Several hours had passed since the third phase of the Hunter Exam began. A red-haired boy sat on the floor, breathing heavily and sweating profusely as if he were in a sauna.
The white room he occupied was lined with black buttons, except for four, which were aligned in a row and constantly shifted colors.
"Should I give up? ... Is every room in the Trick Tower like this? How many more rooms do I need to clear to pass? *Sigh~* It's not like thinking out loud will help me." Fang gazed dejectedly at the floor.
Closing his eyes, Fang shifted into a lotus meditation position, taking a long, deep breath. He held it for a few minutes before releasing all the tension and fatigue he had accumulated.
He repeated this process several times until he became as still as a statue. "HA!" Fang suddenly opened his eyes, leaped up, and shouted.
"LET'S DO IT!" Fang began jumping around, pressing various buttons once more. The black buttons turned white again.
Fang experimented with the buttons, turning them blue, red, and even colors they hadn't been before. But the last four buttons always changed too.
Hours passed before Fang finally managed to complete the room. As he rested, contemplating his next move, a door appeared on the floor.
"Huh? HOW!" Fang was both frustrated and relieved that he had solved the puzzle and could move forward. He gathered his belongings and jumped down the shaft, landing on a slide.
In truth, the room's design was simple but filled with traps.
The challenge of turning all the white buttons green, except the last few, had been easily solved by Fang. For every mistake he made, an additional five minutes were added to his time in the room.
The different colored buttons at the end represented different routes. One could have led Fang directly to the exit, another to a different group, and others to more traps.
Unfortunately, the route he chose, though easy, was the worst possible option for him. Fang reached the end of the slide.
"Left O | Right X" Fang stood before two routes.
He pressed O and went left. After some time, he found himself in a small room.
There was a wooden bunk bed, a small desk with an old typewriter, and toys scattered on the floor. A shelf filled with books held a few fruits, though they were rotten, attracting flies.
The room was cluttered with furniture, toys, and expired food. The only clear space was a small corner near the door.
"Hahah. Two riddle rooms in a row. No one in the last 14 years has managed to complete this route. It's the second hardest room in the Trick Tower!" said the examiner, munching on chips while watching Fang through a computer screen.
Fang first threw the rotten fruit into a trash can by the door. "Why? Why? Why MEEEEE!"
"Hm. How bad can my luck be? *Sigh* What would Togiri do? What would he do?" Fang walked up and down the room.
"Analyze and observe the place." Fang began examining the room, moving a few items around.
"Toys? That means a kid lives here. Two beds, so two people sleep here." Fang looked under the bed and found a key.
"A key?" It looked like it was made of pure gold, but it was tarnished and dirty, in need of polishing.
Fang's eyes landed on a book that stood out on the bookshelf. It was the only one with a lock.
Unlocking the book, Fang quickly skimmed through its pages, which were filled with numbers. Large numbers were written in the center of the book.
He picked up an old dial phone in the room and dialed the number, but nothing happened. "Huh? Why isn't this working? Hello? Hello!" Fang scratched his head in confusion.
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In another part of the tower, a young boy with dark brown hair faced a man in tattered clothes within an arena.
The man, who wore glasses and had a large belly, resembled an overweight office worker more than a prisoner.
"Are you really a prisoner?" asked the boy in disbelief.
"Yes, but I'm not like these low-lives. I'm a hacktivist. I use my computer skills for good. It doesn't make sense that I got 200 years as a prison sentence for clearing the debts of poor people... and maybe killing a few rich assholes." said the prisoner sincerly.
Another prisoner yelled from a distance.
"He destroyed hotels, crashed airplanes, and blew up hospitals with children!"
"Oh?" Togiri was startled. "So you are a piece of shit? Very interesting. My name is... I guess you don't need to know my name." The boy began stretching his arms.
"E-EH?" The prisoner flinched in fear. "How about we fight, but with our words?"
"Hmm, alright. I still have plenty of time." For Togiri to pass, he had to defeat every single prisoner without losing. He could challenge them as often as he liked, but once he lost, his wins would reset.
"Alright! What do you have in mind?" Togiri asked, relaxing his stance.
"We'll play word chain. You need to start the word with the last letter of the word I say. For example, if I say 'dog,' you need to say a word beginning with 'g,' like 'good.'"
"Got it," answered Togiri.
"Each person has 10 seconds to say the next word, or they lose. We'll bet 10 hours of our remaining time. If I win, you lose 10 hours, but if you win, my sentence gets extended by 10 years."
"I understand, but instead of 10 hours, let me bet 50 hours!" Togiri said with a cocky smile. The prisoner was surprised, then grinned like a villain and answered, "Alright!"
Togiri grinned "Also the winner gets to attack loser once" The prisoner also grinned "Sure!"
The prisoner was full of confidence that victory would be his. @This will be very boring~@ added Seven.
'Better than spending time alone waiting for others. I wouldn't be able to enjoy reading books or training with Hisoka around me. I don't know if he only wants to fight strong people or if he's a pedophile. It was never fully stated in the anime' thought Togiri as a cold shiver ran down his spine.