The Vicious Pig-Headed Monster × Roy Exploiting a Bug
"When... cuckoo... cuckoo..."
One fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds, two o'clock!
A cuckoo-shaped clock emerged from directly above the underground passage, ringing the exam bell. A crisp "snap!" followed immediately... Botobai clapped his hands together gently; the sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of all the examinees...
It's not [Heart Drop·Fist Listening], but it's close to [Heart Drop·Fist Listening]. I just experienced Netero's palm strike this morning.
Roy was savoring the true meaning of Botobai's Martial Way. The other party had clearly not yet reached the "ultimate level of Martial Way", but he was beginning to see the beginnings of it.
Even if it's not quite there, it's not far off.
"Young Master, this person is very strong!" Gotoh looked at Botobai with a serious expression.
Not only him, but also Kite, Kanzai, and Illumi under the pseudonym "Gittarackur," anyone with a bit of sense has turned their attention to Botobai.
This future Zodiacs, Chen Long... hailed as the man closest to Netero, spoke in a booming voice, brimming with inner strength. "I am the examiner for this Hunter Exam. The exam is now beginning!"
With a decisive, military-style demeanor, Botobai glanced around and, without a second's delay, ordered Gell to unveil the "illusion" character. Coupled with the "Bewitching Cedar" scent wafting through the air, the film reel of "Pig-headed Monster" delivered by the Beans began to play.
A Phantom vision appeared... Before the examinees could even react, they were dragged into a "memory the Game"!
A vast and boundless panorama of towering trees unfolded before his eyes... Before Gotoh could even utter a cry of "Young Master," a sharp axe blade slashed towards him, grazing his chest—it was the Pig-headed Monster!
It had a fat head, large ears, and a pair of ferocious tusks. When it stood upright, it was about four meters tall. It was clad in heavy armor and held a hand axe in each hand. Suddenly, it spewed out two streams of hot air from its huge nostrils and swung its axe down at every "outsider" who dared to step into the territory of the Pig-Head tribe!
"Ah"
A piercing scream erupted from the mouth of each examinee who had entered the hallucination.
"Pop!" The illusion shattered, and in less than a second, over three hundred people were eliminated. They couldn't even catch the Pig-headed Monster's axe; recovering from their shock, their legs gave way, and they collapsed to the ground...
What kind of monster is that?
"Pig-headed Monster, it must be Magic Beast!"
"Damn it, the first test is this hard! It's never been this hard before!" In a corner of the venue, Tonpa fell to the ground with a thud, his forehead and back covered in cold sweat... This wasn't his first time participating in the Hunter Exam, but starting on Hell difficulty right away was a first for him!
He clutched his chest, gasping for breath. He'd been cleaved in two by the Pig-headed Monster in a single exchange, and his heart was still pounding. When he came to his senses, he glanced around... thud... thud... thud...
More and more people fell to the ground... In less than two seconds, another 50 were eliminated. In the illusion, the Bald Ninja Yusuke was running for his life. "Thump... thump... thump..." The earth trembled. Behind him, the Pig-headed Monster, wielding a hand axe, caught up at an even faster speed, and swung the axe at his neck again.
Yusuke, his soul nearly leaving his body. He quickly pulled out his most treasured underwear and roared, "Hiding!"
The person suddenly disappeared, which was the most famous ninjutsu of the Cloud Hidden Style the Sakura Country – Invisibility!
Using a screen to simulate the surrounding environment, he would hide behind it to mislead the enemy's perspective. In the past, Yusuke often used this tactic when carrying out missions to kill his opponents unexpectedly, and it always worked.
Unfortunately... the Pig-headed Monster was a natural "Enhancement, and its mastery of Nen was far more sophisticated than ordinary people imagined. A layer of Nen membrane quickly formed in its fierce, bell-sized eyes, allowing it to instantly detect Yusuke hiding behind the curtain by sensing Nen Qi. Then...
He raised his hand axe and delivered a vertical cleavage!
The axe blade, imbued with [Entanglement] and wrapped in blood-red Nen Qi, fell instantly.
"Sizzle--" The curtain was pulled open, revealing a Bald Ninja had been cleaved in two by an axe!
"Pop~" The illusion shatters!
Yusuke lasted only four seconds before being eliminated.
He ran his fingers down his forehead to his chest, his pupils dilating for a long time before focusing again. Just like Tonpa, he gasped for breath. Coming to his senses, he looked around and saw that only five people were still standing.
He recognized the four: Kite, the Freak, Gotoh, and Roy, who looked the most composed, unlike the other three who had their brows furrowed!
Four seconds is the limit for an average person!
At the top of the passageway, next to the cuckoo clock, are numerous security cameras.
A few specks of red light flickered...
Netero and Zeno each had a stool and sat in the barbecue restaurant at the entrance of the venue, eating barbecue and slurping noodles. They would occasionally glance at the television screen opposite the door, which was playing the proctoring footage. Each of them had an empty plate stacked high on one side.
"Ho ho... Four seconds have passed, and there are still five people left..."
No, before Netero could finish speaking, another person collapsed— Bandage Man. The old man slurped up a mouthful of noodles and said, "This batch of examinees is stronger than I expected."
Zeno remained silent, stuffing his mouth with roasted meat, his gaze fixed on the Sun-Earring Boy with the Cane Sword in his hand. Occasionally, he would glance at the Freak out of the corner of his eye and vaguely notice that the Freak's body was beginning to tremble uncontrollably!
"Ding~" In the illusion, Illumi canceled his disguise and fully reverted to his original appearance.
The Sun-Earring Boy, with a "Nen Needle Nen Needle" in one hand and another in his mouth, his hair disheveled, circled the Pig-headed Monster wielding a hand axe in each hand using "Shadow Step"... The "Nen Needle" struck the opponent's vital points, but it was no different than striking a piece of refined iron.
The opponent's powerful [Entangle] was easily neutralized, not even able to pierce the armor or injure the flesh, let alone break through the defense. Then, the opponent seized the opportunity and swung an axe backhand, forcing the Pig-headed Monster to retreat and creating distance between them.
"Roar!" Having missed his target with his axe, the Pig-headed Monster roared, "Gordan, help me!"
Deep within the dense jungle of towering trees, a broadsword flew out with a "whoosh," aiming at the spot where Illumi had landed. It grazed his shoulder, taking away one of his arms, and spun back, landing in the hands of another Pig-headed Monster responsible for "Savage Charge"!
Illumi's face paled, a flicker of pain flashing in his empty eyes. He forced himself to maintain his [Frozen] state, watching his opponent's movements. At one moment, his pupils contracted, noticing...
From the trees, deep within the jungle, several gazes were cast upon him. One of them, merely landing on him, made him tremble and swallow hard...
"It's a much bigger monster than those two Pig-headed Monster in front of us!"
Meanwhile, in the same illusion...
"A roulette wheel spins inside its mouth, displaying numbers from 1 to 9, and the resulting number Transformation into a weapon."
"That's me, the Crazy Slots, shaking for good luck!"
Jester wearing a green pointed hat, a red nose, white gloves held up on his cheeks, and a square mouth holding a number, has stopped at the number "4"!
It instantly Transformation into a shotgun, which Kite gripped in her hand and fired wildly forward without hesitation.
In terms of firepower, Gotoh from the department was even more ferocious than him. He had already emptied his pockets of coins, and his ten fingers were like machine guns, recklessly unleashing Nen Bullet. Unfortunately, like Kite, the bullets hit the Pig-headed Monster without causing any pain or itch. The other party just toughed him up and charged in front of him, raising his hand and slashing with an axe, tearing open his chest!
Five seconds... six seconds... seven seconds, "Pop!" The illusion shattered. The young butler, with his strong mental fortitude, managed to stay upright. The first thing he did upon returning to reality was to look at his Young Master. Roy, like an old monk in meditation, had his eyes tightly closed, seemingly trapped in a strange state...
Eight seconds later, Kite was brought within range, her head severed at point-blank range, and she came to her senses...
"Tch~ Didn't win again..." He seemed disappointed at not winning the grand prize, glancing around.
Nine seconds later, Illumi struggled to be blasted out of the "illusion," clenching his fists in resentment. He exchanged a glance with Roy, and like Gotoh, they both looked at Roy...
Ten seconds!
Only the blond-haired Sun-Earring Boy and Roy remained, still lost in their illusion...
Twelve seconds, thirteen seconds... Kanzai woke up, furiously yelling at Botobai and Gell, "If you let me in again, I'll twist those bastards' Pig-Head off!"
Unfortunately, nobody paid him any attention.
For fourteen seconds, all eyes were on Roy.
The Sun-Earring Boy remained calm and composed, neither sad nor happy, unintentionally becoming the center of attention!
"Don't hold back when you run into that kid Roy Zoldyck!"
Botobai crossed his arms, recalling Netero's words to the Beans. He squinted at Roy, a glint of shrewdness flashing beneath his exaggerated mask.
"It really was you! You were the last one standing!"
The future Chen Long said this...
The Sun-Earring Boy was oblivious, his vision reflecting the image of Pig-headed Monster wielding a hand axe and hacking at him.
The moment I entered the illusion, the panel's notification sound appeared in my ears.
[Hint: A familiar memory location has been detected...]
[re; The Game of the Dead has been connected...]
The Gate of the Dark Continent have opened...
[Note: The host can travel between the "Illusionary Realm" and the "Sea of Cognition" via the "Gate of the Dark Continent"...]
Just like when I first paid respects to my grandfather, Jager —I exploited a bug!