The climb toward the final floors of the Tallrock Prison Tower brought an eerie shift in atmosphere.
Gone were the puzzles, the clever convicts, the psychological traps.
This floor was different.
The moment Ethan and the others stepped through the heavy steel doorway, the world swallowed sound.
A vacuum of silence.
No hum of air.
No breathing.
No footsteps.
No vibration.
Even Gon's excited inhale made no noise.
Killua clicked his tongue experimentally—
Nothing.
The chamber was a massive circular hall lined with uneven stone pillars, each coated in an oily sheen.
The floor was cracked like an old arena.
Dim lights flickered far above, casting long shadows that stretched unnaturally across the ground.
Kurapika immediately noticed.
"The shadows… they're too long."
Leorio shouted—
Or tried to.
His mouth formed the word, but not a single sound escaped.
Gon pointed at the far end of the hall.
A single figure stood waiting.
A prisoner—shirtless, scarred from neck to waist, with tattoos that resembled jagged claws carved across his back.
His eyes glowed faintly in the dimness.
A monitor on the wall lit up with glowing text:
---
**"RULE: DEFEAT THE SILENT PREDATOR
Time Limit: 12 Hours
Restrictions: Nen Usage Permitted
Penalty for Failure: Permanent Silence."**
---
A second message materialized beneath it:
"Opponent Nen Type: Unknown (Irregular)"
Killua squinted.
He moved forward cautiously.
When he stepped over the first shadow line—
It moved.
A claw-shaped distortion reached up from the shadow like a living beast.
Ethan grabbed Killua's collar and yanked him backward just in time.
Killua's eyes widened.
He mouthed silently:
"That wasn't normal."
Ethan nodded—and the Panel slid into view beneath his sleeve like a phantom reflection.
---
PANEL — NEW SCAN INITIATED
Target: "Silent Predator"
Nen Signature: Hybrid — Specialist with Emission/Conjuration traits
Ability Identified: Shadow Maw
Effect: Converts sound into shadow-mass; absorbs sound-based vibrations to create semi-solid entities
Weakness: Sound-based disruption, high-frequency vibrations, or artificially generated "noise" sources
Extraction Eligible: Yes — Micro Fragment Available
---
Ethan's heartbeat steadied.
He could extract a shard.
A tiny Nen fragment.
A clue that would change everything later.
The enemy moved.
No footsteps.
No breath.
No grunt.
Just motion—raw and fluid like a panther sliding between pillars.
Gon charged, using instinct more than logic.
Killua vanished to flank.
Kurapika stepped back, analyzing angles.
Leorio… panicked, but held formation.
Ethan breathed deeply.
The shadows around the enemy pulsed.
His Nen spread like ink, creating claws, eyes, tendrils that snapped like whips.
Gon struck first—
A clean punch straight at the man's ribs.
A shadow tendril blocked it effortlessly.
Killua struck next—
A spinning kick.
Another shadow maw rose and bit down, forcing him to retreat mid-air.
Kurapika tried to circle—
But the shadows mirrored his movements perfectly.
Leorio attempted a surprise tackle—
A claw brushed his shoulder, leaving a burning sting even through silence.
Ethan watched carefully.
The shadows reacted to motion and pressure, not sound.
But the enemy's Nen required absorbed sound to maintain its density…
And the Tower forced everything into silence.
The predator wasn't just strong.
The floor had been built for him.
Ethan activated the Panel silently.
---
PANEL — MICRO EXTRACTION: SHADOW NEN FRAGMENT
Cost: 120 PP
Result: "Shadow Vector Sensory Node (Weak)"
Effect:
Ethan gains momentary awareness of shadow pressure lines — faint predictive sense for shadow-based attacks.
Talent Reaction Detected
A new Talent is forming…
Locked until Tower Phase ends.
---
A cool sensation rippled across Ethan's senses.
Shadows that were once uniform now appeared slightly darker in the corners of his vision.
Lines.
Currents.
Veins of dark Nen.
He stepped aside just as a silent claw whipped upward where his leg would have been.
Killua's eyes widened.
"How did he—?!"
Ethan pointed forward—then to the left—then downward.
Kurapika understood first.
"He can see the shadow attacks coming!"
The Silent Predator lunged.
Blades of shadow extended from his arms like jagged black scythes.
Gon forced him to turn.
Killua struck from behind.
Kurapika used a baton-strike to disperse a shadow limb.
Leorio took the chance to shove Gon out of a dangerous arc.
Ethan moved with them, weaving perfectly through the shifting lines.
Every shadow he dodged made the Predator scowl deeper.
Silent… but his aura grew frantic.
Ethan approached him directly.
The Predator struck with a massive claw-arc—
Ethan ducked under it.
Perfectly.
He didn't hesitate.
He touched the man's chest with two fingers—
not to strike.
To extract.
---
PANEL — MICRO EXTRACTION: SUCCESSFUL
Obtained: Shadow Disruption Principle (Minor)
Effect: Negates 5% of a shadow-based Nen construct on contact.
---
A thin, invisible pulse radiated from Ethan's hand.
The Predator's Nen shuddered.
His shadow claws…
flickered.
Gon seized the opening and slammed his fist into the man's side.
Killua's kick cracked the man's jaw.
Kurapika swung his baton into the man's knee.
Leorio tackled—poorly, but enough.
The Silent Predator crashed to the ground, shadows screeching silently as they unraveled.
The room trembled.
Then—
S O U N D
R E T U R N E D.
A deafening roar of released vibration swept through the chamber as the silence shattered.
The man lay motionless.
The monitor lit up:
---
FLOOR CLEARED
Time Remaining: 7 hours, 41 minutes
Proceed to Final Floor?
---
The path ahead opened.
Gon exhaled loudly.
Killua held the side of his head from the sudden noise.
Leorio fell to his knees, weeping with relief.
Kurapika turned to Ethan.
"You moved like you knew every attack before it happened."
Ethan smiled faintly.
"Just reading the flow."
It wasn't a lie.
Just incomplete.
The Panel flickered quietly:
---
TALENT PROGRESSION: 84%
Unlock Condition: Exit Tower Phase
Projected Talent Type: ???
---
Ethan felt a shiver of anticipation.
One more floor.
One more trial.
And then a Talent that could redefine everything.
The group stepped together toward the spiral staircase leading up—
Toward the Final Floor.