The crowd surged toward the tunnel entrance like a tide.
Odin did not rush to squeeze his way forward. He waited until most of the others had charged inside before following.
The tunnel was wide enough for dozens of people to run abreast.
Rough concrete covered the ground, the walls were hewn from rock, and a high, arched ceiling stretched overhead.
Ahead, Satotz had already become a tiny speck in the distance, but his speed had not changed. He still maintained that strange, constant pace.
The examinees hurried after him, their footsteps echoing through the tunnel.
Odin ran at an unhurried pace, staying toward the rear of the leading group.
He was not particularly fast, but his strides were steady and his breathing even.
The physical advantages and efficient metabolism granted by the Rabbit Talisman gave him every advantage on a long-distance run like this.
He observed his surroundings as he ran.
Killua was right at the front, a short distance behind Satotz-if riding a skateboard counted as running.
Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were a little farther back.
Hisoka and Illumi were farther ahead, both moving at an easy pace with relaxed expressions, as though they were out shopping.
The other examinees showed no signs of fatigue either.
The tunnel seemed endless, with nothing but that faint light ahead and the examiner moving forward at his unchanging pace.
Time ticked by.
Footsteps, breathing, and the occasional complaint mingled in the tunnel.
Odin glanced behind him.
Some people were already starting to fall behind.
A fat man was still running, but he was gasping for breath, his face deathly pale.
"He's doing even worse than in the original story." Odin shook his head and kept going.
Time slipped by without the examinees realizing it.
Their line stretched farther, with at least several hundred meters separating the front from the back.
As Odin passed Leorio, he saw that the tall young man was drenched in sweat, his breathing ragged and his steps beginning to falter.
He had completely abandoned the carefully maintained composure he had shown earlier.
Gon and Kurapika slowed down to run beside him, neither trying to persuade him nor cheering him on.
Thud!
Leorio stopped. His briefcase fell at his feet, and he braced his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
"Come on, Gon. He's done." Killua, who had still become friends with Gon, urged him to leave after he stopped.
"..." Gon said nothing, quietly watching Leorio.
"How could I possibly stop here?!" Leorio suddenly roared.
Then he broke into a sprint, his face set with desperate determination.
Gon followed, along with Killua, whose attention had been caught when Gon cast his fishing rod to snag the briefcase Leorio had left behind.
As they ran past Odin, he exchanged glances with them.
Gon looked over, his clear eyes holding a hint of curiosity.
Killua's attention was entirely on Gon. He paid Odin no mind.
Kurapika's gaze was more guarded, as though he were assessing him.
Leorio was too busy panting to spare any attention for anyone else.
Odin gave a slight nod in greeting, then kept going.
The tunnel stretched on, as though they would never reach its end.
They ran for another hour.
The tunnel began to change.
The smooth concrete gave way to rough stone slabs, and the ground began to slope gently upward.
"Uphill?" someone muttered. "Does that mean we're almost there?"
"No idea... just keep following him."
Odin adjusted his breathing.
Running uphill took more stamina, but he could still manage.
The slope grew steeper and steeper.
Some stretches even required them to brace a hand against the wall to keep their balance. More panting and complaints filled the tunnel, along with the sounds of people slipping and falling.
"Fuck, what kind of test is this...?"
"How much farther is it?"
"I can't do this... I really can't..."
Odin said nothing. He focused on the path beneath his feet, making each step secure and keeping his breathing rhythmic.
Besides, Odin figured that anyone who could still speak had yet to reach their physical limit.
The climb lasted about twenty minutes before the ground leveled out, then rose again. It was not one continuous uphill slope.
Another hour passed.
Odin glanced behind him.
The main group had thinned out. The people at its front were about a hundred meters behind him, while those at the rear were already out of sight.
Far fewer footsteps echoed through the tunnel, but the panting had grown louder.
Among them, he spotted a few familiar examinees.
Bodoro-the middle-aged man in a martial arts uniform-ran steadily, breathing evenly. One glance was enough to tell he had trained.
Hanzo was still talking to himself, looking as relaxed as though he were out for a stroll.
Ponzu-the girl who controlled venomous bees-was not moving fast, but her steps were light, as though she were conserving her strength. She was already panting a little.
There were also some he did not recognize.
A scar-faced man with a vicious gaze ran like a wild beast.
A girl in glasses was jotting something down in a notebook as she ran, like a lunatic.
Hisoka and Gittarackur remained a short distance behind Satotz, always keeping a gap of three to five meters.
Their steps were as easy as if they were strolling, their breathing frighteningly steady.
Hisoka even had the leisure to toy with a playing card, flipping it deftly between his fingers with that half-smile on his face.
Gittarackur-or rather, Illumi Zoldyck-was even quieter.
Needles covered his body, producing faint clicks as he moved, but their rhythm remained steady, never disrupted by his running.
Those two monsters are probably the strongest people here, Odin muttered inwardly.
Time ticked by.
The tunnel remained dim, with only the lamps spaced along the walls providing barely enough light.
The air circulated, but carried the dampness and earthy smell peculiar to underground spaces.
Footsteps, breathing, occasional coughs, and increasingly loud panting echoed through the tunnel.
Odin adjusted his backpack straps.
The pack was not particularly heavy, but carrying it in the same position for so long had left his shoulders somewhat uncomfortable.
About another half hour passed-by Odin's estimate, since his sense of time was hazy in this environment-before something finally changed up ahead.
A glimmer of light.
Not the dim yellow glow of a lamp, but natural, white light.
"The exit!" someone cried.
A stir immediately ran through the group.
The exhausted examinees seemed to receive a shot of adrenaline, their steps quickening involuntarily.
Even Leorio gritted his teeth and picked up speed.
Satotz maintained his strange, constant pace, but he was not the first to leave the tunnel. That achievement went to the two boys, Killua and Gon.
Odin emerged from the tunnel with the rest of the leading group.
The dazzling sunlight made him squint.
Sunlight!
I entered the tunnel in the morning, then must have waited several hours for a few hundred people to gather.
With all the time we spent running through the tunnel on top of that, this obviously couldn't be the same day.
Which means it's the second day now!
Odin sucked in a sharp breath. He had not even realized he had been running for that long. All he knew was that he had been running for ages.
Before you continue