Chương 103: Greed Island

After a long while, the door suddenly opened. Aren looked at Uvogin and Neon, who had been waiting outside, and scratched his head with faint embarrassment.

"Come in. Machi and I finished talking."

"Master." Neon's eyes brightened the moment Aren appeared. She immediately ran from Uvogin's side to stand in front of him. Aren rubbed her head, then tilted his chin at Uvogin to tell him to enter. Once everyone was inside, Aren sat on the bed and looked between Machi and Uvogin.

"I checked some information just now and found a place that should be very suitable for your next stage of training. Before we go, though, I have a personal grudge to settle with one of the Floor Masters here. After I deal with him, we'll leave."

"I have no problem with that," Machi said immediately. Uvogin hesitated for a moment.

"I don't have a problem either, Deputy Leader, but after you beat me, it will probably be hard for you to find opponents for ranking matches. What about the remaining five wins?" Uvogin was not impatient. He simply knew Heavens Arena and wanted to remind Aren.

"Wait. I thought of something." Uvogin's furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.

"How about this? I can still lose three more times, and Machi can still lose four times. Together, that makes seven. We can just apply to fight you." Aren looked at him with some surprise. This big fool's mind was unexpectedly quick at moments like this. If not for the four useful targets he had already prepared, Aren really would have done that. As a newcomer, winning two matches after reaching the two-hundredth floor would not have been difficult. Then he could have taken eight wins from Uvogin and Machi.

But with those four people available, he did not need to make the arrangement look that blatant. Anyone with eyes would know he was farming wins, but six rotating opponents at least made it look less blatant. Aren shook his head.

"No need. Machi, come register a match with me later. As for the next four matches, I already have arrangements." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. As he spoke, an unkind smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Machi and Uvogin both nodded and did not ask further.

'They should be awake by now.' After all, he had sent them to the hospital himself. It would be rude not to visit after so long. Heavens Arena itself should not be a major problem. Even if Bernard, the one who had escaped disaster, had already run away from the arena, Uvogin could still fill the gap. The real issue was the place they would go after Heavens Arena. If they entered through normal means, Neon might not be allowed in. If that happened, he would need another way.

Aren remembered that the place seemed to be east of Yorknew City. As he thought, his finger accidentally touched a button on his phone. The dark screen lit up. On it was an advertisement Aren had just found online. It came from Marilyn Inc. and promoted a game.

"The world's most realistic RPG. A game that lets you truly step into another world. Adventure, magic, secret treasures, monsters, magical beasts, and fortunes beyond imagination."

"This is the magic of the unknown. We welcome all who are fascinated by that power. All mysteries await in Greed Island." There was a note beneath it. A game exclusively for Hunters. Time passed. More than a month had gone by since Aren reunited with Machi. On that same day, Aren had gone with Machi to register their match for the next day. For that match, Machi chose not to appear at all. She did not even bother showing up for form's sake. The audience was furious, but Aren gained another win.

After that came the four friendly sparring partners. On the day after his match, Aren brought a fruit basket to Heavens Arena's medical ward. Just as Aren expected, the three people he had knocked unconscious had already woken up. Aren had controlled his force quite precisely. The moment the three men saw him, they reacted as if they had seen a ghost. They almost fainted again. Lawrence in particular nearly wet himself.

The blow Aren had dealt him had not only kicked his body away, but also shattered his confidence. The instant he saw Aren's handsome face, he shrank under the blanket and trembled. They clearly did not welcome him. Aren ignored that and greeted them with a bright smile.

"Yo, everyone. Long time no see. I missed you all. Let's have another friendly spar." In short, after repeated persuasion, the three friendly sparring partners reluctantly agreed to fight Aren again. Even Bernard, who had been hiding, failed to escape Aren's visit. He joined the group and officially turned the trio into four. As for Aren's method of persuasion, it came in many forms. To summarize it simply, he reasoned with them through pressure, incentives, and fear.

With that, Aren successfully obtained four more wins in a little over a month. Most of the time was spent waiting for the three in the medical ward to recover. Aren's hand chops and whip kicks had left no permanent aftereffects, but they had still caused concussions. They had woken up, but they could not immediately stand. If they had forced themselves into the ring while unable to walk straight, the show would have looked too fake. Aren still wanted some cover.

Because Aren had his own plan, Heavens Arena's executives saved themselves a great deal of effort. All they needed to do was guide public opinion slightly. They were quite satisfied with Aren's approach. It proved he was smart and did not care much about the so-called dignity of martial artists. For them, someone smart and flexible was easier to work with than a stubborn fighter obsessed with pride. Soon after winning his final arranged match, Aren appeared at the two-hundredth-floor registration desk.

"Mr. Aren, hello. How may I help you?" The staff member greeted him with extreme politeness. Aren had already obtained ten wins and the right to challenge a Floor Master. More importantly, Heavens Arena's higher-ups had openly and secretly ordered the staff to take special care of him. At this point, the arena's employees treated Aren with deep respect, afraid of offending him even slightly.

"Don't be nervous. I'm here to apply for a Floor Master challenge. I heard I can choose which Floor Master to challenge, right?" Aren smiled, easing her tension.

"Yes. That is completely possible."

"Good. Then I want to challenge the Floor Master of the two-hundred-thirty-fourth floor." Aren's smile grew colder.

"Tour."