Six-Eyed Sukuna, starting from Hunter x Hunter

Chapter 108 The Rotten Fruit

The third test was held in a tall stone tower, its cold, hard structure bearing the marks of wind and rain, seemingly having stood in the forest for a very long time.

At the very top of the tower is a large platform, with stone slabs fitting together seamlessly, obscuring any downward exit.

There was no sign of windows or doors on the top of the tower.

The airship landed above the platform, and after the examinees disembarked, Su Wu followed them out of the airship.

"This is the location of the third test. Your task is to find a way down within a limited time." The white-haired boy stood in front of the airship's cabin door, holding up a small megaphone to explain this challenge to a group of people.

"It sounds simple, right? Actually..." He chuckled softly, drawing out the last syllable in a deliberately profound tone.

All the candidates stared at him cautiously, thinking he was about to reveal some secret information that no one else knew, but instead they heard him say—

"It really is very simple, keep it up!"

"By the way, you'll get a vacation opportunity after passing this exam." After saying that, he ignored the instant change in the candidates' expressions, put down the megaphone, turned around and boarded the airship.

The candidates watched the airship leave, and then one by one they squatted down to examine the stone slabs on the platform.

There are also those who consider themselves clever and find what they believe to be a shortcut—climbing down with their bare hands.

However, when they were halfway up, a flock of strange-looking large birds flew in from a distance. It was too late to run away. The examinees, unable to go up or down, were captured by the strange birds as prey and flew away again.

Despite the large number of test takers on the platform, the strange bird ignored them and never approached.

"It seems the way down is still on the platform," Kurapika said, touching the stone slab.

As the first candidate triggered the mechanism on the stone slab and fell into the tower, the other candidates followed suit, finding the mechanism one after another.

The airship that should have sailed away was stopped to the side, and the people who should have left had already entered the tower.

Liber, a bounty hunter with an unusual hairstyle and orange glasses, is also the warden of a prison called Trap Tower.

The person in charge of this exam.

He is currently sitting in the control room, watching the images on hundreds of screens.

The candidates' faces appeared on these screens from time to time.

These screens show everything that happens to these test takers.

The tower contains dozens of passages, each with different traps.

The candidates were scattered and faced different tests.

Some people were alone, without any companions, while others were surrounded by a group of companions, each with their own ulterior motives.

Hisoka was one of the lone wolves who didn't get any teammates.

The red-haired man is facing off against a scarred man.

"This person looks familiar..." Su Wu naturally pulled up a chair and sat down next to Li Bo, looking at the image on one of the screens with some doubt.

"...He was one of the examiners from the previous year," Liber said, munching on a bag of chocolate cookies.

That is, the examiners of Su Wu's year.

Only a year has passed, and this kid doesn't even remember her?

"Huh? The examiner has become a prisoner?" Su Wu slowly began to clap her hands.

Although I don't know why, it's truly something to celebrate.

"That guy came on his own initiative because he heard that Hisoka would be taking the exam again this year, so he wanted to get revenge," Liber explained.

Of course, there are some things he didn't mention.

For example, Togari not only wanted revenge on Hisoka, but also on the white-haired boy sitting next to him.

After all, these two people were the ones who thoroughly humiliated each other last year.

Liber and Togari had only a casual relationship and were not close, so Liber didn't try to persuade Togari. Instead, he cooperated by arranging for Togari to join Hisoka's group.

"Is it just about getting revenge on Hisoka?" Su Wu asked with a smile.

Logically speaking, he should also be on the other party's revenge list.

Li Bo smiled but didn't say anything; for a moment, only the sound of munching on cookies could be heard.

But the people confronting each other on the screen have exposed everything themselves.

"After a year of arduous training, I am much stronger than before. I will kill you, and then it will be that white-haired brat." Togari spoke without any hesitation, filled with hatred and confidence.

He knew that the white-haired boy had become one of the examiners for this year's exams, and that the boy was likely watching from somewhere right now.

but--

That's what he wanted to say.

He wanted to tell these people the anger he had been suppressing all year.

The humiliation of being trampled underfoot by a child who is not yet an adult, the resentment of being regarded as nothing by Hisoka.

It was the driving force behind his hard training over the past year.

"Really? Let me see how much you've improved." Hisoka raised an eyebrow and smiled with interest, standing still and waiting to see the other's progress.

It's that same attitude of not taking him seriously again.

Enraged, Togari drew his weapon. "Watch me unleash my Infinite Four-Sword Style, honed over a year of practice—"

"Crunch." Su Wu took a bite of the cookie she had gotten from Li Bo.

He remembered who the other person was.

That unlucky guy whose head he stepped on.

"This guy was dual-wielding a year ago, right? Now he's quadruple-wielding..."

"He doesn't think the more knives he has, the stronger he is, does he?" Su Wu shook her head, her face saying, "This guy is useless."

A true master can break through all laws with a single strike.

The more elaborate and flashy it is, the weaker it actually is.

Unless you have enough energy, or enough talent/memory capacity, you can't learn anything and make rapid progress, achieving the same level of completion.

Otherwise, the more diverse your learning, the lower your completion rate will be.

"He has gone astray, his mind is blinded by revenge," Liber commented.

Driven to madness by his desire for revenge, he has lost all reason.

He wouldn't listen to anyone's advice.

"A year has passed, and you seem to have become even more boring." Hisoka casually snatched the sword from the other's hand and swung it around nonchalantly.

It was none other than Togari's Four-Sword Style, which he had practiced diligently for a year.

"Indeed, not all fruits become more delicious as they ripen."

"And there are others as rotten as you." Hisoka commented irritably on Togari, ending his life amidst the latter's incredulous and shocked expression.

It is precisely because of the contrast with these rotten fruits that those fruits, which become more delicious as they grow, seem all the more precious.

"Hmm—" The red-haired man chuckled, sticking out his tongue and licking his lips as he continued walking forward.

Inside the monitoring room.

Su Wu took a sip of soda.

"Hiso will definitely be the first to clear the game." He said calmly.

"These two are far more capable than the other candidates; they're good enough to be examiners." Liber pointed to the screen where the red-haired man was, and then to the screen where the nail monster was.

That's why this situation occurs.

Hisoka was the first to clear the game, followed by the nail monster as the second, and the bald ninja as the third.

"Have you thought about what the next test will be?" Li Bo casually asked the boy next to him.

The examiner for the fourth exam is the Hunter Association's youngest one-star bounty hunter, and also a bounty demon who has risen to prominence in the past year.

"Well...I guess so." Su Wu blinked, her tone somewhat perfunctory.

In his hazy memories of the original story, he remembered a scene where someone was scrambling for a number plate.

So far, no other examiner has used this tactic, so let him use it.

Who would bother to come up with other exam formats?

"Pay attention to the candidates' attitudes," Lieber reminded them.

After all, the other party looks too young, and these candidates may not be convinced.

He didn't know what had happened during the previous exam, otherwise he wouldn't have given that reminder.

(End of this chapter)