The requirement to pass the third phase of the test was to reach the ground alive within seventy-two hours.
Morrow reached the ground through a leap of faith and entered the first floor of Trick Tower from an external passage, thereby passing the test within the rules.
—--
Inside the Trick Tower monitoring room.
Lippo, the examiner in charge of the third phase, felt somewhat displeased upon seeing Morrow quickly clear the test through a clever loophole. Nevertheless, he announced Morrow's qualification via broadcast.
"Examinee No. 502 is the first to pass the third phase of the test, with a time of 6 minutes and 22 seconds."
The broadcast echoed through the empty first floor of Trick Tower.
Morrow glanced at the broadcast speaker on the wall.
As expected, loopholes can be exploited.
Withdrawing his gaze, Morrow leaned against the wall and sat down.
The test rules were straightforward, meaning that as long as one acted within the rules, any method employed was permissible.
Of course.
If this clever method was not approved by the examiner, Morrow had a way to return to the top of the tower and proceed with the tedious challenges inside.
Leaning against the wall, Morrow slowly closed his eyes and began his daily Nen Technique training.
This test would last for three days.
Although he had cleared it quickly, he still had to wait here until the time was up.
However, he could use this time to train, ensuring his time wouldn't be wasted.
—--
Inside the Trick Tower monitoring room.
Crunch.
Lippo forcefully bit into a biscuit, his fox-like narrow eyes fixed intently on Morrow in the surveillance footage.
Tch, he's actually training...
Realizing that Morrow was training, Lippo frowned, feeling as though the test was being treated as a joke.
With this thought, Lippo narrowed his eyes into slits and pressed a button on the control panel with his right hand.
He intended to broadcast the previous announcement to every examinee currently taking the test inside Trick Tower.
On one hand, it would pressure the other examinees; on the other, it would make Morrow a target.
In any case, he wanted to extract some value from Morrow's quick clearance.
Under Lippo's control, broadcast speakers in every examinee's area transmitted the announcement.
"Examinee No. 502 is the first to pass the third phase of the test, with a time of 6 minutes and 22 seconds. Examinee No. 502 is the first..."
The repeated broadcast announcements caused almost all the examinees inside the tower to show expressions of shock.
"Only 6 minutes...?!"
"It's No. 502 again!"
"How did he do it!?"
Many examinees were first astonished, then puzzled.
The vast majority of them had only just figured out the challenge rules, yet someone had already passed the test.
—--
First floor of Trick Tower.
Morrow was completely unaware of Lippo's actions.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
He focused his mind, immersing himself in Nen training.
Five hours passed.
Among the many tightly shut stone doors, one suddenly opened.
Hisoka emerged from the dimly lit passage and immediately spotted Morrow leaning against the wall, training in Ryū.
He wisely refrained from disturbing Morrow, merely sitting down nearby against the wall.
As time passed, more examinees gradually emerged from the passages. The first thing they did upon emerging was to look toward Morrow's direction.
Although Morrow was quietly cultivating, he remained fully aware of his surroundings.
Most are coming out alone...
Morrow noticed that the examinees emerging from the passageways were all by themselves.
The Trick Tower test mostly began with groups of five working together to clear stages.
However, at the final stage, the examiner would present a choice that struck at the core of human nature.
He allowed the examinees to decide for themselves:
Should all five stick together through thick and thin, only to face elimination together?
Or should the minority submit to the majority, expelling two from the group to let the remaining three pass?
What made it even more cruel was that the final stage's location was thoughtfully stocked with countless melee weapons, an unmistakable suggestion.
Thus, to compete for the limited passing slots, turning on each other seemed to become the only option.
This also meant, from the moment the test began, it was predetermined that at least 22 examinees would be eliminated.
But a very small number of top-performing examinees like Hisoka and Hanzo emerged alone.
This indicated that all their group members had been eliminated.
Later on, however, most examinees coming out of the passageways were in groups of 2-3.
The happiest examinees were undoubtedly the Amori Brothers.
They could leverage their trio to easily clear the final stage.
Although a portion of examinees had already successfully reached the first floor of Trick Tower, there was still considerable time remaining before the test ended.
—--
Outside Trick Tower, on the flat ground.
The Hunter Association's Review Committee airship was parked there.
A figure emerged from the surrounding forest, striding purposefully toward the airship on the plain.
The newcomer was Kurapika, who held the responsibility of proctoring the fourth phase test.
When he reached the airship, Beans had been waiting for some time.
"You've worked hard."
Beans greeted Kurapika and escorted him aboard the airship.
Then he led Kurapika to the cabin where Netero and others were gathered.
Kurapika's appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.
The experienced Satotz instantly recognized Kurapika's attire as the traditional clothing of the Kurta Clan.
Though curious, he refrained from asking outright.
Meanwhile, Menchi twitched her nose slightly, her brows instantly furrowing.
"Kurapika."
"Yes?"
Kurapika looked toward Menchi sitting on the sofa.
Menchi frowned and said, "You smell of blood. Did you run into some trouble?"
"Unimportant."
Kurapika's expression remained calm. Though Menchi had detected the bloodstain scent lingering on him, he showed no willingness to discuss the matter.
Seeing Kurapika evade the topic, Menchi pursed her lips and didn't press further.
Beans then handed Kurapika a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you."
Kurapika accepted the tea and took the opportunity to ask, "Might there be compiled records of the previous test phases? If available, I'd like to review them."
"Yes, I'll fetch them for you right away."
Beans nodded and turned to leave.
The Review Committee's duties involved not only resolving various disputes and issues during testing, but also evaluating each year's testing process and results.
Therefore, they specifically compiled such records.
However, examiners rarely ever requested these materials. For them, serving as test examiners was simply a matter of showing up and giving a test question based on their personal preferences.
But Kurapika seemed to break from convention. The moment he arrived at the scene, he made such a request, causing expressions to vary among examiners like Menchi and others.
Only Netero wore a meaningful smile on his face, looking at Kurapika with great interest.
Facing the probing gazes of everyone, Kurapika remained composed.
Soon, Beans brought over the materials.
Kurapika took the materials, bid farewell to the group, and then turned to return to his room.
—--
Inside the room.
After Kurapika left, Buhara couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked, "What does he need those materials for?"
"Who knows."
Menchi leaned back on the sofa.
Compared to Kurapika's request for materials, she was more concerned about the scent of blood she had detected earlier.
She knew it was the smell of human blood.
This indicated that Kurapika had likely experienced at least one battle before arriving here.
But since Kurapika was unwilling to talk about it, she knew that even if she pressed him further, the result would be the same.
Perhaps only Morrow could persuade Kurapika to change his mind.
Satotz raised a hand to his chin and calmly said, "He probably wants to design the fourth test question more effectively. After all, having the previous rounds' materials as reference can help avoid repeating assessment content."
"Oh."
Buhara suddenly understood and then remarked with admiration, "Such a serious and responsible attitude is really reassuring, unlike Menchi..."
"Hmm?"
Menchi turned her head and glared at Buhara, saying fiercely, "Buhara, what were you trying to say?"
"Uh, n-nothing."
Buhara covered his mouth as he spoke, thinking to himself that if Menchi hadn't interrupted him, he would have casually said something like "unlike Menchi, who likes to act recklessly."
Even though Buhara stopped himself in time, Satotz beside him could guess what Buhara was about to say.
After all, he had witnessed the entire second test.
—--
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The test was finally nearing its end.
In the first-floor hall of Trick Tower.
The examinees waited quietly for the final second to arrive.
When the red numbers on the wall's electronic screen reset to zero, the nearby broadcast speaker suddenly sounded: "Time's up. The third round has ended."
All the examinees' gazes simultaneously fell on the speaker.
"The final number of qualified candidates is 21."
As the broadcast ended, one of the stone doors in the first-floor hall slowly opened.
Without any guidance, the examinees tacitly filed through the stone door and stepped outside.
At that moment.
Lippo, the examiner for the third test, was already waiting outside.
"Congratulations on successfully passing the challenge of Trick Tower."
Lippo stood with his hands behind his back, squinting as he spoke. "Next, you only need to pass the fourth test and the final test to get your hands on the Hunter License."
These words energized the exhausted examinees, their eyes lighting up with hope.
Lippo took in the candidates' reactions but said nothing more. He first stepped aside, then turned to look at the airship's gangway.
The examinees present also followed his gaze toward the airship's gangway.
They saw Kurapika, dressed in traditional Kurta attire, slowly descending the gangway, his golden hair swaying in the wind.
"I am Kurapika, the examiner in charge of the fourth test."
Standing before the assembled examinees, Kurapika calmly stated his identity.
Not far away.
Lippo watched this young junior who, like him, was a Blacklist Hunter.
At such a young age, he had already achieved the feat of annihilating the Phantom Troupe and earned the Single Star title.
Such dazzling accomplishments made even a seasoned veteran like Lippo, who had been in the profession for many years, unable to hide his envy and the deep admiration that welled up from his heart.
This was how the circle of professional Blacklist Hunters operated; strength commanded respect.
Compared to Lippo's reverence, the reactions of the examinees present were ones of shock and disbelief.
"This examiner... is way too young, isn't he?"
"He doesn't even look like an adult yet, does he?"
"To have obtained a Hunter License at such a young age and even serve as an examiner, his strength must not be underestimated."
Most of the examinees were astonished by Kurapika's age.
They had thought Menchi, the examiner for the second phase, was already quite young, but the one before them now was even more exceptionally youthful.
Even veterans like Tonpa, who had participated in the test over thirty times, were seeing such a young examiner for the first time.
Ignoring the astonished gazes of the examinees, Kurapika quickly scanned the crowd, his eyes pausing almost imperceptibly on Kalluto before withdrawing.
"Before the fourth phase of the test begins, I will give you one day of rest. Now, please follow me aboard the airship."
Before his words had fully faded, Kurapika had already turned and walked toward the boarding ladder.
Seeing this, the examinees hurried to follow.
Leorio watched Kurapika, who had already ascended the ladder, and sighed, "I never expected there to be such a young examiner."
"Yeah, he only seems a few years older than us. To be able to serve as an examiner, he must be really strong, right?"
Gon, holding his fishing rod, was still marveling at Kurapika's age.
Soon, all the examinees had boarded the airship.
Beans reappeared, leading the examinees to a spacious hall.
By now, everyone was quite familiar with the routine, each finding a spot and casually sitting on the floor.
However, compared to the previous overcrowding, only twenty-one people remained, making the atmosphere feel particularly desolate.
Tonpa crouched in a corner, discreetly observing the others.
He had originally planned to give up midway through the third phase but unexpectedly managed to pass.
Still, with the current number of examinees, stirring up trouble no longer seemed appropriate.
As he pondered this, Tonpa glanced subtly at Morrow and felt a wave of relief.
Back in the second phase, he had considered causing trouble for Morrow, but the other hadn't given him the chance, disappearing without a trace.
Now, looking back, he was glad he hadn't acted recklessly.
This year is pretty much over for me. Whatever the fourth phase test is, my priority is to stay alive.
Tonpa was already thinking about his exit strategy.
Suddenly, he overheard someone discussing the topic of the fourth phase test and immediately turned to look, spotting a group of newcomers sitting together.
These newcomers were, of course, Gon and the others, along with Hanzo, Pokkle, Ponzu, and the rest.
"Isn't that Sommy?"
Tonpa also noticed Sommy, who had taken the test several times, and it seemed the newcomers were seeking advice and experience from him.
Tch, instead of coming to ask me, a veteran with thirty-five experiences, they go to some monkey keeper.
Tonpa felt indignant but still shamelessly moved closer to join them.
Everyone sat in a circle, all eyes on Sommy. Sommy, while playfully teasing the monkey on his shoulder, declared with full confidence:
"Based on my experience, the first test examines our physical strength and endurance, the second evaluates our observation and decision-making skills, and the third focuses on willpower and mental fortitude. Therefore, the fourth test will most likely assess our actual combat abilities!"
"So that's how it is."
Upon hearing this, everyone found the reasoning quite plausible.
Just then, Tonpa suddenly interjected.
"No, no, no. According to my experience of taking this test thirty-five times, the fourth test... is a written exam!"
"What?!"
Everyone's expressions instantly changed upon hearing this.
Not far away.
Hisoka, who had been stacking playing cards, couldn't help but glance over.
-------------
Bonus chapter @200power stones