Nnngh! This is tricky… oh? Coming at me from that angle!? Crap, that's bad—like I'll let you beat me! Wh–what!? My move didn't land!? He escaped my throw…!?
"…sha… ma… fif… teen… to… are… na… ple…ase rep… ort…"
Ahhh! I'm gonna lose! Dammit, my only shot at a comeback is to bet everything on my ultimate move! Here goes!
"Ai— sama. … please proceed to the 6th floor arena within… minutes."
Ugh, so noisy! How am I supposed to focus on my game!? Ah—! I got caught by his super move!
[You lose]
I actually lost…
Damn it. I'd finally made it all the way to the last boss, too. That announcement ruined my concentration. What the hell was it about, anyway?
"Since contestant Aisha did not appear, contestant Gomez advances by default."
—Ah! Oh no!! I forgot about the match!
I–I forfeited… damn, this is all that joystick's fault! I hadn't played in so long, the gamer's blood in me got riled up, and I lost myself in it…
Man… finally being able to play games again, only to get so absorbed that I forget reality. How embarrassing. I'll be more careful next time…
After leaving Meteor City, I somehow scraped by on day-labor jobs. Luckily, thanks to Mom's breast milk, I grew fast—though I'm only around 10 in actual age, I already look about 16–18. That let me lie about my age and work.
But of course, that couldn't last. On the surface, society's strict about ID—you can't get proper work without it. Shady jobs? Probably possible, but I'd rather avoid that side of things…
If I didn't have any real skills, I might've had no choice. But thankfully, I do have one outstanding talent.
Martial arts.
That's why I came here, to Heaven's Arena. My reasons are simple: money, money, and training. For money—obvious. You need it to live. And for someone with skill, this place is the perfect money farm. Stick to under the 190th floor, and you can rake in earnings in the hundreds of millions.
As for training… you might think, "Haven't you already trained enough?" But that's not quite true. In fact, I'm definitely weaker now than I was as Ryusho Kazama in my previous life…
Physically, my current body surpasses my old one. I'm only eleven, but I'm already far beyond the peak I once reached after decades of training.
That's thanks to being reborn into this world's body. My growth has been freakishly fast, my strength defies normal limits, my muscles ignore capacity. On raw specs alone, I'm overwhelmingly superior.
My aura pool, too. From birth it already exceeded my old self's, and over these eleven years it's only grown further. Sure, I've trained Ten, but honestly, I think Mom's milk boosted it—every time I drank, it felt like my latent aura ticked upward bit by bit…
Even so, if Ryusho fought me now, he'd probably win. The reason? The mismatch between my technique and my body.
My techniques were the crystallization of ninety years of Ryusho's training—refined repetition engraved into a body perfectly tuned to them. They're not tuned to this body. That's why my moves feel awkward, never quite right, like my flesh and skills are quarreling. Since my rebirth, I haven't trained seriously with anyone. I'm rusty. And it's not like I could use Mom as a sparring dummy.
Still, that part can be fixed—here in Heaven's Arena, I can retrain, adjust those techniques to suit this body.
The bigger problem… is my spirit.
Back then, Ryusho's spirit had reached heights bordering on enlightenment. Now? I can't claim to be an ordinary girl, but I'm nowhere near that level.
In battle, the state of your mind is critical. A single flicker can throw off your technique, open the window for a fatal strike. Against small fry that doesn't matter. But against the true elites… against monsters like my old friend Netero… it would be fatal.
…Well, thankfully, monsters on that level aren't exactly growing on trees. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing.
I wonder how Netero's doing these days? I'd like to see him again. He'd never recognize me as Ryusho, of course, but still…
Anyway, mind, technique, and body are all out of sync. For now, I'll fight here and get used to this body. And with my new physical power, maybe I can do things even Ryusho never could. I'll test it all out here.
After that? Not sure.
I'd like to get Greed Island (I looked it up online), but that price tag is impossible right now. Some rich guy named Battera's been snapping them up on the black market without even blinking. Damn him.
I'll keep an eye out for info. Maybe there's a trick besides just buying it.
For now… what should I do? I don't care about becoming a Floor Master. I don't need the fame. Not planning to open a dojo either.
Maybe I'll just travel the world? Could be fun.
Or maybe I should take the Hunter Exam. I'm not interested in being a Hunter per se, but the license itself would be invaluable. It's the best form of ID you can get, and it'd help me dig up Greed Island intel.
Netero invited me back then, and I refused. But now… I could probably pass. It's February 27, 1997 now. That means the exam would be next year.
Hmm… wasn't there something big about the 1999 exam? My future-sense is tingling—probably because of that knowledge. If I'm not mistaken… that's when the original story begins.
But my memory's foggy. It's been over a hundred years since I read that manga. It wasn't lived experience, it was just fiction. There's no way I could remember it all. If I had remembered it perfectly, I wouldn't have needed to create that ability, [Original Knowledge / Orishuno Tokuten].
What I do recall: it starts with the Hunter Exam. The main cast… two boys? Or four? Then Heaven's Arena and Greed Island get involved. And later, some horrifying creature appears that throws the world into chaos.
If I see the events unfold, maybe I'll remember more.
That monster (ants, I think?)… what would I do? Could I win? Netero couldn't defeat them, so there's no way I, weaker than him, could.
But matchups matter in nen. I couldn't beat Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, but the reverse is also true—my techniques might work against someone it didn't. And if I fully synchronize mind, technique, and body, I'd surpass my old self.
The heart, though… that's the tough one. I doubt I can reach that old state of mind again. Ideally, I'd prevent the ant disaster before it happens, but I don't remember enough detail to manage that… sigh.
Maybe I'll kill some time by inventing new nen abilities.
I already made one before coming here. It's horribly inefficient, but useful for day-to-day life.
[Angel's Veil]
Category: Specialist
Cloaks the user's aura, making it untraceable and appear as ordinary "leaked" aura. Even nen users perceive it as harmless overflow. Can be toggled ON/OFF.
Restrictions:
While active, aura consumption is as high as constant Ren, even during basic Ten.
Any nen used while active costs 10× the normal aura.
The effect does not apply to aura detached from the body.
Vows:
None.
When I first left Meteor City and went to normal towns, I realized I couldn't live without constantly using Zetsu or In. But keeping those up 24/7 would break me mentally. So I created this ability to disguise my aura instead.
At first, I just intended to alter aura quality. But after building it out… it turned into a monster of an ability.
Even while using Ten, Gyo, or even Ko, no one reacts. Even experienced nen users don't realize I'm a user at all. That alone shows how broken this is.
Of course, the drawbacks are severe. Average users would collapse in under an hour just maintaining Ten under this. Even with my huge aura, I can barely hold Ren for six hours. Still… six hours at 10× drain is actually impressive.
In battle, though, with techniques layered in, the drain skyrockets—anywhere from 60× to 100× normal. Too costly. So I avoid using it in combat, sticking to basic Ten at most. Against weaklings, I don't even need that. Don't underestimate a former Kazama-ryu master.
Yeah, I'm still OP.
So, what about a new ability? Something to reduce risk. Not running from battles, but cutting down on danger within them.
Nen fights are unpredictable because you never know the opponent's ability. Conjurers might produce weird tools, Manipulators might hijack your body. No matter how strong you are, one trick can bring you down.
So I made this:
[Boss Attribute]
Category: Specialist
Automatically nullifies all nen-based abnormal statuses or special effects on the user. Does not cancel the user's own nen. Always active.
Restrictions:
Nullification consumes aura. The cost is (opponent's aura × n), where n scales with the effect's severity.
Cannot negate effects tied to the dead.
Cannot selectively nullify—beneficial effects (like healing) are canceled too.
Vows:
If aura is exhausted by this ability, the user faints immediately and remains in Zetsu for 30 days. During this period, [Boss Attribute] is inactive.
With this, tricky nen effects can't touch me! Physical damage still works, but you can't have everything. And the aura cost is steep—if it triggers while [Angel's Veil] is active, my reserves will vanish instantly.
I can't toggle it off, either. But that's the necessary trade-off for such power. If I'd made it cancel even my own abilities, it might've been even stronger… but then [Angel's Veil] would've been pointless.
One other drawback: it can't block ordinary poisons. Which is actually fine—if it did, it might block the gender-change drug I'm after. So I'll just stay cautious about mundane toxins. Better that way—keeps me sharp.
Funny thing, though. I've now got no offensive abilities at all. Just defense and concealment. Not that I mind—making any more would probably be weak anyway.
◆
Well then, right now I'm on the run from Heaven's Arena…
After that, I'd been going back and forth between the 190th and 180th floors to earn money. Throwing matches on purpose didn't sit well with me, but still… my winnings had already piled up to nearly a billion. Am I really allowed to get this much? It makes all that time working in the mines feel like a total joke.
But after making the trip to the 190th floor a number of times, I finally received a warning. If I kept losing like that, they'd judge I was throwing matches on purpose, force me to start again from the first floor, and if I did it again, I'd be banned from competing altogether.
Looks like I was too obvious… Oh well. I'll just win the next match and move on to the 200th floor. I've made more than enough money, and I do want some sparring against Nen users. With that in mind, I won—and at the 200th floor, I ran into something bizarre.
…A clown. Some weird clown radiating an intensely unpleasant aura.
The way he looked at me was just disgusting.
The creepy clown spoke up.
"Ku ku ku… Welcome to the 200th floor ♥"
"…What do you want? If it's nothing important, could you move? I can't register otherwise."
"Mmm, I'd love to let you, but don't you think it's a little too soon for you here? You don't even know what's sitting right next to me, do you ♠"
…A skull, made with Nen. Judging from the feel, he's very strong. If I fought him now, I'd probably struggle… If I'm going to fight, I'd rather take more time to get my body and techniques in sync first.
"What are you talking about?"
I backed down. It's not about winning or losing—I just don't want to be anywhere near this guy! His aura is sticky and suffocating, like something clinging to you.
"You're already delicious as you are now, but you'll ripen into something even tastier later. It would be such a waste to break you here ♦"
Uwaaah!? That gave me chills! This guy's disgusting. It's not just dislike—it's instinctive revulsion!
"If you'd like, I could raise you myself…"
"I absolutely refuse!!"
I bolted from the 200th floor like a rabbit! With that same momentum, I ran straight out of Heaven's Arena altogether. I had no intention of going back. What the hell was that perverted clown…!?
…It feels like my memories were stirred up again. Maybe that perverted clown was also connected to "the original story"…
Either way, there's no helping it now. I've saved up plenty of money, and with nothing better to do, I may as well travel the world a bit.
Farewell, Heaven's Arena!!
◆
"Aisha advances! With a critical strike from her dazzling throw, she scores a total of 11 points and clears the 190th floor!!"
Hmph. So she climbed her way up here… ♥
At first, when I saw her purposely losing and going back and forth between the 180th and 190th floors, I didn't mind. But if she's coming up to the 200th, that's a different story ♣ If she fights here, no matter how strong she is, a beginner will just get broken ♠ She's such a ripe, delicious fruit—I'll have to savor her after she matures properly ♦
"Ku ku ku… Welcome to the 200th floor ♥"
She's here. Ku ku ku… Seeing her up close, ah, what a delectable sight… ♦
"…What do you want? If it's nothing important, could you move? I can't register otherwise."
"Mmm, I'd love to let you, but don't you think it's a little too soon for you here? You don't even know what's sitting right next to me, do you ♠"
I shaped my aura into a skull. She's constantly leaking aura like a sieve. She must not be a Nen user ♣
"What are you talking about?"
As expected, she can't use Nen. In that case, that natural flow of aura is innate. That makes her all the more delicious ♥
"You're already delicious as you are now, but you'll ripen into something even tastier later. It would be such a waste to break you here ♦"
"If you'd like, I could raise you myself…"
"I absolutely refuse!!"
"…She ran away. Seems I let a bit too much aura slip out ♠"
Oh well. There'll be another chance to meet. When that time comes, I'll expect her to be even more deliciously ripe ♣
Still, even if her aura was leaking, the flow was far too steady. Could she actually use Nen? If so, it would've been such a waste to let her go… ♥