The assembly hall doors parted with a deep mechanical groan, revealing a wide, dimly lit tunnel stretching into darkness. Cold air rushed out, carrying the faint smell of damp stone and distant earth. Satotz stood at the threshold, posture perfect, expression unreadable.
"Applicants," he said, voice carrying effortlessly over the murmur of hundreds. "Phase One has begun. Follow me. Do not ask questions. Do not stop. Do not fall behind."
He turned and began walking — brisk, even, unhurried.
The crowd surged forward in a chaotic wave.
Akira stayed near Gon and Leorio, letting the initial rush pass them. He kept his aura wrapped tight in Ten, senses extended. The tunnel was wide enough for twenty people abreast, ceiling high enough to avoid claustrophobia, floor smooth concrete. No visible traps yet — but that meant nothing.
Gon bounced on his toes beside him. "This is it! The real start!"
Leorio adjusted his briefcase strap. "Yeah, and I already hate it. Let's just keep moving."
Akira nodded. "Stay together. Pace yourselves."
Satotz set a steady rhythm — faster than a walk, slower than a jog. Sustainable for most trained people. Deadly for those who lacked endurance.
The first dropouts came within minutes.
A heavyset man in a business suit began breathing hard almost immediately. He slowed, then stopped, hands on knees. Two others joined him — then five, then ten.
Satotz did not look back.
Akira watched the numbers thin without comment. His own body felt light — Endurance at 37 made this pace trivial. He matched Satotz's stride perfectly, adapting the examiner's efficient gait pattern on the first step.
[Adaptation: Sustained Pursuit Stride (Intermediate). Endurance +1]
Gon kept up easily, his natural stamina carrying him forward like it was a game.
Leorio grunted but matched the pace, sweat already beading on his forehead.
The tunnel stretched on.
Thirty minutes.
One hour.
The lights overhead grew farther apart, shadows lengthening. The air cooled, grew damper. Somewhere ahead, water dripped rhythmically.
Applicants began to talk — nervous chatter at first, then complaints, then silence as breath became too precious.
Akira remained quiet, observing.
He noted:
Tonpa jogging near the front, smiling like he knew something no one else did.
Pokkle running with easy confidence, bow bouncing on his back.
Kurapika moving like a shadow — silent, precise, never wasting motion.
Hisoka gliding through the crowd, never sweating, smile fixed.
A disguised Illumi (Gittarackur) shuffling along with unnatural stiffness, needles hidden.
No one had attacked yet.
But the tension was building.
Two hours in, the first real challenge appeared.
The tunnel sloped downward — subtle at first, then steeper. The floor turned slick with condensation. Footing became treacherous.
A woman near the middle slipped, twisting her ankle. She cried out.
No one stopped.
Satotz continued walking.
The woman tried to stand, failed, and was left behind.
Gon started to slow.
Akira placed a hand on his arm. "Keep going. She'll be fine — the Association will retrieve dropouts."
Gon hesitated, then nodded and picked up the pace again.
Leorio muttered, "Harsh."
"Necessary," Akira replied quietly. "They want people who can keep moving no matter what."
Three hours.
The tunnel leveled out, then began to climb — gradual, relentless.
Legs burned. Breathing grew ragged.
More dropouts — some walking away in defeat, others collapsing against the walls.
Akira felt the strain — not exhaustion, but the steady drain of maintaining Ten in motion. He pulsed Ren in short bursts to keep blood flowing, muscles oxygenated.
[Endurance: 38 → 39]
[Ren Mastery: 44% → 46%]
Gon's breathing grew heavier, but he refused to slow.
Leorio was red-faced, cursing under his breath with every step.
Ahead, Satotz remained unchanged — same pace, same posture.
Four hours.
The tunnel opened into a massive cavern — stalactites hanging like teeth, faint bioluminescent moss glowing along the walls. The path narrowed to a single-file line.
Wind whistled through unseen cracks.
A low growl echoed from the darkness.
Gon tensed. "What was that?"
Akira's scanner lit up.
[Alert: Multiple Large Predators Detected. Man-Faced Apes – Mimicry Specialists. Deception Level: High.]
He kept his voice low. "Stay alert. Something's coming."
The first mimic appeared ahead — wearing the face and clothes of a dropped applicant, voice pleading.
"Help… I twisted my ankle… please…"
Several applicants slowed.
Akira grabbed Gon's wrist. "Don't stop. It's not real."
Gon's eyes widened but he nodded.
The mimic lunged — jaws unhinging, revealing rows of teeth.
Akira moved.
He adapted the creature's explosive lunge in a heartbeat, closing the distance, and drove a Ren-enhanced palm strike into its chest.
The mimic crumpled, dissolving into fur and mist.
More appeared — from the sides, from above, voices mimicking loved ones, friends, examiners.
The crowd panicked.
Some fought back. Most ran.
Satotz continued walking — pace unchanged.
Akira stayed beside Gon, striking only when threats came too close.
One ape mimicked Mito's voice — "Gon, come back…"
Gon flinched.
Akira stepped in front of him, aura flaring brighter.
"Focus on me," he said firmly. "It's not her."
Gon clenched his jaw and nodded.
Leorio swung his briefcase like a club, knocking one mimic aside. "These things are messed up!"
Akira adapted a fallen applicant's desperate dodge pattern, weaving through the chaos, pulling Gon and Leorio forward.
Five hours.
The mimics fell behind.
The tunnel narrowed again, then opened into blinding light.
They emerged onto a wide plateau overlooking a vast, misty swamp.
Numere Wetlands.
Satotz stopped.
"Phase One concludes here."
The remaining applicants — fewer than a hundred now — stumbled to a halt, gasping, drenched in sweat.
Satotz turned to face them.
"You have passed the endurance and awareness portions. Congratulations."
He gestured to the swamp below.
"Phase Two awaits beyond the wetlands.
Beware the creatures here. They are masters of deception. Trust nothing you see or hear."
Gon wiped his face, grinning despite the exhaustion. "We made it!"
Leorio collapsed to one knee. "Barely…"
Akira looked out over the mist.
The real danger was just beginning.
And he was ready for it.