That Old Man Is Really Rotten

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

As fists wrapped in Nen collided again and again, thunderous booms echoed throughout the entire corridor outside the activity room.

Perhaps for the exhausted ordinary Hunter examinees, this little bit of noise was nowhere near enough to stop them from finding an empty spot to get some proper sleep and restore their energy for the upcoming third trial.

But for two overly energetic brats wandering around the Airship, the sounds completely stirred up their curiosity and desire for adventure.

Before long, Gon and Killua arrived at the activity room door and cautiously peeked inside through the crack.

When they saw Allen and Chairman Netero clashing fiercely and felt the powerful aura filling the air, Killua's catlike pupils instantly dilated, contracted, then dilated again. His whole body trembled faintly beyond his control, clearly reminded of the indescribably terrifying aura surrounding his Brother, Illumi.

In comparison, Gon, with his pure heart, cried out excitedly, "Amazing! So Allen and Chairman Netero are actually this strong!"

"Hmm?"

Hearing familiar voices behind him, Allen instinctively glanced toward the doorway from the corner of his eye.

But Chairman Netero took advantage of that brief moment of distraction, seized Allen's left ankle, and shouted, "Opening!"

"Not good!"

Feeling the iron-clamp-like grip around his ankle, Allen immediately knew he had lost. Without another word, he concentrated his aura on his back, forming a defensive "Hard."

The next second...

Boom!

The Chairman swung him around like a weapon and smashed him viciously into the ground.

With no room to dodge and no chance to break free, he was slammed directly into the floor, leaving behind a huge hole more than five meters in radius.

Fortunately, beneath the floor was another thick, sturdy layer of steel plating. Otherwise, the Airship would definitely have been smashed through.

"Damn it! I surrender! Wasn't that a little too heavy-handed?"

Allen jumped straight out of the pit, shook off the wood boards and debris stuck to him, and appeared completely uninjured.

Forget injuries—even his skin had not been scraped.

"Hohohoho! That is your punishment for losing focus during battle. Remember, no matter when it is, never let your mind wander in a fight. Otherwise, people will die," Chairman Netero warned meaningfully.

However, the surprise in his eyes was impossible to miss. He was quite astonished that the boy before him had taken that attack without even suffering a scratch.

"Fine, it was my mistake."

Allen openly admitted his error while silently cursing that old man for being truly rotten to the core.

Others might not have been able to tell, but Allen knew best that the Chairman had been serious in that instant. The impact had taken over five hundred of his health points, and that was while he had been using "Hard."

Had it struck his body directly, broken bones and internal bleeding would have been unavoidable.

"Then do you want another round?" Chairman Netero asked, still wanting more.

Allen hurriedly shook his head. "Forget it. I don't want to take the next exam injured. Besides, I still have my duel with Hisoka. If you haven't had enough fun, you can go find them."

After saying that, he pointed at Gon and Killua standing at the door, then turned and left with Lupos. He intended to find somewhere quiet and properly digest the techniques and experience he had gained from the battle.

Watching Allen leave, Chairman Netero immediately turned his attention to the two little ones at the door. He casually picked up a ball and asked, "Would you like to play a little game with me? If you win, I can issue you Hunter Licenses directly."

Before such naked temptation, the innocent Gon and Killua became his new toys.

After flying for an entire night, the Airship finally arrived at the site of the third exam at eight in the morning—Trap Tower.

Feeling the fierce air currents blowing head-on at such a height, as well as the terrifying distance between the tower and the ground, quite a few people could not help shuddering.

Just as the examinees began thinking about how to reach the ground from such a height, Allen suddenly said to Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio behind him, "Sorry, I'll be leaving first. I hope you make it safely through the third trial. Good luck!"

"Huh?"

"What!"

"Don't tell me you're..."

Before the three could react, he jumped straight down. In just a few seconds, he was already close to the ground.

When he was less than ten meters from the ground, a massive sonic boom echoed around the entire Trap Tower.

Using the recoil generated by the sonic boom, Allen successfully slowed his descent. His Feet landed firmly on the ground, and he immediately put two fingers into his mouth and let out a whistle.

In an instant!

Lupos, who had still been at the top of the tower, appeared beside him.

The entire process was incredibly fast, taking less than half a minute altogether.

Other than Chairman Netero, both the examinees and the examiners were dumbfounded.

"No... no way! He jumped from that high up and didn't die?" Leorio's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"That makes no sense! It's not scientific! At that height, even if his body were made of iron, both legs would be broken."

As expected of the one responsible for both looks and brains among the four protagonists, Kurapika immediately tried to analyze the situation from a scientific perspective.

Unfortunately, Nen abilities in this world had never cared about science. They carried a strong idealistic quality instead.

"Allen really is so strong!" Gon's eyes sparkled.

Killua nodded in agreement. "That's right! That guy is practically a monster. Don't forget, yesterday he was able to fight back and forth with that powerful old man."

Because they had witnessed Allen sparring with Chairman Netero the previous night and had also played the ball-snatching game with the Chairman, the two of them still did not know what Nen was, but they understood the enormous gap in strength more directly and clearly than the others.

But just as the examinees were shocked by Allen's astonishing feat, another figure leaped down as well.

It was none other than Hisoka, the self-proclaimed Magus.

However, unlike Allen's method of landing, he directly activated his Nen ability—"Stretchable Love"—attaching it repeatedly to the outer walls of the tower. Relying on its powerful elasticity and stickiness, he easily counteracted gravitational acceleration before landing steadily with a standard 180-degree backward somersault.

"Come on! Just at this spot! Fight me!" Hisoka instantly erupted with powerful Nen and issued a challenge.

Allen hesitated briefly before quickly refusing. "Let's wait until the next test. The space here isn't large enough, and I don't want to reveal my abilities in a place like this."

"No! I can't! I can no longer endure it. Do you know what it feels like when a delicious apple is right in front of you, yet you cannot take a bite?" Hisoka kept licking his lips, an extremely crazed smile spreading across his face.

"Ah... there's really no helping you. It seems you won't listen no matter what I say. In that case, we'll warm up here first, but we'll decide the victor after the next exam begins."

After saying that, Allen gave Lupos an order through their mental link.

Without wasting any words, Lupos directly activated the pet skill Wolf Howl, then retreated to one side alone and assumed the posture of a spectator.

Taking advantage of the extra attack power granted by Wolf Howl before it vanished, Allen shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. He swung his fist and smashed it viciously toward Hisoka's irritating face.

"Hahahaha! Yes! Yes! That's the spirit! Come! Kill me!" Hisoka laughed madly as he raised his arm to block.

But the instant they made contact, he immediately realized something was wrong. Whether it was that terrifying Nen or the physical force behind the blow, both had exceeded the limits of what he could withstand.

PS: Please save and recommend the new book. Thank you very much.