72-Hour Tower — Fifth Floor Ascension
The doorway opened into a vast chamber unlike any before it.
Cold. Silent. Empty—except for the faint, rhythmic hum vibrating through the floor.
Kurapika paused first.
"…Do you feel that?"
Killua nodded.
"Feels like electricity. No… like pressure."
Gon's eyes widened.
"This energy… it feels kind of alive!"
Leorio shivered.
"I hate this already."
Ethan didn't answer.
Because the moment they stepped through the doorway, the Panel lit up—not the soft, faint glow of information or environmental analysis, but a hard flare, like a warning siren inside his skull.
---
PANEL — HAZARD ALERT
NEN PRESENCE DETECTED
Strength: Moderate
Type: Emitted Guardian Aura
Behavior: Territory Control
Trigger: Intruder movement
New Mission:
Reach the Resonance Gate without triggering the Guardian Aura.
Failure: Forced ejection.
Reward: +250 PP
Hidden Reward unlocked if allies remain unaware.
---
Ethan inhaled slowly.
Nen.
Finally.
Not a person—
A system layered into the room itself.
Kurapika stepped forward and touched the air.
"Something's dense here. Not physical."
Killua sniffed again.
"Smells like charged air… like when lightning hits."
They stared into the chamber.
It looked simple: Straight path.
Long hallway.
A giant door of obsidian and steel at the far end.
But the pressure thickened with every step.
Gon walked forward first, curious.
The air rippled like water.
Killua grabbed him by the back of his shirt.
"Don't. The room's reacting to movement."
Kurapika examined the floor carefully.
"No traps. No pressure plates. No wires."
Leorio pointed at the walls.
"Nothing there either! So what's causing this—this feeling?"
Ethan's eyes flicked across the chamber.
His Panel showed it clearly:
Bands of invisible force.
Waves of Nen pressure layered across the hallway like alternating currents.
If someone stepped into a wrong band—
The room would strike.
Not lethally…
But enough to remove them from the exam permanently.
Ethan stepped forward calmly.
Killua blinked.
"Ethan? Wait—"
But the ripple around Ethan's foot remained still.
The aura didn't react.
Kurapika's eyes sharpened.
"You can sense the safe zones?"
Ethan smiled faintly.
"I can read the pattern."
Truthfully, it was both him and the Panel.
The aura waves pulsed in a rhythm like a heartbeat—
Long
Short
Long
Pause
Crash
Reset.
Ethan lifted his hand slightly.
"Follow my movements exactly. No rushing. No jumping ahead."
Gon nodded immediately.
Killua smirked.
Kurapika focused.
Leorio already regretted everything.
They stepped behind Ethan.
THE FIRST WAVE — STILLNESS
The moment Ethan moved forward, the invisible bands of Nen shifted like tides in the ocean.
The pressure angled downward—
A crushing field.
Gon whispered,
"It feels like someone's pushing down on my head!"
Killua resisted effortlessly.
Kurapika managed smoothly.
Leorio crouched involuntarily.
"What kind of air is this?!"
Ethan stopped just before the next ripple.
"Wait."
The wave crashed past like a gust of wind without air.
The aura didn't lash out.
"Now," Ethan said.
They moved.
THE SECOND WAVE — FORCE SLIDE
This time the aura shifted sideways—
Trying to shove them into the boundary walls.
Gon leaned with it, laughing.
"Whoa!"
Killua planted his feet easily.
Kurapika counterbalanced gracefully.
Leorio stumbled sideways—
Ethan caught him by the elbow, steadying him.
"Careful," Ethan said quietly.
"Y-yeah, thanks…"
The Nen wave passed.
THE THIRD WAVE — THE INVISIBLE WALL
A thick band of pressurized aura blocked the path like a solid barrier.
Kurapika reached out carefully.
"It's dense enough to feel physically."
Ethan nodded.
"Timing again. When it dips, we move."
Killua grinned.
"Like dodging an invisible guillotine."
Leorio screamed,
"Don't SAY things like that!"
Gon squinted.
"Ethan… how do you know when it dips?"
"Listen."
The room hummed.
A slow thrum…
Then a faint crackle.
Kurapika's eyes widened.
"It fluctuates! The aura weakens for a split second."
Ethan nodded.
"That's our moment."
The hum sharpened—
Dropped—
"Now."
They slid under the invisible band just as it thinned.
Leorio barely made it through and threw himself to the floor.
"I hate this tower."
Killua laughed.
But they weren't done yet.
THE FINAL TEST — THE GUARDIAN ITSELF
Three meters from the end, the aura condensed.
Then it rose.
A shape—
Humanoid.
Tall.
Featureless.
Made entirely of flickering Nen.
Gon's jaw dropped.
"Wha—whoa… what IS that?!"
Killua whispered,
"A Nen construct."
Kurapika's voice lowered.
"A guardian."
Leorio hid behind Kurapika.
"WHY DOES EVERYTHING WANT TO KILL US!?"
Ethan stepped forward calmly.
The construct didn't attack.
It simply stood, blocking the path.
Panel text shimmered:
---
PANEL UPDATE
Guardian Aura:
Triggered only by killing intent, fear spike, or chaotic movement.
Remain calm. Maintain steady heart rate.
Cross through the aura.
Hidden Reward: "Fearless Step"
---
Ethan lowered his breathing.
Slow.
Measured.
Silent.
He stepped toward the guardian—
Right through its chest.
The construct flickered…
And let him pass.
Gon gasped.
"COOL!"
Killua smirked.
"So that's the trick."
Kurapika nodded.
"Emotion-based detection. Impressive."
Leorio hyperventilated.
"I HAVE A LOT OF EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW."
Killua sighed.
"Leorio. Just think about your debt and you'll calm down from pure depression."
"That DOESN'T HELP!"
But Ethan placed a hand on Leorio's shoulder.
"Breathe. Slow. Like this."
Leorio copied him—
And amazingly, it worked.
One by one—
Gon passed.
Killua passed.
Kurapika passed.
Leorio stumbled and screamed internally, but his steps were steady enough.
The Guardian flickered—
Collapsed—
And vanished.
The giant door unlocked with a thunderous groan.
MISSION COMPLETE
---
PANEL — MISSION CLEAR
Resonance Gate Reached
Nen hazard avoided.
All allies passed undetected.
Rewards:
• +250 PP
• Trait: Fearless Step I
• Unlock: Nen Sensitivity Path
• Hidden Bonus: +50 PP
---
Gon ran ahead excitedly.
"That was amazing!"
Killua grinned.
"Now it's getting interesting."
Kurapika breathed out slowly.
"This tower… is designed to test far more than strength."
Leorio bent over, gasping dramatically.
"I aged ten years…"
Ethan touched the door.
He could sense it now.
The thin, subtle vibration of aura behind it.
A Nen-user's presence.
Not a trap.
Not a construct.
A person.
And the Panel confirmed it with a quiet, ominous line:
"Named Encounter Approaching."
Ethan's eyes sharpened.
The next floor wouldn't be a puzzle.
It would be a meeting.
And meetings in places like this…
Changed destinies.