"Shuriken Barrage: Heavy Firepower—Fireball!"
One after another, shuriken transformed into blazing fireballs and rained down from above.
The Hunter examiner hurled all three of his remaining blades skyward at once. Two of them spun at high speed, forming a rotating shield above his head and intercepting the falling fireballs.
The impact was violent—each fireball carried terrifying force—but the whirling blades were just enough to block everything within his immediate radius.
The deflected fireballs exploded harmlessly around them. Meanwhile, the third spinning blade broke away from the defense and shot straight toward Hyūga Akira.
Just as the blade was about to strike him, Akira's body vanished. The knife, unable to stop its momentum, plunged straight into the ceiling.
With a deafening crack, the ceiling shattered.
Akira reappeared at the examiner's side.
The examiner's pupils shrank in shock. Only then did he realize—there was a shuriken at his feet.
And at this moment, all three of his blades were no longer in his hands.
"It's over," Akira said calmly.
The bronze blade ignited with flame once more and swept toward the examiner.
"It's not over yet!!" the examiner roared.
Nen exploded from his body. Even without weapons, he still had his fists. He threw a punch straight at the blade.
With Nen reinforcement, a fist could rival steel.
Slash.
The blade cut cleanly across the examiner's waist.
In that split second, Akira had suddenly lowered his stance. The punch skimmed past his head, while his blade severed the examiner's body in two.
"Im… possible…"
Disbelief froze on the examiner's face. He had come here to take revenge on Hisoka—how could he die at the hands of some nobody?
The "nobody," Hyūga Akira, calmly dismissed his blade and shook his slightly numb hand.
"Nen really is hard to break through."
As the examiner's life faded completely, a familiar prompt appeared.
[Experience +2544]
"Not bad," Akira muttered. "Harder to kill than an average chūnin, though."
He turned his attention to the item that had dropped.
It was a scroll.
[Skill: Fire Release – Great Dragon Fire Technique]
"A Hunter Association examiner dropping a ninja jutsu?" Akira raised an eyebrow, then chose to learn it immediately.
[Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique (Lv.1)
EXP: (0/500)
Traits: None]
"A real EXP sink," he muttered, clicking his tongue. "But it's Fire Release—exactly what I need."
This technique was one he'd definitely have to max out in the future.
Killing just one examiner had already paid off handsomely. For a brief, dangerous moment, Akira even felt the urge to kill another.
Just then—
Rumble.
The door slowly opened.
Akira turned and walked toward the exit.
After passing through a long corridor, he emerged into a wide-open field.
"So… I'm the first one out."
He glanced back at the Trap Tower. For now, he was alone. He found a large rock and sat down.
Before long, Hisoka and Illumi emerged as well.
"Looks like we're the first batch," Akira said. The lingering thrill of battle still burned faintly in his eyes. An examiner Hisoka killed instantly gave over two thousand EXP… I really wonder how much Hisoka himself is worth.
Hisoka licked his lips. "Since we're bored, how about we play a fun little game?"
Akira immediately suppressed his emotions.
Comparing strength alone, the examiner Hisoka had casually one-shot had forced Akira into a full-power fight.
Picking a fight with Hisoka now?
That was suicide.
"…I'm exhausted," Akira said, turning his head away. "No strength left to fight."
Hisoka smiled wider.
So Akira really had just come out of a fierce battle. That bloodthirst hidden beneath the surface—it was unmistakable.
After meeting Akira, Hisoka had sensed it clearly: the same predatory instinct.
Like a fellow hunter.
Yet… somehow different.
Soon, more examinees began exiting the tower, signaling that the third round was coming to an end.
Gon and the others burst out at the very last moment.
"So even without Tonpa, it still turns out like this?" Akira muttered dryly.
"Ah~ my little apple," Hisoka said, eyes burning as he looked at Gon. "Still unripe, but he'll be delicious someday."
Akira asked casually, "What if I kill him now?"
A chilling killing intent erupted instantly, drawing countless gazes.
Hisoka's smile twisted.
"I'll kill you," he said softly. "Right here. Right now."
Akira waved a hand. "Relax, I'm joking. Why so serious?"
The killing intent vanished as if it had never existed. Hisoka smiled again.
"Don't make jokes like that. You'll hurt my feelings."
Akira snorted and looked toward Gon and Killua.
In this world, these two came with built-in bodyguards.
Killua had Illumi.
Gon had Hisoka.
Different methods, same result.
At that moment, a man wearing sunglasses with a mohawk stepped forward.
"Congratulations, examinees. I'm Lippo—bounty hunter and warden. You've successfully escaped the Trap Tower. The third phase of the exam is now complete."
He pointed toward a distant island.
"That's Zevil Island."
"With that, we'll move on to the fourth phase."
Lippo snapped his fingers. Someone pushed out a cart with a box on it.
"Next, you'll be drawing lots."
Someone asked, "What's the point of drawing lots?"
Lippo smiled. "Hunters and prey. There are twenty-four number plates in this box—one for each of you."
"In other words, these numbers represent your targets."
"Please begin drawing."
One by one, the examinees stepped forward.
As they drew their numbers, Akira quietly memorized every single plate.
He remembered this phase well—hunting designated targets.
Knowing the numbers was everything.
Finally, Akira stepped up and took the last plate.
A thin paper seal covered it—but that meant nothing to his Byakugan.
He glanced at Leorio.
"…Looks like I'm up against the protagonists again," Akira thought helplessly.
At Lippo's signal, everyone peeled off the seals.
"That number is your prey," Lippo announced.
He went on to explain the rules:
Your own number was worth 3 points.
Your target's number was worth 3 points.
Any other number was worth 1 point.
You needed 6 points to pass.
"Next, we'll head to the island and begin the fourth phase of the exam."
"Everyone, move out."
The fourth round had officially begun.
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