are both fighters ready?” the Referee asks.

Auren gives a single nod. Rezza glares at him with seething hatred.

Both retreat to the edge of the ring, and the Referee shouts, “Begin!”

Rezza’s Aura flares instantly. His left arm detaches and hurtles toward Auren at high speed.

Auren’s hands morph into claws. He slashes at the flying arm—first with his left claw, then his right—sending out two ranged strikes with a basic use of Emission.

Both attacks hit the arm, and Rezza cries out in pain. The arm spirals out of control and crashes into the ring.

How? It’s fake… but is it somehow linked to his nervous system?

Unwilling to give him room to recover, Auren charges forward. He enhances his claws, mixing Enhancement to strengthen them and Transmutation to extend their range.

His claws are now enveloped by larger, translucent aura extensions—basic Transmutation at work.

As he closes in, Rezza, still reeling, leaps backward in panic, about to land outside the ring.

Auren plants his feet firmly on the edge of the ring, channels his Aura into his right claw, and pushes the extended Aura as far as it can go—landing a clean, horizontal slash across Rezza’s abdomen, cutting a few inches deep.

Seconds later, Rezza crashes to the floor, clutching his stomach. Shoulders trembling, he shrieks in panic.

“AAAARGH! I SURRENDER! I SURRENDER!!”

“What is this?! Rezza has surrendered! One attack—and it’s over! Demon-Claw Auren finishes it in just ten seconds! An incredible show of skill!”

“Pathetic,” Auren mutters, leaving the arena without acknowledging the reporters or the roaring audience.

If I had used Limitless Waters, my attacks would have been twice as powerful, and he would now be dead. Even with basic Aura use, this feels like a joke to me.

The next day, after teaching Konrad a bit more—focusing on the basics of Ren—Auren books a ticket and boards an airship headed for the Kukan’yu Kingdom. Luckily, it’s not far from Heaven’s Arena—definitely closer than the Federation.

I scheduled my next fight so it can’t happen for at least two weeks. I booked my ticket using my license, so I should be able to stay as long as I need. Kukan’yu Kingdom... the prison’s called Trick Tower. If all goes well, I’ll be back in a week. I really hope this is worth it.