A glint of amusement appeared in Netero’s eyes, but he made no comment on Tonpa’s supposed recovery.
He motioned for them to follow, then led them through one of the airship’s corridors and into a spacious room.
It was empty except for several seats bolted to the wall.
The floor was level and solid, with enough open space for them to move freely.
Gon and Killua entered first.
Tonpa followed while watching the timer at the edge of his vision.
[Time Remaining: 00:57:21]
Nearly three minutes had disappeared before the game even began.
Netero stood in the center of the room and tossed the striped ball from one hand to the other.
“The rules are simple.
If any one of you manages to take the ball from me before the airship reaches the site of the Third Phase, I’ll consider that person to have passed the Hunter Exam.”
Gon’s eyes widened.
“Does that mean we wouldn’t have to complete the remaining phases?”
“That’s correct.”
Tonpa’s gaze shifted to the ball.
His main quest required him to pass the Hunter Exam, and the penalty for failure was forced transportation to the Dark Continent.
If he took the ball and Netero honored his promise, he could clear that quest without facing any of the remaining phases.
This was not the thousand-point quest.
This was the quest that would keep him away from the Dark Continent.
‘All I have to do is take a ball from Netero.’
He raised his eyes toward the old man.
‘Dying immediately sounds less complicated.’
Netero had not made the offer because he expected to lose.
As far as Tonpa could tell, the three of them were little more than a way for the old man to pass the time before the airship arrived.
Tonpa also knew how Netero would move once the game began.
At the start of the original game, he had evaded Gon and Killua while using only one hand and one leg.
He had never told them about the restriction, instead allowing them to discover the insult for themselves.
The system’s quest required them to force him to use all four limbs within one hour.
Tonpa still had no idea how they were supposed to accomplish that.
Repeating the same attacks would accomplish nothing, and relying on Gon’s stubbornness would take until dawn.
He first needed to see how Netero handled three opponents instead of two.
After that, he might find something they could exploit.
Gon began rotating his arms and stretching his shoulders.
Killua bent down to stretch his legs, then bounced lightly several times.
Tonpa copied them.
He lifted one leg and tried to pull it toward his chest, but it stopped halfway as the muscles in his thigh objected.
He lowered it before anyone noticed.
‘That’s enough.
I don’t need to defeat myself before the game starts.’
The three of them stood before Netero, the ball resting in one of his hands.
“Begin whenever you’re ready.”
Killua moved first.
He became a white blur rushing toward Netero from the right.
Gon moved at the same moment from the opposite side, while Tonpa charged forward to block the old man’s retreat.
Killua reached him first.
His hand shot toward the ball, but Netero turned his body slightly, allowing the boy’s fingers to sweep past it.
Gon arrived from the other side, only for the ball to drop out of his reach and rise above his head.
Tonpa arrived last. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
He extended both arms toward Netero, but the old man pivoted on one foot and slipped past him.
Tonpa saw nothing but the edge of his clothes before finding himself rushing directly toward Gon.
Their shoulders collided, sending both of them stumbling.
Netero was already standing behind them, flipping the ball in the same hand.
Exactly as Tonpa remembered.
One hand.
One leg.
And the three of them had not come close to forcing him to change that.
“Good attempt,” Netero said.
Tonpa regained his balance and stared at him.
It had not been good.
He had expected Netero and Killua to be fast, but even Gon had clearly outrun him despite Tonpa having raised his Speed to Rank D.
He looked down at his legs.
[Speed: D]
‘Wonderful.
I paid one hundred Nen Points to come in last with greater confidence.’
Perhaps Gon and Killua belonged to a higher rank, or perhaps the gap within a single rank was wider than Tonpa had assumed.
He had no accurate way to judge.
All he knew was that he had been staring at their backs from the moment they moved.
As for Netero, Tonpa preferred not to guess his rank at all.
Killua attacked again.
He dropped low, then abruptly changed direction in an attempt to reach Netero’s back.
Gon attacked from the front while Tonpa moved left to cut off the old man’s escape.
Netero did not retreat.
He leaned away from Gon, then pivoted on the same foot.
Killua’s hand passed close to the ball, while Tonpa arrived only after it had already changed position.
Tonpa was not surprised that Netero maintained his self-imposed restriction.
What surprised him was how effortlessly he did it.
Even with a third opponent, the old man had no need for his other hand or leg.
The attempts continued.
They attacked from three directions, then Gon and Killua tried alternating their movements instead of rushing him together.
Tonpa attempted to drive Netero toward the wall, but the old man escaped their encirclement before it could fully form.
During one attempt, Tonpa correctly predicted his direction and lunged to block his path.
Netero changed his rhythm at the last instant, sending Tonpa rushing into empty space.
He nearly fell when he tried to turn after him.
The air began burning inside his chest.
Improved Stats had not given him combat experience, nor had they taught him how to change direction as easily as Gon and Killua could.
He made one more attempt, then stopped with his hands resting on his knees.
“I need a break.”
Killua looked at him with open disapproval.
“We just started.”
Tonpa raised his head.
“I’m still feeling unwell, remember?”
He walked toward the seats and sat down.
Exhaustion was not his only reason for stopping.
Continuing to chase Netero would earn him nothing except more failures.
He needed to observe from outside the chaos.
Tonpa summoned his status panel. The source of this chapter is g.com.
[Nen Points: 191]
[Strength: D] [Upgrade Cost: 1,000 Nen Points]
[Speed: D] [Upgrade Cost: 1,000 Nen Points]
[Flexibility: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]
[Endurance: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]
[Intelligence: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]
He had enough to raise one Stat to Rank D.
Strength would be useless if his hand never reached the target, and Endurance would merely allow him to continue failing for longer.
Any opening they created would not last.
He needed a body capable of exploiting it.
He focused on Flexibility.
[Would you like to spend 100 Nen Points to upgrade Flexibility?]
[Yes/No]
He selected Yes.
[100 Nen Points deducted.]
[Flexibility: E → D]
[Remaining Nen Points: 91]
Warmth spread through his joints before extending into his back and legs.
The tension restricting his movements receded, making it easier to rotate his shoulders and bend his knees.
He did not stand.
Tonpa raised his eyes toward Netero and began watching.
He focused on the foot the old man relied upon, the direction he leaned whenever Gon approached, and the way he used Killua’s momentum to carry him away from the ball.
Netero’s movements were not random.
He guided their attacks into the paths he wanted, then escaped using the smallest movement possible.
Tonpa’s task was not to take the ball.
It was to force Netero to use the two limbs he had not needed so far.
The difference between those objectives seemed small, but it completely changed how Tonpa needed to approach the problem.
He continued watching.
With each failed attempt, several details began fitting together inside his mind.
He did not have a complete plan yet.
But he knew what he needed to wait for.
The timer appeared at the edge of his vision.
[Time Remaining: 00:42:18]
After two more attempts, Killua finally backed away.
The irritation on his face was obvious.
His breathing had quickened slightly, but he did not look exhausted.
He sat in the seat beside Tonpa and continued staring at Netero and the ball as though they had personally insulted him.
Tonpa turned toward him, one corner of his mouth rising in amusement.
“Weren’t you going to take the ball?”
Killua wiped the sweat from his forehead without looking at him.
“Weren’t you sick?”
________________________________
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And remember: never accept juice from Tonpa.