"48 minutes and 32 seconds. Not even an hour... and a candidate has already passed."
"And it's just one person who collected 61 number plates... what an unimaginable monster."
Fox glanced at the timer in his hand, then silently looked up at the candidate standing in front of him, Number 44. His heart was shaken.
"This counts as completing the assessment, correct?" Hisoka asked the examiner with a cold smile, his tone flat.
"O-Of course."
Fox nodded and hurriedly took out the examiner's dedicated scoring tablet to register this candidate, Number 44, according to the counted score—
[Number 44, Hisoka.]
[Total points: 71. Current rank: 1]
Fox looked at the score and thought to himself:
"Even if the two subsequent three-person teams collect all the remaining 39 number plates, they will only have at most 69 points. Without stealing plates from other candidates, it's impossible for them to surpass this guy's score."
"Looking at it this way, this guy is definitely passing, and will most likely be first."
Shortly after registering Hisoka's score.
To Fox's surprise...
Just half an hour later, the second candidate to complete the assessment appeared.
It was a white-haired boy carrying a black backpack. His eyes were wrapped in bandages, and his forehead was covered in sweat... He looked extremely exhausted.
After climbing up the cliff and resting for a moment, the boy walked over, panting heavily.
"1 hour and 11 minutes..."
Fox glanced at the timer, surprised by the other party's speed, but not yet shocked.
However, when the boy shook all the number plates out of his bag, he realized something was wrong.
The number plates poured out of the bag like a stream of water.
Soon, they covered the table.
Moments later, after counting the number plates, Fox looked at the statistics and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"3... 39 plates?!"
Didn't this mean he collected all the remaining number plates?
Fox looked up at the sweating white-haired boy in front of him, the shock in his heart no less than that caused by the previous candidate named Hisoka.
"Is there a problem?" Yuu asked the examiner in front of him with a puzzled tone.
"No, nothing. I was just making a fuss over nothing." Fox shook his head and began to register the score.
"This year, just as the Chairman said, two unusual guys have arrived."
Fox suppressed his emotions and quickly found the corresponding candidate information based on the number plate on the boy's chest.
[Number 672, Yuu Gojo.]
[Total points: 49. Current rank: 2]
As Fox pressed the confirm key.
At the same time, Chairman Netero also received the corresponding message and saw the scores of Hisoka and Yuu.
"More capable than I thought..." Netero said lightly.
Although there had been outstanding Nen users in previous Hunter Exams, those people only scratched the surface at most. There was still a significant difference compared to relatively mature Nen users like Yuu and even Hisoka.
So Netero inevitably appreciated the two of them a little.
"Barring any accidents, these two should be the passers of this phase of the exam. And according to the content of the next phase, if they can use 'Gyo' proficiently, they will basically pass steadily."
"Looks like I need to decide on the content of the final test in advance."
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Those six candidates never found a number plate on the way from beginning to end.
They even suspected at one point that they had climbed the wrong cliff.
Therefore, they retreated to the foot of the mountain and started from a different side. In the end, they groped all the way, exhausted their strength before even reaching the top, and were forced to call for rescue, sadly retiring.
So unsurprisingly, Hisoka and Yuu ranked first and second respectively, easily passing the third phase of the exam.
And the next fourth phase of the exam was the easiest test for Yuu so far.
The location was a dense forest full of poisonous insects. The two would each receive a fragment of a treasure map, and needed to find the remaining 4 fragments based on the clues on the map.
Obtain the complete map.
Only then could they find the final tomb where the treasure was stored.
Retrieving the treasure marked on the map and bringing it back to the exam site within the specified time would be considered passing.
And Yuu also discovered that the drawings on these treasure maps were carved with Nen by a certain Nen user, so the other fragments of the treasure map were clearly connected to this map by Nen.
Plus, with his 'Limitless Technique' active the whole time, it could be said that he completed the exam content as easily as strolling in his own backyard.
When Yuu rushed back to the exam site full of joy, he found that Hisoka had been waiting there early.
According to the examiner, Hisoka was only about half an hour faster than him. Their times were 6 hours and 6 hours 37 minutes respectively.
But this still made Yuu's somewhat inflated heart shrink quickly.
...
Because the completion time of the two candidates was too far from the specified time, after thinking about it, the examiner contacted the Chairman to confirm whether to complete the exam early.
Hearing this, Netero just smiled and said:
"Since the only two remaining candidates have completed the assessment, what's the problem with declaring them qualified in advance..."
"Could it be that you want them to sit there and wait for the time to end? That would be too rigid."
Thus, Yuu and Hisoka finished the fourth phase of the exam, which was supposed to be the most dangerous, like a speedrun.
...
At this moment, in a meeting room on the second floor of the airship.
Netero sat around the conference table with a group of examiners and Beans, discussing the content of the final test.
Fox, the examiner of the third phase, lamented:
"However, speaking of which, those two guys are really exaggerated... They arrived at the assessment site in the morning and came back in the evening."
"Especially that guy named Hisoka, he always gives me a very dangerous feeling. Facts have proved that his strength is far above mine."
"Dangerous?" Bisky smiled and said: "I just think... that guy looks pretty good."
"But what concerns me most is candidate Number 672. That boy feels like an unpolished 'gemstone', making people unable to stop wanting him..."
Satchi opened his mouth, seeming to say something, but everyone didn't hear it, so it was skipped.
Compared to Satchi, Sam's voice was much louder. He picked up on Bisky's words and continued:
"I haven't had much contact with Number 672, but I agree with Mr. Fox. Candidate Number 44 does give a very dangerous feeling... Satchi and I, as Blacklist Hunters, have come into contact with many criminals. The danger level of candidate Number 44 is also the highest level among criminals in my eyes."
Sam said, then turned to look at Netero and asked:
"By the way, Chairman, what do you think of the remaining two candidates?"
"Well... candidates Number 44 and Number 672 give me a feeling similar to what you said," Netero said calmly.
"But specific details... without personal contact, what one understands will only be superficial. I haven't had contact with them, so it's hard to give a judgment."
Sam nodded in agreement upon hearing this, then asked:
"Then regarding the final test... Chairman, do you have any plans?"
"About this..." Netero looked at the examiners and asked:
"If I say I wish to dispatch one of you to fight with the two candidates, what do you think?"
Immediately, among the four examiners, everyone except Bisky shook their heads vigorously, full of reluctance.
After all, being a Hunter Examiner didn't necessarily mean being stronger than the candidates.
Except for Bisky, their attainments in 'Nen' could only be considered average. Even Fox only started practicing 'Nen' in the last six months and hadn't fully mastered the Four Major Principles.
As for Satchi and Sam, as Blacklist Hunters, although they had a certain level of combat proficiency, they were more like experts who learned some abilities to help solve cases.
In terms of actual combat, they were still somewhat lacking.
So, facing Hisoka with their level... was obviously inappropriate.
Netero turned to look at Bisky, but before he could speak.
Bisky also refused seriously:
"Although they are just candidates, I will still treat them with the standards I use for my disciples."
"So if you let me test them, even if there is a tiny mistake, I will deduct a lot of points. At that time, it's estimated that neither of them will pass..."
Hearing this, Netero was also quite helpless.
"That's really no way..."
After thinking for a while, Netero secretly made a decision and said:
"Since that's the case, let's have the candidates duel each other as usual."
"However, regarding the victory conditions, I plan to talk to the two of them, use their own wishes as reference, and finally make a decision..."
...