"I won't be too far from that day..."
It had only been a little over a year since he had arrived in this world.
From awakening his Nen to now being able to easily defeat renowned fighters on the 200th floor of the Heavens Arena.
If levels were to be drawn, he could already be considered somewhat strong.
Of course, the strength of fighters above the 200th floor of the Heavens Arena was well-known to everyone.
The strong and the weak were mixed.
Some, like Zushi, learned Nen only briefly and yet managed to become a floor master, a rookie prodigy.
There were also those like Kastro and Hisoka, incredibly powerful and gifted individuals, or ruthless individuals.
Luke chose his opponents carefully, challenging them one by one from weak to strong.
So when your information was exposed, you never knew if you'd be targeted by someone like Luke.
"And the floor master here..."
Luke has always been a steady and cautious person.
When he feels he's strong enough, he'll defeat each floor master one by one.
At Heavens Arena, if you won a floor, you could challenge its floor master.
If you succeed, you can claim that floor as the new floor master, enjoying fame and a carefree life.
Every floor from 230th to 250th... Each floor is owned by a single floor master.
Furthermore, floor masters can participate in the biennial tournament, Battle Olympia, and those who win can move into the top floor, the 251st.
The floor masters here also vary in strength.
Weaker ones like Zushi and those easily annihilated by Jed's group of subordinates.
The more powerful ones, like Chrollo, who, in order to fulfill his promise to fight Hisoka, scheduled a match at the Heavens Arena and fought his way all the way to the 251st floor, are the ones who are truly strong.
Luke decided to set a small goal for himself.
"By the end of this year, I want to completely defeat all the floor masters in the Heavens Arena."
Well, that's without the aid of inventions, relying solely on his own strength.
If he adds the inventions he already has in hand…
"That's a bit too much."
He estimated that he could level the entire Heavens Arena by tomorrow.
It was precisely because he already had the power to protect himself that Luke dared to act so recklessly and boldly.
Otherwise, if he happened to encounter someone with a strange Nen ability, he would be in for a disaster.
Luke always made thorough preparations before setting out.
Thus, with his primary goal of gaining practical combat experience, Luke spent the next year continuously challenging those above the 200th floor.
He also shifted his focus from those with seven or eight wins to those who were even stronger.
Of course, there are some fighters with a strange Nen ability.
However, they were all easily neutralized by Luke in actual combat.
For example, when Luke challenged one of the floor masters, that floor master possessed the ability to temporarily strip away the air from the surrounding space.
The scope of the space was roughly the same as the ring used in the Heavens Arena.
Luke guessed that this Nen ability must have been specially developed by the opponent specifically for arena battles.
The man even named it, Breath of the Reaper.
The ability to strip away the air from the surrounding space was indeed a bit eye-opening.
However, such an ability…
"Was the kind that didn't distinguish friend from foe, everyone got caught..."
Luke wanted to complain the moment he thought about it.
That floor master's Nen ability was nothing but hurting the enemy at the cost of harming himself.
When the space was deprived of air, not only the opponent but he himself also couldn't breathe.
In other words, both sides were in the exact same environment.
The only reason he dared to design and use such an Nen ability at all… was purely because of his extraordinary lung capacity.
Relying entirely on his uniquely gifted body, he could sustain intense physical activity with just a very little oxygen.
Therefore, before using his Nen ability, he has taken in enough oxygen to sufficiently sustain himself for the fight.
Opponents unaware of his Nen ability are easily smitten.
This Nen ability requires no prerequisites; it can be successfully unleashed with a single wave of his hand.
Even Luke, when they first fought, was caught off guard and choked breathless.
But fortunately, he didn't panic at all.
Having long known of his opponent's Nen ability, he had already prepared.
He even had the urge to offer gentle advice: "I think you would better deactivate this Nen ability first."
Luke offered sincere advice to the opponent, who was already holding his breath and preparing for a war of attrition: "Your ability is useless to me."
"Doing so will only weaken you. It won't do anything else."
The opponent completely ignored him, even stubbornly throwing clever, witty remarks at Luke, like.
"Stop playing tricks on me, or you must be in extreme pain, unable to bear it, and trying to deceive me with these sweet words."
"Don't be fooled by my dumb-looking face, actually, I'm super clever!"
He had already faced many opponents before who pretended not to be affected and then tried to use words to make him drop his guard or even undo his Nen ability.
Now, he's learned his lesson and will never be affected by it again!
Luke: "Alright, whatever you say."
Luke shrugged, then produced a blue and white capsule and shoved it up his nose.
Invention: Oxygen Nasal Plug
Origin: Doraemon World — Future Tech Company
Function: After being stuffed into the nose, even in a vacuum with no air, it provides all the oxygen needed for breathing.
This item, perfectly suited for exploring wild planets and underwater exploration, was used by Luke.
And then… It was a one-sided beating.
Well, this Nen ability itself was ineffective against Luke himself, and yet the opponent was still holding his breath, essentially giving himself a low buff!
If the opponent had immediately removed his Nen ability, there might still have been a slight chance of victory.
But unfortunately, he was a tough nut to crack.
So Luke satisfied his desire for beating, only when he knocked him unconscious with a head full of lumps, did he leave satisfied.
It could be said that these floor masters at Heavens Arena either relied on bizarre abilities or overwhelming strength.
And when it came to opponents with overwhelming strength, that was exactly what Luke wanted: to properly test his own progress.
If it were strange abilities instead, Luke could rely on his equally miraculous inventions to neutralize their effects, and then have a good, fist-to-fist showdown…
These battles with the floor masters not only tested his own growth, but they also boosted his familiarity with using his inventions.
A complete two birds with one stone.
This only made Luke more certain that the path he had chosen was not wrong.
And so, back at the Heavens Arena, their renowned fighters above the 200th floor, as well as those floor masters, began a year-long nightmare.
Time quietly slipped into 1986.
When the calendar flipped to 1986, the legend of the challenger in the dark in Heavens Arena grew stronger.
They gave this name to the mysterious figure who specifically challenged star fighters at night.
That challenger seemed like a pure martial artist.
He simply came for battle, without any other intentions. Even when he won, he always stopped at the right moment, never delivering a killing blow.
Some floor masters even asked him before their battle why he didn't just participate openly in the Heavens Arena's matches.
That way, they could fight openly.
But the only answer they received was...
"Too much trouble."
"And besides, I'm not interested."
Not caring about fame or fortune, he truly seemed like one of those hermit martial artists training deep in the mountains.
The only thing odd was his habit of acting only at night, which made him seem a bit too secretive...
"Hmm, that's what people say out there."
Inside the luxurious room, Nobunaga reported everything he had heard outside to Luke.
Luke: "...?"
Isn't this just to save your face?!
If he were to beat them down in broad daylight, in front of so many people, would they still have the dignity and prestige of the floor master?!
Of course, the most important thing was that Luke was also considering the reputation of the Heavens Arena.
"If you really went all out publicly and beat down a floor master in the open..."
Feitan whispered: "That would be an insult to the Heavens Arena."
Well, if it were in the Heavens Arena, winning would be no problem.
But you're not participating in the competition, and yet you're specifically targeting our elected floor master…
What do you mean by that? Aren't you just going against the Heavens Arena?!
"So what?!"
Uvogin shoveled meat into his mouth and said nonchalantly: "At worst, we will just leave."
"Anyway, we've pretty much completed all the necessary training in these two years."
"I've seen the level of those so-called floor masters, and they're all the same."
"I don't think there's anything interesting here anymore."
Uvogin burped, then comfortably picked his teeth.
It had been two years since they left Meteor City.
In those two years, Uvogin and the other four had completed their basic training and tempering here at Heavens Arena.
From knowing nothing and relying only on brute strength to charge recklessly, to now being able to freely and skillfully use En, Ken, and other high-level techniques like Shu in battle.
By now, every fight basically ended in victory.
They had absorbed Luke's teachings well.
Their training had advanced to the point where they could easily spar with powerful professional hunters in the world.
To put it bluntly, against most of the professional hunters in the Hunter Association, they could crush them with ease!
This was the result of two years of training and battle, coupled with Luke's guidance.
This allowed them to grow even faster and better than in the original timeline.
In the original timeline, Uvogin and the others were still in Meteor City, working with Chrollo to change its system.
It wasn't like now, where they could venture out into the world.
"We have indeed stayed here a bit too long."
Luke naturally understood Uvogin's meaning.
And not just him, but Nobunaga, Feitan, and Phinks all looked over as well.
Although they could receive news from the outside world here in Heavens Arena, they had come straight here from Meteor City and stayed for two years.
Having yet to fully experience the scenery of the world, they were naturally itching to see it.
If before, they were just country bumpkins, their strength hadn't yet reached maturity.
Now, they have the ability to protect themselves and deal with crises and adversaries.
Naturally, their hearts began to stir.
"If you have made up your mind and are ready…"
Luke looked around and smiled. "Then I don't have any other opinions."
The Heavens Arena has essentially been drained of its potential value.
It truly can no longer offer them any valuable assistance.
After all, Luke has witnessed Uvogin and the others' hard work, training, and battles over the past two years.
They have long since acquired the basic abilities to venture out into the world.
What they lacked now, perhaps, was only experiencing the malice that could never be underestimated in this world, and the cruel lessons of society.
And such things, even if taught verbally, would never be etched into their hearts.
People cannot be taught by words alone, only through experience.
Luke would not obstruct Uvogin and the others' steps toward yearning for the world.
They will experience it sooner or later.
And…
"It's time for us to go out into the world and take a good look around."
After Uvogin and the others brought it up, Luke almost had the same idea himself.
It had already been two and a half years since he arrived in this world.
Two and a half years.
Not long, not short either.
The marvelous scenery of the outside world, he had to experience it properly!
Once they had made up their minds, their efficiency was astonishingly high.
After receiving permission from Luke, Uvogin and the others were extremely excited.
Even Feitan couldn't help but smile.