Leorio the Shadow Monarch - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Final Descent & Tower Escape
The air in the corridors after the prisoner confrontations felt subtly different. The immediate threat of individual elimination by cunning inmates was gone, replaced by the grinding pressure of the main clock and the unknown challenges still lurking below. Leorio walked alongside the others, his victory over Leroute having settled into a quiet confidence, but the memory of Hisoka and Gittarackur’s overwhelming `Observe` readings kept any arrogance firmly in check.
He was strong now, ridiculously so by his old standards (STR 65! Nearly 32 tons of lifting force!), but this Tower, this Exam, kept proving that strength wasn’t the only currency.
Their ‘Majority Rules’ path funneled them inevitably towards what felt like the final hurdle. They entered a large, circular chamber with two imposing doors set into the far wall. Between the doors, a large screen displayed their remaining time: a little under 10 hours left out of the initial 72. Below the timer, text appeared, detailing their predicament.
`Path Selection Required:`
`Door 1 (Left): The Path of Certainty. A straightforward route to the exit. Estimated time required: 12 hours. Requires all 5 members.`
`Door 2 (Right): The Path of Speed. A significantly shorter route to the exit. Estimated time required: 3 hours. However, upon opening, this door will lock behind the first 4 members to pass through, trapping the 5th member here until the Exam concludes.`
Silence fell, thick and heavy. The choice was brutal. Take the guaranteed path and fail together due to insufficient time, or take the fast path and condemn one member to certain failure?
“No way!” Gon exclaimed immediately, looking horrified. “We can’t just leave someone behind! That’s wrong!”
“But twelve hours?” Killua pointed out, his voice sharp with pragmatic urgency. “We only have less than ten left. That path is a guaranteed failure for everyone.”
“Killua’s correct,” Kurapika stated, though his expression was troubled. “Logically, the only option that allows anyone to pass is the faster path. The question is… who stays?” His gaze swept over the group.
Tonpa immediately put on a show of mock despair. “Oh, this is terrible! I couldn’t possibly ask anyone to sacrifice themselves! But… maybe the youngest should stick together? Perhaps one of you older gentlemen, Leorio…?” He let the suggestion hang, slimy and manipulative.
Leorio felt his jaw tighten. Classic Tonpa, trying to leverage age or perceived weakness. He ignored the bait, his mind racing, accessing his fragmented memories of this part of the exam. There was always a trick, a loophole, something Lippo, the sadistic warden, would have built in. Leaving someone behind felt too straightforwardly cruel, even for this exam. It felt like a test of something else – trust, observation, lateral thinking.
“Hold on,” Leorio said, stalling for time, trying to jog his memory. “Leaving someone behind… it feels like the obvious trap here. Like they expect us to turn on each other or make a noble sacrifice. What if there’s something we’re missing?” He started examining the doors, the walls, the text on the screen, projecting an air of careful consideration. “Think about it,” he continued, thinking aloud. “Why make the ‘trap’ door lock after four people? Why not just have it require a sacrifice upfront?”
Kurapika picked up on his line of thought. “You mean… the mechanism might be flawed? Or there might be a way to override the lock from the inside or outside?”
Killua started examining the hinges and frame of Door 2 with professional interest. “Maybe it’s just a standard pressure lock. If the last person is fast enough…”
Gon suddenly pointed at the wall near Door 1. “Hey, look! There are some weird markings here! Almost like… button outlines?”
They crowded around. Faint outlines, almost invisible against the stone, suggested hidden buttons near the ‘slow path’ door. Kurapika ran his fingers over them. “Push panels? But what would they do?”
Leorio’s memory sparked. Something about combined actions… coordination… “Maybe,” he hypothesized, “the ‘long path’ isn’t just long, it’s complex. Maybe it requires multiple people activating things simultaneously to progress quickly? And maybe,” he looked at the ‘short path’ door, “that one isn’t a trap, but relies on the ‘long path’ being activated correctly?” It was a half-remembered guess, framed as speculation.
They decided to test it. Kurapika stayed by the hidden panels near Door 1. Killua examined the lock mechanism on Door 2. Leorio stood ready near the main voting buttons, Gon beside him. “Okay,” Kurapika called out. “There seem to be four panels here. On my count, Gon, Leorio, Killua – try pushing the wall roughly where I am, maybe different heights?”
“One… Two… Three… PUSH!”
Leorio shoved the wall, Gon pushed eagerly, Killua gave his section a calculated tap. Simultaneously, Kurapika pressed the fourth panel he’d found. For a second, nothing happened. Then, with a low clunk, the timer above Door 1 vanished. And next to Door 2, a small green light flickered on.
“The lock indicator!” Killua exclaimed. “It’s green! It means it’s unlocked, or the trap mechanism is disabled!”
“So the paths were linked!” Kurapika realized. “Activating the ‘long path’ controls somehow bypassed the trap on the ‘short path’!”
“No time to figure out why!” Leorio urged, checking the main clock. “Less than five minutes left! We gotta go! Door 2!”
There was no more debate. They sprinted towards the now-safe Door 2. Leorio threw it open, revealing a dark, narrow tunnel sloping downwards. “Go, go, go!”
Gon dashed in first, followed by Killua, then Kurapika. Leorio practically shoved Tonpa in ahead of him and plunged in last, pulling the door shut just in case. It didn’t lock. Their theory, or Leorio’s half-remembered guess, had been correct.
The tunnel was long, winding, and blessedly free of traps. But the clock was ticking relentlessly. They could hear distant rumbling sounds, suggesting the tower might be closing off sections. It became a frantic sprint.
Minutes felt like seconds. The air grew fresher. They saw a faint light ahead, growing brighter. The exit!
“Almost there!” Gon yelled, his voice echoing.
The main clock wasn’t visible here, but Leorio could feel the deadline pressing down like a physical weight. They burst out of the tunnel mouth, stumbling onto grassy ground under an open sky, blinking in the sudden brightness. Behind them, a massive stone slab slammed down, sealing the tunnel exit with terrifying finality.
They collapsed onto the grass, panting, chests heaving. They looked around. They were at the base of the Trick Tower, which loomed impossibly tall above them. A small crowd of other successful applicants milled nearby. They had made it. Just.
A voice, amplified but calm, likely Lippo again, announced, “The time limit for the Third Phase has expired. All candidates currently at the tower’s base have successfully passed. Congratulations.”
Leorio let out a whoop of pure relief, echoed by Gon. Killua managed a smirk. Kurapika allowed himself a small, exhausted smile. Even Tonpa looked genuinely relieved, though probably more for his own skin than the group’s success.
And then, the sweet symphony of system notifications began.
`[Main Scenario Quest: The Third Trial – Complete!]`
`[Calculating Rewards…]`
`[+5000 EXP Acquired!]`
`[LEVEL UP!] x 5`
`[You have reached Level 43!]`
`[HP Increased! Current HP: 2350/2350]`
`[HP Recovery Increased! Current Rate: 101 HP/min (4.7%)]`
`[AP Increased! Current AP: 48000/48000]`
`[AP Recovery Increased! Current Rate: 2088 AP/min (4.4%)]`
`[Fatigue has been reset to 0%!]`
`[New Passive Skill Unlocked: Will To Recover!]`
Leorio felt the familiar surge, stronger this time, knitting together the exhaustion from the final sprint, leaving him feeling refreshed and profoundly more powerful. Level 43! He quickly scanned the new passive skill description that popped up.
`[Will To Recover (Passive)]: The Host’s body possesses enhanced regenerative capabilities fueled by HP recovery. Minor wounds heal rapidly. Severe non-fatal damage, including severed limbs, can be regenerated completely as HP recovers over time. Does not prevent death from instantly fatal wounds (e.g., destruction of heart/brain).`
Leorio’s eyes widened. Limb regeneration?! Holy hell. This wasn’t just healing; this was straight-up Wolverine/Deadpool territory, albeit potentially slower and tied to HP recovery. The implications were staggering. “Okay, system,”
“Trying to make me immortal? Let’s maybe not test the limits of the ‘non-fatal’ clause anytime soon, alright?” Still, knowing he could potentially recover from almost anything short of instant death? That was a game-changer.
He pulled up his full status screen for a final check, comparing it to the user prompt’s exact values.
—
Name: Leorio Paradinight
Level: 43 (73%)
Affinity: Emission
Job: Shadow Monarch
…
HP: 2350/2350 [Recovery: 110 HP/min (4.7%)]
AP: 48000/48000 [Recovery: 2088 AP/min (4.4%)]
Fatigue: 0%
…
STR: 65 -> 70
AGI: 38 -> 43
VIT: 42 -> 47
INT: 39 -> 44
SEN: 38 -> 43
…
Passive Skill: Detoxification (MAX), Will to Recover (Max)
Active Skill: Spirit Lv1 (12%), Observe Lv1 (44%)
Job Skill: Shadow Extraction Lv1 (11%), Shadow Preservation Lv1 (18%), Shadow Exchange Lv1 (0%), Monarch’s Domain Lv1 (0%)
…
[Stat Points: 0]
[Shadow Dimension: Shadow Pig Lv8 (x20)]
[Currency: 0 Jenny]
[Quest: Path to Strength, Pass Fourth Phase of Exam]
[Inventory: Badge (#403), Wallet, First Aid Kit]
[Mall]
—
The numbers looked good. Especially that STR 70. The system had clearly given him a significant bonus there, maybe rewarding his physical exertion during the training or the final sprint. He felt powerful, capable, and now, remarkably resilient thanks to `[Will To Recover]`.
He looked around at his companions – Gon, Killua, Kurapika. They had made it through the Tower’s trials together, relying on each other’s strengths (and occasionally his own system-boosted stats and foreknowledge). Tonpa was there too, annoyingly persistent, but even he had played his part in the group dynamic, however negatively.
Phase Three was over. The next challenge, Phase Four on Zevil Island, would be different. A free-for-all hunt. Less about cooperation, more about individual survival, combat, and cunning. He glanced at his `[Shadow Dimension]` status, feeling the presence of his twenty pig soldiers. They hadn’t seen much use in the Tower, but on Zevil Island? They might finally get a chance to stretch their shadowy legs. He felt ready.