A giant, brute-looking man threw a punch with enough force to shatter stone, a blow that Kenji narrowly dodged with a graceful, almost lazy, shift of his body. The air whizzed past his cheek, ruffling his dark hair.
The man was a mountain of muscle and tattooed flesh, his face a mask of primal fury and dull-witted aggression. He didn't just swing, he put his entire, immense weight behind it, confident in his ability to crush anything in his path.
The crowd's cheers grew louder as the brute swung a powerful hook, but Kenji was ready. He met the blow with a lightning-fast block, his forearm clashing with the man's fist with a deafening crack.
The impact rattled Kenji's bones, but his stance held firm, his body a solid anchor against the storm. The brute, surprised, stumbled back, his arm stinging. Kenji, instead of retreating, used the momentum to spin, delivering a quick jab to the man's solar plexus, followed by a sharp elbow to the chin. The blows weren't enough to end the fight, but they were precise, cutting through the man's clumsy defenses and leaving him momentarily stunned.
The brute growled, a guttural sound of rage, and charged forward again, attempting to grapple Kenji and crush him in a bear hug. Kenji ducked and weaved, his movements a blur of controlled precision, sidestepping the desperate attempts.
He grabbed the brute's thick forearm, the muscle a taut, unyielding bundle under his grip, and attempted a throw. The brute resisted, his feet digging into the mat, his raw strength a formidable obstacle.
He used leverage and technique, shifting his weight, finding the perfect angle. He twisted with a surge of momentum, using the brute's own power against him, and flipped the hulking figure over his shoulder in a smooth, fluid motion. The man slammed into the floor with a loud, resounding crash, a sound that echoed through the vast arena like a thunderclap.
Before the man could even try to recover, to gasp for air, Kenji blurred forward again, appearing in front of him like a ghost. With a precise knee to the sternum, followed by a quick uppercut to the jaw, he set up the final blow. With a sharp roundhouse kick to the side of the head, a strike delivered with perfect form and efficiency, he knocked the man unconscious mid-motion, his enormous body hitting the mat like a sack of bricks.
The crowd around the arena roared in approval, a thunderous wave of sound that vibrated through the very structure, a visceral testament to their bloodlust and excitement. Applause, cheers, and shouts echoed off the towering, labyrinthine walls. But Kenji was unmoved by the cacophony.
He exhaled slowly, a calm mist in the air, controlling his breath as he relaxed his stance. The satisfaction wasn't in the win itself, but in the efficiency of it. The way his body, without the aid of magic or any of his other abilities, had moved with such purpose. Without acknowledging the noise or the fallen opponent, he simply stepped off the 132nd floor's platform.
Heaven's Arena. The world of Hunter x Hunter.
That was where Kenji was now.
It had been a little over a week since Erza's return in his world, and after a few days of relaxing, Kenji had decided that it was time to get back to getting stronger. But he didn't want to start racking in different powers just like that, so he decided to perfect his fighting style, to get better with what he had first. He was already good with most of his abilities, but felt he didn't really know how to fight properly. Fighting people weaker than him was not an issue, fighting people a little stronger was manageable, but should he ever meet someone that could match him in power, skill would be the deciding factor, and he would like to be more skilled than that person should the day come.
Sitting down, alone with his thoughts in the quiet sanctity of his home, he opened his multiversal system and browsed the available worlds he could use for training.
He wanted something that would test him, something that would force him to improve not through magic or flashy powers, but through sheer technique and disciplined effort. He was looking for a crucible, a place to forge himself anew.
He had briefly considered the world of Danmachi. The Falna system intrigued him, he was genuinely curious how the god/goddess-infused leveling mechanic would interact with his own Gamer system, if they would complement or make it complicated. The idea of getting a blessing from a god or goddess, a divine infusion of power, was a tempting proposition.
He could, hypothetically, gain new skills and status boosts that would be entirely separate from his current ones, potentially creating a hybrid power system unlike any other. But he ultimately decided against it. He already had multiple power systems in place, his Gamer abilities, magic, chakra, and gravity manipulation. He didn't need another, especially one that could potentially complicate things for him. He needed a place that stripped him of his crutches, not one that added another. He needed to find out what he was capable of without the advantage of his magic.
After a few hours of thought, he settled on Hunter x Hunter. It had the perfect battleground for what he needed, Heaven's Arena. A tower standing over 250 floors high, filled with fighters from across the world. It was a proving ground for martial artists, assassins, warriors, and mercenaries who lived to fight, a place where raw skill and determination were the only currencies that mattered. The world itself was a place where strength was measured in skill and willpower. Even the power system there, Nen, was all about skill, will, and imagination. You could do anything as long as you knew how to accomplish it.
The rules were simple, but brutal, climb the tower by defeating your opponents. The first 199 floors prohibited weapons, and victory was rewarded with money and immense prestige. But beyond the 200th floor, it was different.
There, you would find no more prize money, only fame and glory. There, fighters used Nen, the manipulation of one's own life force, a potent and dangerous power system. If one reached the 200th floor without knowing Nen, many of the fighters took it upon themselves to "initiate" the uninitiated, often resulting in severe injury, if not death. But Kenji wasn't here for that. He had taken on a self-imposed restriction for greater reward, a way to maximize his gains from his system. No magic. No chakra. No gravity manipulation. Not even his basic enchantments. Just strength. Speed. Skill.
His quest: Reach the 200th floor within six months.
At first, he thought it would be a breeze. His superior reflexes and baseline physical strength, a product of his Gamer's Body, felt leagues above the competition. He crushed the opposition up through the 90th floor, carving through opponents who stood no chance against his raw physical power and reflexes, giving him an edge he had yet to truly appreciate.
He was confident, maybe a little too much. By the time he hit the 100th floor, he'd earned his own private room, a small, unremarkable apartment that was a privilege of his rank. He continued rising quickly through the ranks until he reached the 140th floor.
There, he lost. Hard. His opponent was a wiry, older man, a grandmaster of a supposed forgotten martial art, whose body moved with the fluidity of water and the strength of a coiled spring.
The man didn't rely on raw power, but on feints, redirects, and a deep, intuitive understanding of human anatomy. He had exploited a fundamental flaw in Kenji's fighting style, his reliance on his strength and speed.
Kenji had walked in confident, maybe even a little cocky, relying on his superior stats and reflexes to carry him through. But the old man had dodged his best strikes, redirected his force, and found the tiny, imperceptible gap in his guard. He walked out with a busted lip, bruised ribs, and a sharp reminder that raw numbers didn't mean everything. The defeat was a sobering slap in the face, a painful but necessary lesson of why he was in this world in the beginning.
Now, two months in, he was on floor 132. Climbing back, one victory at a time. The battles were different now. After that battle he had had over wins but also other defeats, he had so far not made it passed the 167th floor yet, as he kept losing and having to climb again.
But he was learning, his combat skills were already rapidly leveling up, and his techniques were already far better than when he started. Now he was more cautious, more observant. He watched his opponents, learned their styles, and adapted.
Back in his room, Kenji dropped onto the bed, letting his muscles relax for the first time that day. He stretched out, sighing with a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction.
He sat up, pulled up his status screen, and scanned the numbers.
Kenji Takahashi
- Race: Human (Reincarnated)
- Level: 92
- Title: Gamer
- Free Stat Points: 62
---
Attributes (Tier-7)
- Strength: 13
- Speed: 10
- Endurance: 12
- Intelligence: 09
- Wisdom: 11
- Charisma: 15
- Luck: 95 (Tier-2)
Skills
- Blunt Weapon Mastery (LV 7)
- Sword Mastery (LV 12)
- Spear Mastery (LV 6)
- Bow Mastery (LV 5)
- Physical Resistance(LV 9)
- Pain Resistance (LV 8)
- Power Smash (LV 17)
- Mana Punch (LV 15)
- Adept Combat (LV 18)
- Gravity Manipulation (LV 9)
- Mana Ball (LV Max)
- Mana Shield (LV Max)
- Basic Fireball (LV Max)
- Magic Control (LV 13)
- Mana Sensitivity (LV 11)
- Mana Channeling (LV 9)
- Enchantment Magic (LV 13)
- Mana Efficiency (LV 9)
- Spatial Awareness (LV 12)
- Danger Sense (LV 9)
- Instant Dungeon Creation (LV 7)
- Meditation (LV 25)
- Observation (LV 9)
- Household Management (LV Max)
-Negotiation(LV7)
-Basic Crafting(LV6)
-Basic Alchemy (LV4)
-Material Analysis (LV7)
-Wind (LV6)
-Chakra Control (LV 5)
-Golem magic(Lv 5)
Spirit Magic(Lv 4)
---
Perks
- Gamer's Body
- Gamer's Mind
- Father's Resolve
- Devil Slayer
- Undead Slayer
-Elemental Affinity (Wind)
-Chakra
-Dark Pact – Sacrifice HP to empower next spell.
-Monster's Bane – +10% damage to all non-humanoid enemies.
-Vampire Hunter – Resist charm effects, deal bonus damage to vampires.
-Ogre's Might – +10% max HP, can break weak walls.
-Oni's Cunning – Detect illusions/disguises.
His lips curled into a small, pleased smirk.
Tier 7: High-Class
He'd done it. He had finally crossed the threshold into the high-class tier, a personal milestone he had been working towards.
The numbers were impressive, but the real reward was in the tangible improvements he could feel. He was still on the lower end of the spectrum, but high-class all the same.
Ever since he crossed to high class, he felt lighter on his feet, his reactions were a fraction of a second faster, and his blows carried a more focused, destructive force.
His hand-to-hand skill had improved a lot, branching out into advanced techniques and reactive counters. He now had combat instincts sharp enough to match professionals, a sixth sense for incoming attacks and openings even when suppressing his danger sense.
More than the numbers, it was the mindset. He was fighting smarter, reading opponents better, adjusting faster. He now knew how to fight with his whole body, not just his sword.
His footwork had improved dramatically, and his striking was tighter, cleaner. Even his dodging had evolved into something close to an art form, a dance of evasion and counter-attack.
Only humans who were talented made it to high class in his world, and only monsters like Vasco Strada, Cao Cao, and Tobio Ikuse. And even among them, most were Sacred Gear users.
But here he was, human, no sacred gear, and was at high class in just a few months. Well, he did have his system, but that wasn't important. He was now at the point where his opinion now start to matter when he voices them.
And he was only going to get much, much stronger.
This was why he'd come.
Kenji leaned back against the headboard and thought for a moment.
He still had four months. If he pushed himself hard, he could probably reach the 200th floor in another month or so. Maybe even less, depending on the next set of fighters he encountered. But he wasn't in a rush. He had time.
For now, he wanted to explore the world outside Heaven's Arena. He was here in Hunter x Hunter world, no way in hell was he just going to stay in the tower for the whole 6 months.
Maybe he'd go and see the beauty of this world. He was intrigued by the idea of learning some of the local martial techniques, perhaps a form of Shingen-ryu or the various other fighting styles he had read about in the manga.
He wanted to feel the difference between his skills. He also wanted to test his raw, unenhanced strength against some of the more infamous monsters, such as the magical beasts that roamed the mountains.
He stood up, rolled his shoulders, and cracked his knuckles.
"Alright. Time to stretch the legs."
Once he got that out of his system, he'd return to climb the tower again.
The 200th floor was waiting.
————————————————————
If you want to read ahead and access 5 advanced chapters, check the patreon. $4 Dollars
Link:patreon/Phantomking785