ON chapter 400!!!
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"Everyone must take responsibility for their own choices."
For Gon, these rules were neither entirely good nor entirely bad. In terms of individual strength, Gon wasn't the weakest among the examinees. If this had been the eleven-into-ten format of the Heaven's Arena, Gon would likely have had a decent chance. But under these rules, there was very little chance Gon would concede willingly. Not giving up meant injury, torture, and pain were inevitable.
"And besides, this level of injury might not be so bad."
Ron glanced at Leorio and Kurapika.
"Because of the rules, Hanzo won't want to get disqualified and have to waste another year coming back. He definitely won't endanger Gon's life.
"As long as he's not at risk of dying, any wound can be treated."
This was information Ron knew from his understanding of this world. He knew about Nen. Even deadly illnesses could be cured, so injuries were far from hopeless. But Leorio and Kurapika were unaware of that. In their view, a broken arm or leg could lead to permanent disability if the damage was too severe.
"Haven't you both experienced worse injuries before?"
Of those close to Gon, Leorio and Kurapika clearly showed the most anger. Killua also cared about Gon, but he wasn't quite as furious about Gon's injuries—Killua's own training in the past had included far greater pain than what Gon was now enduring.
"Sometimes psychological pain can be far worse than physical pain."
Leorio fell silent, recalling his old friend who had fallen ill and died because they couldn't afford treatment.
Kurapika thought about the massacre of the Kurta Clan. When he returned to their hidden settlement, the ground was littered with bodies, and the blood had already dried. That was the worst moment of Kurapika's life.
"I give up."
Hanzo stopped tormenting Gon, turned to the examiner, and spoke.
"That's enough, right? Let's get on with the next match. He's the winner."
Gon wore a stunned expression.
The examiner nodded.
"Very well.
"The next match: Kurapika vs. Hisoka."
Hanzo returned to where he had been standing before. Gon remained frozen in place as the Hunter Association's medical team rushed in to take him away for treatment. Even though Hanzo had surrendered, he'd been in control from start to finish, leaving Gon with quite severe injuries.
Leorio and Kurapika had calmed down. Faced with Hanzo's voluntary concession, neither could muster any anger toward him. They realized that what happened to Gon was a result of Gon's own decision; Hanzo wasn't truly forcing him. Hanzo had, in fact, been the one to give up of his own accord.
Ron watched Gon being carried away.
"In short, it's freedom—self-centered freedom.
"He doesn't want to surrender, but he also doesn't want his opponent to give up. He wants to find some other way to decide the match that spares him the shame of losing in a battle of raw strength, while still satisfying his own moral sense.
"It sounds fair on the surface. But in reality, if Hanzo compromises and accepts some new method to compete, it'd be unfair to him.
"Still, he's just a kid. It's understandable. After this, seeing Hanzo concede might change Gon a bit. That flash of regret in his eyes wasn't fake."
Ron withdrew his gaze as Hisoka and Kurapika stepped to the center.
"Begin!" the examiner announced.
"I concede."
Hisoka forfeited, allowing Kurapika to pass the Hunter Exam. In Hisoka's view of what lay ahead, he wanted Kurapika to grow stronger—strong enough to be useful in the eventual confrontation with Chrollo. For that, Kurapika needed to obtain a Hunter License.
Hisoka's sudden action left Pokkle feeling aggrieved, even a bit jealous.
From Bokur's perspective, Kurapika stood no chance against Hisoka, but Hisoka's surrender let Kurapika pass effortlessly. And Pokkle had already been resentful that Kurapika was assigned more possible matches than he was. Now that feeling only intensified.
As Hanzo walked away, Killua blocked his path.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you give up just now? You had other ways to make Gon admit defeat without killing him."
Hanzo shrugged.
"Those other ways are just too troublesome. Even if I tried them, Gon probably still wouldn't surrender. Besides, I rather like the kid. He had his arm snapped, but there wasn't a trace of hatred for me in his eyes. That's rare.
"I've been a ninja for years and tortured plenty of people. He's the first one who was like that."
The third match ended faster than anyone had expected—even the examiner seemed momentarily confused.
"Now for the fourth match—Hanzo versus Pokkle."
Again, it was an enormous mismatch. Pokkle had assumed his strength wasn't far off from Hanzo's, but in reality, Pokkle was in the same predicament Gon had been in. After just a few brief exchanges, Pokkle was soundly defeated. Unlike Gon, though, Pokkle quickly gave up.
Kurapika cast a quick glance at Pokkle but said nothing. Pokkle noticed that look and assumed Kurapika was belittling him, which only increased his resentment toward Kurapika.
"The winner is Hanzo.
"Next match: Hisoka versus Elita."
Hisoka and Elita stepped forward.
"I concede," Elita said right away.
Both were Nen users, but Elita was keenly aware of the huge gap between herself and Hisoka. Hisoka felt some disappointment; he'd hoped to have a little fun, even if Elita wasn't his chosen target.
Sixth match:
"Killua vs. Pokkle."
For reasons unknown, Killua didn't fight at all this time; he simply chose to withdraw, gifting Pokkle a clear path to success.
Ron couldn't quite understand Killua's thinking here.
"Whoever loses will face Gittarackur…which is Illumi.
"Killua can't beat Illumi at his current level, and he doesn't even know Gittarackur is Illumi.
"Could it be that he just thinks Pokkle is too weak? Maybe he's upset about what Netero said about potential and wants a tougher fight to prove himself?"
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