Chapter: The Cliff Trial – Ripple of Resolve
Shalnark wasn't nearly kind enough to help Jon. Besides, owing someone like him a favor was far too troublesome.
In his past life, Jon suffered from acrophobia—crippling fear of heights. He always kept his eyes shut on amusement park rides, and this situation offered no safety guarantees whatsoever.
As he approached the edge of the cliff, Jon's legs trembled. Cold sweat streamed down his cheeks as he peered over the precipice.
"Damn, it's really high..."Even with extraordinary abilities now at his disposal, Jon couldn't shake the deep-seated fear rooted in his soul.
"No. I have to use King Crimson—the invincible King Crimson—to figure this out," Jon muttered, forcing himself to calm down.
Then, an idea struck. His eyes snapped shut. He sprinted toward the edge—and, to everyone's shock—jumped.
Gasps erupted.
Nobody had expected such madness. He carried no weapons. No visible gear. And he didn't look like someone with flight-type Nen abilities. Even the examiner froze in horror. Jon hadn't used En, nor had he revealed his Stand to this examiner—so, to him, Jon appeared to be just another foolhardy amateur.
Even Shalnark, typically unfazed, looked startled. But he still had faith in Jon. After all, Jon had resisted even his Hatsu, Black Voice.
But the scene was terrifying.
Jon plummeted.
He didn't move as he fell past the rocky area where scallops clung to the cliffside.
"To jump like that... he's lost hope," the examiner muttered, lowering the brim of his hat and turning away. At this height, even Enhancement-type users would suffer serious injuries without preparation. Ordinary people? Dead on impact.
Then—splat. Jon's body crashed into the reef-laced waters below.
"What a shame. Young people nowadays don't know when to quit. He should've saved himself and tried again next year…"
"Right? Can't believe he actually—"
"Wait—look! That's weird! There's no blood!"
One of the examinees pointed in alarm.
The examiner turned again, squinting.
To everyone's shock, Jon raised his arm—slowly, steadily.
Unbeknownst to them, Jon had activated time erasure the moment his body touched the water. From the perspective of the observers, they'd watched him fall and... nothing. Not a single one of them realized a slice of time had disappeared.
Jon smirked slightly to himself. As long as I don't look down, I'm good. I've hit rock bottom... now it's just up from here. A different kind of therapy, I guess.
Back atop the cliff, the others were still stunned.
"Is he human?" someone muttered. "But even if he's alive, how the hell's he gonna climb back up?"
"That slope's almost vertical. What is he, a gecko?"
Jon, of course, couldn't hear them. Not that it mattered.
He walked to the base of the rock wall and stood upright, facing the sheer cliff.
Calmly, he pressed both hands flat against the wall... then raised his palms, leaving only his fingers in contact. He planted his toes firmly against the rock.
"…Wait, what's that?" Shalnark leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
Though Jon was using Ripple energy, its properties were similar enough to Aura that skilled Nen users could detect it with Gyo. Jon was applying a Ripple climbing technique—a trick with adhesive properties that let him stick to surfaces, not unlike wall-climbing reptiles.
Lisa Lisa once used the Hell Climb Pillar to train Joseph Joestar, a notoriously brutal test. Jon's Ripple ability was still slightly weaker than Joseph's at that point—but this natural rock wall wasn't coated in oil, nor was it smooth or artificially difficult.
More importantly, Jon had something Joseph lacked: knowledge. He'd studied the technique thoroughly, skipped the trial-and-error, and used the correct method from the beginning.
"…He's really like a gecko," someone muttered, watching Jon ascend.
Jon casually peeled off a rock scallop using Stone Free, then continued climbing.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Above, the seagulls shrieked angrily. Jon had dared snatch their food.
Everyone leaned in, curious. The first two examinees had suffered terribly at the beaks and claws of these birds. They hoped to glean something useful from Jon's handling of them.
They were sorely disappointed.
Jon summoned Stone Free—he had no intention of exposing King Crimson here—and when a seagull got too close, it was instantly met with a flurry of "ORA ORA ORA!"
No matter how fast the birds flew, they were no match for the barrage of punches moving at near-sonic speeds. Though not yet at its peak, Stone Free was a powerful Stand with an A-rank in destructive power. It couldn't take on a giant crocodile, maybe—but a flock of noisy birds? Crushed.
Those foolish enough to dive at Jon's head got swatted mid-air by retractable punches.
In less than a minute, nearly twenty seagulls were downed. The rest quickly caught on: this guy wasn't worth the trouble.
The rest of the climb went uninterrupted.
More than ten minutes later, Jon returned to the top—scallops in hand.
He'd passed.
The remaining examinees were crushed. The methods used by the previous three successful candidates were all... bizarre.
The first used pure luck and sharp reflexes with a fishing line. The second was Shalnark, who'd been inexplicably delivered scallops by the seagulls themselves. And then Jon… who jumped off a cliff like a lunatic, climbed back up like a lizard, and swatted seagulls with invisible fists.
Most of them were ordinary people. They couldn't see Nen, let alone Stands. From their perspective, the seagulls had just dropped dead near Jon for no reason.
Now it was their turn—and every option looked suicidal.
"What is this test?! Can't there be a normal way to pass?!"
Their spirits sank as if they'd found poisoned poop in their cereal.
Yet there was still one more who passed.
This examinee had ignored the chaos entirely. Calm and practical, he'd gone into the forest at the start, gathered vines, fashioned a crude rope, and climbed down safely. His hands-on skills were maxed out—and his plan was simple, effective, and replicable.
But by the time others tried to copy him, it was too late. The time limit expired. They failed.
In total, four examinees passed the Hunter Exam.
The examiner handed out the Hunter Licenses. A ship would soon carry the successful candidates back to the nearest port.
The Hunter Exam was over.
....
Rrrr. Rrrr.
Jon's phone buzzed in his pocket.
It was a chunky, drop-resistant, waterproof device—a gift from the old butler. An indestructible brick of a phone, like a Nokia in this world.
He only had two contacts saved: the butler and his wife.
But this number wasn't either of them.
Curious, Jon picked up.
"Hello?"
A friendly but unfamiliar voice answered.
"Hello, is this Jon? I heard you passed the Hunter Exam. Congratulations. I was wondering... could I ask you for a favor?"