After crossing the bloodstained "single-plank bridge," the survivors' nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
Apart from Luo Ye's group of five, only three examinees remained.
A wiry man, a tall, burly man, and a trembling woman.
They entered a spacious, circular stone chamber.
A stone pedestal stood in the center.
Four candles of different colors burned side by side on it.
Red, blue, green, and yellow.
The candlelight flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
Another iron plaque stood before the pedestal.
[Four flames, one lie; the light of death and life.] [The path appears when the flame dies; the chooser bears the consequence.]
"Another riddle?"
Leorio scratched his head irritably.
"Will this damn place ever give us a break?"
"Of the four candles, one is a lie that brings death. A path will appear when a flame goes out. It wants us to choose a candle and blow it out."
Kurapika calmly analyzed the wording.
"But which one?"
Everyone fell silent.
A one-in-four chance of death.
No one dared to try without thinking it through.
"I... I've got it!"
The wiry man suddenly seemed to realize something, a crazed light flashing in his eyes.
"Red! It has to be red! Red means danger and prohibition! The examiner is hinting that the most dangerous choice is the way to survive!"
As he spoke, he charged recklessly toward the pedestal.
"Stop!"
Kurapika shouted a warning, but it was already too late.
The wiry man blew hard at the red candle.
Pfft.
The red flame went out.
An eerie silence fell over the entire chamber.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Nothing happened.
"Ha... hahaha! I got it right! I got it right!"
The wiry man was ecstatic.
But his laughter cut off abruptly.
Szzzt-
The stone slab beneath his feet suddenly became a searing hot plate, glowing red in an instant.
"Aaaah!"
Amid his agonized screams, the intense heat reduced his entire body to a lump of charcoal.
Another one dead.
The remaining two examinees, a man and a woman, broke down completely, collapsing to the floor, unable even to cry.
"Tsk. Jumping in with an answer when he didn't have a brain. Prime cannon fodder, all right."
Luo Ye's voice rang out with particular clarity in the deathly silent room.
He had been watching the four candles the entire time.
"Hey, Kurapika. You noticed too, right?"
Luo Ye looked at Kurapika.
Kurapika nodded, his expression grave.
"The yellow candle is burning much faster than the other three."
"Exactly."
Gon spoke up too, pointing at the wall beside the yellow candle.
"There's a faint breeze over there."
The answer was all but obvious now.
The path appears when the flame dies. Which candle would burn out first?
Naturally, the one in the draft, burning the fastest.
"So we just have to blow out the yellow candle?"
Understanding dawned on Leorio.
Luo Ye yawned.
"All this fuss over something a puff of air can solve."
He strolled forward and gently blew at the yellow candle.
Pfft.
The yellow flame went out.
Rumble-
A thunderous noise came from beside them. The wall Gon had pointed at slowly rose, revealing a new passage.
"Let's go."
Luo Ye did not even bother looking at the two survivors, who were already numb with terror, and went in first.
Killua, Gon, and Kurapika followed close behind.
Leorio hesitated, but followed them anyway.
He glanced back.
The two examinees left behind merely sat there in a daze.
Fear had utterly broken them.
Before you continue