Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
As fists wrapped in Aura constantly collided, the entire corridor outside the activity room reverberated with tremendous noise. For the exhausted ordinary Hunter candidates, this small noise was completely irrelevant to their ability to find a quiet spot for a good sleep and restore their energy for the upcoming Third Phase.
But for the two overly energetic children wandering around the airship, the noise instantly piqued their curiosity and desire for adventure. In a short while, Gon and Killua arrived at the activity room door, cautiously peering through the crack.
When they witnessed the intense clash between Allen and Chairman Netero, and felt the powerful Aura filling the air, Killua's cat-like pupils instantly dilated, contracted, and dilated again. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, a clear sign that he was recalling the terrifying, indescribable Aura of his older brother, Illumi.
In contrast, the pure-hearted Gon gasped in excitement, "Amazing! Allen and Chairman Netero are so strong!"
"Huh?"
Hearing a familiar voice behind him, Allen subconsciously glanced at the doorway out of the corner of his eye. However, Netero instantly capitalized on that fleeting moment of distraction, seizing Allen's left ankle and roaring, "A flaw!"
"Damn it!"
Feeling an iron-vice-like grip on his ankle, Allen immediately knew he had lost. Without a word, he concentrated his Aura into a defensive Ko covering his back.
The next second…
BANG!
He was swung around like a weapon by the Chairman and ruthlessly smashed into the floor. With no space to dodge and no chance to break free, he directly smashed a hole with a radius of over five meters into the floor. Fortunately, there was a layer of thick, sturdy steel plate beneath the floor, otherwise, he definitely would have smashed through the airship.
"Damn it! I forfeit! Isn't that a bit heavy-handed?"
Allen jumped straight out of the crater, shaking off the splinters and debris clinging to his clothes. From his appearance, he seemed completely unharmed. Forget injuries; he didn't even have a single scrape.
"Ohohohoho! That's punishment for being distracted in combat. Remember, never let your mind wander during a fight, or you could end up dead," Netero warned meaningfully. However, his eyes clearly betrayed his surprise that the young man before him showed no more than a scratch after taking a direct hit from him.
"Alright, my mistake."
Allen generously admitted his slip-up, while inwardly grumbling that the old Chairman was truly wicked. Others might not have noticed, but he knew best: Netero was absolutely serious in that moment. The impact instantly deducted approximately five hundred Health Points, and that was with the defensive application of Ko. If the blow had landed directly, a broken bone and internal bleeding would have been guaranteed.
"So, do you want another round?" Netero asked, still energized.
Allen quickly shook his head. "Let's not. I don't want to go into the next phase injured. Besides, I still have a duel with Hisoka. If you're not done playing, you can go bother them."
With that, he gestured toward Gon and Killua standing at the doorway, then turned and left with Lupos. He planned to find a quiet place to settle down and properly digest the techniques and experience gained from the sparring match.
Watching Allen leave, Netero immediately turned his attention to the two boys at the door, casually picking up a ball and asking, "Do you two want to play a small game with me? If you win, I can grant you your Hunter Licenses immediately."
Under this blatant temptation, the innocent Gon and Killua became his new toys.
…
After flying all night, the airship finally arrived at the location of the Third Phase at 8:00 AM—the Trick Tower.
Feeling the powerful airflow rushing toward them from the high altitude and seeing the terrifying height of the tower from the ground, many candidates couldn't help but shiver.
Just as the candidates began contemplating how they could reach the ground from such a height, Allen suddenly said to Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio behind him, "Apologies, I have to go ahead. I wish you safe passage through the Third Phase. Good luck!"
"Huh?"
"What!"
"Don't tell me…"
Before the three could react, he simply leaped off. In just a few seconds, he was already nearing the ground.
When his altitude dropped below ten meters, a massive air burst echoed around the entire Trick Tower. Utilizing the repulsive force generated by the air burst, Allen successfully slowed his descent, landing steadily on his feet. He then placed two fingers in his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.
Instantly, Lupos, who had still been on the tower roof, appeared right next to him.
The entire process was incredibly fast, taking less than half a minute in total. Everyone, except for Chairman Netero, whether candidate or Examiner, was dumbfounded.
"No… no way! He jumped from that height and didn't crash?" Leorio's mouth hung open in disbelief.
"It's illogical! Unscientific! At that altitude, even if his body were made of iron, his legs would be shattered!"
Kurapika, true to his role as the smart and aesthetically conscious member of the four protagonists, immediately attempted to analyze the situation from a scientific perspective. Unfortunately, Nen in this world has never adhered to science; it is deeply colored by strong subjectivism.
"Allen is really strong!" Gon's eyes were sparkling.
Killua chimed in, echoing Gon: "Yeah! That guy is like a monster. Don't forget, he was able to trade blows with that crazy old man yesterday."
Having witnessed the sparring match between Allen and Chairman Netero the previous night and having played the ball-stealing game with the Chairman, even though they didn't yet know what Nen was, they had a more immediate and clear understanding of the massive difference in power than anyone else.
However, just as the candidates were still reeling from Allen's astonishing feat, another figure also leaped down. It was none other than the self-proclaimed Magician, Hisoka.
Unlike Allen's landing technique, Hisoka activated his Nen ability, Bungee Gum, continuously attaching it to the exterior walls of the tower. Using its powerful elasticity and stickiness, he easily negated the acceleration of gravity, concluding with a perfect 180-degree aerial backflip and landing steadily on the ground in a standard gymnastics pose.
"Come! Right here! Let's have a fight!" Hisoka instantly unleashed his powerful Aura and issued a challenge for a duel.
Allen hesitated for a moment, then quickly refused. "Wait for the next phase. The venue here isn't big enough, and I don't want to reveal my abilities in a place like this."
"No! I can't! I can't tolerate it anymore. Do you know what it feels like to have such a delicious apple right in front of you but not be able to take a bite?" Hisoka continuously licked his lips, an expression of extreme frenzy spreading across his face.
"Sigh… There's no getting through to you. It seems anything I say won't be heard. If that's the case, let's just have a warm-up here, but we'll save the final decision for the next phase."
With that, Allen gave Lupos a command through their mental link.
The wolf wasted no time, immediately casting its pet ability, Howl, and then retreated to the side, adopting a spectator stance.
Allen, capitalizing on the temporary Attack Power buff granted by Howl, charged out like an arrow shot from a bow, winding up his fist and slamming it viciously toward Hisoka's detestable face.
"Hahahaha! Yes! Yes! That's the kind of intensity I want! Come! Kill me!" Hisoka roared with laughter, raising his arms to block.
But the moment of contact, he immediately sensed that the situation was bad. Both the terrifying Nen and the sheer physical force were far beyond his ability to endure.
————
You can read the ahead chapter on Patr if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]