Chapter 114: Extinction Round 6!

A few days later—Heaven's Arena.

More than a year had passed since Xiang Nan last set foot here.

This time he had come to inspect the training results of Garo and the other would-be "Pandora's Box" members.

The Republic of Padokea had long been sending its best soldiers from every military district to Heaven's Arena to gain real combat experience and refine their fighting skills.

Among them, the earliest arrivals—Garo, Sigma, and their peers—had naturally climbed the highest.

Five of them had reached the 250th floor or higher, and another ten had fought their way to roughly the 200th floor.

For ordinary people that was already an impressive level.

Remember: Heaven's Arena gathers elite fighters from all over the world.

And now, with the "Star" Group effectively defunct and many players having vanished after the Mustang Island incident, only a handful of Star members were still active here.

That vacuum had lured a wave of rookie players to the tower; they, too, had begun imitating story characters by "climbing floors" to arm themselves—

—rather than doing what Xiang Nan had done: studying match footage, sparring with mundane martial artists, grasping underlying principles and techniques, and thereby awakening as an elite Nen user.

Xiang Nan could afford that approach for three reasons:

1. In his previous life he had been a mercenary,

2. He knew how to tap the military's resources and muscle,

3. His innate talent—within the system's limits—was top-tier insight.

Most players did not share that gift, so the fastest path for them was still Heaven's Arena.

For Padokea's soldiers, though, the higher they rose the harder each promotion became. Progress slowed.

As for the three Nen users bred by Padokea's old program—now above the 200th floor—they were currently barred from fighting: arena rules above 200 F disqualified them after too many losses. Entering again would require a long wait.

Still, they had already reaped the training they needed.

Garo, Sigma, and the other elite five who had cleared 150 F no longer had the "innocent" look they once wore.

Heaven's Arena had shown them human complexity, the many faces of mankind, and the importance of focused training.

They now understood how deep and rich the discipline of combat really was.

It was only after reaching Heaven's Arena that they also learned a surprise: Manman—the quiet girl who always trailed their captain—had once been a "contender" here.

She had fought well past the 200th floor long ago, but because she failed to enter a match within the allotted time she had been deregistered. To climb again she would probably have to start over.

…

"Taise."

Inside a fighter's lounge Xiang Nan reclined on a sofa, glancing at the tall man standing before him and giving an order.

"Sir!"

The man stepped forward and saluted. He was one of Padokea's three Nen users; the other two were Noah and Tina.

"Garo."

"Sir!"

"Sigma."

"Sir!"

"For the time being," Xiang Nan said, "you three will manage and command everyone training in Heaven's Arena. Anyone who reaches the 150th floor falls under your care.

"Your job is to teach them basic Nen cultivation—how much they grasp is up to them.

"Do not let them construct Hatsu abilities yet; when that time comes, I will handle it.

"At this stage we can afford to spend time on fundamentals, and Heaven's Arena is the perfect grindstone. A solid foundation is more important than anything else.

"Once we have fifteen qualified fighters, the first batch of Pandora's Box members is set. Anyone who reaches 150 F after that is only reserve personnel.

"When the fifteen-man unit is complete, I'll step in for advanced instruction."

"Yes, sir!"

They traded hopeful looks. They all knew how formidable Xiang Nan was; receiving his personal tutelage could vault their power in a short span.

"Taise," Xiang Nan continued, "I've watched all three of your match videos. The flaws in battlefield thinking and target engagement I pointed out last time are still there. That's why you keep losing."

"S-sorry, sir."

"A soldier's mouth should never say those three words. If you die on the battlefield you won't have time to be sorry."

His gaze was calm but sharp.

"You must understand this: Padokea's geography has kept it relatively peaceful, but that won't last forever.

"The Kakin Empire has already established diplomatic ties with us—you've surely heard the rumors back in your districts. Kakin commands a Nen army—note the word army.

"For Padokea that alliance may look beneficial, but from the V5's standpoint it is troubling. It means we could be pulled into war at any moment.

"If that happens, the outcome will hinge on clashes between Nen users. If you aren't strong enough, you won't even qualify to stand in front of a state-level Nen operative."

He raised one finger for emphasis.

"Sir… what do you mean by 'state-level' Nen operative? Do you mean a Floor Master?"

"Floor Master?" Xiang Nan snorted.

"Except for a few truly tricky cases, most Floor Masters are nothing special.

"Put it this way: a V5 nation can pour massive resources into a single warrior and create a monster.

"Use me as a measuring stick: I'm already Padokea's pet project—favored, privileged, military backing. Yet Padokea's national power is nowhere near that of even the weakest V5 member.

"Even at my level I wouldn't dare claim to be 'state-class'."

Silence fell; to those in the room, the man on the sofa was already far beyond their reach, and even he spoke so soberly.

Xiang Nan was not exaggerating.

The V5 possessed advanced weapons technology, bio-genetics, chemical and medical sciences—much of it secret.

They had long studied the "calamities" mankind once hauled back from the Dark Continent. No one could say what breakthroughs they had made—or whether those discoveries were already in military use.

If the V5 could fit a micro-rose bomb into Netero's chest, they could do the same to others— mass-producing a thousand or ten thousand walking bombs. Such battlefield weapons defied imagination.

The "Poor Man's Rose" wasn't even the scariest bomb in the human world; many tin-pot dictators owned them and adored them.

From that, Xiang Nan gauged the V5's true might.

"Keep growing here in Heaven's Arena," he finished. "You still have a long road—don't rush."

With that he rose, beckoned to Manman at his side, and left the room. They had their own task ahead:

The Extinction Games—Round 6—had begun.

It would be the first time the two of them entered another world to play a placement match in the Reincarnation Dimension.

Whether they would return alive was anyone's guess.

~~~

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