Still... I really went and did it. There was no need to pull out the Penetration Palm back there. In fact, against Netero—who was careless, assuming I was merely an amateur with high physical specs—I didn't even need the Willow Leaf Sway just to snatch the ball. So why on earth did I do something so reckless?
...It was definitely because I hadn't seen Netero in so long. In my days as Ryusho, the moments spent dueling Netero were the pinnacle of bliss. Even if the vessel changes, the memories and cherished times remain intact...
But what should I do now? Netero is guaranteed to be suspicious. After all, within Kazama-ryu, virtually no one practices the Penetration Palm or the Willow Leaf Sway. The Penetration Palm in particular is a forbidden art I imparted solely to Linna. To an outsider, it looks like a standard palm strike, but...
This is Netero we're talking about. He undoubtedly realized what it was. Otherwise, there's no way he would have retaliated with the [100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva]... right? Right now, Netero is probably racking his brain over my true identity. He might even arrive at the conclusion that I am the reincarnation of Ryusho... and that is bad news.
...Wait, is it actually bad? Granted, reincarnation is normally impossible, and if I volunteered the information myself, no one would believe me—I'd just be branded a lunatic. That's why I couldn't tell Netero. But if he figures it out on his own, is there really a problem...?
No, what if he rejects me? Being rejected by Netero would be a crushing blow... Should I try to hide it after all? But I've already leaked so much...
...Argh, forget it! What happens, happens! If I'm exposed, I'll deal with it then; if I'm not, all the better!
Phew. While lost in thought, the airship arrived at the Third Phase venue. In the end, I didn't get a wink of sleep.
A colossal tower piercing the clouds: Trick Tower. This is the venue for the Third Phase—a high-security penitentiary designed to detain heinous criminals.
The objective: descend from the top of the tower to the bottom alive within seventy-two hours. There are no exterior stairs, so there must be hidden trapdoors. ...Surely there aren't secret escape tunnels for the inmates, right?
Now then, how should I get down?
Ah, someone is already scaling down the outer wall. Impressive, though a fall from that height means certain death.
"Whoa, incredible!"
"He's already made it that far down."
"...Though is he going to be alright? Something bizarre is approaching from the distance."
"Ah, you're right."
"GYYYAAAAAHHHH!!!"
A flock of monstrous birds swarmed the climber. At this rate, he'll be torn to shreds. Guess I have to step in.
Hup!
I flick a handful of stones toward the flock. Those birds look revolting... Oh, direct hits on every single one.
"Climb back to the top while you have the chance!"
"Th-Thank you!"
He managed to scramble back up safely. I was worried panic might cause him to lose his grip. Glad he's unharmed.
"Y-You saved my life. I'm deeply indebted to you..."
"Don't worry about it. Do your best on the exam."
"Yeah, you too! If there's ever anything I can do for you, just say the word. I'll definitely repay this favor!"
Expressing his gratitude, the rock climber went off to search for another route. He might still meet his end on another path, but I can't look after him forever. What I did was merely self-satisfaction—a simple act of hypocrisy.
"...Hey, you."
"My name is not 'you,' it's Aisha. This is the second time we've had this exchange."
"Whatever, who cares about that. I just want to ask: why do you go around helping strangers like that?"
"...Is helping someone forbidden?"
"I'm not saying it's forbidden. But you did it during the First Phase, and in the Second Phase you were about to step in when that pro wrestler guy was nearly killed by the examiner, right?"
This kid has sharp eyes. To notice that slight, almost imperceptible movement when I was about to intervene... Remarkable perception.
"They're complete strangers, so I don't get why you help them. It doesn't look like you're asking for a reward, either."
"..."
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just curious."
"...It's something my mother taught me. She told me: if there is someone you can help within your own power, lend them a hand... Put yourself first, but if you have room to spare, reach out to others... That's why I helped. Right now, I have plenty of room to spare. But if my own life were in danger, I would prioritize myself above all else, without hesitation."
"Sounds like a great mom. She really loved you the most, huh?"
"Yes. She is my greatest pride."
"...I see. Must be nice. Having a mother who says things like that... Wanna trade moms with me?"
"I refuse (Daga kotowaru)."
"Hey, don't answer so seriously!"
I am completely serious. Trade my world's greatest mother for someone I don't even know? I wouldn't do that even as a joke.
"Also, why are you carrying such an enormous backpack?"
"Eh? Well, the Hunter Exam is long, right? By the time I packed spare clothes, meals, and water for the duration, it just ended up like this."
"...Wait, how many kilograms is that thing?"
"Who knows? I haven't weighed it, but probably around fifty kilograms."
"You're amazing, Aisha..."
"You don't really need that many clothes, do you? And you could eat on the airship."
"Y-You never know! What if no food was provided during the exam? What would you have done then?"
"In that case, I'd just scavenge something. Right, Gon?"
"Yeah! Wild berries, fish, whatever edible things are around—I'd catch them and eat!"
These wild children! Dammit, if it's hunted game and safe, I can eat it, but leftovers or insects are out of the question...
"Ugh... I have to eat clean, hygienic food whenever possible..."
"What kind of rule is that?"
It can't be helped! My mother... Mother's discipline runs deep...!
Now then, what's next?
There seem to be quite a few trapdoors scattered across the roof. Several applicants have already discovered them and descended into the tower. But navigating down floor by floor sounds terribly tedious.
Should I just jump off?
By projecting aura downward, I can maneuver in mid-air. It consumes a fair amount of aura—and active use of [Angel's Veil] multiplies the consumption tenfold—but this much won't be an issue.
Once decided, I just need to find a moment when no one is watching. It would be troublesome if someone saw me.
First, Zetsu. This makes detecting me exceedingly difficult. Next, I pretend to search for trapdoors while sharpening my senses to ensure no eyes are on me. I casually drift toward the tower's edge, waiting for attention to lapse... and the moment it does, I can fly!
Scanning with En and honed senses, I confirm no one is observing me. Many applicants have already descended, and the rest are entirely engrossed in finding doors. Now is my chance.
Staying vigilant until the last second... Here goes nothing!
Jumping off on impulse, I feel surprisingly little fear. In fact, it's exhilarating. Jumping off Mount Mafutatsu back in the day didn't scare me either. If I panicked over something like this, I could never face Netero in combat.
Right, since no one is watching, I'll deactivate [Angel's Veil]. Keeping it up constantly is exhausting. Besides, for some reason, my aura consumption has felt elevated since the exam began. Maybe I'm subtly tense? Even while using Zetsu to minimize drain, my aura has depleted faster than expected.
The ground is approaching rapidly—time to prepare the landing. I project a blast of aura toward the earth, arresting my downward momentum, then gather aura in my legs to touch down.
Phew. Perfect landing. Netero landed casually from the airship, so I wondered if a simple burst would suffice, but I erred on the side of caution. Judging by the feel, Ken alone might have absorbed the impact. If I ever have another occasion to leap from great heights, I'll test it out—though I doubt such chances come often.
Now then, I've reached the bottom, but where is the entrance? ...Surely there is an entrance, right? Let me circle the base of the tower. There has to be a door somewhere! Oh, and I better reactivate [Angel's Veil]. You never know where people might be lurking.
...Even if Netero realizes my reincarnation, I want to keep this aura's sinister nature hidden. Seriously, why is my aura so ominous? Is it because I died once? That's the only logical explanation.
Ah, thank goodness! An entrance! Well of course—this is a prison; it would be absurd not to have a ground entrance. You can't expect guards to lower convicts through roof trapdoors.
Found the door, but how do I get in? As expected of a penitentiary, it's a massive, reinforced steel gate. Naturally, it's locked, and destroying it would probably be a violation.
"Helloooo! Excuse me! Is anyone in there?!"
I call out toward the door. A prison must have surveillance cameras.
『...Who goes there? Why are you at this location?』
Oh, splendid, a response! Looks like I won't have to force it open.
"I am a Hunter Exam applicant. Look, I have my number badge right here."
『...Why is an applicant at the tower's entrance? The phase commenced from the rooftop.』
"Was there any rule explicitly forbidding entering through the front door?"
『No, that is not the issue, but...』
"...Is it disallowed?"
If it's forbidden, I'd have to climb all the way back up to the roof. I'd really rather avoid that...
『...Number badge verified as authentic. Releasing the lock. Enter immediately...』
"Thank you very much!"
Wonderful, wonderful! That clears the Third Phase. Now I just have to wait out the three days... Three days?
"Um, excuse me. May I ask a quick question?"
『What is it? Speak quickly.』
"What are the arrangements for meals while we wait for the phase to conclude?"
『...Food is provided for applicants who clear the phase. Rest assured.』
"What a relief. I have emergency rations, but they do get rather bland."
『It is prison food, so do not get your hopes up.』
"Eh?"
『The gate is open. Enter at once.』
"No. 401 Aisha is the first applicant to pass the Third Phase! Total time: 1 hour and 02 minutes."
◆
With nothing to do until the Third Phase concluded, I relaxed in the Trick Tower monitoring lounge, leisurely watching the exam footage.
My Nen ability, [Ruler of the Miniature Garden], grants me free access to real-time and past surveillance footage throughout the exam. Nothing beats the sheer ecstasy of watching applicants' faces contort in despair. Becoming an examiner was definitely the right call, hehehe.
While savoring the First Phase recordings, I noticed something peculiar.
It was applicant No. 190, Nicholas. He was pure gold—the only applicant naive enough to drink my laxative-laced juice. The look on his face when he gulped it down was pure bliss.
But then, an inexplicable phenomenon occurred. Right before Nicholas's eyes, a plastic bottle materialized out of thin air. Not hypnosis, not super-speed... but the hallmark of something far more terrifying... Nen.
So Nicholas conjured a plastic bottle?! His desperate urge not to soil himself awakened his Nen and manifested that bottle!!
...Yeah, right. Don't insult Nen. If awakening Nen were that trivial, what was the point of my three grueling years of hellish training? Being worked to the bone under the guise of 'purging evil thoughts'... How many times did I pray for death?!
Phew, calm down. In any case, Nicholas didn't produce that bottle. He can't even use Ten. An actual Nen user wouldn't fail in the First Phase.
Then who did? Nen was unmistakably involved—materializing an object from empty space is impossible otherwise. Yet my [Ruler of the Miniature Garden] showed no one near Nicholas... Whose ability was it?
Replaying the footage repeatedly, I caught something strange. Due to an utter lack of presence, I had overlooked it entirely: a set of clothes carrying an enormous backpack was sprinting along...
My eyes weren't failing me. Literally, just clothes running on their own. It looked as though an invisible person wearing clothes was jogging through the tunnel.
...I recognized that backpack. Applicant No. 401, Aisha. A seemingly unremarkable... well, remarkably beautiful young girl.
Meaning Aisha is a Nen user. An invisibility ability? But her clothes don't turn invisible? If so, what a half-baked power. Being invisible is pointless if your clothes give you away.
Yet... even knowing she was there, her presence was astonishingly faint. To remain so unnoticeable while floating clothes ran in plain sight speaks to a terrifying mastery of Zetsu.
No. 401 Aisha... A candidate to watch closely.
The next time I observed Aisha was near the end of the First Phase.
I was watching Hisoka indulge in his examiner game.
Hisoka... A genuine monster. Since awakening to Nen, he's only the third person I've met of that caliber. There are countless Nen users stronger than me, but he is in a league of his own. Encounter him outside the exam, and I'd flee instantly.
Fortunately, he has little interest in me. As long as I don't antagonize him, I should be fine. When he attacked me, my heart nearly stopped. Even knowing [Ruler of the Miniature Garden] grants invulnerability in the trial space, that murderous intent and sinister aura almost killed me of fright.
Watching that monster cull applicants was great entertainment. Tragedies happening to others truly are the sweetest wine.
Then Hisoka flung a playing card into the thicket. No one was visible, yet Hisoka addressed the empty grass. And the instant the card struck, a set of clothes leapt from the brush...
She was hiding right there? What absurd Zetsu! So that flying stone that distracted Hisoka was thrown by Aisha. Why go out of her way to draw his attention? Does she have a death wish?
Yet surprisingly, Hisoka walked away toward the Second Phase venue. Spared by Hisoka means she passed his test. Should I add her to my top danger list?
...No, she threw that stone to rescue that applicant—Leorio, was it? She might be strong, but she's just a soft-hearted do-gooder. Not quite top-threat material.
And now, here I am watching Trick Tower.
Applicants discovering trapdoors are descending one by one. Curious how Aisha would tackle the Third Phase, I searched for her on the feeds.
Found her. Surprisingly easy—she wasn't using Zetsu. Naturally, floating clothes stand out like a sore thumb. ...Wait, why aren't the other applicants reacting to her? If clothes were floating around, people would panic, yet everyone ignored her...
Is it not invisibility? Then why does only her clothing appear on the monitor?
...I can't figure it out. I'm no Nen scholar. Linna-sensei might know, but... No, if she discovers what I'm doing, it's straight back to hell. Never again.
Whoops, lost sight of her. Where is she?
—There. Using Zetsu again. Without the clothing anomaly, she's practically undetectable. Is she looking for trapdoors? But she's steadily moving toward the outer rim of the roof. Why?
—WHAT THE HELL?! SHE JUMPED! Did she really have a death wish?!
Ah, she's dead for sure. Surviving a fall from that height is impossible even for Nen users—barring Chairman Netero or someone with flight capabilities. ...Can she fly?
Aisha plummeted toward the earth. No signs of flying. Is she truly suicidal?!
Just as she neared the ground—AURA EXPLODED FROM HER ENTIRE BODY!!
What on earth is that aura?! Why does a young girl possess an aura so horrifyingly malevolent?!
And what happened next was even more terrifying: the instant before impact, an unbelievable volume of aura was released downward! A concentration of aura so dense it defied reason!
Using the propulsion to decelerate, Aisha touched down gracefully... The sheer magnitude of that aura output... and a quality so sinister it could rival Hisoka's!
A soft-hearted do-gooder? Like hell she is! She's a monster on par with Hisoka—perhaps even more dangerous!
I instantly moved Aisha to the very top of my "Do Not Cross Under Any Circumstances" list. I must never, ever get involved with that girl...
◆
...Something is definitely wrong.
Even while resting in Zetsu, my internal aura is barely recovering. In fact, it's steadily draining.
At first, I thought exam stress was increasing my passive consumption, but that makes little sense.
...Am I under the continuous effect of an external Nen ability?
That would explain everything. If my [Boss Trait] is passively neutralizing a continuous effect, it would constantly consume aura in response.
The question is: what kind of ability is it, and who cast it? Is it targeted specifically at me? For surveillance? It likely started in the First Phase, when my drain first spiked.
Fortunately, neutralizing it with [Boss Trait] doesn't consume an overwhelming amount. As long as I don't activate [Angel's Veil], my aura reserves will easily last through the entire Hunter Exam.
Still, failing to notice [Boss Trait] triggering is careless on my part. I've grown rusty. I need to sharpen my focus.
...Who is the user? Most likely an examiner or an applicant.
Among examiners, Tonpa-san is the prime suspect. He's followed along since the First Phase and is a licensed Hunter capable of Nen.
Second suspect is that needle-faced man. I doubt it's Hisoka—he wouldn't bother with such roundabout stealth abilities. Or perhaps another applicant is concealing their Nen, just like me.
Ultimately, speculation won't yield certainty. It could be someone I haven't even seen.
For now, the best I can do is calm my mind and recover as much aura as possible.
Time to practice some Zen meditation... It's been a long time since my days as Ryusho.