Chapter 38: Sadaso – I Must Work Harder!

Kaizen thought back to Klose earlier.

"Are you with Klose?"

"That's right!"

"Then you misunderstood something."

"What do you mean?"

The man in front of him frowned.

Kaizen's voice was calm, almost mocking. "He made me an offer—throw the fight and he'd give me three million Jenny."

The man's eyes narrowed, tension building between them.

"If your group was confident you'd win, why do you think Klose offered me that kind of money? Charity?" Kaizen let the words hang in the air, watching them cut deeper.

"This just proves you're not even the best fighter in your little crew."

The other man's expression twisted, his pride stung.

Kaizen let out a sigh. "Honestly, I wasn't planning to waste my time on you. But I can't stand pointless nuisances."

The air around Kaizen grew heavier. "So, let's make this simple. I'll make sure your group wakes up after today."

The next moment, Kaizen's figure vanished.

Before the opponent could react, Kaizen was already in front of him. His hand, shaped like a knife, sliced through the air.

Swish!

A faint slicing sound echoed, barely audible, but the effect was immediate. Kaizen leaped backward, settling back into his previous stance.

The other man stood frozen. A thin red line traced across his neck.

Then, the wound split open, blood spraying outward in a sudden burst.

"Guh… g-ghh…"

The man's hands clutched his throat in a desperate attempt to stop the flow, but it was useless.

Thud!

He crumpled to the ground, lifeless, as blood spread across the arena floor.

Kaizen turned his gaze toward the referee.

"Can you announce the result?"

"Y-Yes!" The referee snapped back to reality, stumbling to declare Kaizen the winner.

Without another glance at the ring, Kaizen walked off. His mind was no longer on the fight—he only had one thing on his mind: Klose.

That idiot caused trouble despite the warning. Now, Kaizen would have to deal with him personally.

Instead of heading to the front desk, Kaizen slipped through a side hallway, making his way to a secluded window.

"Killer Queen!"

A soft, feminine figure appeared from the shadows—a Nen-beast cloaked in pink. The deadly aura around her shimmered faintly.

"Find Klose," Kaizen commanded. "Kill him."

Killer Queen vanished through the window without a sound, her presence like a silent breeze passing through the Heavens Arena.

Meanwhile, Klose was already on the move. He'd seen Kaizen's fight, and fear now gripped his heart. Without even packing his things, he bolted downstairs, hoping to escape.

"As long as the money's in the card, nothing else matters," Klose muttered under his breath, clutching his wallet.

But Klose's luck had run out. Kaizen's Killer Queen awaited him at one of the arena's exits. The towering Heavens Arena had gates on all four sides, but Klose picked the wrong one.

Even though he tried to disguise himself, Killer Queen spotted him instantly.

She didn't attack right away. Instead, she followed him patiently, her gaze cold and calculating.

When Klose reached a corner where no one was watching—

Shunk!

From an ordinary person's perspective, a pair of scissors seemed to appear out of thin air, driving straight into Klose's throat.

Killer Queen, invisible to those without Nen, had struck with deadly precision.

Thud!

Klose collapsed, blood gushing from his neck as his wide eyes stared into nothingness.

With a single thought from Kaizen, Killer Queen dissolved into the air, her mission complete.

Kaizen strolled back to the front desk.

"Here's your ticket," the receptionist said nervously, handing him a high-tier pass.

"Straight to the 100th floor?" Kaizen mused aloud, his gaze flickering with interest.

"It seems the higher I go, the tougher the opponents. The one on the 50th floor was a joke. The one on the 70th... a little better."

He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the 100th floor. As the doors slid shut, Kaizen could hear the buzz of excitement spreading through the arena.

In the hallways, conversations were erupting among the spectators.

"That was insane! He killed Bobby with a single hit!"

"Bobby was no pushover either. Kaizen's way too strong."

Not everyone was impressed, though.

"That was too much. Killing him was over the line."

But others admired Kaizen's ruthlessness.

"I kind of like it. It shows he's not messing around."

Even some of the higher-level fighters took notice of Kaizen's performance, their interest piqued.

Meanwhile, on the 16th floor, a lone figure stood motionless in front of a screen.

Sadaso stared at the now-ended broadcast of Kaizen's fight. Even though the screen had switched to advertisements, he hadn't moved an inch.

His fists trembled at his sides.

"That kid's... that strong?"

He clenched his jaw, bitterness welling up inside him.

"In comparison... I'm nothing."

But then, a fierce determination sparked in his eyes.

"No. I won't stay like this. I'll have to work harder."

Kaizen arrived on the 100th floor, where he registered for the next day's competition and received a room key. Rooms at this level were luxurious—reserved only for the top contenders.

Once inside, Kaizen locked the door behind him, letting the silence wash over him.

His gaze fell on the crystal ball resting on a small table in the corner of the room.

It shimmered faintly, waiting.

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