"So painful, so painful…"
Tonpa clutched his head as he climbed up from the ground, then widened his eyes to look around.
When he saw Kisho and the other two, he froze for a moment, then revealed a look of delight, as if he had seen family:
"Wuwuwu, Kisho, Amos, wuwu, it's so great to see you again!"
Kisho couldn't bear to look at him.
"...Tsk."
Amos was speechless.
"Mr. Tonpa, where's your shame?"
C·L's hand holding the book moved slightly, and the book closed in his grasp.
He smiled at the three of them.
"Since everyone is here, we can set off now."
Kisho and Amos stood up.
The four of them walked to the round platform. After Tonpa also put on his wristband, the words on the electronic screen changed:
"Please confirm the order before starting. Press the '○' button on your wristband in sequence."
After reading the words on the display, all four paused.
Kisho: "Then let's go with what we discussed earlier. I'll take the lead—"
"Wait!" Tonpa said as he rushed to press the '○' button first.
Kisho was baffled and deeply shocked.
"Huh? Mr. Tonpa, were you possessed?"
Tonpa showed a puzzled expression.
"Possessed?"
Kisho cleared his throat.
"I mean, why did you suddenly want to go first?"
"Ever since I joined you, I haven't really contributed anything!"
Tonpa spoke with a sincere expression.
"Just consider it my way of repaying you for helping me pass earlier. I'll go first. If I run into a stage I can't get through, I can at least give you some experience!"
Amos stared at him, his expression unreadable—unclear whether he believed him or not.
"It doesn't matter."
After a moment, he crossed his arms.
"Even if you lose immediately, it's no big deal."
Tonpa's forced smile couldn't hide the veins popping on his forehead.
Damn brat!
Kisho frowned.
"But if Mr. Tonpa deliberately tries to stall for time—"
At that possibility, Amos's expression turned cold as well.
"It's fine. If Mr. Tonpa suddenly loses clarity of mind, I can help him regain it."
Tonpa laughed awkwardly.
"...How could I? I would never do something like that…"
Amos looked back at him, curling his lips into a cold, oppressive smile before calmly turning away and ignoring him.
Tonpa: "…"
He really had been planning to stall for time, hoping to thoroughly dampen their spirits—
But why did these guys all look completely indifferent?
Why do my teammates never play by the rules?
That white-haired brat doesn't take me seriously at all! So what if he runs a little faster and is a bit stronger? What's there to be so arrogant about?
That chestnut-haired brat is even worse. He has no idea how to soften his words. I wonder how his family raised him.
And this C·L! Obviously he's just like me, someone who got this far by freeloading (something feels off about that… whatever, forget it). Then why do the two brats respect him but glare at me?
It's all because this guy keeps snatching away the opportunities for me to show myself. That's why those two brats look down on me!
Once we get out, I'll definitely find a chance to deal with him properly!
...
Amos withdrew his gaze from Tonpa, whose expression had turned extremely colorful for reasons unknown.
He looked at Kisho.
"You go second."
"Okay."
Kisho nodded and pressed the '○' button on his wristband.
Amos then looked at C·L.
"Third—Mr. C·L, you or me?"
"I'll go."
Although Amos had asked in a consultative tone, C·L had no intention of negotiating.
He pressed the button directly, then smiled and said:
"If Kisho encounters a theoretical problem he can't resolve, I can switch in."
"But I think there won't be many stages like that in the Hunter Exam. After we pass, if we run into a situation that requires fighting, I can forfeit and let you take the finale."
Amos fell silent.
Actually, he kind of wanted to say, "You don't have to give way."
This guy didn't mention at all that he wasn't good at fighting, yet his words were deliberately guiding that idiot Kisho, making him more and more convinced that "C·L" wasn't good at combat.
Forget it. Struggling is useless anyway.
Amos sighed and finally pressed the '○' button.
Then, on both the left and right walls, a stone door opened respectively, revealing pitch-black passages behind them.
Kisho frowned slightly.
"We can only follow the person defending the arena, right?"
Amos nodded.
C·L smiled faintly.
"I'm afraid so."
"Heh heh, then follow this great me! I'll show you a 'good road'!"
Tonpa turned around and took the lead, boldly entering the passage on his right.
The four of them wound their way through the unbelievably long corridor.
Tonpa seemed not to think at all. Every time they reached a fork, he chose a direction without hesitation and charged ahead.
He had originally thought the three behind him would question his actions—if they could even start arguing, that would be perfect.
But…
The two brats chatted and laughed as they walked, not looking at all like they were in a gloomy, endless passage taking an unpleasant exam, but rather as if they were out on a pleasant outing.
As for that young man, it was even worse. With someone leading the way, he didn't even bother looking at the road, walking while reading his book.
Tonpa: Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Mr. Tonpa, smiling on the outside, had already cursed who knew how many times in his heart.
At a corridor where they had to choose between left and right again, Tonpa once more chose the right, leading the three behind him into a huge room.
The path beneath their feet disappeared here, turning into a protruding platform.
Opposite them was another such platform. In the corridor behind that platform stood four people with their faces covered and hands shackled.
In the center of the room was a stone platform over five meters in both width and length, but surrounding it was a bottomless abyss.
"It looks like Mr. Tonpa brought us somewhere quite interesting."
Amos patted Tonpa on the shoulder.
"Not bad. Something different."
Kisho smiled.
"If we just kept walking, that would've been boring."
He looked toward the other side of the stone platform, at the masked figures.
"So, can we stretch our muscles a bit?"
At that moment, Lippo's voice came from a loudspeaker somewhere in the room:
"These four are prisoners confined within Trick Tower. At the same time, they are examiners officially appointed and hired by the Review Board."
"The method to pass is to defeat these four examiners in matches. The core rule is one-on-one. Other details may be decided by you and the examiners yourselves."
"Candidates will fight in the previously determined order. There is no limit to the number of battles, until you concede or can no longer fight."
"There are no restrictions on combat methods, and there is no such thing as a draw. If one shouts surrender or dies, the other side gains one victory."
"By the way, according to the contract signed before imprisonment, for every hour the examiners stall the candidates, they receive one year reduced from their sentence."
"That concludes the explanation of this stage's rules. The exam may now begin."
The voice from the loudspeaker disappeared.
From the opposite side, a burly man with a body full of muscle stepped forward. His gaze locked firmly onto Kisho's side before he spoke:
"On our side, I'll be the first to defend the arena."
A path extended from the platform toward the central stone stage.
The burly man walked toward it.
"Then let me see—who's the first one coming up here to die?"
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