Chapter 130: The Vicious Pigmen x Roy Exploits a Bug
Dong... cuckoo... cuckoo...
1:59:59... 2:00 PM!
A cuckoo clock emerged from the top of the tunnel entrance, chiming the start of the exam. A sharp CLAP! followed. Botobai Gigante clapped his hands together lightly. The sound wasn't loud, yet it clearly entered every candidate's ears.
It wasn't [Heartbeat Fist Listen], but it was close. Having just experienced Netero's clap this morning, Roy savored Botobai's martial intent. The man clearly hadn't reached the "pinnacle of martial arts," but he showed the faint traces of it. Even if he wasn't there yet, he wasn't far off.
"Young Master, this man is strong!" Gotoh's gaze was fixed on Botobai.
It wasn't just him. Kite, Kanzai, and Illumi (under the alias "Gittarackur")—anyone with a decent level of skill—all focused on Botobai.
This future Zodiac, the Dragon... hailed as the man closest to Netero, spoke, his voice like a great bell, "I am the chief examiner for this stage of the Hunter Exam. I now declare the exam... has begun!"
With the sharp efficiency of a soldier, Botobai didn't waste a second. He immediately had Geru reveal the "Illusion" character, which, combined with the "Bewitching Cypress Tree" scent wafting through the air, began to project the "Pigmen" film Bean had delivered.
Everything blurred... their vision filled with phantoms. Before the candidates could even react, they were dragged into the "memory game"!
A vast, endless scroll of a forest with towering trees unfolded before them. Gotoh didn't even have time to shout "Young Master!" before a sharp axe-light cleaved the air, aimed at his chest. It was a Pigman!
It had a fat head, large ears, and vicious tusks. Standing upright, it was over four meters tall, clad in heavy armor, and wielding a hand axe in each hand. It snorted two jets of hot air from its massive nostrils and, with a downward chop, attacked every "outsider" who dared step into the Pigman tribe's territory!
"Aaaargh!" Bloodcurdling screams erupted from every candidate pulled into the illusion.
Pop! The illusion shattered. In less than one second, over three hundred people were eliminated, unable to even block a single blow. They snapped back to reality, horrified, their legs giving out, collapsing to the floor.
"What was that monster?!"
"Pig's head on a man's body... it must be a magical beast!"
"Dammit! The first stage is this hard? It's never been like this before!" In a corner, Tonpa collapsed, his forehead and back drenched in cold sweat. This wasn't his first Hunter Exam, but it was the first time it had started on 'Hell' difficulty! He clutched his chest, gasping for air. He'd been split in two in an instant, and his heart was still pounding. He looked around... thud, thud, thud... More and more people fell... In another two seconds, 50 more were eliminated.
In the illusion, the bald ninja Yusuke was fleeing for his life. Thump... thump... thump... The ground trembled. Behind him, the Pigman, axe in hand, was catching up, moving even faster than he was. It raised its axe and chopped down at his neck.
Yusuke's blood ran cold, his soul nearly flying from his body. He dug deep, pulling out his last-ditch trump card, and roared, "Conceal!" He vanished on the spot—the most famous ninjutsu of his homeland's Cloud style: Invisibility! By using a cloth sheet that mimicked the surroundings, he hid, deceiving the enemy's eyes. Yusuke had used this trick many times on missions to assassinate targets. It had never failed.
Unfortunately... the Pigmen were natural-born Enhancers, and their application of Nen was far more refined than any ordinary person could imagine. The Pigman's savage, copper-bell-sized eyes were instantly coated in a film of Nen. By tracking the flow of aura, it instantly spotted Yusuke hiding behind the sheet. Then... it raised its axe, and with a vertical chop, the Ten-enhanced blade, wreathed in blood-red Nen, fell.
Schlick!
The sheet was sliced open, revealing the bald ninja, split in two.
Pop! Illusion, broken.
Four seconds. Yusuke had lasted only four seconds before being eliminated. He traced a finger from his forehead down to his heart, his pupils dilated, taking a long time to refocus. Like Tonpa, he gasped for air, then looked around. Only five people were left standing. Four he recognized: Kite, the strange man, Gotoh, and... Roy, who looked the most composed, not frowning at all like the others.
Four seconds. That was the limit for an ordinary person.
At the top of the tunnel, near the cuckoo clock, cameras were densely packed, their red lights blinking.
In the barbecue restaurant at the exam site entrance, Netero and Zeno sat, each grilling their own meat and slurping noodles. They occasionally glanced at the TV screen, which was broadcasting the exam. Empty plates were stacked high on both sides.
"Hoho... four seconds have passed, and there are still five left... no, wait." Netero hadn't even finished his sentence when another person fell—the man in bandages. The old man slurped his noodles. "This batch of candidates is a bit stronger than I thought."
Zeno didn't speak, just continued stuffing his face with grilled meat, his eyes fixed on the boy with the cane sword. He spared a glance for the strange man, faintly noticing his body had begun to tremble uncontrollably.
In the illusion, Illumi had dropped his disguise, reverting to his true form. The boy held a Nen pin in each hand, and another in his mouth. His hair billowed as he used 'Shadow Step' to circle the Pigman, who was now holding two hand axes. The pins, aimed at its vital points, might as well have been hitting solid steel. They were deflected by the creature's powerful Ten, unable to break its defense, let alone pierce its armor. The Pigman seized the opening, swung its axe, and forced Illumi to leap back, creating distance.
"ROAR!" The axe missed. The Pigman roared, "Gordan, assist me!"
Swish! From deep in the forest, a broadsword flew out, aimed at Illumi's landing spot. It grazed his shoulder, taking his arm with it, then spun back and landed in the hand of another Pigman, who had been waiting to charge.
Illumi's face went white, a flicker of pain in his vacant eyes. He forced himself to maintain Gyo, tracking his enemies' movements. At one point, his pupils constricted. He noticed... several more gazes from the trees, from deep in the jungle. One of them... just its gaze alone... made him tremble and swallow. 'It's a big one... even stronger than these two!'
At the same time, in the same illusion.
"A roulette wheel spins in my mouth..."
"That's me, Crazy Slots, let's roll some good luck!"
The clown... stopped on the number "4"! It immediately transformed into a shotgun, which Kite grabbed, firing wildly.
In terms of firepower, Gotoh, an Emitter, was even more ferocious. His coins were long gone; he was now firing pure Nen bullets from his fingers like a machine gun. But, like Kite, the bullets just bounced harmlessly off the Pigman's hide. It tanked the hits, charged forward, and swung its axe, gashing his chest!
Five seconds... six... seven... Pop! The illusion broke. The young butler's mental fortitude was strong; he forced himself to stay upright. The first thing he did upon returning to reality was look for his Young Master. Roy was just as he'd left him, eyes closed, like a meditating monk, seemingly trapped in a strange state.
Eight seconds. Kite, closed in on, was decapitated. He snapped back to reality. "Tch... bad roll again." He seemed annoyed he hadn't hit the jackpot. He scanned the room.
Nine seconds. Illumi, struggling, was sliced out of the illusion. He clenched his fists, unwilling to accept it. He exchanged a look with Kite, and like Gotoh, both immediately looked at Roy.
Ten seconds!
The only ones left were the spiky-haired yellow kid and Roy, still in the illusion.
Twelve seconds... thirteen... Kanzai woke up, furiously yelling at Botobai and Geru, "Put me back in! I'll rip those pigs' heads off!" No one paid him any mind.
Fourteen seconds.
All eyes were on Roy. The boy's expression was calm, neither happy nor sad. Unintentionally, he had become the center of everyone's attention.
"When you encounter the boy named Roy Zoldyck, you are not to hold back!"
Botobai crossed his arms, his mind replaying the words Netero had relayed through Bean. He narrowed his eyes at Roy, a sharp glint flashing under his opera mask.
"It really is you... the last one standing!"
The future Dragon thought to himself.
The boy seemed oblivious, his eyes reflecting the image of the Pigman chopping down with its axe. The moment he had entered the illusion, a notification had sounded in his mind.
[Notification: Familiar memory data detected...]
[Re: Game of the Dead... connection established.]
[Gate to the Dark Continent is open.]
[Note: Host can use the "Gate to the Dark Continent" to travel between the "Illusion" and the "Sea of Cognition"...]
Just like the first time he had paid respects to Grandpa Zzigg.
He was exploiting a bug!
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