"The Zoldyck family has a giant magical beast guarding the inside?" Shiba said in surprise as she looked at the small door that had just closed again.
Mia also stared blankly at the skeletons being packed into an iron bucket by Jim Bronn. "What kind of beast has such terrifying digestion abilities?"
"It's just the guard dog. You'll see it once we get inside," Alex said with a faint smile, putting his arms around both women. "Let's go—it's our turn now!"
The crowd had already dispersed after witnessing the commotion. Since they were no longer being watched, Alex didn't delay. Holding Shiba and Mia close, he confidently walked toward the Trial Gate.
"Eh? You three aren't leaving?" Jim Bronn, who was still gathering bones, looked up and asked with a surprised expression.
"Leave? We're not with those people from earlier."
Alex turned to him with a smile. "We're guests. We already contacted Illumi before coming here."
"Guests? Master Illumi?!" Jim Bronn was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and gave a polite smile.
"I see. If you're guests of Master Illumi, would you like me to contact him on your behalf?" he asked.
Just the mention of Illumi's name was enough to prove Alex's credibility—after all, even a single photo of a Zoldyck family member could sell for 100 million jenny. There was no mistaking that this group was different from the foolish intruders earlier.
"Sure, we'd appreciate that," Alex nodded.
As Jim Bronn set aside the iron bucket of bones and returned to the guardhouse, Shiba approached the Trial Gate and examined it up close. "So this is the famous door. Is it really as difficult to open as the rumors say?"
"You can try it. Consider it a test of your strength."
Alex grinned and let his hand slide lower, patting Shiba teasingly. "Give it your best shot."
"Then I will!" Shiba rolled her eyes and made her way toward the Trial Gate.
"From the data we looked up," Mia said, watching with curiosity, "the Trial Gate is made up of seven layers. The first gate weighs two tons on each side, while the seventh and final gate weighs one hundred and twenty-eight tons on each side. Also, from what I've read, each door requires the same amount of force as its weight to open—and they say Nen is nullified when pushing the gate."
The Trial Gate was the most iconic symbol of the Zoldyck family.
Since many people visited the site each year, information about the gate wasn't exactly secret. Details could easily be found on the Hunter Association's website or through underground intelligence networks.
In the original story, information about the gate was quite limited. As Mia had just explained, there are two key points often overlooked: the force required to push each gate is precisely equal to its weight, and Nen has no effect on the gate.
To put it another way, if someone wanted to open the first gate, they would need to exert a combined force of at least four tons—two tons on each side. This isn't just like lifting weights; the gate itself resists Nen.
That's why, in the original story, after Gon pushed open one of the gates and trained at Heaven's Arena, he was able to send a grown man flying with a single palm strike. His physical strength had dramatically increased.
Of course, the gate's strength-equal-to-weight design is only part of the challenge. Its true difficulty lies in its immunity to Nen, making it a true test of pure physical strength.
That's also why it's called the "Trial" Gate. It's a test set by the Zoldyck family for anyone attempting to reach their estate—a threshold that proves whether a person is worthy to enter.
As Mia spoke, Shiba warmed up and placed her hands on the gate.
With a sharp breath, she pushed forward with all her strength.
Rumble...
The Trial Gate creaked and slowly opened. A gap formed from the first door all the way through the fourth.
"The fourth gate!" Alex nodded with approval.
Each side of the fourth gate weighed sixteen tons. That meant Shiba had just pushed open a combined weight of thirty-two tons using only her physical strength.
Back before the Hunter Exam, Shiba's strength was far behind Alex's. At the time, even he couldn't push more than five tons.
But after more than half a year of training—bolstered by various rewards like the Blood Bodhi and Spirit Enhancement Pills, plus intense training with the gravity ring—Shiba had made remarkable progress.
Even though she wasn't an Enhancer-type Nen user, a feat like this was impressive. Thirty-two tons of raw strength was more than respectable.
After stepping back, Shiba watched as the Trial Gate slowly swung closed again.
"The fourth gate, huh…" She took a deep breath, feeling both proud and determined.
If she had possessed this strength in the past, she might have been thrilled. But now that she was chasing after increasingly powerful enemies—and trying not to fall behind Alex—she knew it wasn't enough. She had to keep pushing.
"So, is it true the gate nullifies Nen?" Mia asked as Shiba returned.
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