Karo took one more good look at Red Mountain Guru, faintly tasting a mix of displeasure and excitement.

"Such arrogant behavior. I guess you don't learn much about manners in the mountains." Karo offhandedly responded to Guru's blatant threat, his voice cool without any sense of urgency.

"Manners? The forest doesn't care about manners, boy. Your two fists are all the manners you need." Guru bellowed out, laughing heartily. Well concealed in that laughter, was a deep sense of ill will.

"Hmph. Well, maybe it's time for someone to teach you that there's a little bit more to life." Karo began to threateningly crack his knuckles, turning towards Guru. He truly did not like this fellow.

"Competitors! Wait until your match. Until then, both of you go to floor 50!" The two referees said in unison, urging the two to get off the stage. Fights outside of an arena were strictly prohibited.

Karo only slightly shrugged and stepped down from his stage, met with countless impressed looks from fans and surrounding competitors.

"Who knew a kid could be this strong? What kind of beasts are here at Heaven's Arena?" All sorts of cries came from the crowd, all the while Karo smoothly walked to the elevator to go to floor 50. But then something, or someone, caught his eye.

"Big brother! Hold up, please!" A boy, not much younger than Karo himself, jogged to meet up with Karo. Due to Karo's natural street instincts, he was immediately on guard, but after sensing the boy's aura he began to relax.

"What is it, friend?" Karo was in a new environment, and it was a good time to make friends with locals in the area. And of course, he wouldn't turn down the boy's friendly manners.

"My name is Zushi, and I've been here at Heaven's Arena for the past few months with my master. I noticed something special about you, and just was curious if you wanted to talk." Zushi was wearing a classic karate outfit, and despite his short stature, clearly spoke of a solid foundation in martial arts. Karo was even slightly impressed.

"Of course! My name is Karo, and I'm from Rosegrove City. I'm new here and will take any advice about Heaven's Arena. I still haven't quite found how everything works."

"Oh that's easy, big brother..." Karo and Zushi continued to chat along until they finally reached the 50th floor. It was soon time for Karo's match when they were finally pulled apart.

"Big brother, before you go, there was something my master felt you should know. He said that that Red Mountain Guru guy was trouble, and based on your performance on the first floor, it would be best for you to avoid him. Please take heed!" Zushi nodded respectfully and left with this warning, which was most likely the main reason he struck up a conversation with Karo in the first place.

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"Trouble? That hunk of meat?" Karo carefully thought to himself. He had already labeled Red Mountain Guru as a dumb meat-head; who knew that Zushi's Master apparently saw much more.

"Hmm. I thank you for the warning, I will definitely consider it. Wish me luck on the match." Karo bid Zushi farewell, preparing to step on the arena as he reflected on the warning. Was there something he missed about Guru?

Meanwhile, on the stage, Karo was met with another muscular brute. Clearly smaller than his first opponent, but also one who frequented the gym often. Just based on his aura, Karo could tell this would be a much tougher fight.

"3...2...1...begin!" Neither Karo nor his opponent spoke as they were completely judging the other. The person to make the first move would set the tempo of the fight, Karo thought.

"Well if you won't do anything, I might as well lead!" Karo dug his foot into the ground and burst forward in an impressive bout of speed. His fist flew forward, aiming for a straightforward punch on his opponent's chest.

"Hmph." Unlike his first floor opponent, this one clearly had much more skill. He raised his arm and threw out an equally mighty punch to clash with Karo.

"!?" Karo suddenly felt a sense of extreme danger and was reminded that he had very little true fighting experience. All of the fights he had in the past were against thugs or rich folk, with all sorts of tools and gadgets to give himself an advantage.

His physical strength was actually quite lacking! If his fist was to meet head-on with his opponents, it was a coin flip on who's fist would come out on top.

Clearly, it wouldn't be that easy from here on forward!

That sense of immediate danger actually saved Karo from a possible broken hand, and with a slight maneuver, he dodged his opponent's counter-attack. Relying on pure speed, he went into a floor sweep to throw his opponent off balance.

'He's quick!' Karo's opponent attempted to jump up, but Karo's legs locked onto his calves and forced him into a stumble. Just managing to catch himself, he found himself facing a rapidly approaching fist onto his face.

PEW!

Karo's opponent's face recoiled backward from the fist, but surprisingly, flashed forward in the same instant. Karo felt a meaty hand grab onto his shoulder and his sense of danger shot up.

"Good attack, kid. But here's where you end!!!" Karo tried to break himself free, but the tight grip only painfully alerted Karo to his lack of physical strength. He could only brace himself as he was tossed into the air - landing against the arena ground with a harsh thump.

Luckily he recovered with a roll, saving him from his opponent's follow up kick. Wiping a small slip of blood from his mouth, he came under the somber feeling that Heaven's Arena was going to be more of a challenge than he expected.

"You brute..." Karo angrily spat, dashing forward in a zig-zag pattern. If his strength was lacking, then he would rely on his speed! He decided he would hit his opponent with a flurry of attacks he wouldn't be able to respond with.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP

Blows landed one after the other, taking their toll on their target. Karo was completely focused, careful to avoid another counterattack. His opponent became more and more frustrated, it seemed almost like Karo was completely elusive - unable to be touched.

And as Karo knew very well, with frustration comes mistakes. Seeing an opening, he climbed up his opponent's back and put him into a famous chokehold - relying on his size to stay in an unreachable position.

Karo's opponent could only flail and reach at his back before his vision began to blur and his breathing became increasingly ragged. The referee swiftly called the end of the fight and congratulated Karo on his victory. But Karo's eyes were void of any celebration, only filled with bitter disappointment and self-ridicule.

If it took him this much effort to beat a floor 50 opponent, how would he be able to face Mountain Guru?

Suddenly, Zushi's earlier words made a whole lot of sense.