chapter 24 : Phase Three X Trick X Tower (2)

"So high!" Gon looked below and was shocked by the height of this tower.

"Are we supposed to climb down to reach the bottom? This is simply a dream with the smooth walls of this tower!" Leorio didn't dare to get closer and couldn't help but to get afraid of the thought that they may need to climb down using nothing but their hands to pass this test.

"It's only difficult for ordinary people like you." The five of them heard a voice behind them and saw a man walking toward them.

"For us, mountain climbers, this is simply a piece of cake."

"I'll go down first." He grinned, Without looking at the five of them he covered his hands with powder, then he started climbing down.

'Isn't this that man who will be eaten by those flying monsters?' Shinji clearly remember that cruel scene when a candidate tried to climb the trick tower but in the end he was eaten by a flying pink ugly monster.

'Wait, monsters!' suddenly Shinji's eyes lit up.

"Amazing!" The four of Leorio were amazed by how skilfully and fast the guy is climbing down.

'I'm going to be the first one to finish this test!' The mountain climber smiled proudly, finally there is a test he could show his skills.

*whoosh**whoosh**whoosh*

Suddenly, all the applicants heard the sound of something breaking through the air.

They followed the source of the sound and saw something that made them freeze in their places.

A Group of Six-legged flying beasts suddenly came from below flying very fast toward the examine who intend to climb from the exterior, they are well-trained magical beasts that will attack anyone who tries to climb the walls of the trick tower.

Just when one of the six-legged flying beasts was about to devour the rock climber, Shinji Transformed into his half-leopard form quickly, then leaped down.

"What the hell are you doing SHINJI!" Leorio and Kurapika were caught off guard by the action of Shinji.

If he fell from this height then Shinji is sure to die miserably and turn into minced meat.

*swish*

*push*

The sharp claw penetrated the beast's huge head.

*ROAR*

The ugly beast made an angry roar, it struggled hard to remove Shinji on top of its head but to no avail.

"Ora ora ora ora ora…" Shinji kept cutting its flesh, eyes, and wings with his claws quickly until the flying beast loosed its balance. then he used the half-dead beast's body as a footstep to jump toward the other monsters who wanted to help their friend.

The examine on the top of the tower looked at this scene with their eyes wide open, their jaws almost reaching the ground from the shock.

"Why did that bandaged boy suddenly become a monster?"

"He must be some kind of magical beast for sure!"

"Why a magical beast is allowed to take the hunter exam with us? He must be disqualified!"

"Yes magical beasts are inherently stronger than us humans, this obviously not fair!"

*swish*

Suddenly poker cards flew through the air faster than bullets scratching the faces of those who were speaking.

*gulp*

The applicants who were protesting froze in their place, looking toward the source of the attack that almost took their life not daring to utter any more words.

"The hunter association didn't put any limitation on the race for those who want to take the hunter exam. so be it a human or magical beast, or even…a demon, as long as you registered then you have the right to take the exam."

Hisoka didn't look at them and said while shuffling his cards. He who wants to play more with Shinji in the following phases won't allow others to destroy his enjoyment. He was already merciful that he didn't kill them directly just now.

"Fu fu fu, interesting, I didn't expect this surprise." Inside the surveillance Room, the examiner Lippo smiled excitedly after he saw the scene of Shinji killing the guardian beasts of the trick tower.

He wasn't angry because of the loss of these few beasts as he was happier to see new fun things happen in this boring tower.

Anyway, they can easily hunt and tame new ones if they want.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Under the crazy attacks of Shinji, the ugly pink monsters one after another fall from the top to the ground.

The impact of the fall killed them completely.

Shinji at the last moment inserted his sharp claw into the wall and then easily climbed the tower.

He didn't pay attention to the mountain climber who was frozen in his place from fright.

The latter hurriedly used all his power to climb back to the top.

"Why did you save his life, Shinji?" Killua looked at Shinji and didn't understand why Shinji saved that guy who they didn't know, why he put his life in danger for someone he had just met. He really can't understand.

"Right Shinji you were so impulsive just now, any wrong step and you will be don for sue if you fall from this height!" Leorio starts reprimanding Shinji again for his recklessness.

"Saved him?" Shinji looked at Killua puzzled.

"I didn't intend to save him, for some special reasons I can't tell you, I need to kill those monsters, saving that guy was just accidental, that's all." Shinji wiped the blood on his claws and then undo his transformation.

"So that's it." Killua didn't want to prey on Shinji's secret so he stopped.

The others also didn't question Shinji's reasons.

"Although Shinji killed those monsters but climbing down doesn't seem safe, who knows if there are any other traps, I believe there must be some way to go down." Kurapika analyzed the situation and found that climbing down the walls isn't safe, so he thought there must be other ways.

"Did you notice guys? The number of Applicants decreased." Killua observed the other applicants around them and found that the number of them decreased.

"Kurapika is right, these floors below us are the doors to descend the tower. So we must find these hidden doors, how about we split up and search for them?" Shinji suggested to not waste time and start searching for the hidden doors.

"So this is the real way, fortunately, I don't need to climb down the walls!" Leorio breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gon let's see who finds the doors first!" Killua proposed to compete against Gon to have fun.

"I'll find more than you!" Gon screamed excitedly as he rushed searching around.

"Let's also start searching Kurapika, Leorio!"

Then the five of them kept knocking on the floors to see if they were entrances to the below.

A few minutes later.

"Kurapika, Leorio, Shinji, Here Here!" Suddenly the three of them heard the shouting of Gon, they saw him waving at them excitedly.

"Gon must have found something let's hurry to see it!" Shinji quickly approached him.

"What did you find Gon?"

Gon didn't answer, he sit down and pushed the floor below him lightly, revealing a gap, which indicates that this is an entrance.

"Look we have found this hidden door."

"Great job, Gon, let's head down!" Leorio excitedly wanted to enter quickly.

"But I'm confused."

"About what?" Leorio didn't understand Gon's meaning.

"There also hidden doors here, there, over there, and over there as well." He pointed to five different hidden doors that happened to be near them.

"So many!" Leorio was surprised.

"Five hidden doors located in the same area, it sounds suspicious to me"

"Some could be traps?" Kurapika put his hands on his chin and thought of the worst possible outcome that those hidden doors could hide, which is to directly fall into a trap.

"Or maybe they lead to the same place that's why they're near each other!" Shinji who knows the plot indirectly spoiled it over them. He knows they are going to enter the same room from these five doors.

"Right, I didn't think of this possibility." Kurapika's eyes lit up, what Shinji said doesn't seem impossible.

"Why don't we use the same door?" Leorio said proudly, he thought he came up with a brilliant idea.

"The idea is good, but we just saw a person who opens a hidden door, when we tried to open it we found it's closed, and from the size of these doors they seem to only fit one person at a time, so it's impossible to implement your idea, of course for ordinary people like you!" Killua explained to Leorio calmly then he continued.

"We'll have to split up, Gon and I decided which door to choose."

"No hard feelings if one of us springs a trap! What are you guys gonna do?" Gon smiled as he looked at the three of them.

"I have no problem luck is part of the game." Leorio smiled confidently.

"I have no objection." Kurapika also agreed.

"Well let's not waste time anymore." Shinji wants to quickly end this test, he can't wait to end this hunter exam and go train with Netero-sensei.

The five of them each stood on top of a hidden door they choose.

"Let's jump in after we count to three!" Leorio suggested.

"3.."

"2.."

"1.."

"Well, see you guys bellow!" Gon bid farewell to his friends since he thinks they are going to part away in this test.

"Good luck, Guys!" Kurapika also smiled and wished them good luck.

"See you guys later, after one second probably." Shinji smiled mischievously at them.

Then the three of them jumped simultaneously.

The hidden door opened then they fall below.

*thud*

*thud*

*thud*

*thud*

*Bang*

The four of Gon, Killua, Krapika, and Shinji who were prepared successfully landed on their feet, while Leorio was the last one to fall on his face.

The four of them looked at each other and smiled embarrassedly.

"That was quite a brief farewell." Kurapika smiled.

"Just like what Shinji said, all the doors led to the same room." Leorio get up from the ground and looked around the room curiously.

Gon noticed the screen on the wall and walked toward it, the four of them followed behind.

"The five of you must follow the will of the majority to reach the goal. Look there are five stopwatches." He pointed at the five watches on the table in front of them.

The five of them took one.

"There is an O and X button."

"I think we will use this stopwatch to decide some things in these tests." Shinji gave them again some hints.

"That right!"

Suddenly an excited voice came from the speaker on the wall.

"Who is there!" Leorio was frightened by this sudden voice.

"My name is Lippo, I'm the prison warden here, as well as the third phase examiner."

"Multiple routes through this tower have been prepared. You have chosen the path of majority rule."

"Cooperation will be the key if you wish to clear this phase of the exam."

They listened carefully to his words which seem telling them the rules of this test

"One person's selfish behavior can derail an entire group."

"Then, best of luck, gentlemen!"

After quickly explaining everything that should be explained he closed the microphone.

The five of them didn't have time to ask anything.

*rumble*

The wall in front of them suddenly rose up revealing a door behind it.

"Select O to open the door, select X not to open."

"Forcing us to use the majority rule already?"

"Well, it won't be a problem since the five of us know each other." Shinji shrugged his shoulders, with his interference he is sure to pass this test quickly not like in the original plot.

The five clicked at O at the same time.

The screen showed number five next to the letter O, indicating five had chosen option O.

The door opened, and they entered it.

"Another question so soon!" Leorio didn't stop complaining.

"Which way do you want to go, O for right, X for left."

Again they made their choice.

The result appeared on the screen, Five-O against one X.

"What! why all of you choose Right? Normally you should go left!" Leorio was the only one to choose Left.

"I don't like left so I choose right." Shinji replied truthfully..

"That's true. Studies have indicated that people who are lost tend to to go left unconsciously." Kurapika with his vast knowledge immediately explained his reason for choosing right.

"I also heard of this before." Killua also nodded his head.

Then the gate on right opened, after few minutes of walking they seem to reach the end.

"What is this place!" Leorio looked at the place in front of him and was surprised.

In front of them there is an arena on a stone platform in the center, the arena has nothing to connect it with their side, if they want to go to the other side they need to either jump or wait until the examiner release the stairs.

"Look over there." Killua pointed at the other side.

Five peoples hidden in caps with their hands shackled stood there, gloomy aura surround them.

"The applicants have arrived, remove the shackles." Suddenly, a man hidden in the cap said.

Immediately the shackles around his hands fell automatically.

"Jeez.." The man starts moving his hands freely, this feeling of liberty it had been a long time since he experienced it.

The cap was removed, revealing a muscular bald man.

"I'm finally free."

"Before you are some of trick tower's prisoners."

The voice of Lippo came from the speakers, introducing the prisoners in front of them.

"The hunter exam committee has also officially hired them as examiners. You'll be fihgting against the five of them."

"The fight will be one-on-one, each person can only fight once."

"You're free to use any method you like. There are no draws, a fight ends when the other party admit defeat."

After his long speech, the bald man who seem the first one to play said.

"You may pick your order. It's majority rule, which means if you secure three wins you may pass."

"Tsk majority rule again!"

"However, the actual fights will not be so simple, the prisoner's sentences will be reduced by one year for an hour they delay the applicants here."

"In other words, their goal is to buy time!"

Lippo added another important point they should pay attention to, which is time.

"Ok, I'm up first, hurry up and decide your combatant!" the bald man is called Bendot, his sentence is 199 years, the reason is robbery and murder. To be able to get this sentence only god knows how many innocent people he killed to be qualified for such a punishment.

But Shinji thinks this isn't a punishment at all! It simply protects these scums.

Why the one who made such crimes is still alive? Shouldn't he be executed in public in front of the world as an example so that other criminals won't dare to act arrogantly and they will think twice before doing anything?

Life must be paid with life. That's what Shinji believes in. As long as the killing wasn't intentional then the punishment may vary.

"What should we do? He said we can fight with any method, so that means anything goes." Killua turned his head and looked at them.

"There is too much at stake without knowing what they have up their selves." Kurapika looked at the prisoner solemnly.

" given that, I shall test them!"

He decides to be the first one to fight, in order to explore the strength of others for his friends.

"Wait!" Shinji held Kurapika's shoulder stopping him.

"What's wrong Shinji?" kurapika looked at Shinji and wondered why he stopped him.

"I'll go, even if I lose it won't be a problem." Shinji smiled then without waiting for kurapika to react he strode toward the arena, stairs came from their side connecting them with the platform.

"Be careful, Shinji!" Kurapika looked gratefully at Shinji and reminded him to pay attention and don't underestimate the opponent.

"Don't worry it's a piece of cake." Shinji waved his hands without turning his head.

The two Shinji and Bendot stood in front of each other.

"Now let's determine the method of combat, I propose a death match." With full confidence in himself, he proposed to fight Shinji till death.

Shinji grinned, he had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

"You should be honored, you are the first rubbish I'll clean from this world and serve as my stepping stone to reach the apex!"

"…brat!" Bendot eyes becomes cold, he held his anger.

"I think you are the rubbish here if you don't dare to accept my life and death challenge!" He smiled disdainfully at Shinji trying to provoke him into accepting.

"This guy is stupid, if he saw Shinji's strength he won't dare to say these words." Leorio looked at the prisoner with pity and mourned for him.

"I just hope Shinji won't dye the arena in blood." Kurapika nodded his head, he was afraid of seeing the appearance of minced meat spread in the arena, it will make him feel sick.

"Don't worry, I'll fulfill your death wish!"

"Let's have a death match!"

Shinji looked at the prisoner in front of him and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes, what he hates the most is criminals! In two fucking lives they were the cause for him to get orphaned, in two lives, they destroyed his family!

Before he had no power to get revenge on them, but now he had the power, so naturally he won't waste this opportunity to vent his anger.

"Then let the fight begin!" with a strong jump, Bendot flew toward Shinji, immediately crossing the distance, then he made a spear gesture with his right hand intending to pierce Shinji's throat to prevent him from admitting defeat.

Just when he was about to reach Shinji.

*Agghh*

"W-What!" Bendot looked with fear at the monster in front of him.

Can anyone tell him, why the bandaged boy suddenly become a monster?

"Are you joking, why there is a monster inside the tower" the other prisoner even hidden under the cap were frightened.

this isn't what they expect!

Shinji instantly transformed into half-leopard form and caught Bendot from his throat, holding him in the air like a kitten.

"Now Mr. Prisoner, are you ready to get free?" Shinji said coldly his eyes full of killing intent. If he were an ordinary person then this guy would really succeed in his plan and he will suffer In his hands.

*BANG*

Bendot felt the killing intent in Shinji's eyes, so he used his legs to kick Shinji intending to free himself from his grip.

Shinji stood in his place ignoring the pain, his grip become even stronger.

"I'll let you die slowly in despair, just like how you probably killed your victims, it's fair right? Consider this my mercy on you, I really want to cut you into pieces, but I can't allow my friends to see such a bloody scene, or else they may become afraid of me."

The grip becomes stronger and stronger, no matter how much Bendot struggled he can't escape.

The supply of oxygen was cut off, his face turned blue.

*crack*

*thud*

Just like this, Shinji broke his neck, then throw him to the ground.

The notification of the inheritance boundary already told him that the prisoner is already dead.

So he turned back and walked toward their side.

*ding*

The screen on top of them changed from 0 to 1, which means they only had two more wins to pass.

"Good job Shinji! Now we only need two wins to pass!" Leorio shouted excitedly, he didn't care if his friend just now killed a human, because he himself doesn't like criminals, their life and death mean nothing to him so why he should care, the same way the other three of Gon and Killua and Kurapika think.

'Shinji also seems to hate criminals deeply, is he also like me? He lost someone he cherishes because of these scums?' Kurapika heard the words of Shinji and felt the hatred contained in his words, only someone like him who had a strong hatred and desire for revenge can understand Shinji's mood.

"Now the rest is up to you guys, don't waste time." In good mood, Shinji returned to his place.

he can't wait to see his harvest from killing those monsters and this guy just now, maybe he could afford to draw some Rob Lucci skills.