《Holder of Magia Erebea Starting in HxH》 Chapter 1 : Prologue l ??????-?? (????? ?????). ?????? ?? ?? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???. ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ???????. ??? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ???????? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ???????? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ?????. ??? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????. ??? ????? ???????? ????? ? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ??? ????? ????????? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???????. " ????-???!! ? ??? ????????-????? ?" ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????? 13 ?? 14 ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ???. ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? 165 ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????. ??? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ??????. "?? ????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? "? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????. "?????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ????????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ???????" "??? ??? ?? ????? ???" ???? ????? ???????? ????. ??? ????? ?? ?? ???????? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??????? ????????. ???? ???????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ???????? ?????? ????? ??????. ?? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??????? ???. "????????? ? ???? ??? ???? ?" ??? ??? ??? ???? ?????. "?????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ." "?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???. ?? ???????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????"? ??? ??? ??? ???????? ?????. "?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ?????? ???????? ? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ????????? ????? ?? ???". The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "???? ??? ??? ????? ??? Numa no Nushi ??? 20 ??????" ??? ??? ??? ???????? ????. "??? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ?????." "?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??? ??????" ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???????? ??? ????. "??? ??????? ??????." "..." Touta silently glared at the men mocking his friend. He couldn''t help but frown, clearly disliking how others were ridiculing his friend for pursuing his dream. On this island, there were only three children, and Gon was the closest in age to Touta. They often spent time together, which is why they were friends. Touta didn''t appreciate how others made fun of Gon. "Instead of mocking Gon, why don''t you go and try to catch the Numa no Nushiyourselves?" Touta said suddenly, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Oh~, now I remember that 20 of you tried to catch it and couldn''t, so you gave up." "Touta, you little brat!!" The faces of the men who had been mocking Gon turned red with embarrassment, as what Touta said was their most shameful history. "What? Do you want to fight?" Touta said, rolling up his sleeves, ready to take on the five or six men without any fear. He was confident in his ability to defeat them. Even though Touta was only 14 years old, he was incredibly strong, capable of defeating ten grown men in a fight by himself. "Muscle-headed fool," one of the men sneered and quickly fled, lacking the courage to fight Touta. After the first one ran, the others soon followed, one after the other. Even though it wasn''t a real fight, they didn''t want to risk being beaten up by Touta. "Are you Konoe Touta-kun?" asked a kind and polite voice from behind Touta. "That''s right, and who are you?" Touta asked, looking at the stranger, who had clearly just arrived on the island, especially given the bag he was carrying. The man had the appearance of a gentleman, with a pleasant smile on his handsome face, blue hair, black eyes, and a suit matching his hair color with a yellow tie. "I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Tachibana, and I''m an acquaintance of Yukihime-san," said the man known as Tachibana with an apologetic smile. "When I saw you, I couldn''t wait to speak with you, as Yukihime-san often talks about you in her letters." "An acquaintance of Yukihime..." muttered Touta, eyeing the man, who reeked of hypocrisy, with some suspicion. Even though he didn''t know much about Yukihime''s acquaintances, he didn''t believe she would know someone as two-faced as the man in front of him. "That''s right. I''m also a teacher, and I used to work with Yukihime-san," Tachibana said, approaching Touta with a smile and whispering in his ear when he saw Touta''s doubt. "To be honest, I confessed to Yukihime-san once, and she rejected me. But we''re still good friends, and that''s why I''m here today, to invite her to my wedding." "?????~" ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????. ??? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ?????? ????. "?????? ??????? ??? ????????? ????????? ???." "???? ???? ??? ????-???" ??? ????????? ?? ??????? ??????? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????. "?????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ???????? ???? ?? ??????"? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????. ??? ???? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ?? ?????????? ???? ??? ???? ????? ???? ?????. Chapter 2 : Prologue ll "We''ve arrived," said Touta as he stood in front of a simple wooden house in the forest by a lake. He had lived there with Yukihime since they arrived on Whale Island, having built the house themselves. Yukihime possessed vast knowledge in many fields. "I see... thank you for your hard work," Tachibana smiled and, without hesitation, stabbed Touta with a sword that appeared from nowhere. "W-what...?" Touta could only stare at his chest in disbelief as he felt a burning pain. A simple sword had pierced him from behind and was protruding from his chest. "Cough!!..." Touta coughed up some blood but quickly gritted his teeth and tried to kick Tachibana with a back axe-kick aimed at Tachibana''s face. "Interesting..." Tachibana muttered as he withdrew his sword from Touta''s back and effortlessly leapt backward, avoiding Touta''s attack. "You bastard!!..." Touta glared at Tachibana in anger and fear, clutching his right hand over the wound in his chest¡ªdirectly over his heart. Tachibana clearly intended to kill him with no chance of survival by stabbing through his heart. "Touta?..." At that moment, Touta heard a sweet, gentle voice that could only belong to Yukihime. "Are you back?" "...!" As soon as Yukihime opened the door, her eyes fell upon Touta kneeling, clutching his chest where his heart was, and bleeding. "Touta!!" Seeing Touta in such a state, Yukihime couldn''t help but panic. She rushed toward him in a frenzy, not even noticing Tachibana, who had appeared beside her through a magic circle in the air. "Yukihime!! Behind you!!" Touta shouted in panic and tried to lunge toward Yukihime to protect her, but he couldn''t move. Having been stabbed through the heart, he lacked the strength, causing him to collapse into a small pool of his own blood. Hearing Touta''s scream, Yukihime attempted to turn around to defend herself, but it was too late. All she felt was a cold blade slicing her body into several pieces at lightning speed, sending each part flying in different directions. As hands, feet, and other pieces flew off in different directions, Yukihime''s head landed beside Touta, almost as if Tachibana was mocking them by making sure they died together. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "You bastard, who are you!!" Yukihime asked angrily, her hatred toward Tachibana, who had attacked Touta, clearly visible. "As expected of a Vampire with a 5 billion Jenny bounty," Tachibana said in admiration as he stared at Yukihime, who could still speak despite her body being sliced into more than five pieces. "I see... a bounty hunter," Yukihime said as she moved closer to Touta, bringing their faces extremely close to each other. "Yukihime..." Touta muttered weakly, staring at her in shock. He knew how strong she was, yet he never expected her to be killed alongside him. Seeing Yukihime''s condition, Touta couldn''t help but feel a surge of overwhelming anger. But it wasn''t directed at Tachibana¡ªit was at himself for bringing this bastard here, causing Yukihime''s death. "Touta... listen carefully," Yukihime whispered, so low that Tachibana couldn''t hear. "It seems that man used some kind of poison on his blade, which is preventing me from using my power. That means you have to defeat him yourself." "Hmm, witness..." Tachibana muttered, noticing Gon sitting atop a large tree, fishing by the lake, seemingly unaware of the commotion happening below. Although Gon hadn''t seen anything, Tachibana licked his lips with excitement as he stared at Gon with murderous intent. The excuse of a witness was just a reason for him to kill more humans, as he enjoyed killing. Due to his excitement, Tachibana didn''t notice the conversation happening between Yukihime and Touta. He already considered them dead, believing that no Vampire could survive a pierced heart, dismemberment, and poisoning with a substance that prevented regeneration. "Listen carefully, Touta," Yukihime said seriously, noticing how Tachibana was preparing to kill Gon. "Do you want the power to kill that man and save Gon?" Even though Yukihime knew she was exploiting the situation to fulfill her selfish desire, she didn''t care. She was certain that Touta would forgive her. "Yes, I want the power to kill that damn bastard," Touta said, gritting his teeth in anger, staring at Tachibana with a murderous intent. He certainly wouldn''t forgive the person who killed his family, not to mention that Tachibana also wanted to kill his only friend. "Then drink my blood!!" Yukihime said, staring at Touta seriously. "You must drink my blood willingly. You will become an Immortal Monster, but you will gain the power needed to defeat that man." "Immortal Monster..." Touta muttered as he stared at Yukihime''s blood-covered lips. Without hesitation, he pressed his lips against hers, using his tongue to lick the blood off her lips. "..." Yukihime''s eyes widened in shock. She hadn''t expected Touta to kiss her, let alone lick her lips to get her blood. Given her knowledge of Touta, she had expected him to lick the blood off the ground. But despite her shock, Yukihime didn''t resist, and she didn''t seem to mind. She gently closed her eyes, savoring the faint warmth transferring from Touta''s lips to hers. Chapter 3 : Kaijinmaru Exam l A Week Later "Are you coming with us too, Yukihime?" Touta asked, staring at the beauty with blonde hair and purple eyes who was carrying a luggage bag and ready to board the ship with him and Gon. "Of course, you fool," Yukihime replied as she walked beside Touta. "As I told you before, there''s a bounty on my head, and bounty hunters may come here once they know my location." Although there was a bounty hunter in the Hunter Association, the ones pursuing Yukihime were not part of it; they were merely bounty hunters in the black market and shady organizations. "Speaking of which, I feel like you mentioned something like this before," Touta nodded in slight confusion as he was excited to leave the island and didn''t care about what Yukihime had told him after he had killed Tachibana. Yesterday, Touta had turned into a vampire by drinking Yukihime''s blood and gained immense power that allowed him to crush Tachibana and kill him easily. Even though Tachibana was strong for a human, the power of a vampire was something beyond imagination, even if it was just a newly turned vampire. "Yukihime-san, please take care of Gon," Mito came to Yukihime, asking her to look after Gon, who was also going to participate in the Hunter Exam. "Leave it to me," Yukihime smiled lightly before raising her fist with a smile that promised pain. "I''ll make sure to teach him well if he makes a mistake." Gulp* Touta could only swallow nervously for Gon, as it was clear he was going to be in for a rough time under Yukihime''s discipline. "Touta!! Yukihime-sensei!! The ship is about to sail!" Gon shouted, who was already on board after saying goodbye to Mito and the others. "Let''s go, Yukihime," Touta said, picking up his bag. "Take care of yourself and grandma, Mito-san." "Then we''ll leave now," Yukihime said as she also picked up her bag. "Make sure to rest; it''s not good to work all the time." "Don''t say it as if I''m a workaholic," Mito puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction at her friend''s words, but she quickly smiled and added, "And you take care of yourself too, and make sure to come back to visit with Touta-kun." "I will..." Yukihime said as she walked beside Touta, and they boarded the ship under the farewell of all the residents of Whale Island. _ If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. On Board the Ship After Touta and Yukihime boarded, the ship began its journey towards Dolle Harbor. "This is amazing!!" Touta exclaimed, staring at all the people on the ship, who were carrying weapons and various gear, not to mention their intimidating appearances. However, he was not scared; he was excited. "Yukihime, do you have a weapon?" Touta asked with sparkling eyes as he also wanted a weapon upon seeing everyone with some kind of arms. "A weapon? Where would I put it?" Yukihime smiled lightly at Touta''s eager eyes and wanted to give him a weapon, but unfortunately, she didn''t have any with her. "I see..." Touta felt disappointed upon hearing Yukihime''s answer, but he quickly regained his spirit and went to Gon. "Gon, let me borrow your fishing rod," Touta asked, feeling bored as there was nothing interesting on board the ship. "Sure, but what do you want to do?" Gon asked curiously as he handed over his fishing rod to Touta. "Isn''t it obvious? I''m going to fish," Touta said with a smile as he casually sat at the edge of the ship and cast the line into the sea without even putting bait on it since he just wanted to pass the time and wasn''t really fishing. "Then I''ll go explore the ship," Gon said, leaving Touta to fish while he went to wander around the ship. "..." Yukihime watched their interaction with a slight smile before she walked over and sat beside Touta, gazing at the sea while ignoring the looks from the men around her. _ After Two Hours "It seems like there''s a storm coming," Touta said, staring into the distance, as his senses had greatly enhanced since becoming a vampire, allowing him to smell the strong scent of moisture and salt in the air, indicating a storm was approaching. "Right, and it looks like a big storm," Yukihime nodded at Touta''s observation, as she could already sense it from the changes in the wind and weather. "Should we go inside?" Touta asked, wanting to reel in the fishing line to move into one of the ship''s cabins, as it wouldn''t feel good to be caught in the storm and get their clothes wet with the sticky and foul-smelling seawater. "Oh~ It seems I caught something big!!" At that moment, Touta felt something tugging on the line, and it seemed like a big fish due to its weight, and he quickly tried to pull it in. "Did you catch something?" Yukihime couldn''t help but feel amazed, as it was nearly impossible to catch fish in this storm; all the fish must be fleeing or hiding. Not to mention that Touta hadn''t even used bait to attract any fish. "That''s right," Touta nodded with an excited smile and pulled the line with all his strength, causing the fish to come out without any resistance. "Huh! This isn''t a fish," Yukihime said in astonishment as she stared at the object that was flying in the air, appearing as though the fishing line was wrapped around it. "A person?!!" Touta exclaimed in confusion and quickly caught the person who was in the air and placed them on the ship''s deck. "..." After placing the person on the deck, Touta stared at them, and he had to say he didn''t expect to catch a beautiful girl. What Touta had caught was indeed a beautiful girl; she had milky white skin and long black hair styled in a side ponytail, with some strands covering her left eye. She wore black pants and a long black coat. "Is she alive?" Yukihime asked as she walked towards Touta and the person, who seemed to be suffering from oxygen deprivation. "Hmm, she is, but her heartbeat is weak," Touta said as he placed his ear on the chest of the unconscious person to hear their heartbeat and didn''t hesitate to press on their heart to try to help her. "..." Yukihime watched Touta''s swift and skillful actions and nodded in satisfaction, as it seemed he was recalling everything she had taught him and executing it perfectly. Chapter 4 : Kaijinmaru Exam ll "Cough!! ... Cough!! ..." - After performing CPR, the black-haired person regained consciousness and coughed up a large amount of seawater. "Thank God, you''re alive," - Touta smiled happily when he saw the black-haired person wake up. "Did you save me?" - the black-haired person asked after finishing his coughing fit and didn''t hesitate to bow towards Touta in gratitude - "Thank you for helping me." "You''re welcome," - Touta smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake - "My name is Konoe Touta, and you?" "Tokisaka Kuroumaru, nice to meet you, Konoe-kun," - Kuroumaru smiled as he shook Touta''s hand, feeling happy to meet such a kind person in this strange place. "You can just call me Touta, Kuroumaru," - Touta said with a smile as he helped Kuroumaru to his feet - "By the way, what were you doing in the sea?" Touta was very curious as he just wanted to pass the time, but he didn''t expect to end up saving a person. "My boat was swallowed by a tornado, causing me to drown in the water," - Kuroumaru said, as he hadn''t expected his luck to be this bad. As soon as he found his target and went to eliminate him, he was caught in a tornado that he couldn''t do anything against, leading to the destruction of his small boat and his drowning in the sea. "You have bad luck," - Touta smiled lightly as he consoled Kuroumaru - "By the way, if you don''t have a specific destination, how about joining us?" "Join you?" - Although Kuroumaru had a specific destination, his interest was piqued by Touta''s indication that they were more than one person. After Touta spoke, Kuroumaru noticed that Yukihime was standing behind Touta. Yukihime was an extremely beautiful woman with milky-white skin and purple eyes, along with blonde hair that reached her feet. Anyone who saw her would be enchanted by her, especially with her well-proportioned body in all the right places. Her allure was clearly evident from the looks of others on the boat, but it seemed different for Kuroumaru. "Evangeline A.K. McDowell!!" - Kuroumaru exclaimed as he summoned a sword from thin air, staring at Yukihime with fear and caution. "Kuroumaru, are you a Bounty Hunter?" - Touta asked with a dark expression, as his previous mistake with Tachibana had put Yukihime''s life in danger. If she weren''t a vampire, she would have been killed, and that''s why Touta disliked bounty hunters. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Bounty Hunter? You''re mistaken," - Upon hearing Touta''s question, Kuroumaru felt confused but answered honestly - "I am a member of a clan of Immortal Hunters, and I have been sent to eliminate Evangeline A.K. McDowell, known as the Dark Evangel." "Dark Evangel? Well, since you''re not a Bounty Hunter, it''s fine," - Upon hearing Kuroumaru, Touta stared at Yukihime curiously, but he no longer cared about Kuroumaru''s killing intent towards Yukihime. Although he was directing his fighting intent at Yukihime, he had no intention to kill, not to mention he was far too weak compared to Touta. Kuroumaru ignored Touta''s mumbling and disappeared to appear in front of Yukihime, with the sword in his hand targeting Yukihime''s neck. He knew that Yukihime possessed incredibly strong immortality and couldn''t die from just a head cut, and thus there was no hesitation in his movement. "Huh~, Shinmei-ry¨±," - Yukihime murmured as she caught Kuroumaru''s sword with two fingers and stared at him with a nostalgic look, as she had a past with Shinmei-ry¨±. Even though Yukihime was lost in a moment of nostalgia, she did not hesitate and pierced Kuroumaru''s heart with her other hand, casually throwing him aside. "Did you kill him?" - Touta asked curiously, and he didn''t seem to mind Yukihime killing Kuroumaru, since Kuroumaru had attacked her first and should be prepared for this outcome before attacking. "No," - But to Touta''s surprise, Yukihime shook her head lightly and pointed at Kuroumaru - "Look, he''s still alive." Upon hearing Yukihime, Touta walked towards Kuroumaru curiously to see that Kuroumaru''s wounds were healing visibly. "Is he also Immortal?" - Touta asked curiously, as he was new to this world and didn''t know much about Immortals and other things. "That''s right, it''s ironic that an Immortal Hunter is himself an Immortal," - Yukihime said nonchalantly, leaning against the ship''s railing and staring at the approaching storm, as everyone began to clear the deck. "This is amazing," - Touta murmured as he watched the hole in Kuroumaru''s chest disappear in a matter of seconds - "I wonder if he''s a girl." Seeing Kuroumaru''s beautiful face, Touta couldn''t help but think he was a girl, even though he spoke like a man. Thus, he curiously extended his hand to see what was inside Kuroumaru''s pants. Touta moved his hand lightly without making a sound, as he clearly did not wish to disturb Kuroumaru''s sleep. He grabbed the edge of Kuroumaru''s pants and wanted to lift it to check what was inside. "What are you doing!!" - At the moment Touta grabbed his pants, Kuroumaru quickly sat up and punched Touta on the head hard, as he hadn''t expected to be harassed while he was asleep. "Well, you have a cute face, so I wanted to make sure if you were a girl," - Touta said with a smile, rubbing his head where Kuroumaru hit him, as it stung a little. "I''m a man!!" - Kuroumaru shouted, but the redness on his face only raised doubt among others, as no matter how they looked at him, he was a beautiful and cute girl. "Really? Then let me check if you have a penis or not," - Touta said, clearly skeptical of Kuroumaru''s words. "Don''t say penis!!" - Kuroumaru yelled shyly, covering his ears, as it was evident he was not used to such vulgar language. "..." - Yukihime stared at the interaction between the two and couldn''t help but smile, as she was happy to see that Touta didn''t seem worried about becoming an Immortal. Chapter 5 : Kaijinmaru Exam lll "Do you want to defeat me, Younger?" - Yukihime asked curiously as she watched Kuroumaru gather his wits and point his sword at her again. "That''s right, I must defeat you so I can return home," - Kuroumaru said with determination, as the words of his older brother, who had ordered him to defeat Yukihime if he wished to return home, echoed in his mind. "But I have already defeated you," - Yukihime said nonchalantly, causing Kuroumaru''s resolve to turn into frustration - "But I will give you a chance; if you defeat Touta, I will allow you to fight me again." "Hey, Yukihime," - upon hearing Yukihime''s words, Touta couldn''t help but complain - "Don''t involve me in this since I get nothing from fighting Kuroumaru." "So you mean that if I give you something in return, you will fight?" - Yukihime said with a teasing smile, looking at Touta, who nodded, indicating he wouldn''t mind fighting if he got something - "Then in that case, I will grant you one request, no matter what it is, even if it''s a lewd request." Although Yukihime tried to act flirtatiously as if she didn''t care much even if Touta asked her for something lewd, the redness in her face betrayed her, as it was clear she was embarrassed by the idea, but it didn''t seem like she hated it. "Okay!! Let''s fight, Kuroumaru," - upon hearing Yukihime''s words, Touta''s eyes ignited with determination, and he was ready to win against Kuroumaru - "But how about we also place a bet, so the loser has to fulfill one request for the winner?" "One request?" - Kuroumaru murmured, but he quickly clenched his body and stared at Touta cautiously and shyly as he had just heard what Yukihime said - "Are you going to ask for something lewd from me as well?" "Something lewd?" - Touta murmured seriously, staring at Kuroumaru, as he couldn''t believe Kuroumaru was a man based on his feminine reactions. However, he quickly shook his head and stated his request - "If I win, I want us to become friends, and in return, I will fulfill any request you have if you win." "Friends? That''s impossible since I am an Immortal Hunter and you are an Immortal," - Kuroumaru said sarcastically. Although he felt he could agree with Touta, their identities didn''t allow for that, especially since he could see that Touta was also a vampire - "But fine, I agree, as my desire is to fight Evangeline." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Then it''s settled," - Touta smiled as he took a fighting stance, staring at Kuroumaru''s sword with eagerness, as he wished to have a sword for himself. It would be great to wield a sword and fight against enemies. "..." - Kuroumaru stared at Touta, seeing the desire in his eyes as he looked at the sword. Thus, he extended his other hand, and another sword appeared from thin air, which he threw to Touta - "Use it, as it''s not fair to fight against an unarmed person." "Really!! Thank you," - Touta smiled happily as he examined the sword with joy. "Since you are both ready, I will signal the start," - Yukihime said, standing between the two with her hand raised - "Start!!" As soon as she lowered her hand, Yukihime jumped onto the mast where the ship''s sail was fixed, watching the battle between the two from above, ignoring that the ship was climbing a massive wave that could easily sink it. "!!!" - Upon hearing the start signal, Touta assumed a sword-drawing stance and attacked Kuroumaru, who was taken by surprise since this position was not a common one. It was the sword-drawing stance of Shinmei-ry¨±, which he had used a moment ago to attack Yukihime. ''Did he copy my technique from just seeing it once?'' - Kuroumaru thought in shock, as he hadn''t expected such a monstrous talent. It was clear that Touta had no background in swordsmanship from his previous stance, but at that moment, he executed Zanganken: Stone Cutting Sword, even though he wasn''t using Ki in the attack, as it seemed he didn''t know how to use it yet. [A/N: Ki is the same as Nen, but Kuroumaru doesn''t know anything about Nen, so I will refer to it as Ki for now.] But despite Kuroumaru''s shock, he didn''t hesitate to move; he positioned his unsheathed sword in front of him and blocked Touta''s attack. Although Zanganken was a powerful and dangerous technique, without Ki, it would lose a lot of its strength. Therefore, Kuroumaru dared to block it instead of dodging. ''What is this power? He''s not even using Ki in his attack,'' - Kuroumaru thought as Touta''s attack reached him, realizing the force behind the attack was extraordinarily brutal, even without using Ki to enhance its strength. Unfortunately for Kuroumaru, he forgot that Touta was a vampire and had monstrous strength, especially since Touta''s strength far exceeded that of an ordinary adult human, even before he became a vampire, which granted him the raw power to crush rocks easily without exerting all his strength. With a single attack, Kuroumaru was sent flying back a few meters, but he quickly performed a flip in the air to lessen the impact and landed on the ship''s deck without any issues. "As expected, using a sword is fantastic," - Touta said with a happy smile, but he sheathed the sword - "But unfortunately, the sword is too short." Although the sword was a completely normal sword with a blade length of 80 cm, unlike the Kodachi, which had a blade length between 40 cm to 60 cm, Touta couldn''t believe that it was too short. With this thought, Touta didn''t hesitate to use the sword to distract Kuroumaru and threw it at him from the side, rushing towards him to attack with his bare hands. Chapter 6 : Kaijinmaru Exam lV "As expected, using a sword is a wonderful thing," Touta said with a happy smile as he returned the sword to its sheath. "But unfortunately, the sword is far too short." Although the sword was just an ordinary sword with a blade length of 80 cm, unlike the Kodachi, which has a blade length between 40 cm to 60 cm, Touta couldn''t believe it was too short. With that thought in mind, Touta didn''t hesitate to use the sword to distract Kuroumaru. He threw the sword at him from the side and rushed toward him quickly to attack with his bare hands. Touta didn''t hesitate and kicked the ground with all his strength, causing the deck''s surface to crack, appearing in front of Kuroumaru at an impossible speed for an ordinary human. Although Kuroumaru was blocking the sword that Touta had thrown at him, he was faster than Touta had anticipated. In the blink of an eye, he got rid of the sword with a quick movement and attacked Touta, who was only a few steps away. Despite the fact that Touta was stronger than Kuroumaru in sheer strength, Kuroumaru excelled in combat experience and techniques, in addition to his speed. However, Touta also had ferocious combat instincts, so he didn''t hesitate to avoid Kuroumaru''s sword by dropping his upper body to the ground. Not only that, but he also attacked Kuroumaru with his foot during his fall. "W-wh..." Kuroumaru couldn''t believe he had managed to dodge his attack with such silly movements, let alone that he had attacked him. But he didn''t waste time and attacked Touta using his elbow, causing damage to both of them. While Kuroumaru was pushed back a few steps, Touta''s face was smashed into the ground because Kuroumaru had reinforced his elbow with Ki. "Whoa~, they''re not bad," Yukihime smiled, clearly pleased as both were lacking in many aspects, but their talent was evident, which made her excited to see their growth. The two remained in shock for only a second and quickly exchanged dozens of strikes and punches. Although Kuroumaru primarily attacked with his sword, he also used his other hand and feet to attack. "Awesome!! He''s so strong!" Touta thought, smiling happily as he enjoyed the fight, even though Kuroumaru was pressuring him, and it was only a matter of time before he was defeated. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "I''ve got you!!" Kuroumaru shouted upon seeing an opening and didn''t hesitate to slice Touta''s head off, as there was no one else on the deck besides them, so there was no need to hold back. "With this, it should be over, as even if Konoe-kun is a Vampire, his body functions should stop for a while after decapitating him," Kuroumaru thought comfortably as he lowered his sword since it was time to fight against Yukihime. "Not yet!!" Touta shouted as his hand moved and grabbed his severed head, firmly reattaching it to his neck, healing in less than a second. "What!!..." Kuroumaru screamed in shock and tried to defend against Touta''s attack, but it was already too late as Touta crushed him with an overhead axe kick. Boom* With a resounding noise, Kuroumaru''s head was smashed against the deck, creating a hole in the ship''s surface. "Hooray!! I did it!" Touta shouted happily as this was the first time he managed to win a fight against someone other than Gon, as he had only fought against Gon and Yukihime, where he was always defeated by Gon while he was constantly crushed by Yukihime, who possessed brutal strength. "Not bad, but you need to learn how to fight, as relying solely on your instincts and brute strength won''t help against stronger opponents," Yukihime said with a slight smile, happy to see Touta so joyful. "So, I will train you from now on." "Seriously!! Thank you, Yukihime," Touta smiled happily and didn''t hesitate to hug Yukihime, burying his face in her heavenly bosom. "You rascal..." Yukihime muttered, as it was clear that Touta loved her breasts, rubbing his face against them whenever he got the chance. "Are you going to leave your new friend lying unconscious like this?" "That''s right," hearing Yukihime, Touta quickly released her hug despite his reluctance and returned to Kuroumaru, whose head was still stuck in the gap on the deck. "Kuroumaru, are you okay?" Touta asked, poking Kuroumaru lightly before his hand moved again toward Kuroumaru''s pants to see what was underneath, as he was really curious if Kuroumaru was a man or a woman. "What are you doing!!" The moment Touta tried to lift Kuroumaru''s pants, the person in question woke up and punched Touta with all his might. "As you know, I won the fight, and now we are friends, right?" Touta said, rubbing his head, as Kuroumaru''s punch had been extremely painful. "And that''s why I wanted to know the gender of my new friend." "I already told you I''m a man!!" Kuroumaru shouted in frustration and embarrassment, but he quickly remembered that he had lost to both Yukihime and Touta, and his expression turned to depression. "I''ve lost twice... just kill me." It was clear that Kuroumaru was very frustrated and wanted to die, but he was immortal, and there was no way to kill him. At least, Touta didn''t know a way to kill immortals. "Kill you? I don''t kill my friends," Touta said with a wide smile, as he was happy he had asked to become friends with Kuroumaru, feeling confident that things would be fun from now on. "Friends..." Kuroumaru mumbled in astonishment, as he didn''t expect Touta wanted to become his friend. "Sorry to interrupt you, but..." Yukihime said, pointing to the massive hurricane approaching them, "it''s better to get inside now, or we''ll be caught up in it." Chapter 7 : Kaijinmaru Exam V After the fight between Touta and Kuroumaru ended, the three entered the cabin to find that the ship''s captain was seemingly waiting for them. Gon was also present, and two people were leaving, looking angry, as if they were planning to fight. "You''ve finally arrived," said the captain upon seeing Touta and the others. "Now, could you tell me your names?" "Our names? My name is Konone Touta." Despite his confusion, Touta answered the captain''s question because Yukihime had told him that once they left the island, the Hunter Exam would begin, and this must be one of the exam stages. "Tokisaka Kuroumaru," Kuroumaru replied indifferently, not caring even if he told the captain his name. "Yukihime, but there''s no need to worry since I''m not participating in the Hunter Exam," Yukihime introduced herself as well, pulling out a card from her pocket. "I already have a Hunter License." "Triple Hunter¡­" The old man couldn''t help but swallow hard when he saw the card in Yukihime''s hand. Only about ten people worldwide possessed this card. As for the possibility it was fake? The old man didn''t even consider it, knowing the Hunter Association wouldn''t let anyone get away with such an act, and no one would be foolish enough to try it. "In that case, may I ask why you''re on board?" the captain asked respectfully. He wasn''t foolish enough to upset a Triple Hunter, though he was curious about Yukihime''s reason for being on a ship reserved for those taking the Hunter Exam. "I''m here to accompany them for the exam," Yukihime said, gesturing to Touta, Gon, and Kuroumaru. "I see¡­ So, why do you want to become Hunters?" The old man nodded toward Yukihime, then turned his gaze to Touta and Kuroumaru. "Because it''s interesting, plus I want a Hunter License. It lets me enter all countries, and I love to travel," Touta said with a big smile, excited to see what the Hunter Exam would offer a vampire like him. "Is that so? And what about you, young lady?" The old man nodded approvingly but couldn''t help but address Kuroumaru as a girl, as he was exceptionally beautiful for a man, especially with such clear skin that clearly belonged to someone who took good care of herself. Not to mention Kuroumaru''s voice, which was melodious and distinctly different from a typical man''s voice. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I''m a man!!" Kuroumaru shouted in frustration, not fond of people assuming he was a girl just because of his attractive appearance, even though he was actually genderless. "As for why I want to become a Hunter, it''s because I want to accompany Konoe-kun and Yukihime-dono, so I decided to take the test alongside Touta-kun." "Hmmm¡­" The old man hummed, stroking his beard as if pondering something. "Captain!! This is bad!!" one of the crew members shouted, pointing outside through the glass window at a water column over 100 meters high approaching the ship. "¡­." The old man stared at the water column in shock, not even noticing that his pipe had fallen from his mouth. "Why are you standing there stunned!?" Although shocked, the old man was a seasoned sailor and quickly regained his composure. "Go quickly and lower the sails, and I''ll take control of the helm!" "R-right!" Hearing the captain''s words, a thin man named Katzo didn''t hesitate to dash outside with the rest of the crew to carry out the captain''s orders. "I''ll help too!" Gon said, quickly running outside with the others. "What do you want to do, Konoe-kun?" Kuroumaru asked when he saw that Touta had no intention of going out to help, unlike himself, who was already outside the command room. "I''ll leave it to you and Gon since I have something to take care of with Yukihime," Touta smiled and waved to Kuroumaru, eager for his reward from Yukihime after their earlier bet. "All right, leave it to me," Kuroumaru nodded and disappeared from the doorway, reappearing at the end of the corridor. "Amazing! What was that, Yukihime?" Touta asked curiously, having seen Kuroumaru reach the other end of the hallway in just two steps. "That''s called Shund¨­; it''s a technique that allows you to move between two points with minimal steps," Yukihime explained as she stepped out of the command room with Touta. "And don''t ask me to teach you, because you''re not ready yet. You must pass the Hunter Exam before starting to learn it." Shund¨­ relies on using Ki, or what''s also known as Nen, but Touta couldn''t use Nen yet, so there was no point in trying to learn Shund¨­ now. Why hadn''t Yukihime helped Touta unlock his Nen? That was simple: since Touta had recently become a vampire, he''d gained immense power, and Yukihime didn''t want to hinder his growth by unlocking his Nen prematurely. She wanted him to master his powers as a vampire first, and the Hunter Exam was the ideal place to help him do that as quickly as possible. "All right, let''s go. It''s time for me to get my reward," Touta said with a smile, showing his prominent fangs. He had asked Yukihime to let him drink her blood as his reward, still remembering that intoxicatingly sweet and delicious taste when he''d licked her blood-filled lips. Chapter 8 : Exam Hall l Dolle Harbor "We''ve finally arrived!" Touta exclaimed, stretching his stiff body. He had been growing bored of looking at the sea for over a week, with nothing else to do except flirt with Yukihime and occasionally spar with Kuroumaru. "So, this is where we part ways," Yukihime said suddenly, picking up her bag and preparing to leave. "We''ll meet again after the Hunter Exam is over." "Where are you going? Weren''t you supposed to be coming with us?" Touta asked, confused. He also felt a bit uncomfortable, having grown used to Yukihime always being by his side over the past two years, so he wasn''t accustomed to her absence. "Don''t make that face," Yukihime smiled helplessly, ruffling Touta''s hair as he visibly didn''t want to part from her. "Accompanying you at this stage would only hinder your growth, and I have some things to take care of before we start traveling together." "Alright," Touta replied. Although he didn''t want her to leave, he didn''t want to be a bother by clinging to her either, so he decided not to say much more. "Take care of yourself." Despite Yukihime''s appearance as a reliable adult, Touta knew how clumsy she could be and couldn''t help but feel worried about her being on her own. She didn''t know how to cook or manage household tasks and such, which added to his concerns. "Of course. You take care of yourself too, and make sure you pass the Hunter Exam," Yukihime said with a smile before giving Touta a light kiss on his lips and leaving. "Touta-kun, is your relationship with Yukihime-dono like that?" Kuroumaru asked in shock, not expecting that Touta and Yukihime were in this kind of relationship. "Although we aren''t lovers, our relationship is close to that," Touta replied nonchalantly. His relationship with Yukihime wasn''t a secret; everyone in Whale Island knew about them. "Let''s go. It looks like Gon is done talking with the old man," Touta said, noticing Gon walking towards them as they stood in front of a map posted on the street. They all had received a note informing them that the location of the exam was somewhere in Zaban City, and according to the map information, there were buses heading to Zaban City shortly. "Touta, the Captain just told me a shortcut to the Exam Hall!" Gon called out excitedly as he approached Touta and the others. It wasn''t just Touta and Kuroumaru there but also Kurapika and Leorio. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "A shortcut?" Touta asked in confusion. Although he enjoyed a challenge, he didn''t mind taking a shortcut to avoid unnecessary hassle, as finding the Exam Hall shouldn''t be easy based on what he had heard from the old man. "That''s right. The Captain told me to head toward the cedar tree here," Gon said, pointing to a particular hill on the map, with a cedar tree clearly drawn on it. "Wait, Gon. The note we received says the Exam Hall is somewhere in Zaban City, and the place that old man told you about is in the opposite direction from the note," Leorio said, pointing to the note in his hand. "You''re right, but don''t forget that the old man is probably some kind of proctor and should have information that we don''t," Touta replied. Although he wasn''t the smartest, he wasn''t entirely thoughtless either. "Now that you mention it¡­" Leorio muttered, struggling with the decision. Even though Touta''s words held some truth, Leorio couldn''t risk failing, especially with his dream within reach. Once he passed the Exam, he would go on to study medicine. "In any case, I''ll go to the cedar tree as the Captain advised," Gon said abruptly and began walking along the path on the map toward the hill with the cedar tree. "Then, I''ll go too," Touta said, deciding to accompany Gon. Mito had asked him to look after Gon, and his instincts were telling him that going to the cedar tree was the better choice, and Touta trusted his instincts completely. "My apologies," Kuroumaru bowed slightly to Kurapika and Leorio before following behind Touta. He wasn''t particularly interested in the Hunter Exam and was only accompanying Touta because they had become friends and he didn''t have anywhere else to go. "I''ll go too. Following Gon is more interesting than following an unclear note like this," Kurapika said, crumpling the note and putting it in his pocket. "Guys¡­" Leorio muttered helplessly as he saw everyone abandon him to head toward the cedar tree. "Wait up! I''m coming with you." After thinking it over seriously, Leorio felt it would be better to go with everyone. He also had his doubts about the note, as it was clearly meant to mislead them. "By the way, Kuroumaru, could you teach me that technique you used to disappear in the passageway on the ship?" Touta asked, still curious. Although Yukihime had said he couldn''t learn it yet, he felt he could learn at least a part of it. "That technique? Do you mean Shund¨­?" Kuroumaru recalled using Shund¨­ to assist the crew when the storm hit the ship. "I don''t mind teaching you, but to use Shund¨­ to its fullest, you first need to learn how to use Ki." "Ki? You mean that strange pressure I feel from you from time to time?" Touta asked. Although he hadn''t yet unlocked his Nen, he could sense Kuroumaru using Nen. "That''s right. But even if you haven''t learned to use Ki, you can still use Shund¨­," Kuroumaru replied. It was clear that Touta wanted to learn Shund¨­ immediately. However, if he wanted to unlock his Ki, it would take at least two months. "If you want, I can teach you Shund¨­, but to use it fully, you''ll need to unlock your Ki." "Ki? I don''t mind, I just want to learn Shund¨­," Touta replied, not particularly interested in learning Ki at the moment. "I''m curious about it, so I don''t really care if I can use it to its fullest or not. Besides, Yukihime told me I''d be able to learn it after the Hunter Exam." Chapter 9 : Exam Hall ll Two Days Later, Exam Hall "We finally made it," complained Touta as he stepped out of the elevator, which had taken them to an underground hall packed with people waiting to take the Hunter Exam. The past two days had been extremely exhausting. They had to move from one place to another without any rest, and they had to pass tests along the way to even reach the next location. It made Touta feel like he was playing a role-playing game on a console. "Here, these are your participant numbers for the Hunter Exam," said a short green creature as he extended his hand toward Leorio, handing him a white card with the number "403" written in black. "Please attach it to your chest and make sure not to lose it." After Leorio, the green creature handed everyone their number cards in order: Kurapika received the number 404, while Gon got 405. As for Touta and Kuroumaru, Kuroumaru received 406, and Touta got 407. "Do we just wait here now?" asked Touta, puzzled, as he attached his number card to the left side of his chest. "That''s right," a voice came from above. A middle-aged, chubby man jumped down beside Touta and the others. "This is the place where participants gather for the Hunter Exam. After a while, the First Phase will begin." "I see... but who are you, old man?" Touta nodded after hearing the middle-aged man''s explanation. "Me? My name is Tonpa. Nice to meet you all." Tonpa smiled kindly and pulled out some juice bottles from his bag. "How about a drink to celebrate our meeting?" "Thank you, old man. By the way, I''m Konoe Touta," said Touta, taking one of the juice bottles from Tonpa. Touta didn''t hesitate to open the bottle and drink it in one go since he was thirsty; he hadn''t had time to buy anything to drink after eating a while ago. "Hmm¡­" As soon as the juice entered his mouth, Touta grimaced. He could easily tell there was a laxative in it from the strange taste. As for how he knew it was a laxative? That was simple¡ªafter failing to beat Yukihime in a direct fight for a long time, he''d tried using a laxative to defeat her. However, Yukihime wasn''t affected by it and even forced him to drink it himself. Because of that experience, he knew the taste of a laxative well, even if it was faint and barely noticeable. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. But he wasn''t afraid since he was a vampire, and poisons had no effect on him¡ªincluding a mere laxative. Crush Touta finished his bottle of juice in one gulp before Tonpa could hand the others their drinks. Without hesitation, he grabbed Tonpa by his collar and lifted him into the air. "W-What are you doing?" asked Tonpa nervously, fear creeping into his voice. Touta''s strength was no joke; he lifted him with one hand, even though Tonpa weighed over 120 kg. "Tell me, old man, why did you put a laxative in the juice?" asked Touta with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes. If an ordinary person drank this juice, they wouldn''t leave the bathroom for three full days. Death by dehydration would even be possible, as the laxative Tonpa used was ten times stronger than what Touta had used in the past. "L-laxative¡­ What are you talking about?" Though Tonpa was surprised Touta noticed the laxative, he wasn''t foolish enough to admit it and decided to play dumb. "L-laxative? Are you saying this juice contains a laxative?" Leorio asked, staring at the juice bottles on the ground in disgust and fear. "¡­." Although Gon and Kurapika didn''t say anything, they glared at Tonpa with a frown. It was clear that Tonpa was trying to sabotage them so they wouldn''t participate in the Hunter Exam. "Oh~ so you''re planning to play dumb, huh?" Touta said with interest. "Kuroumaru, hand me one of those juice bottles." "Alright," Kuroumaru nodded without hesitation, picking up one of the juice bottles on the ground and opening it for Touta. He easily understood what Touta intended to do. "W-Wait, I''m sorry!!" Tonpa didn''t hesitate to apologize, realizing what Touta planned to do. "I won''t do it again, so please let me go." "It''s too late. You shouldn''t have tried to mess with us," Touta said with a smile, grabbing the juice bottle from Kuroumaru and forcing it into Tonpa''s mouth, making him drink its contents. "¡­." Feeling his mouth blocked and the juice flowing down his throat, Tonpa struggled to break free from Touta''s grip. He was going to be forced to drink the juice if he wanted to breathe. Unfortunately, Tonpa''s strength was not enough to free himself, and Touta''s grip held him like iron shackles, ignoring his resistance. Gulp Gulp With a look of despair, Tonpa drank the juice forced down his throat since he couldn''t breathe as the juice blocked his airway. He didn''t want to die from suffocation. As for breathing through his nose, he didn''t dare. He could imagine Touta shoving a juice bottle up his nose if he tried to breathe through it without drinking. "Take this as a lesson, and don''t try to play tricks on others again," Touta said, tossing Tonpa aside like garbage. He only wanted to punish him a little and didn''t care about lowly trash like Tonpa. "Cough!¡­ Cough!¡­" Tonpa didn''t respond to Touta''s words, rubbing his neck and coughing violently, feeling like he''d almost died a moment ago. "And now, Kuroumaru, show me how to do Shund¨­," said Touta with his usual smile, as he no longer cared about Tonpa. This was the perfect place to practice Shund¨­ until the First Phase of the Hunter Exam began. Chapter 10 : The First Phase of the First Exam l Swish Swish Swish "¡­" - Kuroumaru stared at Touta and had to admit that Touta''s talent was terrifying. If he had been born into a family specialized in magic and martial arts, he would be invincible, as he learned Zanganken just by seeing it once. The same applied to Shund¨­; he only needed to see it once and was able to mimic it easily, although he still lacked the ability to use Ki. "Amazing¡­" - said Gon, gazing at Touta, who kept appearing and disappearing in different spots with a sparkling look in his eyes. ''This goes beyond extraordinary; he''s a monster,'' - thought Kurapika, who also tried to learn Shund¨­. Kuroumaru didn''t mind teaching them, but Kurapika couldn''t understand it, let alone imitate it with the same perfection just from seeing it once. As for Leorio, he wasn''t interested in learning Shund¨­ since his dream was to become a doctor, not a martial artist. "As expected of me, it''s so easy," - Touta smiled with satisfaction. He had always been skilled at learning things, able to master cooking, studying, and various tasks just by seeing them once. If he wanted, he could surpass the best chefs and teachers with just a little effort. "¡­" - Four people stared at Touta with mixed emotions, but it was clear that they were all impressed with his talent, fully aware that this man was a monster. The closest to Touta was a boy around the same age as Gon, with silver hair, blue eyes, and holding badge number 99. Another was a man with auburn hair and golden eyes, dressed in strange clothes, with a teardrop tattoo under one eye and a creepy smile. There was also a man with many needles on his face watching Touta with an expressionless gaze. The last was a beautiful girl with long, messy pink hair styled in a ponytail and cold blue eyes, which gave her an unapproachable look. This didn''t detract from her beauty, however; it even added a few degrees, and her clothing suggested she was a Kunoichi. Clank At that moment, one of the walls rose to reveal a man with pale purple, curly hair ending in waves, cold blue eyes, and a thin, curled mustache. He wore a blue suit. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "My apologies for the wait," - said the man as he bowed slightly and introduced himself - "I am the appointed proctor for the First Phase of the 287th Hunter Exam. My name is Satotz." "Now, the First Phase of the 287th Hunter Exam will begin," - Satotz said, gazing at the participants seriously - "There is a high chance you will suffer severe injuries or even lose your lives, so if anyone isn''t ready, please leave using the elevator at the back." "I see¡­ so the First Phase of the 287th Hunter Exam will begin with 406 participants," - Satotz stated. Although there had been 407 who arrived, one of them was killed by the man named Hisoka for bumping into him. As he finished speaking, Satotz began walking down the path that had just opened, although it seemed more like he was gliding rather than simply walking. "You still haven''t told us what the First Phase entails," - one of the people said while everyone followed behind Satotz. "The First Phase is simply to follow me to the Second Phase," - Satotz said indifferently, not even pausing. "Just follow you to the Second Phase? Is that it?" - asked a bald man whose clothes suggested he was a ninja. "That''s right, all you need to do is walk behind me," - Satotz replied as he increased his pace, causing the applicants to start jogging behind him. "What do you think the purpose of this phase is, Touta-kun?" - Kuroumaru asked as he gazed at Satotz seriously, feeling a great deal of danger from the elegant man. "They must want to test our stamina," - Leorio said confidently. Although he couldn''t match the group in terms of raw physical strength, he trusted his intellect. "Maybe, but it doesn''t matter since all we have to do is follow Satotz-san," - Touta shrugged, unconcerned about the purpose of this phase as Satotz had told them to simply follow him to the Second Phase. _ After 4 hours. "Disgusting¡­" - Touta muttered as he pinched his nose, the stench of sweat filling the air and making him nauseous, as his heightened senses as a vampire made the smell affect him more than the others. "Is something wrong, Touta-kun?" - Kuroumaru asked, noticing that Touta seemed displeased. "The smell of sweat is strong; it''s making me feel sick," - Touta said openly. Although the number of applicants had decreased significantly, with about 350 remaining, the odor of sweat was unbearable. "I see, being a vampire, the smell must affect you more due to your heightened senses," - Kuroumaru nodded, understanding that a blessing can become a curse in certain circumstances, and this was one such example. - "Use this, Touta-kun. It may not help much, but it''s better than nothing." Kuroumaru took out a packet of scented tissues and handed it to Touta, who placed one on his nose to lessen the unpleasant odor. "Thank you, Kuroumaru, you''ve saved me," - Touta smiled happily, taking the pack of scented tissues from Kuroumaru and immediately pressing one to his nose. With the scented tissue on his nose, Touta''s frown disappeared, replaced by a peaceful expression as he enjoyed the floral scent of the tissues instead of the nauseating stench of sweat. Chapter 11 : The First Phase of the First Exam ll "We finally made it!" sighed Touta in relief, tossing aside yet another scented tissue¡ªhe''d lost track of how many he''d used¡ªand took a deep breath of the refreshing, though slightly humid, air. Despite the dampness in the air, which hinted they might be in a swamp, the mist smelled far better than the overwhelming stench of sweat that had been unavoidable among the hundreds of applicants crowded together. Having composed himself, Touta glanced over toward the tunnel. He had managed to get ahead of Satotz, ensuring that he could make it out as quickly as possible. Thus, he was the first to arrive. "I won!" echoed Gon and Killua together, their voices overlapping in a playful yet competitive tone. Just at that moment, Gon and Killua emerged from the tunnel simultaneously, while Satotz stood at the entrance, observing the other applicants who were trailing behind. "Don''t be ridiculous; I got here before you!" declared Killua, clearly not thrilled about the idea of losing to Gon, even if it was a trivial competition. "That''s my line! It''s obvious I reached the finish line first!" responded Gon, frowning slightly as if it were crystal clear that he had, indeed, arrived just before Killua. "¡­," Touta observed them for a moment, then simply shook his head and moved toward Satotz. "Satotz-san, have we reached the location of the Second Phase?" Touta asked, placing a hand on Satotz''s shoulder. He discreetly left a trace of a distinctively scented perfume on the spot he touched. Touta had considered resting if they hadn''t yet reached the Second Phase, and marking Satotz with the scent would make it easy to track him. After all, it would be difficult to locate Satotz in this fog-filled swamp without following him directly. "No, we haven''t arrived yet," Satotz replied, briefly glancing at Touta''s hand out of the corner of his eye. Though he noticed what Touta had done, he said nothing, as it didn''t technically violate any rules. Satotz had to admit, however, that the perfume Touta applied had a particularly pleasant fragrance, sparking his curiosity about its source. Yet, as the examiner, he refrained from asking. "I see¡­ Thank you," Touta nodded, glancing over to Kuroumaru, who was nearing the exit. He intended to walk over and share his plan, but he was interrupted by Gon''s voice. "Touta, you saw who got here first between Killua and me, didn''t you?" Gon asked, knowing that arguing with Killua wouldn''t resolve anything. "Can you tell us which one of us arrived first?" If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "From what I saw, you both arrived at the same time," Touta replied, genuinely curious if they had deliberately synchronized their arrival, as their movements were so precisely aligned it seemed as though they''d practiced it many times. "I see¡­ what a pity," Gon sighed, disappointed yet not doubting Touta''s words, knowing that Touta wasn''t the kind to deceive. "Sorry for the delay, Touta-kun," Kuroumaru said with a smile as he reached Touta, taking a look around. "Is this where the Second Phase will be?" "Not yet," Touta replied, shaking his head as he sat down on the grass and leaned against the wall. "It seems we''ll have to cross this swamp to reach the location of the Second Phase." "But I''m not planning on heading there directly. I''m going to rest here for a bit before moving on," Touta added, closing his eyes to relax. However, he didn''t fall asleep immediately, as he expected Satotz to give them information about the swamp soon. "What about you? Will you stay here with me or follow Satotz-san?" "I''ll stay with you," Kuroumaru replied without hesitation, sitting beside Touta. "But won''t it be hard to track Satotz-san in this swamp if we wait here too long?" "It''ll be fine; you should know how strong my senses are," Touta said with a proud smile. Though his keen senses had caused him some trouble in the underground tunnel, they were something he took pride in. "I even applied a little bit of Yukihime''s perfume on Satotz-san. So even if he''s 50 kilometers away, I can follow him easily." "I see," Kuroumaru nodded, not doubting Touta''s words, knowing that vampires had extraordinary senses. Touta, being a High Vampire, likely had senses even sharper than most vampires. From what he''d observed in the underground tunnel, Kuroumaru could tell Touta''s sensory abilities were exceptional, even by vampire standards. Touta and Kuroumaru fell into a comfortable silence, closing their eyes and simply savoring the fresh air after more than a quarter of a day of non-stop running. After about ten minutes, the tunnel''s exit was sealed, and Satotz began explaining the Milsy Wetlands, also known as Swindler''s Swamp. Everyone quieted down to listen, focusing intently on Satotz''s explanation, including Touta and Kuroumaru. Although their eyes were closed, they paid close attention to his words, knowing that it would be foolish to ignore instructions from the examiner. "That''s why you all need to be cautious, as the creatures in the Milsy Wetlands will use every possible tactic to deceive and kill you," Satotz said with a serious tone that sent shivers down the spines of many applicants. "I don''t think we''ll be easily deceived, especially knowing they''ll try to trick us," muttered Leorio under his breath, feeling as though Satotz was underestimating their intelligence. "Don''t let him fool you!" At that moment, a voice rang out from beside Touta, and a man none of them had seen before appeared before them. "This¡­ This is magic power," Touta thought to himself, examining the stranger who had appeared beside him. It was evident that this man was no human, as humans didn''t possess magic power, let alone reek of something that smelled distinctly like a monkey. "Don''t be deceived by him. This man is a fraud, and I am the real examiner," declared the newcomer, clutching an object in his hand and lifting it for everyone to see. "Take a look at this!" "I see¡­ so this is one of the dangers of this swamp," Touta thought, closing his eyes nonchalantly, seemingly indifferent to the magical beast standing beside him. Chapter 12 : The First Phase of the First Exam lll "Where is this...?" Touta mumbled, looking around to see an empty and completely chaotic place filled with random splashes of black and white that were scattered everywhere in this empty space. "Is there anyone here?!" Touta shouted, staring around, but he heard no response. "Is this place empty?" "That''s right, wasn''t I sleeping?" Touta murmured as he walked through the strange place. "Was I kidnapped by the creatures that live in the Milsy Wetlands?" Although this was a plausible possibility, Touta quickly dismissed it since Kuroumaru was also by his side, and he should have noticed if something had happened. Not to mention, part of his mind was awake in case they were attacked. "So am I inside a dream?" This was the most logical assumption for Touta. "But seriously, what a strange dream this is." Honestly, Touta didn''t understand why his dream consisted of an empty world made up of chaotic black and white colors. Despite their encounters in various places, they had not mixed and maintained their original purity without being tainted by the other color. Suddenly, a transparent door appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the empty world. The moment the door appeared, the world split into two parts: the right side turned completely white, and the left side became entirely black, with the door separating them. "A door..." Touta murmured, approaching the door with curiosity. However, when he was three steps away from it, a fog enveloped him, and his vision became distorted. Even though Touta disappeared, the world, which was no longer empty due to the presence of the transparent door, remained unchanged and continued to be silent. _ "Hmm, was it a dream?" Touta mumbled as he woke up in the Milsy Wetlands, but unlike before, there was only himself and Kuroumaru. "Touta-kun..." Kuroumaru murmured, rubbing his eyes and waking up upon feeling Touta''s movement. "Sorry, did I wake you?" Touta smiled apologetically and couldn''t help but question Kuroumaru''s gender because no matter how he looked at him, he was a beautiful girl, not a boy. "It''s okay; I''ve rested enough," Kuroumaru said, lightly shaking his head as he got up, sword in hand, since the Milsy Wetlands were filled with monsters, and it was unwise to let his guard down. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "I see, then let''s go," said Touta, rubbing his nose slightly as he focused on smelling Yukihime''s perfume that he had put on Satotz. Touta''s choice to use Yukihime''s perfume wasn''t just a whim; he had considered it because using a familiar scent was much better than an unfamiliar one, especially since Yukihime''s perfume was distinctive and had a very strong smell. "This way," Touta said, using Shund¨­ to appear a few meters away the next moment, repeating this action over and over. "Touta-kun is a monster," Kuroumaru muttered in shock, realizing that something was different about the Shund¨­ Touta was using now compared to before, as there was a small amount of Ki/Nen in his feet, and it seemed he was using it unconsciously. However, after witnessing Touta''s brutality in the past few days, Kuroumaru quickly regained his composure and used Shund¨­ as well to keep up with Touta. _ Thirty minutes later. In just thirty minutes, Touta and Kuroumaru had covered a distance of 50 kilometers and were close to catching up with Satotz. Boom* Boom* Boom* As Kuroumaru sheathed his sword, numerous corpses of Magical Beasts fell to the ground, as they weren''t that powerful despite their large size. Rattle* Suddenly, both felt a terrifying intent to kill nearby that made it hard for them to breathe. Although Touta had faced Tachibana''s intent to kill before and hadn''t been affected, now he could only clutch his throat as breathing became difficult for him. "Touta-kun!!" Kuroumaru exclaimed anxiously. Although the intent to kill was terrifying, Kuroumaru was accustomed to the killing intent from his older brother, which was many times greater than this killing intent, though this one was more disgusting than his brother''s. "I''m fine," Touta said with difficulty. Although he was beginning to adapt to the killing intent, speaking was still hard. "But it seems he''s coming this way." As soon as Touta finished speaking, a man with crimson hair and yellow eyes appeared before them. He resembled The Magician, especially with the yellow tear under his left eye, but his facial expression was disgusting, clearly indicating he was in a state of ecstasy. "Ah, I didn''t expect to meet such a delicious prey," Hisoka said, staring at Touta and Kuroumaru with murderous intent and delight. He had noticed the two before and targeted them, especially upon seeing Touta''s terrifying talent, even for a genius like Hisoka. "You''re that man, Hisoka," Touta said, getting up as he had grown accustomed to Hisoka''s killing intent, although he still felt his body was heavy. "What do you want from us?" Kuroumaru asked, gripping his sword tightly as he watched Hisoka like a hawk, ready to attack the moment Hisoka tried to do anything to them. "Fighting against both of you at the same time is difficult," Hisoka muttered, as he could see that Kuroumaru was using Nen; he hadn''t hidden it and was surrounding himself with an aura. Although Touta wasn''t using Nen, his physical strength was not to be underestimated, especially when considering how quickly he had become accustomed to Hisoka''s killing intent. It wouldn''t be surprising if he awakened his Nen in battle, making the fight even harder. Despite being in a state of ecstasy, Hisoka''s mind was working well, and he knew that engaging in a fight against both of them now was not in his favor. Chapter 13 : The Second Phase of the Hunter Exam l Milsy Wetlands The Milsy Wetlands was a vast swamp filled with fog, preventing others from seeing what was ahead of them. But at this moment, three people stood, tense, carefully eyeing each other. Ring* Ring* Ring* At that moment, the sound of a phone ringing broke the tense atmosphere between the three. While the two stared at it warily, Hisoka pulled a wireless phone from his pocket and answered the call. {Hisoka, it''s best that you return now as we seem to be nearing the Second Phase location.} "Okay, I''ll be there soon," Hisoka said, closing the line, putting the phone back in his pocket, and smiling at the other two. "Unfortunately, it looks like I must leave now. See you later." After speaking, Hisoka slowly walked toward the forest and disappeared into the fog. However, this did not cause Touta and Kuroumaru to immediately lower their guard. They waited until they were certain that Hisoka had moved far enough away so that it would take him more than two seconds to attack them. "Let''s go as well, since, as I just heard, Satotz-san should be arriving at the Second Phase location soon," said Touta, heading in the opposite direction to Hisoka''s path. It wasn''t in their best interest to follow him, in case Hisoka changed his mind and decided to fight them. Although the two were immortals and weren''t afraid of fighting to the death, entering a battle to the death against Hisoka would be extremely exhausting. Not to mention, they didn''t have much time, or they would be eliminated from the Hunter Exam. Therefore, the two decided not to get involved with Hisoka, at least not for now. --- "Thank you all for your hard work," said Satotz upon reaching a metal gate bearing the Hunter Association emblem. "The Second Phase will take place here. I will excuse myself now and wish you all the best of luck." After speaking, Satotz walked toward the forest like a mechanical man and disappeared from sight. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Clank* After Satotz left, the metal gate opened, revealing a simple building with a large courtyard, several kitchens, and a giant man sitting at the end of the path. A beautiful woman with an arrogant face stood nearby. "Welcome to the Second Phase," the woman said with the same smile, not even bothering to stand. "I will be your examiner, and my name is Menchi." "And I will also be your examiner. My name is Buhara," said the giant, overweight man sitting on the ground behind Menchi. "It seems the Second Phase is about cooking," Kuroumaru commented, as everyone stared at Buhara and Menchi. He was also observing the surroundings and noticed many cooking tools lined along the path. "That seems to be the case," Touta nodded with a slight smile, feeling confident in his cooking abilities. He had always been the one to prepare meals while living with Yukihime, as her cooking was a dangerous weapon capable of destroying cities, more than something for human consumption. Gurrrr* "What''s that sound?" one of the applicants asked, frightened. The sound now resembled the roar of a beast. It wasn''t just him; many applicants were nervous when they heard the terrifying noise. "Seems like you''re hungry already," Menchi smirked sarcastically, looking at Buhara behind her. "I''m starving, and I feel like my stomach is stuck to my back," Buhara grumbled, rubbing his massive belly with a painful expression. "And so, the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam begins," Menchi said with a smile. "As for the subject of this phase, it will be cooking. Anyone who can get both of us to approve of the food they cook will succeed." Upon hearing the details of the exam, many people became confused and started complaining and arguing with Menchi. "Looks like your guess was right," Touta smiled lightly, happy to have Kuroumaru around, as he had a broad perspective and didn''t focus on just one thing. "That''s true, but I wonder what kind of food we''ll have to cook," Kuroumaru smiled with happiness at Touta''s compliment. "I don''t know, but I hope it''s not pig dream," Touta said with a look of disgust, as he wasn''t a fan of pork and had never eaten it before. "You hate pork?" Kuroumaru asked, puzzled, as pork was used in many dishes. It was rare to find someone who disliked it. Though he didn''t know if this planet was the same as Earth, he hadn''t seen much difference between the people here since his arrival. "Kind of. I can''t stand pork because, as you know, pigs eat filth, and I just don''t feel right eating meat from such a creature. I also hate touching it," Touta said with a bitter smile. Fortunately, Yukihime didn''t like pork either, so he hadn''t faced any issues so far. "As for the dish you''re going to cook, you will use pork as the main ingredient," Buhara said at that moment, as if doing it to annoy Touta. "You''re free to choose which pigs from the nearby forest you want to hunt. Now, go." Upon hearing Buhara, everyone rushed into the nearby forest to hunt pigs quickly, fearing there wouldn''t be enough for everyone. "Touta-kun, are you alright?" Kuroumaru asked with concern when he saw Touta frozen in place. "I''m fine," Touta smiled bitterly, glaring at Buhara. "Excuse me, but can I get gloves and protective clothing like those used for harvesting honey from a beehive?" Chapter 14 : The Second Phase of the Hunter Exam ll "Excuse me, but can I get a suit like the one used to collect honey from beehives?" Touta asked, staring at Buhara and Menchi. "Hmm, why?" Menchi gazed at Touta with a smile, feeling that this teenager was going to surprise her somehow. "He told us to use pork as the main ingredient, but he didn''t specify what we should use to season it or how to cook it. So, I want to use honey in cooking, and that''s why I need a suit to protect me from bee stings while collecting the honey," Touta explained. This was one of his reasons for wanting the suit, but the bigger reason was that he didn''t want to touch the pigs. "I see... what you want is inside," Menchi nodded in approval, seemingly pleased that someone had an interest in cooking, and not minding the teasing she had given them. "Thank you," Touta nodded at both of them and walked toward the small storage they had indicated. "What do you think, Kuroumaru? Do you want one too?" "Mm," Kuroumaru nodded. He had to admit that he felt disgusted by the pigs after hearing what Touta had said, and he swore to himself that he would never touch or eat pork again. Under the curious gazes of Menchi and Buhara, the two got what they needed from the storage. There were many useful cooking items, and they didn''t hesitate to take them, as they would need them for cooking. Once they had what they needed, the two donned their protective suits and placed the other items by their assigned mini-kitchens. They then left the area. "What do you think, Buhara?" Menchi asked, gazing at the backs of Touta and Kuroumaru with an interested smile. "It seems we can expect something from this year''s beginners," Buhara smiled knowingly, watching as the two walked away. "That''s true," Menchi agreed, nodding. She closed her eyes, awaiting the return of everyone, especially Touta, as it was clear that he wasn''t fond of cooking. _ Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Touta-kun, look over there," Kuroumaru said, pointing to a nearby tree that clearly had a beehive. "Should I go get the honey?" "I''ll leave it to you, as I need to gather some herbs to season the food," Touta replied, collecting herbs from the ground. It was clear that this location had been carefully chosen, as there were many herbs and ingredients used for cooking. There were many useful herbs, including ginger, lemon leaves, cilantro, garlic, and pepper, among others. Touta strolled leisurely through the forest with Kuroumaru while collecting the herbs that would be useful for seasoning the meat. Although he had never eaten pork before, he had seen many people cook it, so he didn''t have any trouble preparing it. He was skilled at mimicking others. It didn''t take long before Touta finished gathering enough herbs for ten people. He had gathered enough for himself, Kuroumaru, Gon, and the others. Despite Gon spending a lot of time with Killua and the others since the Hunter Exam started, Touta hadn''t forgotten him, especially since they had been friends for two years without anyone else to befriend. "I''m done gathering the honey," Kuroumaru said, appearing in front of Touta with two large jars filled with fresh honey. There were also many bees buzzing around him because he had stolen the honey from them. "Great, now we just need to gather some fruits to decorate the dish and get the main ingredient," Touta said. He had also finished collecting the herbs and wasn''t bothered by the bees surrounding them, as they couldn''t get through their protective suits. The two quickly walked and gathered vegetables and fruits. There were many apple trees, lemon trees, and others nearby. "What''s that sound...?" Touta murmured as he heard a noise, as if a giant were walking. "Touta-kun!! Look over there," Kuroumaru said, pointing to where other applicants were searching for pigs. "Pigs!! They''re huge!" Touta shouted in astonishment, as this was the first time he had seen pigs of such size. They easily weighed between 200 and 300 kg due to their size. "It looks like we''ve found the main ingredient, the final one," Kuroumaru said with a smile. A magical circle appeared near him, and a simple sword materialized from it. "Then I''ll leave the hunting of the pigs to you," Touta said, taking the honey jars from Kuroumaru. "Leave it to me," Kuroumaru smiled, not hesitating to charge toward the pigs. With a simple movement of his sword, he severed the head of one of the pigs. "I''ll go ahead and prepare things. Catch up with me when you''re done," Touta said as he left. Kuroumaru would need some time to cut up the pigs, remove the blood, tendons, and bones, etc. _ "It seems he''s back," Menchi commented, noticing how Touta had returned with many items in hand. "But it doesn''t look like he''s carrying any pig with him," Buhara remarked, noticing that there was no pork with Touta despite him having many other ingredients. "It must be his companion who is going to get the pork, while he''ll take care of the seasoning and spices," Menchi guessed, seeing how Touta placed the herbs and other ingredients down, beginning to wash, grind, and mix them. Chapter 15 : The Second Phase of the Hunter Exam lll Touta quickly took out the herbs, vegetables, and fruits that he had gathered from the forest, washed them to ensure their cleanliness, and began chopping the vegetables and fruits. He had already decided what he would do, in addition to grinding the herbs and making the spices to season the meat. While Touta was working, many of the Applicants quickly returned with giant pigs. "..." - Touta stared at the Applicants for a moment before going back to peeling the potatoes, as he was planning to serve fried potatoes as a side dish. That wasn''t all; he intended to cook the meat in the oven along with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and some other herbs. As for the seasonings he was going to use for the meat, he had finished all of them, including the portion for Gon and the others. After many Applicants arrived, Gon and the others also showed up, causing Touta to stop what he was doing and carry a few plates to them, as their kitchens were next to each other. "Gon, take this and rub it on the meat," Touta said, handing one of the plates to Gon. "This is for you as well." "Is this it?" Leorio asked, staring at the plate in his hands with confusion. There was a red liquid inside. "It''s a seasoning made from herbs and spices, used to enhance the flavor of meat," Touta replied, looking at Leorio as if he were foolish. "I already know this!!" Leorio yelled in frustration, as he wanted to know the ingredients of the red liquid. "By the way, if you don''t know anything about cooking and just want to grill the meat without doing anything else, I recommend boiling it in hot water for 15 minutes first," Touta said, leaving them alone as Kuroumaru had already returned with the chopped meat, ready for cooking. "Isn''t it okay to let him help them like this?" Buhara asked, as, although he didn''t care, he knew how much Menchi hated seeing someone belittle cooking by letting others do the cooking for them. "It''s fine. He hasn''t done much other than giving some advice and spices," Menchi shook her head casually. "Obviously, Touta knows what he should and shouldn''t do. The final taste depends on them. 70% of the flavor depends on the cook, not just the spices." Stolen novel; please report. "That''s true," Buhara nodded after hearing Menchi, not saying anything more. He was busy wiping his saliva, clearly excited to taste Touta''s cooking. _ "Touta-kun, here is the meat," Kuroumaru said, placing the bags of meat on Touta''s counter. "I''ve already washed it in a nearby river." "Thank you, Kuroumaru," Touta smiled as he took the meat. He had already taken off his suit and was wearing gloves, as, despite feeling disgusted by pork, he couldn''t cook well while wearing the suit he had worn earlier. "The river water isn''t as clean as this water, so it needs to be washed again. Also, use the contents of that plate to rub the meat before cooking it." "Thank you, Touta-kun," Kuroumaru smiled as he took the meat and the plate with the spices and headed to the temporary kitchen next to Touta. "From here, I''ll take care of it myself, as I know how to cook." "Alright, but if you need any help, don''t hesitate to ask," Touta said, returning his focus to his dish as many Applicants had already started presenting their dishes, despite them being poorly grilled meat. _ "Delicious!!" Buhara shouted happily as he ate a roasted pig presented by one of the Applicants. "It''s bad," Menchi said indifferently as she stared at the roasted pig in disgust. "It''s overcooked, causing the outer meat to burn. You need to prepare it better." Seeing Menchi''s grim face, no Applicant dared to say anything and returned to their place to try cooking again. "It''s disgusting, it''s burnt on the outside and raw on the inside." One by one, the dishes presented by the Applicants were rejected by Menchi without even tasting them. "Next," Menchi said after rejecting almost 50 Applicants. "Next is me," Touta said confidently as he presented his dishes in front of both of them. "What I''ve cooked is roasted pork with vegetables, in addition to fried potatoes as a side dish." That wasn''t all Touta had made; he also prepared some sauces for dipping the meat and fried potatoes, which should earn him a few extra points. "The presentation isn''t bad," Menchi nodded in approval as she saw how well the dish was arranged. "And the smell is wonderful, but I wonder about the taste." After muttering a few things, Menchi picked up a fork, took a small piece of meat, and placed it in her mouth, closing her eyes. But unlike Menchi, Buhara grabbed a whole thigh and started eating it without caring about appearance or presentation. "Delicious!!" Buhara shouted happily, devouring the thigh in a second, then grabbing another piece and continuing to eat. "Not bad," Menchi opened her eyes and nodded in approval, then cut more meat with her fork. "You succeeded." "Thank you very much," Touta smiled and sighed in relief. Even though he was confident in his cooking skills, Menchi''s evaluation was very strict, so he couldn''t help but feel a little nervous. Chapter 16 : The Second Phase of the Hunter Exam lV After two hours. "The Second Phase of the Hunter Exam is over," Menchi suddenly announced while the applicants were thinking of ways to please her and succeed. "The number of successful candidates in this test is only two." Indeed, only two succeeded: Touta and Kuroumaru, while everyone else failed because none of them knew how to cook. Even Gon and the others failed despite Touta''s help, as they didn''t know how to cook meat properly, which caused their failure. "Oh my God, it seems her bad habits have returned," muttered Satotz, who was watching from a distance with binoculars, and he took out his phone to call someone. Boom* "Don''t mess with me, woman!" shouted a fat man as he destroyed the temporary kitchen. "I came here to become a Hunter, not a cook!" "That''s true," shouted another person, and soon everyone began to support the first person, as no one liked the idea of failing the Hunter Exam, especially when the reason was that they couldn''t cook. "I refuse to let my fate be decided by mere Gourmet Hunters!" shouted another person, glaring at Menchi and Buhara with contempt. "Just Gourmet Hunters..." Menchi muttered, forcing herself to smile sarcastically and control her anger. "It''s unfortunate that your examiner is just a Gourmet Hunter. So, try again next year." "Don''t mess with me, you bitch!" screamed the fat man who had spoken earlier, advancing angrily towards Menchi, clearly intending to hit her. Boom* Seeing the man approaching Menchi, Buhara didn''t hesitate to punch him, sending the fat man flying and crashing into a wall 50 meters away. "Buhara, there''s no need to do that," Menchi said, holding several knives in her hands. "But if I hadn''t done that, I would have killed him, wouldn''t I?" said Buhara indifferently, as it was obvious he noticed Menchi''s movement and her killing intent, as she had intended to slice the fat man. "Maybe..." Menchi shrugged indifferently and walked toward the applicants. "It doesn''t matter what kind of Hunter you want to become. All Hunters are required to learn martial arts because no matter what kind of Hunter you want to be, you must risk your life to do what you want." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "And this also applies to Gourmet Hunters," Menchi said, casually tossing the knives in the air, clearly strong. "We risk our lives to gather various ingredients and explore places with dangerous beasts. That''s why everyone will fail except for those two." It was clear that Menchi wouldn''t change her decision; she wasn''t planning on letting anyone succeed except for Touta and Kuroumaru. Seeing how stubborn Menchi was, Hisoka took out one of his playing cards, intending to kill her, as he wasn''t the type to leave quietly if he was going to fail anyway. "What you''re saying is true, but don''t you think it''s unreasonable for only two to succeed?" At that moment, everyone heard the voice of an old man echoing throughout the area, and a hot air balloon with the Hunter Association''s emblem appeared in the sky. Hearing the old man''s voice, Hisoka smiled and returned the playing card to his pocket, seemingly no longer needing to kill Menchi. _ Split Mountain. With the intervention of the Leader of the Hunter Association, Isaac Netero, it was decided to redo the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam on Split Mountain. While everyone would redo the Second Phase, Touta and Kuroumaru were exempt from this, as they had already succeeded, and there was no point in making them redo it. While everyone was at Split Mountain, Touta and Kuroumaru were in the hot air balloon, training while discussing what had happened with Hisoka. "By the way, that power that Hisoka was using," said Touta, dodging a sword strike from Kuroumaru with a backflip and attempting to kick Kuroumaru in the chin, "Was that the Ki you mentioned earlier?" "That''s right," said Kuroumaru, avoiding Touta''s strike, as he had already anticipated it. It seemed that Touta liked to make these attacks while evading the other''s blows. "But his power is a bit different from the Ki I know." "Different? How?" asked Touta, curious. Despite having immense magical power, he didn''t know how to use it, as Yukihime had only taught him to gather his magical energy in his hand and punch, which only enhanced his strength. "I don''t know exactly, but Hisoka''s Ki seems to have special properties or abilities," said Kuroumaru, using Shundo to dodge a flurry of punches from Touta. "Even though he was using Ki, his Ki seemed different from normal Ki." "I see..." muttered Touta, feeling something strange about the Ki that Hisoka was using and also the one Kuroumaru was using. "I think Yukihime knows something, but unfortunately, she''s not here." "That''s a possibility," Kuroumaru nodded in agreement, as even he suspected that Yukihime must know something about the Ki Hisoka was using. After stopping the conversation, the two increased their speed and fought without restraint, intending to kill each other, as they were immortal and not afraid of killing one another. It didn''t affect them much. While Kuroumaru initially wielded a sword, Touta quickly started to pressure him by enhancing his hands with his magical energy, pushing the sword off its path. Thus, the two soon started fighting on equal terms, with Touta developing with every moment, his superior fighting sense, while Kuroumaru compensated for this with his richer combat experience compared to Touta. Chapter 17 : The Third Phase of the Hunter Exam l The next day. "The Third Phase will take place on this tower called Trick Tower," said the green creature in a suit after everyone descended from the hot air balloon. "To succeed in the Third Phase, you must reach the end of the tower within 72 hours." With these words, the hot air balloon''s doors closed, and it flew into the sky, leaving the Applicants without any further explanations. "What should we do, Touta-kun? Should we jump down?" asked Kuroumaru, pointing down, as they were immortals, and even if they died from the fall, they would revive after some time. If this had been before meeting Touta, it would have been impossible for Kuroumaru to think of doing such a reckless thing, despite being immortal. But after meeting Touta and seeing how reckless he was in their fight, to the point where he was willing to let Touta decapitate him to land a finishing blow, Kuroumaru decided to learn from him. "Are you serious? If you jump from here, you will die!" screamed Leorio in terror, glaring at Kuroumaru like an idiot. "This is incredibly reckless," commented Kurapika. Although he had seen how Kuroumaru could walk on air, he could only think that this was reckless, especially since he hadn''t seen Touta walking on air like Kuroumaru. "Although jumping from here has a certain appeal, I''ll refrain," said Touta, pressing one of his feet on a slightly opened floorboard. "This path seems more interesting." "Hidden door!!" shouted Leorio in surprise, as he hadn''t expected hidden doors. "That''s right, I just saw a girl enter one of these doors," Touta nodded and pointed beside Kuroumaru. "By the way, Kuroumaru, that tile is also a hidden door." "Then I''ll go first, guys," Touta said, not hesitating to step on the hidden door and let himself fall. "Then I''ll go too," said Kuroumaru, without hesitation, stepping on the hidden door Touta pointed out and letting himself fall as well. "They''ve gone..." Leorio muttered in astonishment, as he hadn''t expected them to leave like this without even waiting for him. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Don''t just stand there, let''s go find doors too," said Kurapika, pulling Leorio toward Gon and Killua to tell them about this as well. _ Once the hidden door opened, Touta fell into a stone room, empty except for a girl with pink hair and a table with clocks. It took Touta only a moment to examine the room, and he quickly flipped in the air and landed easily on the ground. "Hmm..." As soon as he landed, he heard something moving in the ceiling, causing both him and the girl to look up curiously. "Kuroumaru!!" Touta couldn''t help but smile upon seeing his partner, as he had gotten used to having Kuroumaru by his side in the past few days. "Touta-kun, it seems the doors lead to the same room," Kuroumaru smiled, happy to be with Touta as well. "You''ve arrived," the girl nodded as she saw Kuroumaru and Touta. "My name is Komacine Machi, and from what I saw, we need to use these clocks to vote and move down the tower." "Konoe Touta," Touta smiled and introduced himself to Machi. "You can call me Touta, Machi-chan." "Tokisaka Kuroumaru, nice to meet you, Komacine-dono," Kuroumaru nodded lightly to Machi, as unlike Touta, he wasn''t good at interacting with others easily. "Nice to meet you too," said Machi, maintaining a stiff expression, not commenting on Touta''s way of addressing her. "Now, take the clocks and let''s begin, as there should be three people to proceed." Upon hearing Machi, the two picked up the clocks from the stone table and read the text displayed above the clocks before wearing them. The moment they wore the clocks, the words on the screen changed. [Do you want to proceed?] [O / X] The tower depended on the majority''s decision, as to answer "Yes," they had to press O, and to answer "No," they had to press X. The choice with the most votes would be executed. "The answer is obvious," Touta said sarcastically, pressing O, and the others followed his lead. [O 3 / X 0] Once they answered, a door opened on one of the walls, allowing them to exit the room. "It seems like just a simple test," commented Touta as they walked down the path, finding a crossroads that forced them to choose which direction to go. "So, which direction do you want to go?" "Left/Right," both answered at the same time, as Kuroumaru wanted to go right, while Machi pointed to the left. "Sorry, Kuroumaru, but it''s obvious that there are stronger people to the left," Touta smiled apologetically, agreeing with Machi, as despite knowing that Kuroumaru wanted to do this for him, Touta wanted to fight the strong, not the weak. "I see..." Kuroumaru nodded. Although he was a little sad, he didn''t say anything, as it was clearly Touta''s decision. [O 3 / X 0] After the vote, the left door opened, and everyone walked down the corridor, where arrows quickly began to shoot at them from the walls, in addition to the floor suddenly opening with many iron spikes, clearly aimed at their lives. Although there was a high possibility that other Applicants would die from these traps, the strength of everyone here could not be compared to that of regular Applicants. They were able to walk through the path without any problems. Chapter 18 : The Third Phase of the Hunter Exam ll "Arena..." - Machi muttered upon reaching the end of the road, where she saw a square fighting arena and a similar passage on the other side. There, three individuals with concealed features stood. "Welcome, everyone. I am the Jailer, Lippo," said a man wearing glasses on a large screen beside the arena. "I am the Examiner responsible for the Third Phase of the Hunter Exam." "Now, let me explain what will happen here," Lippo said, beginning to explain the events that would take place in this location. First, regarding the three individuals with concealed features, it seemed they were prisoners from Trick Tower. They had been hired by the Hunter Association to fight against the examinees and delay them. For every hour Touta and the others remained here, the prisoners'' sentences would be reduced by a full year. Second, Touta and the others needed two victories to advance. They were also free to discuss the type of combat among themselves, whether it be gambling, fighting to the death, and so on. Third, there would be no draws. Either one of the fighters would die, or one would admit defeat. "That''s everything," Lippo said after finishing his explanation. "Now, I''ll leave you to it." After speaking, Lippo disappeared from the screen, and the two groups looked at each other. "Then, I''ll go first," Machi suddenly said, walking toward the edge. "So, who will fight me?" "I''ll be your opponent," said one of the prisoners in a disgustingly provocative voice, removing his cloak and licking his lips. "It''s been a while since I enjoyed killing a woman." Once the fighters were chosen, a path extended from the passageways to the arena, allowing the participants to enter. "Fight!!, Machi-chan!" Touta cheered playfully, eager to see an interesting fight. He could sense Machi''s strength and wanted to see how she would crush her opponent. Indeed, there was no real fight. Machi''s opponent was extremely weak, and Touta was certain Machi would easily defeat him. Machi''s opponent was a handsome man with gray hair, blue eyes, and a disgusting expression on his face. He had a well-built physique. This man was named Michael, a notorious criminal who enjoyed torturing women to death. He had killed 1,542 women before being sentenced to 340 years in prison at Trick Tower. "I propose a Death Match," Michael said, staring at Machi with glee. "The fight won''t stop until one of us dies, and surrender is not allowed." "Sure," Machi nodded indifferently, though she was clearly annoyed by Michael''s lecherous gaze. "Then, I won''t hold back!!" Michael shouted, not hesitating to leap toward Machi to attack her. Boom* With unexpected strength for his physique, Michael created a crater in the arena floor. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "It seems you know how to use Nen," Machi commented indifferently, appearing behind Michael. There were numerous Nen threads in her hands. "But you''re just an amateur." After speaking, Machi didn''t hesitate to pull the Nen threads surrounding Michael, causing him to be torn to pieces without any resistance. "That was amazing, Machi-chan!" Touta cheered with a smile. Although he couldn''t see the Nen threads, he could feel them. "Touta-kun, she''s dangerous," Kuroumaru said seriously, staring cautiously at Machi as she returned. It was clear she was stronger than them, but if they united, she wouldn''t stand a chance. "No need to worry, Kuroumaru," Touta shook his head indifferently. He had no reason to fight Machi despite her strength. "Don''t forget, we''re immortal. Besides, there''s no enmity between us." "You''re right," Kuroumaru nodded upon hearing Touta, but he didn''t lower his guard. Part of his focus remained on Machi in case she tried something. After Machi returned, the roof opened, and water began pouring out, causing Michael''s dismembered corpse to fall into the abyss below. The blood on the ground was also washed away. "Great job, Machi-chan," Touta smiled happily, welcoming Machi as she rejoined them. "It wasn''t much. He was just weak scum," Machi said indifferently. With her strength, Michael was nothing more than a small insect she could crush with a single slap. "You''re no fun," Touta said, placing his hand on Kuroumaru''s shoulder as he tried to step forward. "Wait, Kuroumaru. I''ll go next." It was clear Touta was excited to fight, especially since the two remaining opponents seemed to be Nen users. He could feel the same aura from them as he did from Kuroumaru and Machi. "But you can''t use Ki, Touta-kun," Kuroumaru said worriedly. Despite Touta''s strength, the two on the other side were powerful Ki users. "It''s fine. I just want to fight. I don''t care about winning. Even if I lose, you''ll win," Touta smiled and lied. He had no intention of losing, even if his opponent used Ki or anything else. After all, Touta could also use magical power. "Alright, but be careful," Kuroumaru said, deciding not to try to convince Touta. He knew how stubborn Touta could be once he set his mind on something. "Then, I''ll be next!!" Touta shouted with a smile, using Shundo to appear in the middle of the arena. "Interesting. I didn''t expect that kid to use Shundo," muttered one of the prisoners, his Nen leaking out due to his excitement. "But it seems he''s just a beginner. He doesn''t even know how to use Nen properly." "I''ll be your next opponent," the prisoner said, also using Shundo to appear in the arena before removing his cloak. Chapter 19 : The Third Phase of the Hunter Exam lll "I will be your next opponent," said the prisoner, using Shundo to appear on the arena before removing his cloak. The person standing before Touta was roughly the same age as him, with black hair, eyes of the same color, pale skin, and a fierce smile. "I am Ken, a former martial artist, and now I am a criminal," Ken introduced himself with a smile. His Nen was leaking wildly, as if he were using Ren, even though he wasn''t. "Konoe Touta, nice to meet you," Touta smiled casually, as if he were visiting a neighbor rather than about to fight for his life. "By the way, Ken-san, is that thing surrounding you Ki?" "Ki? This power is called Nen," Ken said, assuming Touta must be from a distant country where Nen might have a different name¡ªor so he thought. "But you must be talented to sense Nen while still not having opened your Aura Nodes." "Really? Thank you for the compliment," Touta said, entering a fighting stance. "So, how do you want this fight to go?" "Of course, it will be a Death Match," Ken smiled excitedly, but then suddenly stopped. "But before that, show me your Shundo." "Shundo? Sure, I guess," Touta said without hesitation, using Shundo to appear and disappear in different places across the arena. Boom! Suddenly, Ken appeared behind him and struck Touta''s head with such force that Touta couldn''t react to his speed, even though he could track it with his eyes. "That''s wrong!" Ken shouted in frustration. "Using Shundo depends on the soles of your feet. You''re terrible at it!" "Damn you, you brute!" Touta yelled, holding his head in pain and complaining. "I only learned Shundo two days ago, so of course, I''m bad at it!" "Two days? Seriously?!" Ken suddenly collapsed dramatically to the ground, staring at Touta with admiration. "It took me three years to reach this level." "Are you serious?" Touta asked skeptically. Even though he had only learned and trained in Shundo for two days, he hadn''t put much effort into it, so he couldn''t believe Ken for a moment. "It seems your talent is terrible, or maybe you just didn''t train hard enough, you brute." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "Shut up, you damn brat! Do you think everyone is a monster like you?" Ken could only scream in frustration, feeling like Touta was rubbing salt in his wounds. "What are they doing...?" Kuroumaru muttered helplessly. The atmosphere in the arena should have been tense since Ken had proposed a Death Match, but the two of them were joking around and messing with each other. "Alright, you damn brat, I''ll help you open your Aura Nodes and teach you Shundo," Ken said, staring at Touta seriously. "But in return, you''ll make the fight against me enjoyable. Do you agree?" "Seriously...?" Touta couldn''t believe what he was hearing for a moment, but he didn''t doubt Ken was lying. He felt Ken was sincere, and Touta trusted his instincts. "I''m very serious," Ken said, locking eyes with Touta. "So, what do you say?" "Alright, I''ll make sure it''s the best fight of your life," Touta smiled confidently without a second thought, as he was also excited for the fight. "Then it''s decided," Ken smiled and stepped toward Touta, his hand enveloped in Nen. "Now, I''ll help you open your Aura Nodes by sending my Nen into your body." "Alright," Touta nodded and removed his upper shirt. Even if his instincts were wrong and Ken was trying to deceive him, he didn''t care¡ªhe was immortal and couldn''t be killed. "..." The three spectators stared at this with mixed emotions, while the other prisoner and Machi watched with interest. Kuroumaru was speechless, as he hadn''t expected Touta to meet someone like Ken. Their personalities seemed similar¡ªcarefree and doing whatever they wanted. Once Touta sat down, Ken touched his back and sent his Nen throughout Touta''s body, forcing his Aura Nodes to open. "So, this is Nen," Touta muttered, staring at the warm, sticky substance surrounding his body. It was a purplish-black color, different from Ken''s gray aura. In the next moment, strange information appeared in Touta''s mind, explaining the abilities he had gained. The first ability was that transparent door he had seen in his dream. It seemed he could move it to other places, though there weren''t many details. The second ability was that he could use six types of aura at 100%, but Touta didn''t understand what the six types of aura were. As for the third and final ability, it was Heal, which allowed him to restore others to their optimal condition, even regrowing severed limbs. Not only that, but Touta could also copy the abilities of the person he used Heal on, along with their memories and talents. If he wished, he could steal them instead of copying them. Moreover, he could manipulate his own body and the bodies of those he used Heal on as he pleased. It didn''t stop at the body¡ªhe could also manipulate their memories. [Author''s Note: It''s Keyaru''s ability from Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi.] "Now, try to control your aura and prevent it from leaking aimlessly," Ken said. Though he was surprised by the color of Touta''s Nen, he didn''t comment, as he didn''t care much. All he wanted was to fight Touta, which would be more interesting if Touta could use Nen. "..." Hearing Ken, Touta snapped out of his daze and focused on controlling his aura, imagining it flowing around him like blood through his veins. In a fraction of a second, Touta''s aura stopped leaking randomly and calmly enveloped his entire body. Touta felt he could control it easily. "Shall we start the fight, you brute?" Touta smiled, facing Ken, as he was excited to try out this new power. Chapter 20 : The Third Phase of the Hunter Exam lV "Shall we begin the fight, you savage?" - Touta smiled as he directed Ken, feeling excited to test this new power. "Wait," Ken said, lifting one of his bandaged feet for Touta to see. "Didn''t I tell you I''d also teach you Shundo?" "I forgot for a moment," Touta smiled, rubbing his head with a foolish grin. He was so eager to fight after gaining Nen that he had forgotten Ken''s promise to teach him Shundo. "Good grief, you''re really careless," Ken said. "The trick lies in how you apply Nen to the soles of your feet." "..." Touta stared at Ken, his eyes glinting slightly. He was skilled at learning, able to master combat techniques easily after seeing them just once. Soon, Ken used Shundo and began moving across the arena like a ghost, disappearing and reappearing in different places. "So fast..." Kuroumaru muttered, unable to follow Ken''s movements with his eyes. Unlike Kuroumaru, Touta could see Ken''s movements clearly, not missing a thing. He noticed how Ken needed only one step to cover 5 meters. "Did you see? This is the real Shundo," Ken said proudly. Although he wasn''t the best at executing Shundo, he was far from average. "Though it''s said there''s another level of Shundo that allows you to kick the air, I''ve never seen anyone use it before." "I see... Shundo seems deeper than I expected," Touta said. He reinforced his feet with Nen, just as Ken had done, and tried using Shundo. Though he didn''t execute it as perfectly as Ken, he managed to cover 7 meters in a single step. ''As expected, that kid''s a monster,'' Ken thought, seeing how Touta had surpassed him after just one demonstration. "Well then, let''s begin the fight," Ken said with a savage smile, unable to contain his excitement at fighting a monster like Touta. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Absolutely!" Touta grinned, taking a fighting stance, though it was full of openings. ''Is he an amateur in combat arts?'' Ken wondered, feeling that Touta''s talent was being wasted. If he had Touta''s talent, he would have stood at the top of the world long ago. ''Well, it doesn''t matter now. It''s time to enjoy a fight to the death.'' In an instant, the two disappeared and reappeared in the center of the arena, exchanging a barrage of punches. Boom Boom Boom Each punch was stronger than the last. Though Touta''s raw power surpassed Ken''s, Ken''s speed and precision far outclassed Touta''s. "Isn''t this exciting?" Ken asked with a savage grin, dodging Touta''s punch aimed at his face and striking Touta''s solar plexus with his knee. "It''s incredibly fun," Touta said, smiling as he blocked Ken''s knee with one hand while using the force of Ken''s strike to push himself into the air. Touta landed 7 meters away from Ken to catch his breath, as Ken''s Shundo only allowed him to cover 5 meters in a single step. "This is dangerous..." Touta muttered, dodging Ken''s kick aimed at his head and countering with a punch meant to shatter Ken''s foot. "It seems you haven''t shown me your full power," Touta remarked. Despite their exchange of blows, Ken hadn''t used Shundo to cover more than 5 meters in a single step, unlike earlier when he had covered 7 meters. "A person should always have one or two trump cards," Ken said, standing on one leg as Touta''s punch had completely shattered the bones in his other foot. "Do you still want to fight?" Touta asked, looking at Ken''s useless leg, now completely shattered. "I don''t think you stand a chance of beating me with that leg." It was clear that Touta hadn''t held back in his previous punch. Since Ken''s greatest ability was Shundo, destroying his foot would cost him a significant portion of his strength. "Wanna bet?" Ken said, focusing 20% of his energy into his right foot, 60% into his right hand, and leaving 20% to protect his body. "I''ll decide the outcome with this strike." "Interesting..." Touta smiled, mimicking Ken by focusing 20% of his aura into each foot, 10% to protect his body, and 25% into his hands. Though Touta could have used his magical power to enhance his body by following the same steps he used with Nen, he chose not to. Doing so would have been disrespectful to Ken, who hadn''t hesitated to teach him Nen to fight against him. "Here I come," Ken said, not hesitating to kick the ground using Shundo, appearing in front of Touta in the next instant. This was the fastest speed he could achieve in his current state. Seeing Ken in front of him, Touta didn''t hesitate. Ken struck Touta''s solar plexus with his right hand and his face with his left. Touta smiled, transferring all the aura from his left hand to his right and striking Ken''s face with all his might. Boom With a deafening explosion, a large portion of the arena was destroyed, and dust spread everywhere, obscuring the outcome of the clash between the two. Chapter 21 : The Third Phase of the Hunter Exam V Everyone stared at the arena seriously, curious to know the outcome of the final clash. Although Touta was immortal and couldn''t die, Kuroumaru was sure he would surrender if he lost in this last battle, as that was Touta''s character. Soon, the dust cleared, revealing Touta standing while the ground beneath his feet was destroyed, and Ken, who was lying on the ground with a fist-sized hole in his chest. "Why..." Ken asked in a hoarse voice, staring quietly at Touta. Touta certainly knew what Ken meant by his question. "I''m not ungrateful enough to destroy your head," Touta said. Had he not sensed Ken''s desire to die in battle, he wouldn''t have killed him, as Ken had been kind to him. "I see..." Ken mumbled and closed his eyes with a satisfied smile. He had dreamed of dying in battle, not rotting in prison. "Officer, can I take his body and give him a proper burial?" Touta asked, staring at the giant screen. "Do what you want," Lippo replied. Although it wasn''t allowed, he decided to look the other way this time. "You''ve earned the right to proceed." After Lippo spoke, another corridor opened from the battlefield toward the side while the door closed. The other prisoners couldn''t do anything, as the handcuffs were sealing their Nen. "Kuroumaru, can you store Ken''s body like you do with the swords?" Touta asked, looking at Kuroumaru, who had reached his side. "I''ll try," Kuroumaru said, touching Ken''s body lying on the ground, causing a magical circle to appear beneath it before it vanished. "Thank you, Kuroumaru," Touta smiled happily, pleased to see that it had worked. He felt sympathy for Ken, remembering what had happened to the criminal Mechi had killed. "Let''s go," Mechi said, walking toward the newly opened door. Although she was curious about Kuroumaru''s ability, she didn''t say anything, as she wasn''t the best at communication. "That''s right," Touta nodded, sealing his aura in his body and walking behind Mechi with Kuroumaru. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After dealing with the prisoners, they had to run through a narrow corridor, with a giant stone ball rolling behind them. They then had to jump from one place to another over a lava pit, and later ride a minecart on a dilapidated railroad track... and so on. Although this might be difficult for ordinary applicants, Touta and the others easily made it through everything. _ Stone Hall This stone hall was at the center of the tower and was the final destination for everyone. However, it was empty now, as no one had completed the Trick Tower until then. At that time, one of the stone doors opened, and Touta came out, followed by Kuroumaru and Mechi. [Applicant number 407 is the first to arrive, with an estimated time of 02:31 and 3 seconds.] [Applicant number 406 is the second to arrive, with an estimated time of 02:31 and 5 seconds.] [Applicant number 47 is the third to arrive, with an estimated time of 02:31 and 7 seconds.] When the three arrived, their arrival was announced through the speakers hanging on the room''s walls. "So, do we have to wait here for 70 hours?" Touta asked, clearly not bothered by the idea. "It seems like that''s the case," Kuroumaru said, staring at the empty hall. There was nothing except for the fire torches and closed stone doors. While the two were talking, Machi didn''t say anything. She walked toward a secluded corner, sitting silently with her eyes closed. "Do you want to play cards?" Touta asked with a smile, pulling out a new deck of cards from his shirt pocket. "And you, Machi-chan, do you want to play with us?" "Sure," Kuroumaru nodded, as he wasn''t in the mood to train or quietly observe everything. "... " Machi opened her eyes and stared at the two for a moment before nodding and standing up. "No problem playing, but I don''t play without a bet." "A bet? Sure," Touta nodded without hesitation. "How about the loser has to pay a million Jenny or remove a piece of clothing?" "Clothes!!..." Kuroumaru could only feel embarrassed, as he didn''t expect such a bet to be made. "Alright," unlike Kuroumaru, Machi didn''t hesitate to accept the bet, confident in her skills at card games. "Then it''s decided!" Touta cheered as he sat on the floor. Machi followed suit and sat as well, but he noticed Kuroumaru was still stunned. "What''s wrong, Kuroumaru?" "T-Touta-kun, don''t you think taking off clothes is a bit much?" Kuroumaru said, embarrassed, feeling like he would die from the shame just imagining it. "What are you saying? Machi-chan is a girl, but she didn''t say anything while you''re complaining like a man," Touta said, but his gaze shifted to suspicion. "Or are you really a girl?" "I''m a man!!" Kuroumaru shouted, embarrassed, sitting down. His eyes burned with determination, as he felt there was no turning back and no choice but to win. "I will definitely win." "That''s the spirit we need!" Touta smiled and began shuffling the cards, thinking about what game they would play. "... " Machi stared seriously at Kuroumaru, curious about his gender. She couldn''t believe he was a man and felt the urge to make him remove his clothes to confirm his gender. And so, the three began playing the game Babanuki. Chapter 22 : The Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam l After 3 Days, Zevil Island. "Now, please, the person who completed the Third Phase first, step forward," said a woman who was working with the Hunter Association to oversee the Fourth Phase. 28 applicants had passed the Third Phase and were transported to Zevil Island for the Fourth Phase, which was an elimination battle among the applicants. The rules of this phase were simple: each person held a card worth 3 points. Everyone had received cards through a lottery, which contained the numbers of other applicants, also worth 3 points. To succeed, an applicant needed to collect 6 points, meaning they had to protect their own card and obtain their target''s card to pass. However, even if an applicant lost their card and couldn''t obtain their target''s card, they could still pass by collecting 6 other cards, as each additional card was worth 1 point. "I''ll go first," said Touta, stepping off the boat and staring at the card with his target''s number. 301. This was Touta''s target, and he recognized him as the man with many needles in his face. The other party hadn''t even bothered to remove the card from his chest. Of course, it wasn''t just number 301 who hadn''t removed his card. Touta, Kuroumaru, Mechi, Hisoka, Killua, and finally Gon had also kept their cards visible. The others, however, had hidden their cards as soon as the lottery ended. After stepping off the boat, Touta didn''t go far. He sat casually on a tree, waiting for Kuroumaru, who was likely to be next. The tree allowed him to keep an eye on the boat, watching for applicant number 301 to emerge. Touta intended to go after his target''s card rather than chasing weaker applicants for their cards. However, he wouldn''t hesitate to take others'' cards if they crossed his path, as their cards might be needed by Gon and the others. Doing so would also reduce the number of competitors in the Final Phase, which would follow this one. Touta didn''t have to wait long before he saw Kuroumaru step off the boat, using Shundo to quickly appear beside him. "Sorry for making you wait, Touta-kun," said Kuroumaru, jumping onto the tree next to Touta to watch the boat. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "It''s fine. I didn''t wait long," Touta shook his head lightly, noting Kuroumaru''s politeness. "By the way, who''s your target?" "53, the guy with the bow," Kuroumaru said, staring at the boat as Machi stepped off. She was the third person to complete the Third Phase. "That guy..." Touta muttered, recalling the person in question. Despite being weak and short, he remembered him because of his extremely loud voice. "If I recall, his name was Pokkle." "That''s right, it''s him," Kuroumaru nodded, remembering Pokkle''s name when Touta mentioned it. "By the way, Touta-kun, do you want to split up so you can chase number 301 while I go after number 53?" "Of course. We won''t have any issues since we can communicate using Telepathy," Touta nodded at Kuroumaru''s suggestion. After finishing their game of Babanuki, Kuroumaru had taught him how to use Telepathy. By the way, the losers in the Babanuki game were Touta and Machi, while Kuroumaru had won with a fiery fighting spirit. "Then I''ll go first," said Touta, seeing number 301 step off the boat. He concealed his presence by absorbing every particle of Nen into himself, allowing him to hide even from the sharpest senses and powers. "Take care of yourself, and be careful. That guy, number 301, is extremely strong," Kuroumaru said, staring at Touta, who had completely disappeared from his senses. If he hadn''t been right in front of him, Kuroumaru wouldn''t have known he was there. "Alright," said Touta, jumping from the tree to another as number 301 took a different path from the one they were on. Two minutes after number 301, number 294 stepped off the boat¡ªa bald ninja¡ªfollowed by number 384, a man wearing a hat and carrying a meter-long blowgun. After the man with the blowgun, Kuroumaru''s target, number 53, Pokkle, stepped off. Seeing Pokkle heading his way, Kuroumaru didn''t hesitate to summon his sword and wait for Pokkle to approach. Pokkle walked cautiously, holding a knife at his thigh. Although his primary weapon was the bow on his back, it would be useless if someone ambushed him. They''d be on him before he could even draw an arrow to shoot. Because of this, Pokkle was prepared for close combat, even though he wasn''t the best at it. He wouldn''t go down without a fight. But unfortunately for Pokkle, Kuroumaru was targeting him, and Kuroumaru was extremely skilled in close combat, having trained in Shinmei-ry¨± since childhood. The moment Pokkle got close enough, Kuroumaru didn''t hesitate to use Shundo, disappearing and reappearing behind Pokkle with his blade already at his neck. "Hand over your number card, and I won''t harm you," Kuroumaru said seriously, grabbing Pokkle''s hand, which was on the knife at his thigh, and twisting it. "And be sure I won''t show mercy if you try to trick me." "O-okay, I won''t do anything, so please don''t kill me," Pokkle said in a trembling voice, terrified, especially feeling the cold blade on his neck. He didn''t hesitate to pull out his number card with his free hand. "..." Kuroumaru didn''t say anything. He released Pokkle''s hand, which he had twisted behind his back, took the number card, and verified it was real before disappearing, leaving Pokkle alone. "Damn, the Hunter Exam is full of monsters," Pokkle muttered in fear, collapsing to the ground as his strength gave out. He couldn''t stand, still feeling the cold blade on his neck. Chapter 23 : The Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam ll After 5 Days. Five full days had passed since arriving at Zevil Island, and Touta still hadn''t been able to obtain the card from Gittarackur. That man had changed his face after removing the needles and disappeared underground while Hisoka sat nearby, making it impossible for them to do anything. Although Touta and Kuroumaru had been keeping an eye on Gittarackur, planning to attack him once Hisoka left, they hadn''t been idle. Kuroumaru had used his Shikigami to monitor the two while he and Touta trained to increase their strength as much as possible before facing Gittarackur. That man was by no means weak. "Touta-kun, Hisoka is moving," Kuroumaru said seriously, as his Shikigami had detected Hisoka leaving the spot where Gittarackur was hiding underground. "Finally," Touta couldn''t help but smile upon hearing that Hisoka had left. This was their chance to fight Gittarackur. Although Touta had trained extensively over these five days, significantly improving his strength and control over Nen, and had even learned all the Shinmei-ry¨± techniques from Kuroumaru, he still lacked the confidence to defeat Gittarackur in a one-on-one fight, even if he was immortal. However, he didn''t feel that obtaining the number disk from him was impossible, especially with Kuroumaru fighting by his side. "Let''s go," Touta said, putting on his shirt. He had been training without it, as it helped him get into the mindset for practice. "Alright," Kuroumaru nodded, and the two quickly headed to where Gittarackur was hiding. _ "He''s still in his hole, isn''t he?" Touta asked for confirmation, perched on a tree with Kuroumaru while concealing their presence as much as possible. "He hasn''t come out, but we can''t rule out the possibility that he dug his way out from another spot," Kuroumaru replied. Although he was certain Gittarackur hadn''t left through the entrance of the hole, he wasn''t sure if he was still inside, as Gittarackur had also been hiding his presence since entering the hole. "I see... In that case, there''s only one way to be sure," Touta said with a wild smile, focusing 35% of his aura into his fist and jumping from the tree toward the hole in the ground. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Boom! Touta''s punch shattered the ground, creating a massive crater with a radius of 10 meters and a depth of 20 meters. Although the dust prevented them from seeing each other, Touta and Kuroumaru could feel Gittarackur''s terrifying killing intent. It was clear he was still there and seemed furious about the attack. Feeling Gittarackur''s killing intent, Kuroumaru didn''t hesitate. He swung his Nen-enhanced sword, sending waves of wind that cleared the dust obstructing their vision. Once the dust was gone, Kuroumaru jumped to Touta''s side, gripping his sword tightly, ready for battle. "I was sleeping peacefully..." Gittarackur muttered in a cold voice filled with killing intent, though his face remained emotionless, like a robot. "Why did you have to disturb me?" "I see... Sorry for bothering you, but I''ll be taking your number disk," Touta said with a hint of apology. He didn''t like being woken up either, so he understood Gittarackur''s annoyance. "Is that so? But don''t expect to stay alive after disturbing me," Gittarackur said, immediately throwing Nen-enhanced needles at Touta and Kuroumaru before disappearing. The needles were merely a distraction. "Fast..." Touta muttered, quickly drawing the sword Kuroumaru had given him and effortlessly deflecting all the needles. "Shinmei-ry¨±: Zanmaken Ni no Tachi!" Kuroumaru shouted, slashing toward Touta with his blade. "..." Despite Kuroumaru''s blade cutting toward him at an astonishing speed, Touta stared at it without moving. He had learned Shinmei-ry¨± from Kuroumaru and recognized the technique. He knew it wouldn''t harm him, as it was aimed at Gittarackur, who was trying to attack his heart from behind. Although Gittarackur was inches away from piercing Touta''s heart, he sensed immense danger and immediately abandoned his attack, crossing his arms in an X-shape to defend against Kuroumaru''s Nen-infused slash, which suddenly appeared behind Touta and cut toward Gittarackur. "Nen users..." Gittarackur muttered, staring at his injured hands caused by Kuroumaru''s attack. A purple aura filled with killing intent began to surround him¡ªthis must be his Nen. "Looks like I was right," Touta said with a triumphant smile upon seeing Gittarackur''s Nen. "I don''t think this is the time for that, Touta-kun," Kuroumaru said bitterly, betting that Touta had some form of split personality due to the rapid changes in his behavior. While the two were talking, Gittarackur didn''t stay idle. He began moving around them in a specific rhythm, causing multiple copies of himself to appear. "Shikyoku..." Touta frowned upon seeing Gittarackur''s move. This wasn''t the first time he''d seen this technique. "Do you know this technique, Touta-kun?" Kuroumaru asked curiously. It was clearly an assassination technique, and he hadn''t expected Touta to recognize it. "That''s right," Touta nodded toward Kuroumaru and spoke. It was clear Gittarackur was also curious, as Touta had identified the technique in an instant. Chapter 24 : The Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam lll "Do you know this technique, Touta-kun?" Kuroumaru asked curiously, as it was clearly an assassination technique, and he didn''t expect Touta to know it. "That''s right," Touta nodded toward Kuroumaru and spoke. It was obvious that Gittarackur was also curious, as Touta had recognized the technique in an instant. "It''s a technique that Killua used when we were on the airship." This was when everyone had finished the Second Phase. Touta and Kuroumaru had been sleeping in the training room on the airship due to exhaustion from continuous fighting. After a while, Killua and Gon arrived to play ball with the old man, which caused Touta to wake up. He saw how Killua used Shikyoku and heard the old man''s explanation of the technique. "Killua?" Although Kuroumaru was puzzled, he quickly remembered that white-haired boy, whose name he believed was Killua. ''Are they acquaintances of Kill...'' Gittarackur thought, but he soon shook his head, as it didn''t matter. Although Touta and Kuroumaru knew that Gittarackur was a fake identity for the person in front of them¡ªsince they had seen him remove his needles¡ªthey didn''t know who he really was. But now, after seeing Shikyoku, Gittarackur must be an acquaintance or relative of Killua. Their guess was correct. Gittarackur''s real name was Illumi Zoldyck, Killua''s older brother. He had followed Killua to the Hunter Exam, as he was obsessed with him and wouldn''t allow him to do anything without his permission. That''s why he was planning to make Killua fail the Next Phase. Seeing the two distracted, Illumi didn''t hesitate. He threw his aura-infused needles at Touta with incredible speed, leaving them no time to react due to their distraction in thinking about Illumi''s identity. By pure coincidence, the needles formed a cross on Touta''s body, immobilizing him, as the cross was the greatest enemy of vampires. Boom The effect of the cross was extremely powerful, robbing Touta of his ability to move in less than a second. Not only that, but due to the cross''s effect on vampires, Touta lost consciousness for a fraction of a second. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Illumi certainly didn''t miss this opportunity. He used his Nen, which was in the needles, to take control of Touta''s body and suppress his consciousness. "Touta-kun!!" Kuroumaru shouted in worry and tried to help Touta. As an Immortal Hunter, he knew how dangerous the cross was for vampires. That''s why he had to help Touta as quickly as possible. Although Touta was a High Vampire, he had been a vampire for less than a month and didn''t possess the full power of a High Vampire. This made the cross especially dangerous for him, especially when it was carved directly onto his body. While Illumi didn''t fully understand what was happening, he knew he couldn''t allow Kuroumaru to remove the needles, especially since he had wanted to use them to control Touta''s body from the beginning. Swish "W-what..." Kuroumaru could only jump back in shock as Touta suddenly moved and cut off the hand that was targeting the needles with a swift motion. "What did you do to Touta-kun?" Kuroumaru asked, glaring fiercely at Illumi. It was clear that he had done something. Although Kuroumaru was always calm and composed, at this moment, it was obvious that he was boiling with anger at the sight of his only friend''s condition. Touta stood on his feet with empty eyes, seemingly unconscious, while Kuroumaru could see Illumi''s Nen flowing through all of Touta''s nerves. "You wonder what I did," Illumi said indifferently, throwing some needles at Kuroumaru while tossing more needles at Touta, specifically targeting his head. Touta''s resistance to his control was astonishing, to say the least. Illumi felt he would lose control of him in less than three seconds if he didn''t use more needles. Kuroumaru didn''t hesitate. He deflected Illumi''s needles with his sword and jumped without hesitation toward his severed arm, reattaching it to his body. It quickly reconnected without any issues. ''Is this a special Nen ability of his?'' Illumi frowned as he saw what Kuroumaru had done. He disappeared from his spot simultaneously with Touta and unleashed a barrage of deadly moves on Kuroumaru, while Touta also attacked Kuroumaru with a flurry of punches that could easily shatter any tree. ''Dodging all these attacks is impossible.'' Kuroumaru was in an unenviable position, dodging the attacks of both as much as he could, but he was hit by numerous blows¡ªenough to kill an ordinary person dozens of times over. Boom Swish Boom Blow after blow, Kuroumaru dodged with the least amount of movement and effort possible, though he sustained significant damage without the ability to counterattack. The teamwork was flawless, as it was clear that Illumi was accustomed to controlling others. ''In this situation...'' Suddenly, Kuroumaru sheathed his sword and closed his eyes, but he didn''t remove his hand from the hilt. He directed 40% of his aura to his feet, 40% to his sword, and used the remaining 20% to enhance his body. "Shinmei-ry¨±: H¨­ka Issen." Suddenly, Kuroumaru disappeared and reappeared behind Illumi, who was frozen in place. His chest had been slashed three times by Kuroumaru''s sword. Chapter 25 : The Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam lV "Huh~" ¨C Although Kuroumaru''s strike managed to wound him, Illumi exhaled air from his lungs and tensed his muscles with force, which caused the wound to close up. As a member of the Zoldyck Family, Illumi could easily control his muscles due to the hellish training that members of the Zoldyck Family undergo from a very young age, so the wound caused by Kuroumaru was not a significant issue for him. But unfortunately, while he was focused on manipulating his muscles to stop the bleeding, he lost control of Touta for a fraction of a second. Boom* At that moment, an incomprehensible black aura erupted from Touta, causing Illumi to be thrown several meters away due to the shockwave from the unnatural aura. "What is this..." Illumi muttered, staring at Touta''s location with feelings he didn''t think he still possessed, especially this particular feeling. Fear. Indeed, Illumi was staring at Touta, or more precisely, the terrifying black aura, in fear, as this terrifying thing was not something that humans possessed in any way. ''This is my chance...'' ¨C Although Kuroumaru was worried about Touta, he seized the opportunity to attack Illumi and snatch the number disk from him, as this had been their goal from the start; their objective wasn''t to fight Illumi. Although Illumi was distracted by what was happening with Touta, he quickly noticed Kuroumaru''s movement and avoided it, even though he was a fraction of a second too late, allowing Kuroumaru to snatch the number disk from his chest. Roooar!! Suddenly, everyone on Zevil Island heard a ferocious roar, seemingly from a prehistoric, terrifying beast. The source of the roar was undoubtedly Touta, whose roar alone created a shockwave so powerful that even the observers sent by the Hunter Association were thrown flying for dozens of meters. The dust and dirt in the air soon settled, revealing arms and legs resembling those of reptiles, as well as a black tail, black horns atop his head, and black wings. A terrifying aura filled with madness and dark hatred emanated from him. This wasn''t all¡ªTouta''s eyes were devoid of any human intelligence or awareness, filled only with murderous intent and infinite destruction. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Boom* In a split second, Touta disappeared and reappeared in front of Illumi, kicking him with devastating force that sent Illumi flying, unable to resist, even though he had used Ken to protect himself when he felt the danger. Although Touta wasn''t conscious, he used Shundo to appear next to Illumi again, attacking him dozens of times with brutal strength that caused explosive wind pressure with each strike. The current Touta was a beast, killing anything in his path without distinguishing between friend and foe, but it was clear he would begin by killing anyone who harbored murderous intent toward him. Because of this, Illumi was in a dire situation, with Touta tossing him around like a ball, hitting him from place to place with no opportunity for resistance. "...", Kuroumaru was lying on the ground, staring at Touta with concern, unable to do anything as Touta''s previous attack had destroyed the lower part of his body. "Are you alright, Younger?" At that moment, Kuroumaru heard a familiar voice from beside him, one he recognized easily. "Yukihime-dono!!" Kuroumaru shouted with hope upon seeing the blonde woman with purple eyes. "I''m fine, but Touta-kun..." Kuroumaru didn''t finish his sentence as Yukihime could already see Touta''s condition without him having to explain. "I know. Fortunately, I finished my work earlier, and I returned just in time to check on you all," Yukihime said with a helpless smile, rising from the ground surrounded by numerous ice spears. "You really know how to worry others." Although Yukihime was complaining that Touta hadn''t been considerate of others, it was clear she wasn''t blaming him, as she knew better than anyone the dangers of Magia Erebea. Swish* Swish* Swish* Without hesitation, Yukihime launched a barrage of ice spears at Touta, who was treating Illumi like a punching bag, hitting him relentlessly. The moment Touta sensed Yukihime''s attack, he moved like a wild animal on all fours and leaped into the air to dodge her assault. Although Touta had lost his mind and was in a berserk state like a wild animal, it was exactly this reason that made him follow his instincts, which told him not to attempt absorbing these ice spears. Although Magia Erebea''s power allowed him to absorb magic into his body and merge with it on a spiritual level, this applied only to the magic he used and not to the magic that others attacked him with. Under normal circumstances, Touta could absorb Yukihime''s magic without any issues, as she had turned him into a vampire, and his body contained her blood, allowing him to absorb her magic effortlessly. However, it was clear that Yukihime had anticipated this and had done something to her ice spears to prevent Touta from absorbing them. Even though Touta was incredibly strong in his berserk state, so much so that Illumi couldn''t do anything against him, Yukihime was a vampire who had lived for over 700 years, making her incredibly powerful, especially after learning Nen in this world. It wasn''t long before Touta was cornered and defeated by Yukihime. "Sleep..." Yukihime whispered, appearing beside Touta and placing a strange paper with many symbols on his head, causing his berserk state and the corrupt power of Magia Erebea to recede. _ Hello here is the author, there is a 20% discount on the Patreon subscription for the first 10 subscriptions until the 7th of next month, discount code: F8972 Chapter 26 : The Final Phase of the Hunter Exam l Two days later. "It''s finally over," muttered Touta, tired as he sat on one of the seats in the airship, after the Fourth Phase ended. "But seriously, I didn''t expect to have hidden power like this, like the heroes in Shonen." After the fight against Illumi, Touta had been unconscious for a whole day. When he woke up, Yukihime explained many things to him. First, that he was a clone of his grandfather, named Negi Springfield, and a woman named Kagurazaka Asuna. He had inherited two powers from them: Magia Erebea and Magic Cancel. It wasn''t just that. It seemed that Yukihime had taken him ten years ago and fled to this distant planet, away from those who desired the power he held. "Touta-kun..." Kuroumaru could only look at his partner helplessly, as he seemed completely free of worries. [Attention all Applicants: The Chairman would like to speak with you privately. Those who hear their number are requested to proceed to Waiting Room 1 on the second floor.] [407, Konoe Touta-sama, please proceed to the mentioned location.] "It seems I''m first," muttered Touta as he stood up from his seat and walked toward the designated location. "See you later, Kuroumaru." "See you later, Touta-kun," said Kuroumaru with a faint smile, which faded as Touta left, replaced by a grim expression. "I''m so weak, it''s pathetic." Kuroumaru was angry at his weakness, as he had been unable to do anything when Touta was in a frenzy. This made his desire for more power even greater than before. "Yukihime-dono must know a way to help me become stronger," muttered Kuroumaru with determination. His thirst for power was immense now, even to the point where he was willing to become a Vampire if necessary. But for now, he would see Yukihime, as she had taken him as her pupil. While Kuroumaru strengthened his resolve to become stronger, Touta arrived at the intended place to see an old man with a neatly groomed white beard and a bald head. "Make yourself comfortable," said Netero with a nonchalant smile, pointing to a cushion on the other side of the table. "I want to ask you a few questions for reference for the Final Phase." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "I see..." Touta nodded and sat on the cushion, but could only look at the third person in the room. "So, what are you doing here, Yukihime?" "I was talking with the old man about something and decided to sit and watch your interview," Yukihime said casually, crossing her legs and sipping her tea. "First question: Why do you want to become a Hunter?" asked Netero, as he picked up a brush and notebook. "I want to travel around the world, so I decided to get a Hunter License, since it allows access to 95% of the countries in the world that are restricted to the general public," Touta answered honestly. He didn''t mention that Gon was one of the reasons, as he was initially influenced by Gon and wanted to know what a Hunter was, something Gon was obsessed with. "I see, then the second question," said Netero, writing something in his notebook. "Who is the most interesting person among the 9th Applicants, other than yourself?" "If I had to choose, it would be Applicant number 47, because she''s beautiful and strong," Touta replied honestly. Machi had caught his attention the most in this exam. "Heh~ As expected from you," Yukihime said, the atmosphere in the room growing colder. While she didn''t mind creating more women around her, she certainly didn''t like hearing about his interest in other girls in her presence. "Don''t be jealous," said Touta with a sarcastic smile. "You should know you''re always number one. It''s not like I want to make her my girlfriend or anything." "...," Netero stared at them with an amused smile. It was clear that he was enjoying watching how Yukihime, who was always calm and composed, was filled with jealousy upon hearing the man she loved express interest in another girl. "Well, we''ll talk about this later," Yukihime said, clearly not intending to let the matter slide. "Now, the final question: Among the other 9th Applicants, who is the one you would least want to fight?" asked the old man, stroking his beard with curiosity. "There are many, but if I had to say, it would be number 406, since he''s my dear companion," Touta said with a smile. He wasn''t ready to fight Kuroumaru in front of others, as their battle had been extremely brutal. They were both immortal, and Yukihime had warned him against revealing their immortality casually. "I see... Thank you," Netero nodded with satisfaction, staring at his notebook. "You may leave now." "Let''s go, Touta," Yukihime said, taking Touta''s hand and leaving the room. Before they left, she looked at his hair and asked, "Do you plan to keep your hair like this?" When Touta entered a frenzy due to Magia Erebea, his hair had grown longer, reaching his back. "Yes," Touta nodded, feeling that the longer hair gave him a cooler vibe, so he decided to keep it instead of cutting it. "I see. By the way, it suits you," Yukihime said with a small smile, admitting that Touta looked more handsome with longer hair. _ Hello here is the author, there is a 20% discount on the Patreon subscription for the first 10 subscriptions until the 7th of next month, discount code: F8972 Happy Ramadan Chapter 27 : The Final Phase of the Hunter Exam ll After everyone finished the interview, the Final Phase was announced. It consisted of one-on-one battles, and to win, you had to force your opponent to surrender. This was the only way to achieve victory. If you killed your opponent, you would be disqualified, and the other applicants would succeed. The battles were one-on-one, with the winner advancing and the loser moving on to the next round. This would continue until all the battles were over, leaving only one loser who would be disqualified, while the remaining applicants would become Hunters. The matchups were distributed as follows: First Battle: Gon vs. Touta Second Battle: Mechi vs. Killua Third Battle: Hisoka vs. Kurapika Fourth Battle: Hanzo vs. Kuroumaru Fifth Battle: Leorio vs. Bodoro After determining the winners of the first five battles, the loser of the first battle would face the loser of the second battle in the sixth battle. Similarly, the loser of the third battle would face the loser of the fourth battle in the seventh battle. As for the loser of the fifth battle, they would face the loser of the seventh battle in the eighth battle. Finally, the loser of the sixth battle would face the loser of the eighth battle. The one who lost here would fail the Final Phase, while the rest would succeed. "That damn old man..." Touta muttered through gritted teeth. It was clear that Netero knew about his relationship with Gon and wanted to enjoy seeing how they would make each other admit defeat. But Touta was no longer the immature child he once was. He had grown more mature after many experiences during the Hunter Exam, especially after meeting Ken, that battle-obsessed yet incredibly kind man. "First Battle: Gon vs. Touta. Please step forward," said a man in a black suit and black sunglasses, who appeared to be the referee. "I will be the referee for this match. My name is Masta." "I have a question," Touta said as he walked into the empty space designated for the battle. "Do we have to fight hand-to-hand, or can we do whatever we want to make the other admit defeat without killing them?" Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Making your opponent admit defeat without killing them is within the rules," Masta replied, staring at Touta with curiosity. He had heard from his friends that this man was insanely strong, having thrown them dozens of meters with a single release of his Nen. "There are no rules forcing participants to fight to determine the winner. All you have to do is make the other person admit defeat." "I see. In that case," Touta said, staring at Gon, who was stretching and seemed ready to fight, "Gon, what do you think about settling this with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors?" "Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Gon was puzzled. He had expected Touta to prefer a hand-to-hand fight, knowing how physically strong he was. Gon wasn''t the only one surprised by Touta''s proposal. Everyone present was equally shocked, as they had only thought about fighting with their fists. "I see. So there''s a way to avoid fighting," Kurapika muttered, understanding what Touta was trying to do. It was clear that Gon stood no chance against Touta in a direct fight, but if they played Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gon would have a chance to win. "Yes, as you know, I''m exhausted from the Fourth Phase, so I want to avoid fighting as much as possible," Touta said calmly, even though he was lying. He was actually in his best condition, having even grown stronger after entering a rage state. But he didn''t want to fight Gon, knowing there was no easy way to make him admit defeat. However, this didn''t mean Gon would simply accept defeat. Touta was sure Gon wouldn''t want to win like this either, and if their positions were reversed, Gon would do the same. So, Touta decided to let Gon win the game to convince him of his victory, while finding a way to help him succeed in his next battle. "Alright, but are we only playing one round?" Gon nodded at Touta''s suggestion. Gon was his first friend, and he didn''t want to fight him either, especially when he was exhausted from the Fourth Phase. "That''s right," Touta nodded and approached Gon, who did the same. They were ready to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. "Let''s begin... Rock!! Paper!! Scissors!!" In the next moment, Touta used Scissors, while Gon used Rock, making the winner clear to everyone. Touta had aimed to lose from the beginning, as Gon had no chance of winning against the others in a fight, especially when he was exhausted from the Fourth Phase. "Hooray!! I won!" Gon smiled happily, jumping with joy. He had finally become a Hunter like his father. "It''s your victory," Touta said with a faint smile as he walked back to where the others were standing. "I surrender." "The winner is Applicant Gon," Masta announced calmly. Although he was surprised by what had just happened, it didn''t violate the rules, so he didn''t bother saying anything unnecessary. "Second Battle: Mechi vs. Killua." "As expected of you, Touta-kun," Kuroumaru said with a faint smile. Touta was incredibly kind to those he cared about and didn''t mind losing to help Gon succeed. "..." Touta smiled lightly and said nothing. Everyone likely knew he had lost on purpose for the sake of his friendship with Gon, but no one said anything. It was clear Gon hadn''t noticed. Chapter 28 : A New Path: Touta鈥檚 Journey Beyond Worlds Two days later. "It''s finally over," said Touta as he boarded the train with Yukihime and Kuroumaru. The Hunter Exam had concluded yesterday, with everyone passing except for Bodoro. "You all did well," Yukihime nodded in satisfaction, as both of them had performed excellently in the Hunter Exam. "Now, all that''s left is for you to learn how to use Nen properly, as well as discover your Nen type." Although both of them could use Nen, they were still amateurs, which was why Yukihime planned to teach them how to utilize Nen effectively. "Touta, you mentioned that when you first opened your aura, you received information about abilities in your mind," Yukihime''s violet eyes locked onto Touta''s crimson ones, and he nodded in confirmation. "From that, your Nen type must be Specialist." "By the way, what abilities did you receive?" Yukihime asked curiously, as Touta should now have a clearer understanding of his abilities, having examined them since awakening them. "I have three abilities in total," Touta said, raising his index finger. "The first ability is a portal that seems to be linked to other worlds. Every time I travel to a new world, another world appears, allowing me to go there as well." "The second ability allows me to use and learn all Nen types with 100% efficiency," Touta continued, raising a second finger. "As for the last ability, it lets me heal myself and others, in addition to allowing me to copy their skills, abilities, and talents." Upon hearing Touta''s abilities, they couldn''t help but feel that his power was overwhelmingly broken. Though they didn''t know if these abilities were limited to Nen alone or if they extended to magical abilities as well. "I see..." Yukihime nodded, seemingly deep in thought, but she quickly shook her head in denial. ''We can''t take a risk with something like this, as there may be other unknown restrictions. It would be dangerous to let him copy others'' abilities recklessly.'' "Touta, remember not to copy others'' abilities carelessly, as there may be serious unknown limitations," Yukihime said seriously. Even though they were immortal, there were still certain things that could be dangerous to them, especially their own powers. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "I already know that," Touta nodded. He was no longer the naive person he had been on Whale Island. He had matured significantly since then, even though only a month had passed, it had been a fruitful one. "By the way, can you tell me what I should do to train my Nen? I''m thinking of using the portal to visit another world." "Are you serious?" Yukihime asked with a frown. Although Fate and the others who sought Touta''s power couldn''t reach this world, she couldn''t be certain that this was the case for other worlds. "And from your words, it seems like you want to go alone." "That''s right. I''m not particularly interested in going to Heavens Arena," Touta said. Yukihime had told them that she planned to take them to Heavens Arena to help them train and master Nen, as fighting there was the fastest way to grow stronger. "..." Kuroumaru remained silent. Although he wanted to accompany Touta, he knew he had to go to Heavens Arena, as Yukihime had explained how it would help him quickly increase his strength. "Even though I don''t like the idea of you traveling to another world, you have the right to decide what you want to do," Yukihime said bitterly. It was obvious she didn''t want Touta to leave out of concern for his safety, but she also couldn''t stop him since he was capable of making his own decisions. "But you must promise me that you''ll return as soon as possible and that you''ll use the portal to escape if you encounter a danger you can''t handle." "I promise," Touta nodded seriously and took Yukihime''s hand. A small key-shaped mark appeared on it. "This is one of my portal''s abilities. I can open a portal beside you at any moment I wish. That way, I will be right next to you the moment I return to this world." "Alright," Yukihime nodded with a small smile upon seeing the tiny key mark. She felt a connection to Touta through it. She then pulled a book from her bag and handed it to him. "This book contains all the basics of Nen. You must train diligently, as a strong foundation is always the most important thing. Without a solid base, you''ll be weak even if you learn many powerful techniques." "Thank you, Yukihime," Touta smiled, taking the book before hugging the blonde woman. Then, he looked at Kuroumaru and extended his fist. "Make sure you become stronger, because I will do the same. I have no intention of losing to you." "Of course," Kuroumaru replied seriously, bumping his fist against Touta''s. "Well then, see you later, guys," Touta said as a transparent portal appeared in front of him. Without hesitation, he stepped inside. "..." The two of them stared at the spot where Touta had disappeared through the portal, each with different emotions, but it was clear they were both deeply worried about him. Chapter 29 : A New World, A New Encounter l As soon as he summoned the transparent gate, Touta noticed a small plaque beside it and a larger one above it. The larger sign read "Hunter World," while the smaller plaque beside the gate displayed two names: The first was "Shinmai Maou World," and the second was "Rakudai Kishi World." "So, this world is called Hunter World..." Touta muttered, surprised that his ability assigned names to worlds. After all, Hunter World did not have an official name. "Now, which world should I go to?" To be honest, Touta was at a loss. He had no information about the worlds he could travel to, so there was no logical basis for his choice. "Well then, let''s do this." Touta smiled fearlessly. There was no reason for hesitation or doubt¡ªno matter what he faced in the other world, he wouldn''t die. After all, he was immortal. With that in mind, he didn''t hesitate to pick another world. Once he made his choice, Touta stepped into the gate without a second thought, disappearing from the worried gaze of Yukihime and Kuroumaru, who had been watching him with concern. _ "Now then... I wonder where I am." Touta muttered as he looked around. It seemed like he was standing in front of a small store, but it was noticeably more modern than the ones in Hunter World. "Looks like this world is more advanced than Hunter World." "Hey there, are you alone?" A casual voice caught Touta''s attention. Turning toward the sound, he saw four rough-looking men approaching a beautiful red-haired girl whose hair was styled into twin tails. "What do you say to having some fun with us?" one of the men smirked, surrounding the girl with his friends. "Seriously? Idiots who only think with the lower half of their bodies exist even in other worlds?" Touta sighed in frustration. He had encountered plenty of these types before, especially due to Yukihime''s beauty. "Well, at least we speak the same language¡ªgood to know." Realizing that they were speaking a familiar language, Touta felt relieved. This saved him the trouble of learning a new language, which, while not a huge problem for him, would have been annoying. Even so, it would''ve taken him only about a week to learn it. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "You idiots. Leave the girl alone, or I guarantee you''ll be spending at least a month in the hospital." Touta spoke coldly, using Shund¨­ to instantly appear behind one of them and place his hand on the man''s shoulder. "Who the hell are you, bastard?!" The man growled, furious, and immediately swung his fist toward Touta''s face. "I see... Looks like you guys enjoy hospital beds." Touta dodged the punch by tilting his head slightly to the right, then without hesitation, he drove his fist straight into the man''s face. Crush! The moment Touta''s fist connected, a crisp and chilling sound of breaking bones echoed in the air. "Ko-chan!!" one of the other thugs shouted in shock as his friend was sent flying several meters before crashing onto the ground. "You bastard!! How dare you hit Ko-chan!" Seeing their friend unconscious, his nose broken and bleeding, the remaining three thugs became furious and lunged at Touta. "Idiots..." Touta scoffed in disdain, swiftly kicking the nearest thug in the crotch before grabbing the heads of the last two and slamming them into the ground. The pavement cracked under the impact, and both men immediately lost consciousness. "If you''ve learned your lesson, don''t go harassing girls just because they''re pretty," Touta said, though none of them were awake to hear him. He then turned to the girl, who was staring at him in shock. "Are you alright?" "Yes, I''m fine." Despite the brutality of the scene she had just witnessed, the girl didn''t seem scared of Touta. "Thank you for saving me. By the way, my name is Naruse Mio." "You''re welcome, Naruse-san. Nice to meet you. My name is Konoe Touta." Touta replied with a light smile. "By the way, are you waiting for someone? If not, I can walk you home¡ªit''s dangerous for a girl as beautiful as you to be out this late." "Thanks for the offer, but I''m actually waiting for someone." Mio smiled at Touta''s genuine concern. Soon after, she spotted her companion approaching on a bicycle. "Mio, are you alright?!" A young man with brown hair, green eyes, and a scar beneath his right eye hurried toward them, his expression filled with worry. But when his gaze landed on Touta, it turned hostile. "Who are you? What do you want from Mio?" "Is he trying to act like an idiot?" Touta thought to himself. This guy had clearly seen everything from a distance, yet he hadn''t bothered to help. "Basara!! That''s rude! Konoe-kun is the one who saved me from those guys!" Mio pouted, clearly unhappy with Basara''s behavior. "But..." Basara wanted to argue but wisely shut his mouth when he saw Mio''s irritated glare. "Well, since your friend is here, I''ll take my leave." Touta turned around, not bothering to stay. Although Basara''s behavior was suspicious, he didn''t really care. They obviously knew each other, and besides, he had more important things to worry about¡ªlike finding a place to stay for the night. The sun was about to set. "Once again, I really appreciate you saving me, Konoe-kun." Mio bowed slightly toward Touta as he walked away. "And I apologize for Basara''s behavior." Touta didn''t say anything. He simply waved his hand as he left¡ªhe had far more important things to deal with than Basara''s rudeness.