After I finished speaking, I took off my coat.
On the surface, Zebro looked like a harmless old man—but the moment he removed his coat, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika could clearly see the solid muscle layered beneath his clothes.
Zebro raised one hand and pressed it against the door.
In the next instant, all his strength was channeled into his arm.
Crack!
The massive door creaked open, just a sliver at first.
Then that sliver widened.
Zebro calmly retracted his hand, and the door began closing on its own.
"That's how it works. This is the Testing Gate. It's not locked. If you're strong enough, you can push it open and go inside."
"And anyone who enters through the Testing Gate won't be attacked—unlike those intruders from earlier."
Leorio looked at Gon.
"Gon, did you try pushing it just now?"
Gon nodded. "Yeah."
"Did it budge?"
"Nope."
"Then let me give it a shot."
Leorio stepped forward, but the result was the same. No matter how hard he pushed, the door didn't move an inch.
If they hadn't seen Zebro open it just now, Leorio might've assumed it was impossible.
"What the heck...?"
"How strong do you have to be to move this thing?" he muttered, rubbing his shoulder.
Kurapika turned to Zebro.
"I want to ask—has Killua opened this door before?"
"Master Killua? Yes."
"I believe Master Killua was able to open up to the third door."
"The third?" Kurapika repeated.
Zebro pointed toward the massive entrance.
"You can probably tell just by looking—this isn't a single door, but a layered structure made up of multiple doors."
"The more strength you have, the more doors you can push open at once."
"There's the First Gate, Second Gate... all the way to the Seventh Gate."
"The First Gate alone weighs two tons—per side."
"The Second Gate doubles that—four tons on each side."
"And so on."
Leorio's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"That thing weighs two tons? No wonder I couldn't move it. A normal person doesn't stand a chance."
Kurapika's expression darkened.
"If Killua pushed through three gates... that's eight tons on one side. Does Killua really have that much power?"
"Then how strong is Kaizen, the Illumi cousin?"
"And what about Hisoka...?"
Kurapika's gaze turned distant, flickering with unease.
...
Gon stepped up to the door again.
Zebro watched the reactions on their faces—curiosity, awe, disbelief.
It reminded him of a day not long ago...
When Killua had returned home to Zoldyck Manor, he'd pushed open the Testing Gate too.
And afterward, he had asked about Kaizen.
Zebro had answered truthfully.
"Master Kaizen once opened all Seven Gates."
Killua had let out a long sigh when he heard that.
And then—he had grumbled.
"I can't believe you all knew about Kaizen's cousin already. Looks like I was the last one to find out."
"I actually ran into him once in Heavens Arena... but I didn't know he was family. I thought he was from another assassin clan or something."
Shaking his head, Killua had walked through the manor gates.
...
Gon's second attempt at pushing the door ended in failure.
"Uncle," he asked, "how many gates can Kaizen open?"
"Seven."
Kurapika's pupils shrank.
"Seven... that means the weight on one side is 128 tons?"
"What kind of strength does that take?"
"Could Hisoka do that?"
"What about members of the Phantom Troupe?"
Kurapika's thoughts spiraled. He was comparing, calculating, realizing just how wide the gap was between himself and that level of strength.
The distance wasn't just vast—it was despairingly vast.
And unless he could bridge that gap, he had no chance of avenging his clan.
How did they reach that level?
And what about me?
Kurapika's fists clenched.
...
Evening was falling.
Gon suddenly asked, "Uncle, this is called the Testing Gate, right?"
"That's right."
"So... its main purpose is to test people?"
"You could say that."
"Then I don't get it," Gon said, frowning. "I'm Killua's friend. I came here to see him. If we're just visiting a friend, why do we have to pass a test?"
Zebro nodded thoughtfully.
"You're not wrong. But... Master Killua isn't the only one living here. When Master Kaizen's friend visited the manor years ago, they also had to go through the Testing Gate."
"Kaizen's friend?" Kurapika repeated.
Zebro nodded.
"Yes. It was many years ago, back when Master Kaizen was younger—probably even younger than Killua is now."
"His friend was around the same age as him, just a boy."
Leorio couldn't help asking, "Do you remember how many doors Kaizen's friend opened back then?"
"Four."
All three of them stiffened in shock.
They had passed the Hunter Exam and were far from weak. But this Testing Gate... it exposed how far they still had to go.
They had known Kaizen was stronger than them.
But now they felt it.
When he took the Hunter Exam, Kaizen had already been sixteen—much taller and more mature than Kurapika, who was also sixteen.
And now they were hearing that Killua could open three doors, and Kaizen had opened seven?
Even his childhood friend had opened four?
The comparison stung.
Gon still looked unconvinced.
In his heart, something didn't sit right.
Shouldn't friendship be enough? Why test someone who's already a friend?
But Kaizen's case came first.
...
"Uncle," Gon asked, "is there a place nearby where we can rest and eat? We're not strong enough to open the Testing Gate right now... but we're not ready to give up, either."
Zebro was quiet for a moment.
"I'll have to ask the butler for permission."
With that, he turned and walked back toward the guardhouse.
...
Elsewhere, in a nearby hotel...
Kaizen had already mastered the aura technique—refining it far beyond what Siper and Ponzu had described.
"So, about Ten," he said calmly. "Have you wrapped your head around it yet?"
"If you get it, you get it. If you don't, then you don't."
"Opening your aura nodes is how you become a Nen user."
"But it's not without danger."
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