Xiang Nan focused his Nen in his eyes. He noticed that the blond guy's overall aura—including his Qi levels and state—visibly rose after he caught the coin on its "heads" side.
"Random chance... So 'heads' means it powers you up right at the scene?"
Xiang Nan spoke aloud.
As for the muscular man off to the side, no need to look; obviously a Strengthening‑type (Enhancement‑type) Nen user.
"Such a simple Nen ability…you didn't bother building a proper framework, huh? I was thinking that, as transmigrators, you might pay more attention to that," Xiang Nan said in a tone of regret, head tilted.
"Go!"
The blond man's previously pleased expression darkened after hearing Xiang Nan's words. He gave a shout.
Immediately, the muscular man beside him charged Xiang Nan like a cannonball, dense Nen condensing around his fist like some tangible, flowing vicious aura—slamming down heavily.
Xiang Nan twisted his ankle, body moving sideways just before the blow arrived. He generated a few afterimages that tricked the brawny man, whose punch tore through the first shadow without hitting the real body. In that same moment, as they passed each other, a glint of silver appeared at Xiang Nan's fingertip—he pulled out a scalpel from inside his coat and, with a backward motion, sliced open an area of the opponent's midsection.
Boom!
The fist hammered the ground, blasting out a small pit and scattering gravel.
The muscular man's pupils constricted; he paused, glanced at Xiang Nan, who'd just retreated, then at the cut on his own belly—saying nothing.
His half‑sleeve shirt had been slit by the scalpel, but fortunately he'd maintained a layer of Ten around his whole body. Xiang Nan's attempt to wound him failed to penetrate.
"Not bad…"
Xiang Nan offered a bit of praise.
"Indeed, as an Enhancement‑type, even though your Nen lacks the variability of other types, the basic offense and defense of Enhancement are definitely stronger."
"Brother Ba," the muscular man solemnly addressed the blond youth, "this guy's battle sense is solid."
"Mhm… That 'Dr. Death' who used to hunt Nen users in the underworld must have real skill. As for his Nen ability, we've got no intel," the blond man acknowledged.
"Don't worry, I haven't created my Nen ability yet."
Hearing this, Xiang Nan "kindly" revealed an important piece of information, spinning the tiny scalpel between his hands, waiting for their next move.
"Heh."
The two clearly didn't believe him.
Whoosh!
Without further ado, the muscular man lunged again, speed formidable, his foot crashing the ground so hard it left a small crater. A flurry of punches and kicks rained down. This time, he'd learned to keep some distance even when closing in, employing a few leg strikes—since his long limbs gave him reach—and only bringing in his fists when Xiang Nan showed an opening, so as to land a precise blow.
He was more cautious.
Plainly, the muscular man was on offense, while the blond "Brother Ba" assisted—circling around, attacking from Xiang Nan's flank so Xiang Nan couldn't focus on a single target. Their two‑man assault generated a far higher attack frequency, seemingly pinning Xiang Nan under a nonstop barrage.
Yet Xiang Nan's face remained calm, even a bit relaxed. The "hard‑pressed" look was just a façade. Nen users' fights hinge on analyzing the opponent's abilities—he merely needed a bit of time to confirm the pair's methods.
Bang!
At a certain moment, Xiang Nan appeared to slip up while evading Brother Ba's kick. The blond man passed by in a flash, blocking Xiang Nan's line of sight. Hidden behind that opening, the muscular man charged in front.
Evidently a prepared setup. One feint, one real strike.
Xiang Nan raised his arm to block. Although there was no way to dodge, focusing his Nen to fortify that forearm was enough. But when the enemy's fist collided with his arm, Xiang Nan realized something was off.
A standard Enhancement‑type punch shouldn't instantly be lethal if he'd already reallocated his aura to defend. At worst, it would fracture his arm, not break it beyond repair.
Yet the moment the blow's force seemed spent, a second wave burst out—like a short follow‑through.
Whoosh.
Xiang Nan's feet left the ground; he was directly smashed away, rolling across the dirt.
"Huff, huff…"
Panting, the muscular man slowly drew back his fist.
His Nen ability was multi‑strike. The first punch's force was the "template," then he unleashed the same power again in a second blow. However, because Enhancement‑type powers focus on direct offense, their usage generally lacks the complexity of other Nen types—everything is fairly brute‑force. He could only manage a two‑hit combo for now.
"Tch, you're savage," the blond teased, "did you kill him? You oughta keep him alive—our boss wants him in one piece."
But the muscular man ignored him, staring intently at Xiang Nan lying over ten meters away. Unexpectedly, Xiang Nan rose up from the dust. This startled Brother Ba, who recognized how terrifying his comrade's attack was—and Xiang Nan withstood it!?
From mid‑arm down, Xiang Nan's coat sleeve had been shattered, that forearm already red and swollen with a big welt—a comminuted fracture. Xiang Nan sized up the damage, corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"You gotta be kidding…"
Brother Ba swallowed.
"He's extremely adept at Nen shifting, presumably using 'Ryu.' At the critical moment, he borrowed aura from elsewhere to reinforce his defense," the muscular man murmured gravely.
Ryu is an advanced Nen technique. For Xiang Nan—a so‑called "newbie"—to pull it off in full combat is remarkable. Not to mention, these older players themselves barely managed such techniques.
Knowledge isn't the same as skill; otherwise, they wouldn't remain stuck at Heaven's Arena.
The muscular man calmly noted:
"Had Brother Ba aimed elsewhere, Xiang Nan's guard would be weaker there. Then he'd be in big trouble, because reassigning aura to defend that arm means the rest of his body is unprotected."
"You sure he's a newbie?"
Brother Ba started to doubt. Possibly Xiang Nan was a higher‑tier player.
"Don't panic," said the muscular man. "We've done decent damage. If he were truly advanced, he wouldn't be pressed like this."
"Keep at it!"
He rushed forth again without giving Xiang Nan time to breathe.
Brother Ba trailed behind, using the brawny man's huge body for cover, ensuring Xiang Nan had to watch for a "surprise hand" from behind. In mere instants, the muscle man once more hurled a sweepkick. Meanwhile, from behind him, Brother Ba sprang forward, waiting for Xiang Nan's reaction to land a coordinated strike.
Xiang Nan dodged again.
Brother Ba's eyes flashed—here it comes—He lunged, palm aiming at the "safe zone" Xiang Nan had moved to.
Shhk!
At the instant he closed in, Brother Ba felt a chill along his neck. His momentum abruptly ceased, body staggering past Xiang Nan's side before collapsing onto the ground.
"Eh?"
"What's going on? That's blood…my blood?"
He blinked at his outstretched hands, doused in crimson streaming from his throat, a wound he hadn't even noticed. His mind went blank.
"He…slit my throat?"
He realized.
Forcing his head around, he glimpsed Xiang Nan still brawling with the muscular man up ahead—neither had looked his way. He simply couldn't understand how Xiang Nan abruptly killed him in one strike, when moments earlier he seemed unable to do so.
Thud.
Before he found the answer, darkness swallowed him. He fell lifeless into a pool of blood.
Freed of the second attacker's pressure, Xiang Nan faced the muscular man more comfortably.
He focused on avoiding direct hits from that terrifying double‑impact punch, preserving distance.
Pa!
Xiang Nan stomped the man's chest, using his broad frame as a push‑off to leap backward.
Simultaneously, a flurry of scalpels flitted from his sleeves as hidden projectiles. The muscular man, forced to cover vital spots with Nen, had to hold ground. Then Xiang Nan landed.
Seeing him come closer, the strong man advanced carefully into striking range, preparing to guard or attack as needed.
"Nice approach."
Xiang Nan's eyes flickered.
He extended an arm, a flicker of black, seemingly aiming for the man's face.
But in that moment, the brawny man's body stiffened. He'd fixated on Xiang Nan's hand, intending to react with "Ryu," distributing aura for defense or offense. Yet Xiang Nan vanished from sight—body reappearing behind him.
Two silhouettes back to back.
Protruding from the large man's neck artery was an entire scalpel, leaving only a small silver handle exposed.
"Your usage of Nen is a bit crude," Xiang Nan said calmly. "Switching between offense and defense wasn't fluid enough… By funneling your aura for either hitting or blocking, you left openings as you reallocated each time you saw me move. I watched that pattern. When you see me attacking, you shift to defense, weakening your offense. Then you see me go for a projectile, you strengthen offense, lowering your defense.
"Frankly, my own mastery of 'Gyo' isn't great either. But from the data you provided, I only needed partial aura sight to read your flows. If you guys had the habit of layering your aura smoothly, you wouldn't be so vulnerable.
"Anyway…" he trailed off, jamming both hands back into his coat pockets. "…I gave you guys multiple chances, and none worked out. So that's that."
The muscular man remained silent and unmoving. He was fully conscious yet knew he was dead. Hearing Xiang Nan's footsteps fade into the distance, he peered toward his fallen comrade, then looked up at the sky.
Comparing men and men, or players to players… there was just no contest. Indeed, no wonder they'd been stuck at Heaven's Arena so long. Clearly, they'd amounted to nothing.
A sigh. The man coughed, pulling out a phone. Even as he moved, blood gushed down his collar from the neck wound.
He had a few seconds left.
"Hey, boss."
He said into the phone.
"How is it?"
"We lost… Old Biao went after that girl, but hasn't returned. Xiao Ba and I ran into that Dr. Death. Both of us are done for."
"Done for?"
The voice on the other end froze. The man probably realized you can't talk if you're fully dead.
"He left me alive for a moment," the big guy calmly explained, "so I'd pass a message.
Boss, this man is different from us.
His power is terrifying. I don't just mean his grasp of Nen…"
Blood loss was too great. Eyesight dimming, the big man sank to his knees, phone dropping from his hand as the line emitted only a busy drone.
~~~
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