Somewhere in the Trick Tower a young walked made his way back to his group.
Kurapika slipped on his blue-red poncho and rejoined the group.
Leorio was the first to break the heavy silence. "You okay, Kurapika?"
"Yeah, I'm not injured," Kurapika replied, his red eyes fading back to their usual grey.
Leorio, looking uneasy, took a few steps back as Kurapika approached. "Is it safe to be near you?"
Kurapika sighed, rubbing his temples in embarrassment. "From the moment I saw him, I knew he was weak. And I could tell that tattoo was fake. But as soon as I saw that spider, everything turned red..."
Leorio scratched his head. "Well, well. I can't blame you." The group remained calm, except for Tonpa, who eyed Kurapika like a cornered animal facing a predator.
"Honestly... even when I see a real spider, I go into a frenzy," Kurapika admitted, causing the rest of the group to exchange awkward glances.
"You should have told us sooner..." Leorio replied, dumbfounded.
---
Togiri grumbled as he passed through the door, leaving behind a corridor littered with destroyed traps. "Why always fire? My clothes and bag are high quality, but my drinking water gets warm."
"The first to pass the Third Phase, Togiri! Number 407! Time elapsed: 5 hours, 27 minutes!" *Click* The door slowly closed behind him.
Togiri found himself in a large circular room with identical doors all around. "I'm first? Nice! I can finally read, rest, train, and prepare."
He set down his backpack and pulled out a thick brown book titled [Reading Intentions - Psychology].
@Fang is gonna be sulking that he wasn't first. I thought you'd lose, wasting so many hours in the maze.@
Togiri smiled to himself. 'Oh, I forgot! He's probably stuck somewhere, needing to use his head a little.'
He sat down and infused aura into the book, watching as the title changed from [Reading Intentions - Psychology] to [Psychology - How to Manipulate, Control, and Break the Mind of Your Target].
Togiri was a voracious reader, delving into everything from fairy tales to history and war strategies. He knew that knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom were distinct—one learned, one innate, and one gained through experience.
For weeks, he had been studying psychology. 'Mercy is the privilege of the strong,' he thought, looking at the closed book in his hands.
'I won't hesitate to kill when necessary, but if I can break my opponents' fighting spirit and make them submit I could get useful slaves'
@It didn't work most of the time in Heaven's Arena. Remember Ron? You broke his legs, but he still tried to kill you. You broke over 30 bones and almost crippled him, but he still tried to kill you again and again@
'You're right, but he's a nutcase and that was back then. I think this book will change that. It cost me quite some money' Togiri replied to Seven in his mind.
@If he hadn't been so fixated on killing you without toold and only his bare hands, you'd be dead. Fang would be dead. Your parents, your sister, your revenge—all over.@
Togiri fell silent, staring at the book in his hands. @What? Can't handle the truth?@
"I know!" Togiri shouted aloud. "I fucking know!"
@Of course, you know that killing is the only answer. You also know the hypocrisy, but the part that makes me hate you is that deep down, you don't even care if they die.@
'Shut up! I know, but a part of my mind and heart knows there is a better way.
@...@ Seven went quiet.
Togiri took a deep breath. 'I will soon started killing, but the last few years gave the comfort to only focusing on training and slightly enjoying this new world, but after the Hunter Exam the real journey will begin.'
@...Alright. I'll continue reading. Unless you need me, I won't talk anymore.@
Togiri took a few deep breaths to calm down, then reopened his book. As he began to read, a bitter thought crossed his mind. 'So arrogant... This all started with my arrogance. I am delusional.'
---
Somewhere else in the Trick Tower...
"What? Huh? Did I just ruin the puzzle?" Fang sat on the floor, his hands covered in the cracked pieces of a red wooden ball.
"Ahhhh! What should I do now? This is giving me a headache!" He scratched his head in frustration.
An hour passed, and Fang was still struggling with the wooden puzzle in his hands. Meanwhile, Togiri's reading time was cut short. *Click*
A door creaked open, revealing a familiar figure bleeding slightly from his shoulder. It was none other than Hisoka, the man Togiri considered the most dangerous and unpredictable in the Hunter Exam—a man who had killed many participants since the exam began.
Togiri quickly closed his book, stood up, and began stretching, trying to appear casual.
"Ah, my back. I miss my bed," he said, looking directly at Hisoka. Hisoka glanced at him from across the room.
"The second to pass the Third Phase, Hisoka! Number 44! Time elapsed: 6 hours, 17 minutes!"
Hisoka's eyes narrowed in intrigue, and a smile curled on his lips. A cold shiver ran down Togiri's spine.
"You're Hisoka, right? The guy who killed that fake examiner? Yeah, I remember they said you aren't allowed to attack any Hunter Exam applicants or examiners anymore, or you'd be disqualified." Togiri openly provoked him.
"You seem strong to be in first place." Hisoka smiled and pulled out a playing card, the ace of spades, from behind his back.
"Do you want to play?" Togiri smiled innocently.
"Hmm. What kind of game do you have in mind?" Hisoka's grin widened.
"We could play poker." Togiri didn't care about Hisoka's kills or his thirst for excitement, as long as he wasn't the target.
Time passed, and another door opened. A man with metal pins on his face entered the room.
"Hitoraku! Applicant 301 is the third to pass! Time elapsed: 12 hours, 2 minutes," announced a robotic voice.
The new applicant scanned the room, spotting Hisoka's back near the door he had just exited. Hitoraku cautiously walked toward him.
"Hm Hm," a strange chuckle echoed, more wooden than human. Hitoraku's odd voice followed, "Something told me you already passed the finish line."
"Huh?" A head popped out from behind Hisoka, staring at Hitoraku as he approached.
*Click* Another door creaked open. "Ha... Ha... Alriiiiiiiiight! I'm finished!" The robotic voice announced another examinee's name, number, and time, but it was drowned out by the examinee's loud cheer.
"Oh? Hanzo?" Hanzo's cheerful expression quickly faded when he noticed Togiri and two other examinees had finished before him.
"What the... Oargg. I don't believe it!" Hanzo sulked so much that he dropped to his knees, mumbling to himself, "I came in fourth place. Fourth. Fourth."
"Fourth?" The odd applicant who had just entered looked around, confused. "Hello! I am first place!"
Togiri approached Hanzo with a smile. "My name is Togiri. A pleasure to meet you!" Hanzo hesitantly shook Togiri's hand, thinking, 'I didn't sense his presence until he spoke.'
"Do you guys want to join Hisoka and me in playing cards? But to be upfront, I'm really good," Togiri offered with a smile.
"Hisoka, who is this?" asked the applicant with pins on his face, not surprised but curious.
"A new friend." Hisoka looked deep in thought. Hisoka eyes widened. 'I had my eyes on him the whole time. How did he stand up and move so fast without me noticing and without disturbing the card pyramid? Interesting.'
A smile crept onto Hisoka's face, and Togiri smiled back. "Come on! Let's play. I don't want to grow roots here."
Togiri gestured welcomingly to the two new arrivals, inviting them to the game.
"Do you want to play with us? The stake isn't money but information. The winner can ask the loser one question."
Hitoraku agreed and joined the game, while Hanzo declined and watched them play poker together.
'It's so obvious that Hisoka started cheating a few rounds ago, but does he think his hands are the only fast ones?' Togiri chuckled inwardly.
He was naturally gifted at reading people, a skill sharpened by his vast knowledge from countless books.
Though his ability didn't work on Hitoraku, whose movements were almost mechanical, luck was on Togiri's side. He won the game and was allowed to ask a question. "Now, tell me..."
"When did you guys kiss somebody for the first time?" A mischievous smile spread across Togiri's face.
Hisoka's eyes widened in shock. Until now, Togiri had only asked mundane questions about favorite colors, foods, and other trivial things. This was his first intimate question.
"...." The silence in the room was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Hanzo, who had been pretending to sleep, nearly jumped up in curiosity, peeking at them with one eye wide open.
"I was 10, and it was my little brother," Hitoraku said in his mechanical voice.
"Oh. I never kissed someone," Hisoka replied, staring at Togiri with an even more unsettling gaze than usual.
"Me neither! Hahaha!" Togiri added bitterly, trying to lighten the mood. "Alright. Next game. Let's play Blackjack."
'Crazy bastard really loves Killua, but differently than I thought' thought Togiri.
----
Author note. I happy when finally the Hunter Exam is over and the real story starts.