Chapter 35: What am I doing? How about a Bet!

Back at Heaven’s Arena, Auren says his goodbye to his trusty pilot, deciding to take his card, he aggressively offers it to him. “If you ever need a pilot, call me! I hate that Agency!” He pleads.Checking out the card, he notices his name, “Jolt Oderis — Pilot”

“Jolt, right? Eventually, I might need a pilot. I might give you a call, but whoever I hire needs to be flexible,” Auren explains.

“No problem! Give me a call at any time, you won’t regret it!” He says, looking pleased.

As they leave the airport, they quickly make their way towards Heaven’s Arena, using a cab. They enter it and ride the elevator up to Auren’s room.

The first thing he does is call reception, asking for an additional room—or at least a larger one, suitable for more than one person.

Maybe due to his growing reputation, reception complies without issue, granting him a new room on the 225th floor. The new space is at least twice the size of his previous one and comes with two bedrooms.

Auren instructs Neffi to take a bath while he transfers his few belongings from the old room, with a few staff members helping him out, looking humble and helpful.

After tipping them and unpacking his items, he takes Neffi outside, prompting a disapproving look from her. “Where are we going?” she asks quietly.

“To get you some clothes! You can’t exactly run around dressed in dirty brown prison gear,” Auren replies.

“I guess…” she mutters.

They stay within Heaven’s Arena—Auren figures it’s faster and more convenient to visit one of the shops inside. The huge tower offers all kinds of bars, restaurants, and boutiques catering to tourists and fighting fans alike.

Despite the expensive prices, Auren doesn’t hesitate. He calls over a staff member and has her take Neffi’s measurements. Then he instructs her to bring twenty sets of clothes in various styles, all slightly oversized to accommodate Neffi’s eventual recovery and weight gain.

The employee returns with two coworkers, each one carrying heaps of clothing—pants, skirts, dresses, along with matching underwear, shoes, jackets, coats, and even accessories.

Auren doesn’t stop there. He also buys toiletries, hygiene products, a brand new phone, a laptop, and even withdraws some cash, which he hands over to Neffi.

Throughout the entire shopping spree, Neffi barely reacts. Her expression remains blank, and she doesn’t show any sign of emotion.

Almost a million Jenny lighter, Auren and Neffi return to their new, upgraded room.

Once back, Auren steps outside and calls Grunah.

“Neffi? Is that you? Are you alright?!” Grunah’s voice is full of panic.

“No, it’s me,” Auren answers.

“Ah… Auren. Thank you for helping… it seems things are worse than I imagined,” she replies with a sigh.

“Yes, they are. She barely talks to me. I just bought her everything she needs—so now she has her own phone and laptop. I’ll send you the number later. She also has her own room. Physically, she should be fine. Mentally… I think she’s checked out. Looks like they roughed her up pretty badly after her arrest.”

“I see, thank you brat…” Grunah says quietly.

“Anyway, I don’t think training is going to be high on our list anytime soon. You OWE me. Don’t forget it,” Auren states firmly, ending the call.

Over the next few days, Auren mostly leaves Neffi alone. He speaks to her only a few times a day, casually asking if she needs anything—which she always refuses with swift, short answers.

Eventually, Konrad contacts Auren with good news: he managed to find two more Ben’s Knives. Both came from an acquaintance who had lost interest in them. Adding those to the two Auren already acquired through the Hunter’s Tavern, he now owns six knives—though four are still awaiting collection.

Deciding it’s time to collect them and meet with Konrad, Auren walks up to Neffi’s room.

“Neffi, we need to leave. I have business to take care of,” he says.

Wearing a long dress that covers most of her scars, Neffi steps out silently, following Auren without a word.

They stop by the local bank, which has now confirmed receipt of two of Auren’s knives.

Upon entering, Auren provides his ID and is quickly escorted to a private backroom filled with security lockers. The attending employee slots a key into the locker and turns to Auren.

“Please confirm your items, sir. I’ll wait outside,” the man says with a composed tone.

Auren opens the now-unlocked locker and finds two knives wrapped in cloth.

One resembles a small sickle—its curve mimicking a crescent moon, its sharpness visibly dangerous.

The other is thick and solid, lacking a pointed tip. Its blade features dual edges along with hooks in the middle of the blade, clearly designed to cause significant injury and bleeding.

Using Gyo, Auren confirms their authenticity. The first knife is numbered 99. The second is marked 100.

“Nice! I like them!” Auren exclaims, a genuine smile breaking across his face as his body trembles with excitement.

Mildly intrigued, Neffi approaches. “What did you buy?” she asks.

He shows her the knives, and for the first time, something in her expression changes.

“Ben’s Knives! I always wanted to have one… they’re beautiful. I love the craftsmanship… and the sinister aura around them,” she says, her voice almost reverent.

“Haven’t heard you talk that much before. I guess there are more surprises waiting for you,” Auren says with a grin.

Satisfied, he exits the bank, followed by Neffi, and makes his way to the high-class hotel where Konrad is staying.

Once inside, Konrad greets him cheerfully and then eagerly presents the two Ben’s Knives he acquired.

Both blades are unique. One of them is adorned with long grooves along its center and boasts two incredibly sharp, long edges. It almost resembles a short sword, as both sides of the blade are sharpened and the length is almost twice that of other Ben’s Knives.

The other looks like a saw—its front bears the jagged edge of a serrated knife, while the back is heavily reinforced. With just a glance, using Gyo, Auren confirms their authenticity.

Number 50 and number 90...

Not only is Aura present, but Auren can now identify Benny Delon’s specific Aura signature.

There’s no way I’ll ever be deceived by someone. With six samples to compare, I know exactly what an authentic Ben’s Knife feels like. This sinister Aura. I like it.

Auren takes out his own two Ben’s knives, the two Knives he picked up earlier, and lays all six knives neatly in front of him.

“Looks like your collection’s really starting to come together,” Konrad remarks. “Anyway, these two are my gift. I promised you I’d reward you for teaching me. I might be able to send more your way eventually, but these things take time. Finding them depends a lot on luck and connections. Even if you are willing to overpay, these things don’t magically appear. Only fakers and scammers react if you show how desperate you are in wanting to acquire them.”

“I see, thanks, Konrad. Please keep searching,” Auren responds.

Meanwhile, Neffi stares intently at the six blades. She gently tugs on Auren’s sleeve to get his attention. “May I inspect them?” she asks softly.

“Go ahead,” Auren replies.

“Now Auren,” Konrad says, eyeing her, “I didn’t ask before, but this girl…”

“I messaged you, didn’t I? I got her out of prison as a favour for an acquaintance. She’ll be with me for a while,” Auren explains.

“I see…”

“Now let’s get some training in,” Auren says. “I’ll demonstrate Ren a couple of times. You aren’t that far off, but you should keep focusing on Ten and Zetsu for now. Still, it doesn’t hurt to try Ren early. Once you’ve got it down, you’ll have all the basics you need. Alongside Gyo and water divination, you’ll be ready to move quickly. For you to learn these two things, however, you require Ren. I can explain advanced Nen techniques once you’re ready.”

“Let’s do it!” Konrad says, eager to learn.

A few hours later, Auren stretches his hands, glancing at Neffi as she reluctantly hands the knives back to him.

Back in Auren’s room, he watches Neffi. Her earlier spark is gone, replaced by the same quiet emptiness.

“May I ask you something… I know something terrible happened, and you probably feel hollow after getting your revenge. But your master cares about you, and your whole life is still ahead of you. You’ve regained most of your freedom. And with your master’s insane connections, I don’t see why you're so lost. What happened after your revenge?”

She starts speaking slowly, her voice barely audible. “...They beat me. They broke my bones—over and over. They used knives, whips… for days. It’s not just what happened. It’s what’s left. I’m crippled. My legs, my hands, my shoulders, my skin... even my face. Scars aside, I can feel it. I’ll never recover. And beyond that, I’m hideous. Broken. I’m sorry… I’ll still teach you. That’s what you’re after, right?” Her voice grows louder with each word until she’s practically shouting.

I could heal her with a snap of my fingers. Change her entire life in just a few sessions. She’d be back to full strength. So why am I not doing it? Have I become this cold… calculated? Or was I always like this?

Who cares…

“Sure. How about we start today?” Auren says, pulling a few ordinary knives from the kitchen.

She hesitates. “Now…?”

“Why not? I still have time. My next fight hasn’t been scheduled,” Auren replies.

“Okay… Let’s begin with the standard grip, and then move on to the reverse grip.”

Carefully and slowly, she starts lecturing Auren, sharing the techniques passed down from her master. Despite her visible pain, she demonstrates each grip and movement dozens of times. She quickly moves on to movement and basic combat techniques.

Auren listens closely, mimicking every technique she shows. Even in her current state, she is ruthless in correcting him the moment he slips up.

A few hours later, Auren nods. “That should be enough for now. I’ll keep training—just need a few hours of guidance each day. You shouldn’t waste your time, though. How about a little gamble to pass the time?”

“What gamble?” she asks, caught off guard.

“If you make it to the 200th floor within a month, I’ll grant you a wish. If you fail, you owe me,” Auren suggests.

Why… am I doing this…

“If you… want something from me… I can’t disobey you anyway. I won’t tell Master. You can go ahead,” she says, her eyes wide with shock, quickly turning away, beginning to shiver.

“I’m not even thirteen yet. Where are your thoughts going, you nasty girl?” Auren replies, visibly disgusted. “Just accept the challenge or don’t!”

“I don’t want any—” she starts, then pauses, thinking. “I… might give it a try.”

“Good. Also—no using Nen. I’ll allow Ten, but that’s it,” Auren adds.

“Why?!” she asks, baffled.

“Because it wouldn’t be a challenge otherwise,” Auren answers. “Now shut up and go down to register. If anything comes up, call me. I need to train, so don’t bother me.”