103 I Must Learn This Power! !

Not to mention forcing him into "Zetsu"—the state of absolute stillness.

Even Nobunaga, with a swift and sharp sword draw, could easily knock Kurapika to the ground before he had the chance to activate his chains.

Machi, with her deft use of the Nen threads, and Shalnark, who manipulates his opponents like puppets, would make it even harder for Kurapika to use his Judgment Chain.

In a way, Kurapika was lucky he faced Uvogin that night. If it had been anyone else, he might not have stood a chance.

Ronnel wasn't overly concerned with Kurapika's next steps or whether he would impose stricter conditions on himself. What mattered to him was how to squeeze enough advantages from the treacherous alleys of Yorknew City, ensuring that he wouldn't be crushed when the day came to face the Ant King.

But first things first—he needed to pass the Hunter Exam.

As far as strategy went, Ronnel had some vague guesses and ideas forming in his mind. If he could solidify them, he might stand a chance against the Ant King in the future.

Although their journey had been mostly smooth, and the traps in the tunnels posed no serious obstacle to Ronnel and his group, Lippo—watching through the monitors—began to sense a shift in the atmosphere.

"Something's about to happen," Lippo muttered, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

At the end of this tunnel, he had set up one of his proudest designs: two paths.

The first was long and treacherous, allowing all five of them to pass but requiring dozens of hours to traverse. Even at their best pace, it would take them 45 hours to complete.

The second was short and straightforward but came with a catch—only three people could go through, and they'd have to be shackled together. It would take just ten minutes to reach the exit.

Ronnel and his group had already passed the five-on-five battle challenge without wasting any time, leaving them enough room to consider the first, safer path.

But Lippo knew his design could easily ignite tension among them.

That's all I need, he thought.

Hours later, the group of five entered a dimly lit room with flickering candles. Two iron doors stood at the far end, with an array of weapons adorning the walls.

While they took in their surroundings, Liber's voice crackled over the speakers, explaining the rules again. The group's eyes darted toward the two doors.

"We have more than 60 hours left, which is enough time for us to take the long route," Gon suggested.

"I agree!" Leorio quickly raised his hand.

"I don't care," Killua shrugged nonchalantly.

"Fine by me," Kurapika added, bringing smiles to both Gon's and Leorio's faces.

However, just as they were about to commit to the long route, their smiles froze.

Ronnel stepped toward the simpler door leading to the shorter path.

"Ronnel?" Gon and Leorio called out nervously, while Kurapika and Killua instinctively tensed.

Ronnel knocked on the iron door, listening as the sound reverberated through the room.

"Sturdy enough," he mused before raising his hand, charging his Nen.

BOOM!

The iron door exploded into pieces, smoke and debris scattering everywhere. Leorio and Gon gaped at the massive hole in front of them, speechless.

"Incredible," Kurapika whispered, his grip tightening around his chains.

Even Killua was left stunned, quietly marveling at Ronnel's power while feeling a growing desire to master Nen himself.

"I have to learn that power!" Killua thought to himself.

"Well, that settles that," Ronnel whistled. "Let's move."

"Oh—oh!" Gon and Leorio snapped out of their daze and hurried to follow.

In front of the monitor, Lippo dropped his biscuit, staring in disbelief at the screen.

"That's why I hate those brute-force types," he muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "They ruin all the fun..."

In less than ten minutes, Ronnel and his group had reached the bottom of the tower, marking the successful completion of the third phase of the exam.

"We did it!" Gon cheered, with Leorio and Kurapika smiling in relief. Ronnel, however, scanned the area with narrowed eyes.

The moment they stepped into the waiting area, he felt a sinister gaze lock onto him.

He didn't need to see the source to know who it was.

"Oh, hoho~ Little Ronnel, you've finally made it," Hisoka chuckled, shuffling a deck of pyramid-shaped cards. His shoulders quivered with silent laughter.

Ronnel had no desire to engage with him and lost any interest in discussing the Phantom Troupe.

The waiting area was eerily quiet, with only Ronnel's group and Hisoka present. But just as Ronnel settled down in a corner, a stone door creaked open.

Clicking footsteps echoed through the room as a man with round needles embedded in his face slowly entered.

Noticing Hisoka's presence, Gon and the others immediately fell silent, instinctively retreating to the side.

But as they moved, Killua couldn't help but stare at the strange man, feeling an unsettling sense of familiarity.

"Something's off about him," Gon whispered, his gaze fixating on the needle-faced man.

Killua's brow furrowed as if he could sense something more beneath the surface.

"That's candidate No. 301, Gittarackur," Leorio murmured. "He's been keeping a low profile, but he's made it this far without any notable performances."

--------------

+153 chapters on patreon.com/FanficsHub