That honest-looking face and kind smile really did make it easy for people to let down their guard.
Even Luke had to admit it.
"Your acting really is quite good..."
"Hm??"
As soon as Luke said that, Tonpa's expression stiffened.
"I have some friends who have all participated in the hunter exam before."
"And every time, they all ran into the same person."
Luke said leisurely, "Tonpa the Rookie Crusher, short, square-nosed, greasy uncle with a naive smile, that's his trademark look. And now it seems..."
Luke gave Tonpa a slight nod. "That description is still very fitting and accurate."
Tonpa: "..."
Wait, his information was already being spread around?!
Did he really have such a notorious reputation?!
That shouldn't be possible. Every year, only a few hundred people manage to make it to the hunter exam.
Most either drop out midway or get eliminated and try again next year.
And this newcomer, applicant 404, said he had friends?
What kind of friend would be so generous as to warn someone about him ahead of time?!
Aren't all applicants supposed to see each other as competitors?
Tonpa couldn't help but complain inwardly, almost to the point of swearing.
Who could be so stupid, so foolish, as to leak such crucial information?
Did they want to make it harder for themselves to pass?!
Unless… they had already passed the hunter exam and become a professional hunter, so they no longer cared.
The moment he thought of that, Tonpa fell silent.
If that was the case, and this kid really had a professional hunter as a friend…
Tonpa quietly took a few steps away from Luke.
Clearly, this was someone he didn't want to provoke.
He had been taking the hunter exam since he was ten years old, in an exam where death was always lurking, and he had survived unscathed for over a decade.
That survival came from his keen sense of danger.
Now, whether it was true or not, he was already exposed.
So…
"It's better to keep my distance from this guy."
Tonpa silently moved farther from Luke.
"Such a strong instinct for danger?"
Luke couldn't help but admire Tonpa's cautiousness.
No wonder he had managed to survive so many hunter exams.
Even when Killua took the exam twice in a row, Tonpa still made it out alive each time.
In that sense, he really wasn't ordinary.
"I wonder... If he ever awakened his aura and developed his own Nen ability, what type and effect would it be?"
Those thoughts flashed through Luke's mind and just as quickly disappeared.
He had neither the time nor the inclination to do Tonpa any favors like that.
And besides, with his arrival, this year's hunter exam was about to begin.
He was probably the last applicant to arrive.
After Luke showed up, no one else came.
Half an hour passed like that.
"Alright, time's up."
A calm voice suddenly echoed through the silent factory.
Everyone looked up toward the sound.
At the very top of the factory, a figure stood high upon a crane hook.
"This is the 275th hunter exam. Total number of applicants: 404."
With that announcement, the registration for this year's exam officially closed.
All eyes turned to the figure above.
And then…
"Another familiar face."
Standing on the crane hook was a man in a black suit with a light-blue tie, hair slicked back into a shiny pompadour, the picture of a successful professional.
"I am this year's first-phase examiner for the hunter exam. My name is Knov."
A future member of the Chimera Ant Extermination Team, one who would later accompany Chairman Netero to the NGL Autonomous Region, the man with the unique Nen ability called Hide and Seek.
At that moment, Knov adjusted his glasses and introduced himself calmly.
"Alright. Those of you who've made it this far have already passed the preliminary screening and the guides' trials. And before arriving here, I'm sure you've been informed about the rules of the hunter exam..."
Knov paused deliberately.
When no one spoke, he nodded slightly and continued: "Then you all must be prepared to risk your lives, so I'll skip the unnecessary talk."
"Now then, the first phase of the exam... It is about to begin."
At those words, the scattered applicants raised their heads, their bodies tensing in anticipation.
"As you can see, the location you're currently in is an abandoned factory. This factory stands in the middle of a desert."
"Surrounding it are other abandoned structures, a dam, a military camp, a power station, a cement plant, a construction site, and so on."
"In these areas, many leftover materials and supplies remain."
"Each of these materials has been assigned a specific value."
"Your task is to collect enough items of sufficient worth and find a way to leave this place while carrying them."
"There's more than one exit point, and our staff will be stationed at each one."
"As for the passing requirement..."
Knov raised his index finger.
"One million."
"You must bring materials worth at least one million to an exit point to pass."
"The time limit is twenty-four hours, one full day to gather your supplies."
"When I start this timer."
Knov said, pulling a small pocket watch from his hand. "The countdown and the hunter exam itself will officially begin."
He paused, adjusted his glasses again, and looked calmly down at the crowd of applicants.
"A friendly reminder, the amount of materials you collect in this phase will determine your standing in the next round."
"In other words, the more you gather this time, the greater the advantage you'll have later."
"Alright then, now..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't give the applicants any time to react; he directly pressed the pocket watch in his hand.
Click.
"Timer starts!"
Clatter!
The moment Knov said that, the applicants scattered instantly in all directions.
The large crowd that had been gathered there broke apart, spreading out toward every corner.
"Let's hope this round manages to eliminate as many applicants as possible."
Seeing this, Knov shook his head slightly and then leaped down gracefully from the high crane hook.
Tap.
He landed as light as a feather on the ground.
Then he turned his gaze toward the last and only remaining applicant still in the area.
"Hello, examiner Knov."
Luke greeted him with a smile. "May I ask how many extraction points there are in total?"
"I can't tell you that..."
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