The airship's roar gradually faded.
At last, it hovered above the top of a tower beyond description.
Trick Tower.
Like a stone pillar reaching into the heavens, it rose straight from the middle of a vast forest. Its walls had no handholds to climb, and its surface was as smooth as a mirror.
The top was a huge, empty platform.
Forty-two candidates disembarked from the airship and stepped onto the cold stone.
Every face carried a hint of bewilderment and unease.
An oddly dressed man with a mohawk was already waiting there.
His name was Lippo, and he was the examiner for the third phase.
"Candidates, welcome to Trick Tower."
Lippo's voice came through a loudspeaker, tinged with amusement.
"The third phase is very simple."
"You need to emerge from the bottom of this tower alive."
"Your time limit is seventy-two hours."
With that, he pointed to a square hatch.
"Good luck, everyone."
As soon as he finished speaking, he jumped aboard a small aircraft and quickly vanished into the clouds.
The candidates exchanged glances.
That was it?
"Tch. All that mystery for nothing."
One candidate spat disdainfully and headed for the hatch first.
The hatch was unlocked and opened with a gentle push.
Below it was an empty room that looked perfectly safe.
With someone taking the lead, the others followed one after another.
Luo Ye and his companions brought up the rear.
He surveyed his surroundings curiously, with the listless Spider Vulture, "Little Black," still perched on his shoulder.
Little Black had given up resisting.
It just wanted to be a bird without a thought in its head and take each day as it came.
Once all the candidates had entered the room, the hatch behind them automatically slammed shut with a clang.
The floor suddenly tilted downward.
No, it wasn't tilting.
The entire room had become a massive elevator platform and was descending at breakneck speed.
The sensation of weightlessness caused a brief commotion.
But the platform soon stopped.
They found themselves in an even larger space.
A lectern stood at its center.
A hologram of Lippo appeared above it.
"I forgot to tell you something."
"Trick Tower is filled with traps and branching paths."
"Individual heroics won't work here."
"Teamwork is your only way out."
He pointed to two doors at the far end of the room.
One had a huge "O" painted on it.
The other had a huge "X" painted on it.
"See those two doors? You'll need to vote on which one to take."
"All right, that concludes my explanation."
"The real 'Great Escape Room' starts now."
Lippo's image disappeared.
A brief silence settled over the room.
Then the arguments erupted.
"Obviously, we should pick O! O means correct!"
A shrewd-looking candidate spoke up first.
"Wrong! This has to be a trap! Whoever designed this wants to exploit our habitual thinking! We should pick X!"
Another candidate immediately objected.
"Either one could be a trap! We should send someone ahead to scout!"
Shouts and arguments rose from every direction.
The previously harmonious group instantly fractured into several factions.
Oh-ho, the classic trolley problem?
Luo Ye leaned against the wall, watching the farce with interest.
No, this isn't a trolley problem. It's clearly a machine for stirring up infighting.
My choice? I choose to enjoy the show.
His inner monologue brimmed with delight.
Leorio was impatient by nature, and all the arguing was giving him a headache.
"What's all this arguing for? Just pick one!"
Kurapika frowned as he analyzed the situation.
"Calm down, Leorio. This could be a test of our ability to make decisions as a team."
Killua yawned.
"What a pain. Why don't we just smash through a door and charge ahead?"
Only Gon looked at everyone with clear eyes, free of any guile.
"Um... I think we should all take the same door."
He spoke earnestly.
"Because the examiner said we need to work together."
His words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over everyone arguing.
Right.
The point wasn't whether they chose O or X.
The point was the rule that the minority followed the majority.
As everyone pondered this, that familiar old hand, Tonpa, stepped forward again.
He cleared his throat and put on the air of a seasoned veteran.
"Ahem. Listen, everyone. Based on my experience taking the Hunter Exam thirty-five times, the correct answer in situations like this is usually counterintuitive! So I suggest we choose X!"
Some candidates immediately voiced their agreement.
But even more looked skeptical.
Could they trust this guy?
Eventually, after a chaotic vote, those who chose X won by a narrow margin.
With the rumble of machinery, both stone doors slowly rose at the same time.
The door marked X opened to the majority, while the door marked O on the other side opened to the dissenting minority.
The two groups exchanged conflicted looks before disappearing into their respective passages, heading toward entirely different fates.
With unease in their hearts, Luo Ye and his companions entered their dim passage.
After roughly ten or fifteen minutes of walking, the passage suddenly opened up.
A massive circular platform resembling an ancient Roman arena appeared before them.
Across the platform stood several men in prison uniforms, their wrists and ankles shackled.
Their eyes were filled with brutality and bloodlust.
Lippo's hologram appeared again.
"Welcome to the first challenge."
"The rules are simple. Five against five, in one-on-one matches."
"Win three matches, and your side can proceed."
"Incidentally, those gentlemen opposite you are all genuine death-row inmates."
"Have fun, everyone."
The image vanished.
The atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold.
The candidates' expressions grew grim.
They hadn't expected to face a life-or-death battle so soon.
"Which of you is going first?"
A prisoner who looked like their leader asked with a savage grin.
The candidates fell silent.
No one dared to go first.
Just then, Tonpa stepped forward again.
He thumped his chest and declared with righteous resolve.
"I'll lead the charge!"
"I'm a veteran of thirty-five exams! I've seen plenty of situations like this!"
His words earned admiring looks from quite a few candidates.
Watching him, Luo Ye's smile widened.
Well, damn. That's an Oscar-worthy performance.
Tonpa stepped onto the platform. His opponent was a scrawny prisoner who looked incapable of putting up much of a fight.
Everyone thought this would be an easy victory.
Yet the instant the match began-
Tonpa raised both hands.
"I surrender!"
He shouted it crisply, without the slightest hesitation.
Everyone was stunned.
"You idiot! What are you doing?"
Leorio was the first to roar.
Tonpa spread his hands, looking utterly innocent.
"I'm not dying over some stupid exam."
"You've still got four matches left. Good luck."
With that, he stepped aside without a trace of guilt.
He certainly lived up to his title of "Rookie Crusher."
In the simplest possible way, he had taught every candidate a brutally harsh lesson.
The score was now zero to one.
The candidates had only four chances left.
And they had to win three of them.
The pressure instantly reached its peak.
Before you continue