Chapter 24

This is Ron's approach, as taught by Maha Zoldyck.

Ron bought a ticket and, following the staff's instructions, entered a large room.

The room was expansive. "This layout is somewhat like a movie theater," he observed. Each arena was assigned to a room: a central ring surrounded by seats for spectators. This was the first floor, where newcomers to Heavens Arena, those with no accomplishments yet, started. There were dozens of rings here in total.

This ticket was a "day pass." With it, he could freely enter any room on the first floor and watch various matches. The price was reasonable, making Heavens Arena a popular place for people to pass the time. Young people, seniors—Ron blended right in. Many other spectators were around his age.

Floating before Ron was a crystal ball, visible only to him. A faint, enticing energy emanated from it, absorbing the essence of Heavens Arena.

"I wonder what kind of nen beast will come from absorbing the properties of Heavens Arena," Ron mused. The effectiveness of Killer Queen had left him satisfied, so he was eagerly anticipating his next nen beast.

"Though, compared to the Zoldyck Estate, the Observer's absorption rate of Heavens Arena's properties is a bit slower," he noted.

In the ring, a match was about to begin. On one side stood a young man, and on the other, an elderly man. Their power levels were significantly different. The youth looked like he had just come from a regular gym, while the older man exuded an aura reminiscent of Zeno Zoldyck—a seasoned martial artist, having developed his insights and understanding of martial arts over many years.

"The winner: Number 1034!"

With a single, decisive move, the old man effortlessly defeated the young fighter. There was no suspense.

Ron switched to another arena room and noticed someone unexpected in the ring.

"Sadaso?"

Ron paused in surprise. The fight had yet to begin. Sadaso's opponent was a well-built, bald man. Both fighters clearly had more skill than typical first-floor fighters but, being new arrivals, had little choice in their initial opponents. Unfortunately, one of them would be unlucky tonight; had they faced other fighters, they'd likely have won.

After a heated match, Sadaso emerged victorious. He went over to his defeated opponent, extended his hand, and helped him up.

"Well fought!" Sadaso said politely.

The bald man nodded. "Thank you."

This demeanor was so different from the Sadaso in the original story that Ron almost couldn't believe it was the same person.

After his win, Sadaso went to the front desk to claim his prize money. The reward for a first-floor victory was meager, but Sadaso didn't seem to mind.

"This is just the beginning," Sadaso said confidently. "I'll keep winning, keep earning more and more, until I reach the 200th floor and become a floor master of Heavens Arena. Then I'll have more money than I could spend in a lifetime."

"With that, I can lift my entire village out of poverty." His eyes shone with ambition.

A slip of paper was handed to him from inside the desk.

"Direct promotion to the tenth floor? Not bad," Sadaso said, nodding with satisfaction.

But it seemed luck was not on Sadaso's side. Once he reached the tenth floor, he was immediately paired against a master-level elder who'd also been promoted directly to that floor. Within a few moves, Sadaso was defeated. And just as quickly, his newfound ambition was dampened by a cold reality check.

Ron left Heavens Arena and checked into a nearby hotel. There were no lodgings available below the 100th floor of the Arena.

Once in his room, Ron placed a call to Shinji.

"Who is it?" answered the voice on the other end.

"It's me."

Shinji's tone immediately became respectful. "Master Ron."

"Shinji, I've arrived at Heavens Arena. Let Silva and Grandpa Zeno know," Ron instructed.

"Yes, Master Ron."

Ron hung up the phone and locked the door. Lying on his bed, he turned to look out the window, facing Heavens Arena. The arena was still brightly lit at this hour.

"Tomorrow, I can probably start my challenges," he thought. However, Ron hesitated. Two options lay before him: 

One was to quickly climb to the 200th floor. The other was to take it slow, progressing one floor at a time.

"Let's go with the first option," Ron decided. "I find it hard to learn anything from ordinary martial artists. The number of people here who are stronger than Zeno Zoldyck is quite limited. The higher I go in Heavens Arena, the faster the Observer's absorption of its characteristics should become."

"Master Silva," Shinji said as he approached Silva Zoldyck.

"What is it?" Silva asked.

"Master Ron called back. He said he has arrived at Heavens Arena."

"Alright, I understand," Silva replied.

Shinji exited the courtyard, feeling a natural respect for Silva. It wasn't just Silva's strength that intimidated him; it was the aura he exuded—hardened by countless battles, indifferent to life.

In contrast, when Shinji was around Ron and the other butlers, he felt a warmth and harmony within the Zoldyck estate. But upon meeting Silva, he finally understood the phrase: 

—The Zoldyck family is the world's top assassin family.

Assassins are not ordinary people.

Ron walked into Heavens Arena and approached the main hall on the first floor.

"I'd like to apply for a match," he said.

The staff member inside was a young girl with a bun hairstyle, wearing a red work qipao. She instinctively began to register Ron upon hearing his request but froze when she saw him.

"Are you sure, little boy? Are your parents here?" she asked, leaning slightly outside to check.

There were indeed young competitors in Heavens Arena. Many were raised from a young age in this field. This city was particularly known for it.

"Three steps to a dojo, ten steps to a master."

While that may be an exaggeration, it was true that the city had countless dojos. Some were attracted by the atmosphere of Heavens Arena. Because of its presence, the entire city revered martial arts.

To be honest, regardless of what profession one had in this city, if they couldn't hold their own in a fight, they would feel embarrassed to call themselves a citizen. Many martial arts enthusiasts naturally sought dojos.

Running a dojo and making a business in this city could earn far more than in others. Additionally, many fighters reached a bottleneck in their training and gradually lost interest in the matches at Heavens Arena. They would then settle down outside, either joining a dojo as instructors or starting their own.

As a result, over time, the fighters in this city became increasingly younger.