READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 131: Climbing x Tower - The Fighting Paradise
The bus stops in its tracks close to Heavens Arena, just a few minutes on foot away.
Alex and Menchi confidently walk toward it. In front of the building, Alex notices a lot of fighters, some beaten up and wounded, and even more spectators walking in and out of the large Arena.
A few of them actually look kinda strong. Can I really do this without struggling? Perhaps I need to cheat after all, he thinks, losing a bit of confidence as he sees some fighters that look like they mean serious business.
As they walk inside the massive building, 991 meters (approx. 3,250 feet) tall, having over 251 floors, Alex is in deep thought. Why are you still hesitating, even respecting these random losers who couldn't even make it up there? You are falling back into a passive role—these are old patterns. Wake the fuck up.
Alex and Menchi enter the building and walk a few minutes until they see the area where fighters can register. There are multiple counters, each with hundreds of people lining up behind them.
Menchi sighs, mumbling, "This will take hours, boooring. Do you want to skip the line?"
Alex, determined to change not only his approach but also to build up confidence, says, "Exactly my thoughts!"
"Huh, what do you mean?" Menchi asks, but Alex chooses to bypass the line and walks exactly in front of the counter.
Immediately, he gets surrounded by some nearby angry fighters wishing to register, obviously not accepting Alex's blatant line cutting.
Not intending to even waste a word, he unleashes his Ren, fueled by his own rage and determination.
Immediately, the fighters begin to shiver, as if they have seen a ghost in front of them. Everyone close by backs off, and Alex is now standing in front of the counter with nobody else in sight.
"I'd like to register... now!" he says to the woman behind the counter as he stops his Ren.
"S...sss..sure. Fill out this form, please!" She says, slightly frightened.
Alex hastily fills it out, despite not knowing the language. The system allows him to write in the local language—symbols closely related to Japanese Hiragana and Katakana but looking more similar to symbols and weird runes, almost like hieroglyphs.
The attendant finally says: "Alex Kerber, you are number 1337. Please proceed to the large fighting arena on the first floor. They will call out your number once it's time to fight."
"Heh, good job. I like you!" he says in return, smiling and walking away afterward, leaving the attendant confused.
He and a slightly impressed Menchi walk towards the fighting arena on the first floor. They see a huge hall, the ceiling almost as high as the one in the underground bunker. There are dozens of small fighting rings set up, with thousands of spectators sitting on the giant wall of seats along the outer sides of the arena.
Before they even have time to sit down, Alex's number is immediately called.
"Numbers 6969 and 1337, please enter ring L."
Alex confidently walks toward ring L and sees a mean-looking man already standing on top of the slightly elevated fighting arena.
Alex drops his weapons and gauntlets, which are not allowed until he reaches the 200th floor, onto the ground before him and enters the square-shaped fighting zone as well.
"First-floor contests are used to appraise each participant's skill level. Please demonstrate your abilities within 3 minutes. This is not only about winning and losing," the referee, wearing a silly bright red and yellow vest and a weird hat that reminds Alex of Aladdin's cap—a fez—explains. His vest and cap have the typical "fist" logo on them, the official logo of Heavens Arena.
"Any questions? Also, number 1337, if possible, don't use... you know. I won't evaluate you any lower if you hold back. We don't want any accidents on the lower floors." The referee looks at Alex with a slightly pleading expression.
"I don't need it!" Alex says, choosing not to activate Ren and just casually having his Ten, a purely defensive technique, activated.
"Now get ready… FIGHT!" the referee screams.
His enemy looks slightly flustered but angrily charges at Alex, screaming, "I'll cripple you for life, you arrogant fuck!"
Alex, surprised by how easily this man is triggered and by the fact that he wants to cripple him for no reason at all, feels a profound anger inside himself.
He dodges the tackle and immediately forms a claw with his now bare hands. He claws the man's chest, his fingers actually piercing the man's flesh and leaving bloody trails on his body, like the claws of a small bear.
"AAAAAH, WHAT IS THIS? KNIVES! HELP!" his enemy screams in panic.
Alex, still angry, doesn't intend to spare him just yet. He sprints toward the man and forcefully inserts his clawed hand deep into his opponent's body. Deciding to let him leave with his life, Alex targets a lung instead of the heart—a feat he is able to accomplish despite not actively using his Aura, thanks to his steadily increasing STR, SPD, and PHY.
He then hears a loud, "STOP! This fight is over!" from the referee.
Alex pulls out his hand, blood gushing from his opponent's stomach, which now looks like it was impaled by a large spear. His opponent immediately stumbles backward and collapses, and a few medics rush in to carry him away.
Some spectators watching the fight scream in excitement, shock, or horror. Those more accustomed to the violence clap and yell in approval, while others, clearly not regulars, are visibly shaken by the brutality.
"Number 1337… your first time here, but you look ready for the 200th class. However, it's policy that we don't send newcomers straight to the top, so you'll be entering Floor 100 for now. At least this way, you'll get a room. At your level, the other floors won't take much time at all," the referee says, printing out a tiny receipt from the mobile computer all referees carry.
[Side Quest Updated:
Mission: Reach the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena in less than 3 months time.
50th Floor: 1/1 100th Floor: 1/1 150th Floor: 0/1 200th Floor: 0/1]
Alex accepts the receipt, grabs his dropped equipment, and walks back toward Menchi.
"What's wrong with you? Why go that far? Did he piss you off or something?" Menchi asks him.
"Told me he was gonna cripple me, so I turned it around on him. Guess he'll probably miss one of his lungs," Alex says, unapologetic.
"Hmmm, fair is fair, I guess. Seems like you don't enjoy acting like the bigger guy, huh?" she responds.
"Usually, I don't have a problem staying calm, but sickos like that who seriously want to cripple enemies just because they don't like them are cancer cells that need to be removed immediately. If I'm in that situation, I won't hesitate. Better him than one of his future victims," Alex explains his logic.
"Hmmm, countless people get hurt here—that's what this place is all about. You can't protect everyone. If they lose, they get hurt," Menchi says.
"Indeed," Alex answers with a slight smile, deciding not to debate further. And since he lost, he can't complain, he thinks.
"Anyway, let's check out my new room. I heard the rooms can be anywhere. Even if I have to fight on the 100th floor, the room could be higher. Since the referee sent me straight to the 100th floor, I should get one now," Alex says as they leave the giant hall, heading toward the main area and one of the many elevators leading upward.
They enter an elevator reserved for fighters, and Alex notices there is an attendant inside. He politely shows his receipt to the well-dressed, quite beautiful female attendant and says, "100th floor, please!"
The attendant nods and flashes a professional, business-like smile, which makes Alex blush slightly, unused to such treatment.
Menchi steps on his right foot, and Alex cries out in pain. "OUCH! What the fuck?"
"You… stop fooling around and acting like a pervert!" Menchi scolds him.
"..." I didn't even do anything. Why am I surrounded by all these crazy women? Why can't I, for once, meet someone nice, beautiful, and mild-mannered like that attendant? Alex thinks, his foot still throbbing.
They step out of the elevator, and Alex receives his payment for the first fight—a disappointing 152 Jenny. It's barely enough to buy a drink from the nearby vending machine, which he promptly does. Always curious about the different drinks and food items in other worlds, it's one of the few things Alex will never tire of.
A/N: 100 Jenny = 90 Yen = 0.78 USD (The Heavens Arena arc was published in 1999, and this is 2 in-universe years before that, so I'm acting like inflation doesn't exist and will be using those numbers for reference. They should be pretty accurate, lore-wise. So if you read 1 USD be aware that 1 USD at that time is worth nearly 2 USD today.)
Alex is also handed a key, and to his absolute delight, his room is on floor 199—just a single floor below the 200th. Since he's aiming for the top anyway, this is as good as it gets.
He decides to schedule his next fight for tomorrow, so they can finally rest and check into the new room.
Using the same elevator, they're greeted again by the same female attendant. This time, Menchi strategically blocks any angle Alex might have to see her and looks at him with a smug expression.
"..." Time for bed. I'm done with this, he thinks.
They enter the room and are greeted by a well-cleaned, rather large space that resembles a studio apartment more than the basic room Alex had been expecting. Weird… I don't remember the rooms being this luxurious. Did the referee arrange this since he noticed my Nen abilities? Not bad! I like this treatment!
Inside, Alex notices more than one bedroom is available, and he immediately relaxes. Thank god I'll have at least some privacy. I really need to concentrate on business and not on… her, he thinks, still struggling to ignore Menchi's beautiful figure, which is always accentuated by her skimpy outfit.
Suddenly, Menchi smiles and declares, "You know what it's time for? Time for… TRAINING!"
"..." Please let me sleep, Alex sighs.
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