As the woman with the long ponytail conceded, the referee immediately announced the result.
Then, the referee took out a machine similar to a card swiper and printed a paper pass for the winner to proceed to the higher floors.
"2792, although your registration information states zero combat experience, based on your performance in this match, I believe you can be directly promoted to the 50th floor. Here is your credential for the 50th floor, please keep it safe."
The referee said, handing the paper pass to Moreau.
Each referee had different judgment methods.
Judging solely by the techniques displayed in the duel, the referee on Arena C would have assigned Moreau to the 20th floor, while the woman with the long ponytail would have been assigned to the 50th floor.
However, from the outcome, the woman with the long ponytail had virtually no chance of winning against Moreau.
The referee on Arena C believed that the result outweighed the process, so he no longer referred to the registration information and directly determined that Moreau could go to the 50th floor.
However, facing the referee's rather considerate judgment, Moreau did not take the paper pass.
Instead, he tentatively asked,
"Mr. Referee, may I choose to advance to the 10th floor myself?"
"Of course, that is your right."
The referee nodded.
Heavens Arena holds at least two thousand preliminary matches every day, and among so many contestants, there are always some, like Moreau, who for some reason or need, choose to slowly fight their way up.
This phenomenon was not unusual.
Moreau smiled,
"Then please give me the credential for the 10th floor."
"Please wait."
The referee promptly printed a new paper pass for Moreau.
"Thank you."
Moreau took the pass, turned, and walked off the arena.
On his way from the arena to the passage, Moreau could feel numerous gazes from all directions, one of which belonged to the woman with the long ponytail who had just conceded.
But he didn't care, walking straight into the passage, then ascending to the 10th floor of Heavens Arena.
Not rushing to the counter to register for promotion, Moreau entered an elevator and casually pressed the 15th floor button.
A moment later.
Moreau arrived at the 15th floor, followed the guide signs on the wall, and casually entered one of the rooms.
At this moment.
A duel was underway on the central arena inside the room.
In the spectator stands around the arena, there were only scattered audience members.
Heavens Arena has 251 floors, and floors such as 11 to 19, and 21 to 29, are generally equipped with match venues featuring arenas, as well as comprehensive service facilities.
A billion spectators buy tickets to watch matches every year, but for the audience, the matches on the lower floors clearly still lacked appeal.
Moreau wasn't even stopped or asked for a ticket by any staff when he entered.
Finding a seat in the stands, Moreau watched the match on the arena.
The two fighters were very aggressive in their offense.
However, they had no discernible technique whatsoever, completely relying on their physical prowess to make attacking moves such as forcefully swinging fists or kicking legs.
Moreau watched for less than a minute before standing up and leaving.
Compared to the two fighters he had seen earlier who specialized in lethal martial arts, and the long-ponytail woman he had fought, the two fighters currently in the arena were like two street punks brawling.
Yet these two fighters could advance to the tenth floor, while the agile long-ponytail woman lost her preliminary match after encountering him, and even the fighter with excellent leg techniques died directly on the arena.
One could only say that things were unpredictable.
And sadly...
Moreau saw his own shadow in those two fighters, who fought like street punks.
Fortunately, he still had the opportunity to strive for change.
Leaving the match room and entering the corridor, Moreau was filled with emotion.
He was still wondering—
Would these martial artists, who had invested decades of energy and effort into their cultivation, despairingly realize they had wasted too much time if they were to suddenly encounter the power called Nen?
A few minutes later.
Moreau returned to the 10th floor to register for promotion, then immediately chose to start the next match.
Below the 200th floor, one could fight two matches a day.
Contestants who were confident and wanted to level up quickly naturally chose to play both matches.
Moreau stayed in the contestant waiting room for a while and was soon assigned to Arena B on the 17th floor for a match.
The efficiency of matching opponents in Heavens Arena was extremely high.
One could say that the countless arenas within this tower-shaped building operated like gears, continuously, every day.
Every minute and every second during the day, victories and defeats were decided on the arenas.
On his way to Arena B on the 17th floor, Moreau thought with considerable interest...
If there were a cheat ability that allowed one to grow stronger by absorbing "desire to win," then by staying in Heavens Arena for a period, one would surely emerge with an invincible stance.
But Moreau then thought again, even if one emerged with an invincible stance, they would turn into a puddle of flesh under the simple words "Go die" from the "Wish-Granting Machine."
In a sense, this world also had its absurd side.
Just like him, like a time assassin, under the influence of some ability or phenomenon, he fortunately got a chance to do it all again.
Soon arriving at Arena B on the 17th floor, Moreau saw his opponent for this match, a man as strong as a bear.
Hmm, worth looking forward to.
Moreau thought to himself.
However, after the referee announced the start, Moreau was disappointed.
His opponent was strong, but he also possessed only brute strength.
Moreau, however, did not quickly end the fight.
Instead, during the engagement, he observed his opponent's habits of exerting force and the underlying ideas embedded in their attacking methods.
The defensive power brought by Nen allowed him to calmly think on the arena.
He didn't think this was a meaningless thing.
On the contrary, he believed the power of "thinking" was important.
But at present, he was still an amateur in this regard, unable to effectively utilize this power in combat.
So he could only use a clumsy method to accumulate experience, slowly increasing the speed of his thinking...
Just before the three minutes were about to end.
Moreau made his move; with just a casual palm strike, he knocked his strong opponent out of the arena.
The battle ended in an instant.
Seeing this, the referee, somewhat surprised, printed a promotion certificate for Moreau.
Moreau thanked him as usual, then left the match room.
Every opponent observed in battle, and every moment of thinking on the arena, was like filling information into a knowledge base.
Then, when enough information had been accumulated, the habit derived from thinking would, like an AI retrieving information in battle, quickly and efficiently provide a correct decision-making solution.
Moreau was unsure if this path was correct.
The reason he did this was merely a combat ability once mentioned by Biscuit in the original work—
The instantaneous burst of thinking power.
In the following days, Moreau gradually advanced in this manner.
By the time he reached the eightieth floor, many spectators had noticed something special about him.
Gradually, he gained a title in Heavens Arena.
Meditative Little Five...
Oh, no.
It was Moreau the Thinker.
(End of chapter)
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