People he hated?
There were certainly plenty, but picking the one he hated most was a little harder.
People he loved?
He didn't seem to have anyone he loved.
When it came to things like romantic love, Cordis had always been rather clueless.
Perhaps because of his upbringing, he didn't know much about human reproduction, either.
Naturally, he had no idea what sort of feeling counted as love.
The result was predictable.
He chose [Someone you hate].
The results appeared.
[One person you hate, one person you love]
Cordis gave Hisoka a puzzled look.
"You actually have someone you love!"
Hisoka shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh~ I'm human, too~ Of course there are a few people who matter to me~"
That piqued Cordis's curiosity.
After all, this had never happened in the original story.
Cordis clung to Hisoka's arm, gazing at him with stars in his eyes.
"Hisoka dear~ Hisoka dear~ Who is it? Come on, tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Hisoka curled a finger at him, beckoning him to bring his ear closer.
Cordis obediently leaned in.
He was already planning how to embellish the story when he spread it around.
"It's a secret~"
Just then, the door slowly opened.
After saying that, Hisoka walked through the doorway, leaving Cordis standing there in bewilderment.
Cordis quietly muttered "bastard" behind his back.
Then he hurried after him.
They hadn't gone far before another door blocked their way.
[Final question] [Far, far in the future, will you miss who you used to be?] [●Yes] [▲No]
Faced with yet another strange question,
Cordis began to question how seriously this third stage had been designed.
"Hey! What's with all these pointless questions?"
Cordis demanded an answer from the camera overhead.
Naturally, nobody answered him.
"Isn't it boring to keep living in the past?"
With that, he pressed No without hesitation.
The results appeared.
[Two votes for No]
An entirely unsurprising result.
Although Hisoka could be pretty irritating at times,
Cordis had to admit that, in some ways, they were rather alike.
With the questions over, the door slowly opened.
The two of them passed through it.
A huge arena stood in the middle of the space before them.
A string of numbers appeared on the opposite wall.
Below the numbers was an opening, with two figures in black robes dimly visible inside.
One of them spoke from across the room.
"Which of you is going first?"
The confidence in that voice made Cordis wonder who he was.
Apparently, he was very confident in his strength.
Without asking Hisoka,
Cordis simply said,
"I'll take the first fight."
The man sneered. "You think you can fight me with those scrawny arms and legs?"
As a child, Cordis had often been mocked for his build.
Once he became strong, nobody dared say anything anymore.
He hadn't expected to find someone here who still dared mock his physique.
He rolled his arms a couple of times and said with a smirk,
"These scrawny arms and legs are more than enough to beat you."
A walkway slowly rose into place, connecting to the arena in the middle.
Both of them slowly approached the arena.
Once they had entered,
the walkways behind them began to retract.
The man ripped off the black robe wrapped around him.
A muscular man with a scar on his face stood before Cordis.
Wearing a tank top, he struck a few poses for Cordis.
He showed off his huge, bulging muscles.
When Cordis didn't seem to react, he struck several more poses.
He was finding every possible way to show Cordis his muscles.
Watching his foolish antics, Cordis couldn't figure out what he was trying to do.
He asked impatiently,
"Are you going to fight or not?"
With that, he strode toward the man and threw a punch.
The man hurriedly waved his hands.
"Wait!"
The fist stopped just 0.01 centimeters away from him.
Cordis drew his fist back and asked,
"Any last words? Hurry up and say them."
Seeing that the punch had stopped, the man posed again and asked,
"Do you know who I am?"
Cordis gave him a puzzled look and answered honestly,
"No."
The man snorted.
Then he took off his tank top.
He turned around to show Cordis his back.
A huge spider design was emblazoned across it.
Then he asked proudly,
"You know about the Spider, then?"
Cordis instinctively glanced at Hisoka, who was still standing where he'd been, and said,
"Hmm... I suppose so."
The man threw his head back and laughed.
Then he raised his arm for Cordis.
With one hand, he pointed to his bulging muscles, where several sets of tally marks had been drawn.
He said proudly,
"Every time I kill someone, I draw another stroke on my arm."
Then he gave Cordis a knowing look.
Cordis said nothing. Instead, he shook out his arms and said,
"Perfect. Let's see whether you can add another stroke to that arm."
That left the man at a loss.
Why wasn't this guy following the script?
Anyone else would have been scared into surrendering by now.
Cordis rushed toward him in a few quick strides.
His fist shot forward like an arrow.
It slammed into the man's face.
Even the surrounding air rippled from the impact.
That single punch sent the man flying.
He hit the ground and rolled several times, tumbling out of the arena.
Fortunately for him, instinct made him grab the edge.
With all his muscle, he barely managed to hold himself up.
"Help! Help!" he cried to his companion.
But his companion could do nothing, either.
The bridge leading to the arena had already retracted.
Unless one side surrendered, there was nothing they could do.
Seeing his companion shake his head helplessly,
the man could only choke out through his tears,
"I surrender! I surrender!"
Those who lived in the past were cowards.
Whatever the future held, they had to face it.
Living in illusions and fantasies all the time was truly boring.
Before you continue