In this one-on-one duel, the victory condition was making the opponent surrender, which was the most troublesome part.
If you encountered an opponent who understood the stakes or was timid, winning wouldn't be difficult. But if you ran into someone stubborn, this rule was a disaster.
Among these people, someone as stubborn as Gon could be considered Max level.
Netero, recognizing this, had specifically paired Gon with him.
Hearing Law's suggestion, Gon asked, puzzled, "Why use rock-paper-scissors to decide the winner?"
"If we don't use this method, you'd never surrender no matter what, right?" Law said.
"Yeah," Gon nodded seriously.
'It can be like that?'
The observing examinees were slightly startled. Just from hearing those two sentences, they immediately realized the tricky nature of the duel's rules.
The victory condition sounded simple and easy to understand, but thinking deeper, it seemed quite troublesome.
After all, you couldn't kill your opponent, and it wasn't a points system. If the opponent absolutely refused to surrender, how could you win?
"So that's how it is," Hanzo pondered. However, he didn't need to worry about that because torture and interrogation were commonplace for him.
'For a little brat like No. 389, a few rounds would make him surrender obediently.'
Thinking this, Hanzo felt puzzled by Law's approach.
'With such an overwhelming advantage in strength, why choose the most disadvantageous situation for himself?'
Many others shared Hanzo's thoughts, as they were unaware of the connection between Law and Gon.
"So, how about it? Let's use rock-paper-scissors," Law said.
"No," Gon refused.
'He's refusing such a great advantage handed to him unconditionally?'
Black lines practically appeared on the foreheads of Hanzo, Pokkle, Ponzu, and others, 'Is this kid stupid?'
Then, something even more unbelievable happened.
"How about this: I'll give you ten 'lives', and I only have one. How's that for a condition?" Law offered.
Hearing Law propose this condition, the observing examinees were shocked. This was practically a massive bargain sale!
"Why is Law doing this?" Killua couldn't figure it out. He glanced at Gon, then looked at the bracket announcement board.
Although everyone had at least two duel opportunities, in this bracket, some had four duel chances, like Law and Gon, who were both in the first duel.
If the number of duels was based on test performance, then Killua believed Law deserved four duels, but why did Gon also have four?
Most crucially, he only had two duel chances.
Looking at it this way, did that mean his performance was far inferior to Gon's?
Perhaps because they were the same age, even though Killua found the test boring, he still cared about certain things.
If the grouping was based on performance, he didn't agree with it, because he believed his performance was better than Gon's.
Killua was very unconvinced.
The trigger might be the bracket, or perhaps it was Law's concession to Gon.
He thought to himself, 'If Gon lost two matches in a row, he would face me. By then...'
Inside the ring, Gon was covered in question marks. "What do you mean?"
Seeing that Gon didn't understand the condition Law proposed, the faces of Hanzo and the others darkened slightly.
Law couldn't help but chuckle. He explained, "Simply put, I need to beat you ten times to win this match. You only need to beat me once to win. Pretty good condition, right?"
Gon had a sudden realization. He thought seriously for a moment, felt the condition was very advantageous, and agreed, "Then let's decide the winner with rock-paper-scissors!"
The referee looked speechlessly at the two, then glanced at Netero, but saw no reaction from him.
Come to think of it, with no specific restrictions, even outright bribing the opponent with billions to buy a victory wouldn't be against the rules.
And so, what should have been a proper duel turned into a game of rock-paper-scissors due to Law's offer.
When it came to rock-paper-scissors, Law couldn't lose. Just based on eyesight and physical coordination, he was miles ahead of Gon.
'The tense atmosphere has completely relaxed,' Kurapika thought, as a proper duel had turned into rock-paper-scissors.
Gon hid his hands at his sides, looking seriously at Law, already prepared.
"Let's go," Law smiled.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"
Gon lost.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"
Gon lost.
Each round ended very quickly. In no time, it was the tenth round.
Gon had suffered nine consecutive losses, leaving only one last chance.
"Last one."
Gon took a deep breath, calming his nerves.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"
For the last time, Gon threw Rock. Law threw Paper.
"Ah!"
Seeing this, Gon clutched his head in frustration.
Law waved his hand and said flatly, "You lose."
Gon was full of unwillingness, but the result was the result. He couldn't go back on his word and could only say with a bitter face, "I surrender."
The referee, seeing this, immediately announced that Law had won the first-round duel, becoming the first examinee to pass the Hunter Exam.
'Getting the Hunter License through rock-paper-scissors... Is this really the final test?'
The observing examinees thought silently.
Law retreated to the spectator group, but Gon didn't leave. As the loser, he had to face his second opponent.
"My turn."
Hanzo came to stand opposite Gon and said seriously, "I'm not like him. You'd better surrender early to avoid some physical pain."
"No," Gon said without hesitation.
"Is that so." Hanzo's eyes sharpened slightly, already thinking about how to torture Gon into submission.
Outside the ring, Killua watched Gon and Hanzo calmly. He believed Hanzo's strength far exceeded Gon's, so Gon was bound to lose. That meant the third round would be his duel with Gon.
That was exactly the result he wanted.
Thinking this, Killua couldn't help but glance at Netero.
'Did that old man create this bracket based on my answers and predict this outcome?'
"Second round, begin!"
At that moment, the referee announced the start, pulling Killua's attention back to the ring.
Gon moved first. He didn't attack Hanzo directly but moved to the side.
Seeing this, Hanzo smirked coldly, instantly catching up to Gon and delivering a precise knife-hand strike to the swiftly moving boy.
Gon grunted in pain, falling heavily to the ground. His vision blurred instantly.
In a normal duel, this would mean the match was decided in three seconds. This showed that Gon and Hanzo's strength was not on the same level at all.
'Tch, if it were me, I would have easily dodged that,' Killua thought annoyedly.
Inside the ring, Hanzo directly picked up Gon, shaking him back to consciousness. He said flatly, "This is the difference in our strength. I advise you to surrender sooner rather than later."
Gon's vision gradually cleared. A trace of pain showed on his face as he shouted, "No!"
"Oh."
Hanzo threw a heavy punch at Gon's cheek.
Gon's body flew out like a kite with its string cut, then landed heavily, even bouncing several dozen centimeters, showing the ferocity of the impact.
This punch should have landed on the temple, but Hanzo didn't want to knock Gon out, as he'd have to wait for him to wake up.
"Think carefully. If you give up now, it won't affect the next round much," Hanzo said calmly as he approached.
Gon struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth. "No!"
Hanzo indifferently kicked Gon in the abdomen.
"Surrender?"
"No!"
Thud!
"Surrender?"
"No!"
Thud!
The cycle repeated, witnessed bit by bit by everyone.
No matter how Hanzo beat him, Gon still refused to surrender.
One hour, two hours, three hours...
"Dammit."
No matter which pressure point he struck, this kid just wouldn't relent, unyieldingly tough.
Hanzo's patience was worn thin by Gon, and he began to feel agitated.
Before the duel started, he was fully confident he could force this kid to surrender...
'Did that man anticipate this situation and that's why he played rock-paper-scissors with the kid? Looking at it now, that was actually a wise choice.'
Hanzo instinctively glanced at Law sitting outside the ring, only to see he wasn't paying attention here at all, seemingly feigning sleep?
At the same time, Tonpa also looked at Law, thinking, 'Your old friend's son is being tortured like this, and you don't have any reaction at all?'