Spider X Fight the Landlord X Four-Blade Style

"Kurapika, are you okay?" Leorio asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

With his head bowed, Kurapika trudged back to the passage entrance.

Half a minute earlier, his eyes blazing red, Kurapika had knocked out Chahu, who had been posing as a member of the Phantom Troupe, with a single punch.

The strength he displayed had startled even Killua.

"No, I mean, would I be in danger if I came near you right now?"

Leorio's easygoing humor helped Kurapika calm down a little.

"I knew perfectly well that he was nothing but a weakling putting on a tough act."

"I also knew that the Phantom Troupe tattoo on his body was fake."

"But the moment I saw that spider tattoo, my eyes still turned red!"

Kurapika looked terribly vulnerable just then. Leorio stepped forward to comfort him. "It's okay. Nobody blames you."

"To tell you the truth, even seeing an ordinary spider makes my whole personality change. I lose all reason."

Kurapika slowly walked to the corner and sat down, lonely and helpless, bowing his head and wrapping his arms around his knees.

"I should actually be grateful. Heh... it means I still haven't forgotten the hatred in my heart."

Kurapika's hatred for the Spider had begun with the tragedy that wiped out his clan.

If he chose to cast aside the kindness in his heart, he could kill his enemies without any burden on his conscience.

Yet that very kindness had become the greatest restraint on his actions.

-even when facing those he hated most, he could not bring himself to strike easily. That contradiction would torment him on the road to revenge ahead.

Kurapika was not the Spider's natural enemy. He was more like a butterfly caught in a web of hatred.

Every struggle only trapped him deeper.

"Achoo!"

"Who's thinking about me?"

After playing his last card, Kaya rubbed his itchy nose.

"Oh dear, I lost again. How disappointing."

Hisoka casually tossed the cards in his hand onto the floor.

He found Fight the Landlord rather entertaining.

According to Kaya, though, the game was actually meant to be played with three people.

They had played several rounds, and Hisoka had lost every one to Kaya.

He could not possibly lose if he used Texture Surprise, but Hisoka would not stoop to cheating at a game like this.

"Done playing?"

Seeing Kaya stand up, Hisoka seemed reluctant to stop.

"Yep! Time to get going."

Kaya stretched, then lightly tapped his wristband to confirm the unlock.

Hisoka paused in mild surprise. "What makes you so sure I'll let you through?"

"You, you, you. I'm letting you through. Hurry up and press your wristband," Kaya urged.

That caught Hisoka somewhat off guard.

With his Bungee Gum, he could actually cross without so much as brushing against anything.

Hisoka just wanted to see what trick this boy had up his sleeve.

If Kaya failed the Hunter Exam, he would not be able to learn Nen.

Even with his extraordinary talent, discovering Nen on his own would take an extremely long time, which meant his fruit would take longer to ripen.

Though Hisoka was a lazy Fruit Farmer who only ate the fruit and never tended it, he still could not allow that to happen.

"Are you going to press it or not?"

Kaya had Hisoka's mindset figured out and was growing increasingly brazen around him.

"Beep, beep."

As Hisoka tapped to confirm, the electronic lock on the iron cell door fell to the floor with a clack.

Kaya made an inviting gesture, motioning for Hisoka to go through.

The moment Hisoka stepped into the passage, he felt a sudden weight on his back. He turned to find that Kaya had jumped onto him.

"Get moving! What are you waiting for?"

Seeing Hisoka's puzzled expression, Kaya explained, "Didn't that examiner with the cracked voice just say it? The floor tiles detect footsteps, not weight."

"If you carry me across, won't they only detect one set of footsteps?"

Hisoka nodded with a faint, ambiguous smile. This brat certainly thought quickly.

"I imagine you thought of this a while ago. Why only mention it now?" Hisoka asked with some curiosity.

"I was still thinking it over. If the examiner doesn't accept it, we're both done for."

"But I didn't want to give up on this exam, and I couldn't think of anything better, so I could only drag you along and give it a try. At least I'd have you to go down with me."

"What? Scared?"

Hearing Kaya's explanation, Hisoka chuckled without answering and strode into the passage.

Just as Kaya had expected, the mechanism only detected footsteps, not weight.

Otherwise, wouldn't a fat guy like Toby be unable to pass no matter what?

"Heh, that kid, number 406, is quite interesting."

Watching Kaya on the screen, Lippo wore a satisfied expression.

The iron door slowly opened, and Kaya and Hisoka entered another room.

With a faint series of swishes, the candles on the steps lit one after another, gradually brightening the room.

At the foot of the steps, a man knelt on one knee, his tall, straight back flickering in and out of view in the wavering firelight.

Kaya watched the man's movements cautiously, ready to fight at any moment.

Hisoka, on the other hand, looked utterly unconcerned, as though the kneeling man did not exist.

The man suddenly raised his head. Two scars running down his face looked particularly frightening. His eyes fixed angrily on Hisoka, completely ignoring Kaya beside him.

"What took you so long? I've been waiting ages."

The scarred man stood and rolled his neck, making it crack.

Hisoka remained expressionless. "Really? Why?"

"The scars on my face remind me every day to take revenge. Today, you'll pay with your life!"

Roaring in fury, the scarred man whipped two sharp, crescent-shaped throwing blades out from behind his back, his whole body radiating a fierce aura.

From their exchange, Kaya gathered the gist of what had happened.

The man before them must have been the examiner Tonpa had mentioned, the one Hisoka had beaten brutally the previous year.

Those scars went deep enough to expose bone. Hisoka had been far too heavy-handed.

"Don't worry. I haven't come as an examiner this year. I'm challenging you as an avenger, so even if you kill me, you won't be disqualified."

When Hisoka remained unmoved, the scarred man mistakenly assumed he was concerned about his status as an examiner.

He was overthinking it.

Hisoka thought nothing of a novice Hunter at his level. He was merely a little ant Hisoka could crush whenever he pleased.

"Oh?"

Hisoka's thoroughly bored expression enraged the scarred man, who hurled his crescent blades at him like boomerangs.

The blades spun faster in midair, like two sharp propellers, carrying a weak Nen Ability.

Naturally, Hisoka paid no heed to an attack of this caliber. Apparently, the man's combat intelligence was practically zero.

Hisoka merely shifted to one side and easily dodged the blades.

"Is that all you've got? How disappointing."

Indeed, the scarred man had devoted himself entirely to practicing and applying his techniques while neglecting the tremendous power of Nen.

It was like holding an RPG yet choosing to duel a Tiger tank with nail clippers-both ridiculous and pathetic.

Hisoka was profoundly disappointed.

The taunt did not make the scarred man lose his reason. He pulled another two throwing blades from behind his back and hurled them viciously at Hisoka.

"Then taste my Infinite Four-Blade Style!"

Kaya watched from the sidelines. He had no desire to meddle in their feud and simply focused on learning techniques from their duel.

The so-called "infinite" probably referred to how the scarred man threw his blades in pairs, launching the next two before retrieving the first pair.

That relentless method of attack could indeed wear down an opponent's strength and stamina effectively.

As things stood, if Kaya faced it himself, he would probably have no choice but to keep dodging.