Leorio looked at Tonpa in disbelief.
"Hey! Is this true?"
He was exhausted.
If he continued taking the exam in this state, he could collapse at any moment.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Kurapika appeared thoughtful.
In reality, he didn't believe Tonpa's words at all. He had been suspicious of him long before the first exam even began. The reason he had cooperated with Tonpa so much was simple: to keep him under control.
"It seems we need to be more cautious." Ryusei spoke seriously.
When it came to acting, he believed he wouldn't lose to Kurapika.
Meanwhile, seeing that the three seemed convinced by his words, Tonpa felt proud inside. So, he continued pressing his point.
"The exam was already over when I went to sleep."
"Something like this isn't impossible."
"I just want to be ready for the next exam."
"It's best not to let your guard down, even on an airship."
Tonpa looked at Ryusei and the other two, reminding them with a solemn expression.
He sincerely hoped they would take his words seriously.
"Are you messing with us?"
Leorio sounded somewhat dissatisfied. However, he then looked at Tonpa and thanked him.
"Thanks for the warning, though."
Apparently, Leorio still believed Tonpa was a kind and well-meaning person.
He had no idea about Tonpa's true nature.
"I'll seriously consider it." Kurapika said with a serious expression.
However, his tone was somewhat perfunctory.
"Let's check out the airship later."
"Maybe we'll discover something interesting."
Ryusei looked serious.
But he actually meant it.
Since he wasn't tired at the moment, he was curious about the airship—it was his first time aboard one, after all.
Seeing that Ryusei and the others had truly taken his words to heart, Tonpa immediately put on a kind smile.
"Good luck to you three!"
Tonpa waved and turned to leave.
But once his back was turned, the kind smile on his face twisted into something sinister.
'I lied to you.'
'I'll wait until you're exhausted both physically and mentally, too weak to fight back.'
Tonpa was very much looking forward to seeing how Ryusei and the others would perform tomorrow.
Once Tonpa left, Ryusei and the other two headed to the cafeteria.
After speaking with the staff there for a while, they received permission to use the kitchen.
Then, Ryusei got busy preparing something in the canteen's kitchen.
…
At that moment, in a small private restaurant within the cafeteria, Satozt—who had overseen the first exam—was having dinner with Menchi and Buhara, who were in charge of the second exam.
"How many candidates do you think will remain this year?"
Putting down her knife and fork, Menchi looked at Buhara and asked.
"You mean the ones who will qualify?"
Buhara looked at her with some confusion.
It was mainly because the way she asked felt odd to him.
After all, in past years, only one or two people passed the exam each year—sometimes, no one passed at all.
So for Menchi to ask how many candidates would remain was a strange way to phrase it.
How could one or two people even be considered "many"?
"Yes, there are a lot of strong candidates this year."
"Though there have been times when everyone was eliminated."
Menchi nodded.
Of course, she understood why Buhara was confused.
But she had a feeling this year would be different.
Now sure that Menchi was indeed referring to qualified candidates, Buhara answered somewhat casually.
"That depends on the content of the next exam."
After all, the type of test given changes the outcome.
For example, if the final stage required a single winner, then it was possible that only one person would pass this year.
"That's true."
"But didn't you notice anything during your part of the exam?"
"Weren't there a few people with strong auras?" Menchi looked at Buhara and reminded him.
These types of candidates were clearly very strong.
So as long as the exam wasn't one that directly limited the number of people who could pass, they had a high chance of succeeding.
"Satozt, what do you think?" Menchi turned to Satozt beside her.
She wanted to hear his opinion.
"Yes, I agree."
"This year's newcomers have been very impressive." Satozt answered seriously.
Although two of the newcomers seemed a bit naïve, they still showed great potential.
Menchi was very satisfied with his response.
"Ah, so you think so too!"
"I think Number 123 is pretty good."
Menchi had taken note of Ryusei.
After all, for someone his age to be so skilled at cooking, it was clear he had put in significant effort.
So in her opinion, if Ryusei could pass the Hunter Exam, he had a high chance of becoming a Gourmet Hunter.
"I think Number 99 stands out."
Satozt gave a different perspective.
He could sense that Number 99, Killua, was special.
"That guy must be extremely self-willed and arrogant."
Menchi didn't have a very good impression of Killua.
Mainly because, when she had given him a failing grade before, he had acted as if he didn't care at all.
That reaction had irritated her.
Even the other candidates had been furious.
"What about you, Buhara?"
Menchi turned to Buhara again.
"Me? Well, even though this person isn't a newcomer…
"I still think Number 44…" Buhara's expression became serious.
"Menchi, you noticed it too, right?
"When Number 123 attacked Number 255…
"Number 44 was radiating killing intent."
Buhara spoke with a bit of fear.
He had felt a powerful threat from Number 44—Hisoka.
Menchi's expression also became serious.
She leaned back against the couch and spoke with a sharp tone.
"Of course, I noticed."
"He exudes an uncontrollable murderous aura."
"But Buhara, do you know what's even more concerning?"
"He's been like this since the very beginning."
"From the moment we appeared." Menchi's tone carried a hint of hostility.
After all, Hisoka had clearly been provoking her.
"Really?" Buhara looked at her in surprise.
Apparently, he hadn't noticed it before.
"Yes, and that's what keeps me on edge."
"That guy is constantly trying to pick a fight with me." Menchi sighed in frustration.
If not for Hisoka, perhaps her screening process would have been a bit more lenient.
And maybe they wouldn't have needed to alarm Chairman Netero.
Satozt nodded in agreement.
"He does the same to me."
"I'm afraid he's someone who needs special attention."
"Though I don't want to admit it…"
"He is still human, just like us."
"The only difference is that he prefers to hide in the shadows."
"We hunters instinctively seek out rivals."
"We look for opponents who recognize and challenge us.
"For him, the Hunter Exam is just such a platform.
"Among these candidates, he stands out as the type who would step on the gas when the rest of us are hitting the brakes."
"You could say… he's an anomaly"