"Kurapika, Leorio, Takeru, Umaru!" Gon's excited voice suddenly called out to them.
"What is it, Gon?" Hearing Gon, Kurapika asked curiously. Takeru and Umaru also approached.
"I found a hidden door to go down!" Gon announced, pressing down on a section of the floor. It sank slightly, but when he released it, it returned to its original position.
"I see. So it's designed as a mechanism where flipping the stone slab creates a passage downward," Kurapika mused.
"Well done, Gon! Then let's hurry down!" Leorio praised.
Takeru and Umaru, thanks to their Observation Haki, had already known the secret and had even found several other hidden doors.
"But I'm hesitating. Over there, and over there... I found similar hidden doors too." Gon expressed his concern.
"Five doors quite close together. It's possible some are traps?" Kurapika immediately understood the worry.
"These doors seem like they can only be used once. Earlier, we tried to open a door someone else had used, but it wouldn't budge," Killua added.
"Judging by the door size, only one person at a time."
"So, that means the six of us have to split up here," Killua concluded.
As the group analyzed, Takeru spoke up.
"You all go ahead. Umaru and I will stay here for a while." He glanced at the others.
"Why? There are five doors. I could find another one. Then we could all go down together, right?" Gon looked at Takeru, confused.
"Gon, if it's about hidden doors, I'm fully aware of how many are currently available on this roof," Takeru said with a slight smile.
"Huh? Why?" Everyone was puzzled. If Takeru knew all along, why didn't he go down?
"You're kidding!" Leorio looked at Takeru with suspicion.
"Well, you should go ahead. We'll wait here a bit longer," Takeru replied, ignoring Leorio's doubt and shaking his head.
With 72 hours, Takeru didn't plan to waste much time inside the Trick Tower.
"In that case, we'll go first. Gon and I have already picked two doors from the five." Killua gave Takeru a deep look before speaking.
"Yeah. Even if we hit a trap, we won't blame anyone. What about you, Leorio and Kurapika?" Gon asked curiously.
"Why not? Luck is part of strength too!" Leorio stated seriously.
"I have no other opinions either. Let's do it," Kurapika agreed with a smile.
Soon, the four each chose a door. After bidding farewell, they jumped down one after another on the count of three.
However, upon landing, they found themselves in the same secret room. It was a very brief separation...
They soon discovered the trap required five people to pass. Without a fifth person, they couldn't proceed.
Without much thought, they began shouting for Takeru. But the soundproofing was excellent, and their calls couldn't reach above.
In truth, Takeru was aware of their situation but chose not to intervene.
Meanwhile, fewer than twenty examinees remained on the tower top. Takeru still sat calmly, meditating.
Umaru, following Takeru's earlier instruction, trusted him despite her confusion and waited quietly with him...
Soon, another hour passed. Now, only fifteen people remained. As the number of hidden doors was limited, finding one became increasingly difficult the later it was.
"Alright, Umaru, it's time for us to go too." Seeing the time was about right, Takeru stood up.
"Okay. Should we join Gon and the others?" Umaru asked, puzzled.
"No, let them wait for a teammate on their own." Takeru shook his head with a light smile. Because the fifth door remained unused, Gon's group was stuck waiting idly.
"I see. Then how do we go down?" Umaru asked again.
"From here." Takeru walked to the very edge of the Trick Tower and pointed outward.
"From here?" Umaru was stunned.
"It might be a bit thrilling, but it's safe. Should I carry you in my arms or on my back?" Takeru asked with a light laugh.
"Huh?" Hearing this, Umaru's face flushed slightly.
"On your back, I guess..." After a moment's hesitation, Umaru said shyly. She had mostly figured out that Takeru must have a way to get down directly from here, so she chose the piggyback option.
"Alright, hop on." Hearing her, Takeru crouched down.
"Mm." Though a bit embarrassed, Umaru had chosen to trust Takeru and didn't hesitate much longer, quickly climbing onto his back.
With Umaru on his back, Takeru didn't give her much time to prepare. He stepped off the edge...
The fall was extremely fast. From the nearly 200-meter-high Trick Tower, they would reach the ground in about eight or nine seconds.
Feeling the intense weightlessness, Umaru could only instinctively hold Takeru tighter.
When they were about halfway down, Takeru activated his telekinesis. Instantly, their descent speed buffered, though they continued to fall.
When they were less than ten meters from the ground, their bodies came to a complete stop mid-air before slowly lowering the rest of the way. The entire process took about forty seconds. Takeru and Umaru had safely descended from the top of the Trick Tower to the bottom...
At the very moment Takeru landed, a door on the Trick Tower opened, and a voice echoed from within.
"Examinee No. 406, Takeru. First to pass the third phase. Time elapsed: 1 hour, 37 minutes!"
Hearing the announcement, Takeru nodded slightly. Umaru, however, was still immersed in her fear. Even though they had landed, she hadn't realized it, her eyes still tightly shut.
"Umaru, we're down." Seeing this, Takeru found it somewhat funny and spoke gently.
"Huh?" Only when she felt the strong wind cease and heard Takeru's voice did Umaru dare to open her eyes, discovering they were indeed at the bottom.
"Alright, get down now." Crouching slightly, Takeru looked at her seriously.
"Right!" Reminded, Umaru quickly and somewhat awkwardly jumped down.
"Examinee No. 407, Umaru. Second to pass the third phase. Time elapsed: 1 hour, 38 minutes!" As Umaru's feet touched the ground, the voice announced again.
"Umaru, you go inside first. I'm going to train here for a bit." Looking at the open door, Takeru said calmly.
"Huh? Train?" Umaru looked puzzled.
"That's right." Nodding lightly, Takeru quickly pondered what to focus on.
Physical training could wait. Having just gained Nen, he was very curious about it. He had basically grasped Ten, Zetsu, and Hatsu. He hadn't tried Ren yet, but he felt it shouldn't be a problem.
He then recalled Wing's teachings to Gon and Killua.
First, visualize the energy accumulated within the body. Then, let each cell begin gathering that energy, gradually increasing it, and finally release the accumulated power outward all at once!
Releasing more Aura than usual and maintaining that state… that was Ren. It was a technique that consumed a lot of Aura. Maintaining this state was also called Ken.
The longer one could maintain Ken, the greater the advantage in Nen combat, as it indicated a larger Aura Capacity.
Takeru succeeded on his first try, which pleasantly surprised him.
Ken consumed Aura much faster than Ten. Takeru now wanted to test how long he could maintain it...