Chapter 30: New Zanpakutō
The empty circular platform contained nothing but the examinees.
"There's nothing here! Not even a single person!"
"What exactly are they making us come here for?"
"Could it be that they want us to fight here?" one examinee suggested.
It had to be said this examinee's guess made some sense. This place, disconnected from both sky and ground, was indeed the perfect venue for a duel.
Just as unrest was brewing among the examinees, Bourbon stepped forward.
"This is called the Trick Tower's summit, and it's also the starting point for the third test," Bourbon gave his final explanation before leaving. "The examiner wants me to tell everyone that the content of this test is..."
"Reach the ground alive. Time limit: seventy-two hours."
"Now then, let's begin. Please do your best!"
After saying this, Bourbon boarded the airship. With a roaring sound, the airship gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.
"You've got to be kidding me," one examinee walked to the platform's edge and looked down. It was bottomless, at least a thousand meters high.
Another examinee nearby added, "There aren't even any windows on the tower's sides—it's just a cliff. Going down from here is equivalent to suicide!"
This was completely different from collecting the grape spider eggs at the end of the second test. That canyon not only had tough spider silk everywhere, but there were also protruding rocks on both cliff sides that everyone could use for support.
Whereas here, the walls were nearly smooth, with only tiny cracks visible.
"For ordinary people, yes," someone emerged from the crowd, confidently walked to the platform's edge, and then, under everyone's watchful eyes, climbed down the outer wall like Spider-Man.
"A test like this... for a first-class rock climber, it can be completed effortlessly."
"Wow! That's amazing!" the curious Gon exclaimed in admiration, his eyes shining.
"He's already gone down quite far," Killua standing beside him said with slightly narrowed eyes.
It had to be admitted this person was indeed a master of rock climbing. In just a short time, he had already descended a considerable distance.
"Hehe! I'll be the first to pass the third test."
But life is sometimes like this—just when you think everything is under control, it throws you a curveball.
This rock-climbing expert hadn't even snapped out of his reverie when a flapping sound echoed from the distance.
Several monsters with two wings on their backs, grotesquely oversized infant heads, and four arms swooped in from afar. The climber had no time to react, nor any means to do so.
Just like that, one of the monsters swallowed him whole.
Witnessing this, all the examinees broke out in a cold sweat. Those who had originally harbored similar intentions sighed in relief, muttering, "That was close."
"It seems going down along the outer wall is not feasible. There must be a door leading downward somewhere," Kurapika observed for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the platform itself.
Not just him, but all the other examinees had quickly reached the same correct conclusion.
Only Mord remained standing in place, staring at his attribute panel.
[Name: Mord]
[Nen Ability Level: C-]
[Nen Ability: Zanpakutō]
[Awakened Attribute: Pierce Through, Gonryōmaru! – Attaches lightning damage to Nen attacks (LV2: 1327/5000, Shikai unlockable)]
[Crush, Gegetsuburi! – Possesses overwhelming destructive power (LV2: 723/3000, Shikai unlockable)]
That's right—last night on the airship, Mord had directly awakened a new Zanpakutō ability.
What utterly astonished him was that the attribute he drew turned out to be Gegetsuburi!
With a topknot, a broad face, adorned with gold chains and bracelets, and dressed like a nouveau riche—the Zanpakutō of Marechiyo Ōmaeda, the flamboyantly tacky yet agile vice-captain of the 2nd Division, whose shihakushō featured a purple stand-up collar.
Disregarding its flaws for now, it did have its merits.
Mord discovered that the experience required to level up this blade was much lower than Gonryōmaru's—just 500 EXP had already raised it to LV2, reaching the threshold for Shikai activation.
However, the brief description of "overwhelming destructive power" left Mord somewhat uneasy.
He glanced down at his feet, and an utterly insane idea surfaced in his mind.
On the tower platform, the number of people gradually dwindled—clearly, they had found the hidden doors leading down.
Soon, nearly half had departed.
"Brother Mord, I found a hidden door! It's over there!" Gon suddenly ran over and whispered.
Behind him followed Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.
"There are exactly five doors, and there are five of us."
Evidently, Mord's earlier assistance to Leorio had now borne fruit.
But Mord had no intention of joining their protagonist group and declined with a smile.
"Let's go, Gon." Upon receiving a clear response, Killua was the first to turn away.
The others bid farewell and left as well.
Then, under Mord's watchful eyes, the four of them descended through the hidden door on the platform.
"Quite slow. How much longer do I have to wait?"
Mord sat where he was, watching examinees disappear one by one.
An hour and thirty minutes later, only two people remained on the entire platform.
One was Mord, the other was the great Tonpa.
Seeing that Mord was the one left behind, Tonpa was clearly surprised—given the strength Mord had displayed earlier, it seemed impossible he couldn't find a hidden door.
"I didn't expect you to still be here," Tonpa approached and spoke.
Mord looked at Tonpa and spoke, "Aren't you going down yet?"
Tonpa shed his originally simple, honest uncle expression, revealing his true colors as he said, "Why should I go down? I'm different from all of you—I never wanted to be a hunter in the first place!"
"What I seek in the Hunter Exam isn't qualification—it's thrill!"
"By staying close to seasoned participants and observing their actions, I've honed my instinct for sensing danger and ensuring my own safety."
"That way, while preserving my own life, I can witness the true face of death up close, along with the sight of ambitious youths being devoured!"
"The expression on their faces when their ambitions and hopes are shattered forever."
"Gradually, savoring such scenes became my greatest pleasure. So I began actively crushing the dreams of newcomers..."
"Based on my experience of taking the Hunter Exam over thirty times, now is the perfect moment—the best opportunity to destroy a newcomer's dream."
Tonpa glanced at Mord and continued to explain, "Although the contents of the Hunter Exam are said to change every year, there are still patterns. In most years, there's at least one stage that requires teamwork to pass."
"So, you think this third stage is such a test?" Mord looked at Tonpa and spoke.
It had to be said, in a way, Tonpa could be considered a genius.
That guy from the neighboring village who failed the Hunter Exam year after year turned out to be a secretly sinister man.
Could Tonpa actually be a master?
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