The living paper doll trembled violently, its movements unusually intense.
This indicated the target was very close.
Hisoka stared at the paper doll's reaction, momentarily stunned.
When he regained his composure, clear astonishment appeared on his tear-painted face.
When he learned about the ability system from Kalluto, he had been hesitating whether to give up observing these unripe fruits and instead directly search for Morrow.
But he never expected that Morrow, whom he had been desperately seeking, was actually within reach.
If Hisoka's emotional shift at this moment was astonishment mixed with a sense of unreality, then Kalluto felt pure delight.
Morrow...
Was nearby?
Had he also come to take the Hunter Exam?
A wave of joy surged in Kalluto's heart, but was quickly replaced by confusion.
Although the first-phase examinees were crowded together in the underground passage, with Morrow's sharp senses, if he were present, he couldn't possibly have failed to notice them.
Unless Morrow had rushed to the underground passage at the very last moment before the exam started, or perhaps he happened to be in the Milsy Wetlands?
The reason didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was that he could see Morrow.
Kalluto slowly raised the living paper doll and followed its guidance, looking in a certain direction.
Hisoka did the same, looking in the same direction with anticipation.
"He's very close by," he thought to himself, preparing to set off to find Morrow.
Just then, the already thinning fog dissipated without warning, revealing a vast expanse of grassland.
This was the necessary path to cross the Milsy Wetlands and reach the Visca Forest examination site.
Because of the open view, it could barely be considered one of the few safe areas in this dangerous wetland.
As the fog cleared, at the gradually clearing edge of their vision, a running figure came into Kalluto and Hisoka's view.
From this distance, they could see a number tag pinned to the figure's chest, like them, he was an examinee taking the Hunter Exam.
The living paper doll's reaction basically locked onto that figure, just...
Kalluto and Hisoka clearly saw the figure's appearance and build. Not only was the build different, but that face with heavy dark circles, looking like someone who hadn't slept enough and was physically depleted, was definitely not Morrow.
Huh?
Kalluto froze for a moment, making a confused sound.
Hisoka glanced at Kalluto's reaction.
He didn't have a deep understanding of the living paper doll's mechanism and effects, let alone the exact relationship between tremor intensity and distance.
But judging from Kalluto's reaction, the paper doll pointed exactly to that examinee's position.
Which meant that, even though the appearance and build didn't match Morrow's at all, that examinee was indeed Morrow.
Hisoka confirmed this information and suddenly released Killua's neck, his golden pupils emitting a terrifying glow.
Heh.
Substantial, surging aura burst forth from Hisoka's body, creating visible waves in the air.
This suddenly unleashed aura, like his Bungee Gum, precisely stuck onto the distant examinee through the air.
The residual waves of aura swept through the surroundings.
Leorio, who was already injured, could no longer withstand this heavy pressure mentally and completely lost consciousness. Killua and Gon were as if struck by lightning, their pupils trembling violently as their bodies froze uncontrollably in place.
But Hisoka had no interest in paying attention to the reactions of these unripe fruits right now.
His towering, overwhelming aura was radiating nothing but thirst and demand from start to finish.
Kalluto, being very close to Hisoka, immediately sensed the distorted emotions contained within that aura. Like a startled kitten, he instantly leaped sideways seven or eight meters away, then openly shot Hisoka a look of pure disgust.
Disgusting pervert!
—--
In the distance.
Morrow, locked onto by Hisoka's aura, stopped in surprise.
He looked up and saw the corpses scattered haphazardly on the grass, Leorio who had lost consciousness, Gon and Killua with terrified expressions, and Hisoka who appeared utterly desperate with thirst.
Finally, his gaze fell upon Kalluto.
Upon seeing the living paper doll, Morrow suddenly understood, then felt somewhat helpless.
He remembered that before creating a living paper doll, Kalluto first needed to prepare compatible materials.
The key part was that during this process, Kalluto had to continuously infuse Nen into the materials.
Moreover, the higher the target's strength, the longer the required time.
This was actually a very common phenomenon among Manipulators' ability products.
Just like Illumi's special Nen needles, or more common items like mobile phones and game controllers.
If Nen users wanted to integrate these real-world items into their ability systems, they had to either inject Manipulation-type aura into them or nourish them with Nen over an extended period.
This was true for Illumi's Nen needles, and likewise for Kalluto's living paper dolls.
So when Morrow saw his own living paper doll, he guessed that Kalluto must have been carrying the prepared materials infused with Nen, just hadn't completed the final step.
After all, given Kalluto's personality, if he wanted to create a living paper doll, he would definitely seek Morrow's permission first.
And now that the living paper doll had suddenly appeared, Morrow didn't need to think hard to know that Hisoka must have threatened Kalluto using Killua.
However...
Running into Killua and Kalluto here was somewhat unexpected for Morrow.
According to the original storyline, Killua should have let Gon go back alone to find Leorio and Kurapika during this phase of the exam.
But the current situation was completely different.
Could it be that Hisoka directly targeted Killua and Kalluto, while Gon and Leorio turned back to support them?
Little did Morrow know that it was precisely his friendship with Kalluto that made Killua envious, causing him to value his relationship with Gon even more than in the original story.
Exposed by Kalluto's living paper doll. Can't hide anymore.
Feeling the aura surging from Hisoka's direction, Morrow lowered his eyelids, thinking about how to handle this situation.
If Hisoka insisted on making him fulfill their previous agreement here, that would be troublesome.
If circumstances allowed, he still hoped to obtain a Hunter License this year, otherwise, he'd have to wait another year.
Just as Morrow was pondering, Hisoka could no longer restrain himself.
Although he saw an unfamiliar face and crude, clumsy Ten, the fact that this person remained completely unfazed under his aura assault...
That alone was enough to make Hisoka further convinced that the person wearing number 502 was definitely the Morrow he had been waiting for all year.
One year. Do you know how I've spent this past year?
The aura output emanating from Hisoka surged like fire meeting water, boiling and raging.
In the next blink, Hisoka charged toward Morrow at full speed.
That momentum suggested he intended to skip meaningless identity confirmation and even conversation entirely.
Right here, right now, mutual affection (and mutual harm)!
The ferocious stance he displayed subjected Killua and Gon on the scene to even more intense mental shock. Even Kalluto, who had trained in Nen for years, struggled to maintain his composure.
Yet Morrow, who bore the brunt of it, showed no reaction at all, merely watching Hisoka's charge with a calm gaze.
Swish!
Hisoka raised his arm, a playing card slicing through the air, only to freeze inches from Morrow's neck, unable to advance any further.
It wasn't that the attack was blocked.
Rather, Morrow had no intention of fighting back, maintaining only that crude and rudimentary Ten.
Such a blatantly lackadaisical posture instantly drained Hisoka's fervor.
He stared fixedly at the unfamiliar face so close to his, as if demanding: Where's the reaction? Give me some reaction!!!
The two locked eyes like that.
Hisoka seemed on the verge of losing it.
But Morrow remained just as composed, and he dispelled his disguise ability. The muscles of his face twisted visibly, rapidly returning to their original appearance.
"Hisoka, if you want to enjoy yourself to the fullest, then hold on a little longer. I won't make you wait too long."
"And if I disagree?"
Hisoka didn't retract the playing card. Though his excitement had been deflated by Morrow, his desire for battle still burned fiercely.
Morrow replied calmly, "Then you shouldn't have stopped just now."
With that, Morrow paid no further attention to Hisoka's reaction, tilting his head past the playing card and walking toward Kalluto in the distance.
Hisoka kept his arm raised, holding the card in place until Morrow had moved several meters away, then listlessly withdrew it.
It was unbearable.
A feeling he'd never experienced before.
But... this patience was all for the sake of a more exhilarating battle later.
Deeply disappointed, Hisoka could only console himself this way.
Though he had briefly considered forcing a fight, he simply couldn't sense any fighting spirit from Morrow.
Forcing things never ends well.
He'd just have to endure a little longer, as Morrow said.
Hisoka turned sideways, his gaze fixed intently on Morrow's back.
Morrow could clearly feel the scorching stare from behind and knew he couldn't keep Hisoka hanging for long.
However, his earlier words weren't just to brush him off.
For him, what mattered more right now was passing the first stage of the test.
As he walked toward Kalluto, Morrow's peripheral glance caught Killua and Gon, both looking dazed.
That guy Hisoka must have been holding back for too long, so unlike in the original storyline, he hadn't restrained himself, causing Killua and Gon to suffer excessive mental shock.
Someone with a weaker will would've been terrified out of their wits by now.
Hmm? Wait, that's not right.
Morrow suddenly realized something.
Killua currently had no awareness of Nen because Illumi's Nen needle had altered his memories.
But if the Nen needle had already lost its effect, and Killua knew about the Nen system, he shouldn't be reacting like this, right?
Could it be... that the Nen needle was also affected by Illumi's Post-Mortem Will?
But he didn't sense any trace of Post-Mortem Nen.
Was it because Illumi had applied In when he inserted the needle into Killua's head?
If Post-Mortem Will had strengthened the effect of In... even if Killua learned Nen, it would likely be impossible for him to remove that Nen needle on his own in this lifetime.
However, the purpose of the Nen needle's existence was to ensure Killua could always steer clear of danger.
Having its effects persist wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Moreover, to outsiders, as long as the Nen needle continued to function, it was as if Illumi was still 'alive.'
As his thoughts raced, Morrow approached Kalluto.
Kalluto didn't dare look at Morrow, lowering his head and murmuring softly, "I'm sorry, I did it without your permission..."
"Such a small matter isn't worth my anger."
Morrow interrupted Kalluto's apology with a smile, then reached out and measured Kalluto's height with his hand.
"Hmm, you've grown quite a bit in the past year."
Before he finished speaking, he couldn't resist ruffling Kalluto's head.
Kalluto habitually swatted Morrow's hand away.
"Stop treating me like a child."
Though he was happy Morrow wasn't angry about the matter, he still didn't want Morrow to pat his head.
Seeing Kalluto's awkward reaction, a faint smile flickered in Morrow's eyes, but then he recalled the day's events and slowly suppressed it.
"Kalluto, there's not much time left for the first phase of the exam. You should head over now."
"..."
Kalluto hesitated, wanting to say many things, but ultimately nodded obediently.
Killua glanced at Morrow, then lowered his head.
The moment Morrow appeared, the panic in Killua's heart had already subsided.
But thinking about how he had turned and run away earlier, his mood soured considerably.
"Brother."
Kalluto's soft call reached his ears.
Killua slowly snapped out of his thoughts, looked up at Kalluto, forced a smile, then turned his gaze toward Gon.
Though Gon didn't know Morrow, he keenly sensed that the crisis had been resolved.
Just as Killua looked over, Gon happened to glance in his direction.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
But Killua quickly averted his gaze as if startled.
Gon was taken aback, not understanding why Killua reacted that way, but there was no time to dwell on it now.
"Killua, we need to hurry, or we'll miss the second phase of the exam."
Saying this, Gon picked up his fishing rod and immediately ran at top speed toward Leorio, who was lying on the ground.
Seeing that Leorio wouldn't wake up anytime soon, Gon felt troubled.
"Don't worry about him. Someone will take responsibility."
Morrow's voice came from behind.
Gon paused slightly, turning back to look at Morrow in confusion.
Morrow offered no explanation, simply glancing toward Hisoka.
Under Morrow's gaze, Hisoka, with a hint of weariness, hoisted Leorio onto his shoulder under Gon's somewhat anxious watch.
"Gon, come on!"
Killua, mustering his spirits, called out to Gon.
Gon hesitated for a moment, looking into Morrow's gentle eyes.
"Thank you."
He expressed his gratitude, picked up Leorio's suitcase, and ran toward Killua.
Morrow smiled, watching as Gon and the others departed.
Gon, Killua, and Kalluto quickly ran out of the grassland and into the dense forest.
They had been separated from the group for too long; there were no other examinees in sight along the way.
But relying on his sense of smell, Gon followed the various scents left behind, accurately finding the direction to the venue.
"Killua, thank you."
While running, Gon suddenly expressed his thanks.
Killua was taken aback, instinctively lowering his head and murmuring softly, "Why are you thanking me..."
"Huh?"
Gon suppressed the lingering agitation in his heart and flashed a smile at Killua.
"Because you came back to help us."
"..."
Killua opened his mouth but remained speechless for a moment.
Gon tilted his head to look at Kalluto on the other side.
"And Kalluto, thank you."
"No need."
Kalluto said coldly, "I wasn't trying to help you anyway."
Gon's face was full of smiles, completely unfazed by Kalluto's coldness.
He gazed ahead, recalling the recent experience, and the agitation in his heart gradually swelled again.
"Hisoka... is really strong."
Gon murmured, "But for some reason, I feel like another person is even more powerful."
Killua lowered his eyelids, his expression slightly dazed, and said nothing.
But Kalluto, completely changing from his earlier cold attitude, actively leaned close to Gon's face, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he said:
"Hmph, you've got good judgment. That bastard Hisoka could never be Morrow's match."
"Uh."
Gon was somewhat surprised by Kalluto's sudden change in attitude.