Cordis spotted Illumi sitting off to the side alone, eating lettuce.
His heart ached so much he could barely breathe.
He must be lonely and bored, right?
This was when he needed a little angel to keep him company through his boring meal!
With that thought, Cordis picked up his tray and casually sat beside Illumi.
Then he put on a surprised expression.
"Oh my, I never expected to run into you here, Gittarackur."
Illumi looked at this man who had appeared out of nowhere and kept acting as though they knew each other well.
Once again, suspicion stirred in his mind.
Could this guy be an enemy?
When Cordis noticed Illumi looking at him, he instinctively blushed.
Sweet pink hearts even began floating around him again.
Seeing Illumi staring longingly at the meat on his tray, Cordis
pushed the tray in front of him without hesitation.
"Here, you can have this."
Illumi said nothing more.
He picked up the meat on the tray and started eating.
But after one bite, he spat it out.
Without another word, he took his own tray and left.
Cordis watched Illumi leave, feeling puzzled.
He speared a small piece of meat and put it in his mouth.
He chewed twice.
The taste made his entire face scrunch up.
What kind of meat was this?!
Why did it taste so gamey?!
He looked toward where Illumi had left again, disappointment washing over him.
He had even prepared paper and a pen.
All so he could ask for Illumi's contact information.
But judging by how things had gone, he probably wasn't going to get it.
After letting out a sigh,
he looked at the sea of green in the cafeteria and lost his appetite.
He left without eating anything.
Early the next morning,
while everyone else was still asleep, Cordis was already dressed and standing by the doorway, looking out.
In the distance, he could just make out a structure resembling a tall tower.
As the first rays of morning sunlight broke across the horizon,
Green Bean's voice from the night before came over the speakers.
[Good morning, everyone.] [Sorry for the long wait.] [This airship will soon arrive at our destination.]
By the time everyone had finished getting dressed,
the airship had landed on top of the tower.
Everyone stood on the tower's roof.
Green Bean explained to them,
"Applicants, this is the venue for the third phase of the exam."
"It is commonly known as Trick Tower."
"Your task is to reach the bottom from the top within seventy-two hours."
"Now, I wish all of you the best of luck."
As the airship receded into the distance,
everyone began considering how to get down.
Gon lay at the edge of the tower and looked down. The drop was nearly a thousand meters, and he couldn't help exclaiming,
"Wow! It's so high!"
Standing beside him with his briefcase in his arms, Leorio said nervously,
"Don't tell me they expect us to jump from here."
Cordis knelt down, pressed his ear close to the floor, and knocked on it.
He contradicted Leorio,
"Making us jump from here would be way too unimaginative."
"It's hollow underneath. There must be some kind of mechanism."
Gon copied Cordis, bending down to listen with his ear.
"How come I can't hear anything?"
Cordis brushed the dust off Gon's clothes and said helplessly,
"Anyone can do it with enough practice."
Just as he was about to say something else,
Cordis stepped on some unknown mechanism, and the floor beneath him flipped over.
He fell straight through.
He dropped into an unlit room.
Everything around him was pitch-black.
Suddenly, a familiar smell of blood wafted toward him, accompanied by that nauseating voice.
"Oh my~ Who knew we were so destined to meet?"
The voice sounded as though it were right beside his ear, sending goosebumps over Cordis's skin.
He spun around and struck with his elbow.
Unsurprisingly, he hit nothing.
Two soft chuckles rang through the air, as if mocking him.
Unable to land a hit, Cordis simply gave up trying.
He knelt on the floor and spoke into the darkness.
"Hisoka, I'm really not in the mood to play with you right now. You can't get out on your own without me."
After Cordis said that, power slowly began returning to the dark room.
The overhead lights flickered a few times before coming on fully.
It was a small, square room.
Hisoka was sitting opposite him, one hand resting on his leg while the other kept twirling a playing card.
It looked as though he were showing off.
In an instant, the card in his hand vanished.
It suited him rather well.
"A clown who does magic tricks."
Just then, a voice came over the overhead speakers.
[Applicants present, please put on the Timers on the pedestal.]
A cylinder slowly rose in the center of the room, with two wristbands resting on top.
They displayed the time, as well as markings for incorrect and correct.
Cordis picked up a Timer first and slipped it onto his wrist, then fled to the other side of the room.
He dreaded letting Hisoka get even a little closer.
Hisoka also slipped on his Timer and saw the disgust on Cordis's face as he looked at him.
It only seemed to excite him more.
Once both of them had put on their wristbands, a door appeared in one wall.
The two stepped through it.
Before long, another door blocked their path.
A question was displayed on it.
[Are you looking forward to your future?] [● Yes] [▲ No]
"What a strange question," Cordis murmured.
Still, the question made him give it some serious thought.
The version of him from his original world might have answered no.
Back then, although he had only been nineteen, he had long since stopped expecting anything from life.
Invincible, he had stood at the very top, looking down on that filthy, boring world.
But things were different now.
Having started life over in another world, it was time to set himself a new goal.
A goal even higher than his old one!
Without hesitation, Cordis pressed "Yes."
The final result displayed was,
[Two votes for yes.]
Cordis looked at Hisoka in surprise.
Noticing Cordis's gaze, Hisoka narrowed his eyes and gave him a questioning smile.
The door slowly opened.
Cordis looked away. "I thought someone like you would've given up hope in life."
Hisoka swept aside a stray lock of hair and narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"I couldn't bear to~ I'd even like to live a few more years~ After all, it's so interesting here~"
As he spoke, he gave Cordis a meaningful look, his vivid red tongue licking his lips.
It was as though he were suppressing his desires.
Cordis cast Hisoka a cool glance, then walked through the doorway.
"I don't think you'll live much longer."
Hisoka's lips curled, as though he had heard an amusing joke.
"I'll stay alive~ Until the moment I no longer want to~"
Before long, another door blocked their path.
The text on the door read,
[You now have a chance to either kill the person you hate most or bring the person you love most back to life. Your choice...] [● Kill the person you hate most] [▲ Save the person you love most]
[Is the author a super-handsome dude?] [● Yes] [▲ Absolutely]
Before you continue