The Top of Trick Tower

"Why don't you give it a try?"

Odin paused and turned to find Netero smiling at him while fending off Gon's lunges.

"Me?" Odin asked, taken aback.

"Yes," Netero said. "Just watching is no fun. Come help this old man stretch his legs."

Odin hesitated for a second, then nodded.

Only after Gon stepped aside did he walk onto the court, stopping three meters across from Netero.

"The rules are simple," Netero said. "Take this volleyball from me."

"If I get it, I win?" Odin asked.

"If you get it, you win," Netero confirmed. "No restrictions on methods or time. Of course, you can't damage the airship."

Odin took a deep breath.

He activated the Rabbit Talisman, but used only a fraction of its power.

The world slowed a little.

Netero was still smiling, with no visible change.

Odin moved.

Instead of charging straight at his opponent as he usually did, he used the technique he had just observed-his steps followed a slight curve, and he shifted his weight a little to the left, creating the illusion that he intended to break through on that side.

On his third step, he abruptly changed direction and accelerated.

Pushing off with his left foot, he forced his body sideways to the right and reached for the ball in Netero's hand.

The change of direction was abrupt, happening almost instantaneously from an ordinary person's perspective.

Combined with the Rabbit Talisman's speed, it should have caught Netero off guard.

But Netero merely turned slightly sideways.

The movement was tiny, but perfectly timed.

Odin's hand swept past the ball, catching nothing but air.

"Too obvious," Netero said. "You're trying too hard to sell the feint, and your weight shift isn't natural. Again."

Odin stepped back twice and steadied his breathing.

He charged forward again.

This time, he used no feint, just a pure burst of speed.

His body trailed an afterimage as he rushed straight at Netero, his right hand reaching directly for the ball.

Just before making contact, his steps suddenly faltered.

It wasn't an abrupt stop. Instead, he used something like a sliding step to turn his forward momentum into sideways movement.

At the same time, his left hand swept up from below, still aiming for the ball.

Netero flicked his wrist.

The ball passed from his right hand to his left in a movement so smooth it seemed rehearsed.

Odin's left hand closed on empty air again.

"Better," Netero remarked. "But you still changed direction too late."

On his third attempt, he incorporated the swaying technique of Rhythm Echo, creating two fleeting images as he moved, unlike the rigid afterimages produced by Afterimage Fist.

These images even had their own trajectories. That was exactly why Odin was determined to learn Rhythm Echo.

On his fourth attempt, he tried a series of small changes in direction to throw off his opponent's judgment.

But every time, Netero countered him with ease.

The old man's movements remained small, his feet barely shifting. Most of the time, a slight turn, a raised hand, or a twist of his wrist was enough to evade Odin's attempts.

His effortless composure made it look as though he were teasing a cat trying to catch a spot of light.

Odin stopped, panting.

Going all out while experimenting with these new techniques took more out of him than he had expected.

"Tired?" Netero asked.

"A little," Odin admitted honestly.

With his experiments finished, Odin had no reason to stay.

As for taking the volleyball from Netero and obtaining the Hunter License he had promised, Odin had never believed it would happen.

It wasn't that he doubted Netero would give him the Hunter License. He simply didn't believe he could easily take that volleyball from him.

Not unless Odin increased the Rabbit Talisman's output to a certain level.

Netero waved a hand without saying anything and watched Odin leave the lounge.

Ignoring the renewed battle for the ball behind him, Odin turned his thoughts to Rhythm Echo.

He felt that a technique like Rhythm Echo might not be limited to footwork. It could work well with his hands, too.

He put the idea to the test right away. Back in his room, Odin figured he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, so he began training.

Time flew, and morning soon arrived.

The airship passed through the clouds and began descending.

Odin leaned beside a window, watching the land below come into clearer view.

It wasn't a city, but a stretch of forested mountains. A tower stood in its center.

The tower was tall, its walls an earthy gray, with no decoration and only a few scattered windows.

"Examinees," Beans's voice came over the airship's speakers. "We will soon arrive at the site of the third test. Please prepare to disembark."

The atmosphere in the cabin changed at once.

Some stood up to stretch their limbs, some repeatedly checked their equipment, and others stared at the tower outside, their faces pale.

"What is that place?" one examinee asked quietly.

"Trick Tower," another answered, his voice strained. "I've heard of it. It's a prison for serious offenders. They say no one has ever escaped."

"Then why are we landing on top of it?"

"No idea..."

The airship slowly approached the tower's roof, hovered, and lowered its gangway.

Cold wind rushed inside, carrying the biting chill peculiar to high altitudes.

Odin shouldered his backpack and followed the others down the gangway.

The roof was larger than he had expected. Rough stone covered the ground, and there were no safety barriers along the edges.

The wind was strong up here, making their clothes flap loudly.

Looking down, the forested mountains became patches of green in varying shades. The tower walls dropped straight down, their base out of sight.

The examinees disembarked one after another and gathered in the center of the roof.

Beans stood at the front with a stack of documents in his hands. He cleared his throat and began reading:

"The third test will take place inside Trick Tower. The rules are as follows-"

He paused, making sure everyone was watching him before continuing:

"Examinees must reach the bottom of the tower within seventy-two hours.

There are no restrictions on how you get there. You may withdraw at any point, but doing so means elimination.

The Hunter Association accepts no responsibility for any injuries or deaths that occur during the test."

The moment he finished, the examinees erupted into an uproar.

"Seventy-two hours? To get from the top to the bottom?"

"How tall is this tower?"

"What does he mean, no restrictions? Can we just jump?"

"Wouldn't that kill us...?"

Odin said nothing. He knew this part of the story. Right now, he only wanted to find out whether he could locate the hidden doors on the roof.

After announcing the rules, Beans boarded the airship and departed with it, leaving only the examinees on the roof.

Odin walked to the edge and leaned out for a look below.

Wind surged up from beneath him, damp and cold.

The tower walls extended straight down, their stone surfaces smooth, with no obvious handholds.

He estimated the height.

An ordinary person would certainly die if they jumped from here.

But he wasn't an ordinary person.

At its maximum speed, the Rabbit Talisman would let him run along the tower's vertical exterior as though it were level ground.

As long as he had a surface to push off-even a wall-he could run down.

The question was, what would happen once he reached the bottom?

If no one opened the door, wouldn't he have to spend several days down there, cold and hungry?

While Odin was looking toward the bottom of the tower, the other examinees also approached the edge to take a look.