Chapter 19 – Another Use of the Face-Fruit
"Osren is right. I will become strong—strong enough to find my father." Gon clenched his fists, determination blazing in his brown eyes.
The early arcs of Hunter x Hunter could be summed up in one line: Gon sets out to find his dad.
"Yeah. Strength is key." Leorio and Kurapika nodded in agreement.
"Let's move. We've still got a long way to go—don't fall behind!" Osren called out and took the lead, dashing ahead.
Thud, thud, thud…
The sound of four sets of footsteps echoed through the dim underground tunnel. They were getting closer to Zaban City.
"Osren, any guesses? What do you think we'll face once we reach Zaban?" Kurapika asked as they ran.
"Too little intel for now. Not enough to make any useful predictions," Osren replied calmly.
"No matter what comes our way, if anyone dares mess with us, I'll make sure they regret it!" Leorio growled, swinging his fists with exaggerated bravado.
"Osren, that old lady earlier mentioned a 'Guide.' What kind of profession is that?" Gon asked.
"The Hunter Exams are held in different locations every year. A Guide's job is to lead qualified candidates to the exam site. Without one, it's nearly impossible to even find the venue. So, our next step is simple—we locate the Guide and convince them to take us there," Osren explained.
"Sounds like it won't be easy…" Gon said.
"Indeed. Earning a Guide's approval won't be a walk in the park," Kurapika agreed.
In the beginning, the four of them were still chatting and laughing as they ran, spirits high. But over time, the cracks began to show.
Osren had started out in the lead. An hour later, he was running at the back with Leorio, both of them panting as they trailed behind.
Leorio wasn't exactly weak—just lazy. In the original story, he eventually rowed a boat all the way to the exam island alone… though not exactly by choice.
None of the original four could be called "normal."
Gon was still bursting with energy up front, occasionally flicking his fishing rod like it was a casual workout, his easygoing attitude almost insulting to those struggling behind.
Kurapika, ever composed, ran steadily just behind Gon. His breathing hadn't faltered. His pace hadn't dropped. He looked like he could run for hours without breaking stride. If someone used a speedometer on him, it'd probably give the same reading from start to finish. It was clear—he had a lot of stamina in reserve.
"Huff… huff…"
Osren, in his previous life, was just a regular IT guy—commuting between home and office, with only basic daily activity to speak of. Even after gaining a boost from Nen, his body and mind simply couldn't match these monsters around him.
Even ignoring things like "mental fortitude," his physical stats were nothing special.
As he listened to his own wheezing breaths—like someone working a bellows—Osren realized it was time to do something. Even Leorio had pulled ahead.
He quickly calculated his remaining stamina and the distance still to cover. There was no way he'd make it—not in this state. And honestly, the biggest problem wasn't his body. It was his mind.
It sounded pathetic, but the truth was, ordinary people just didn't have the mental fortitude to keep going. If Osren hadn't been constantly hypnotizing himself into believing he had Nen abilities, he probably would've given up long ago.
His limbs felt like they were filled with molten lead. Every cell in his body screamed the same word: Exhausted!
He had to think of something fast. If this kept up, he was going to fall behind.
"Wait a second… If even the Sea God couldn't resist the power of the Face-Face Fruit, then by Nen logic… this just might work too…"
Osren's mind was buzzing with ridiculous ideas—and he'd just thought of a crazy one.
"Osren, need some help?" Gon asked, worried.
Kurapika slowed down too. If Osren had asked earlier, all three of them—Gon, Kurapika, and even Leorio—would've helped him without hesitation.
But for some reason, he insisted on pushing through.
"I'm good for now. Gon, hand me an apple. I'm starving," Osren said suddenly.
"Sure thing, Osren." Gon quickly pulled a big red apple from his backpack and passed it over.
Crunch. Crunch.
Osren took a huge bite, then devoured the apple in seconds. He really did look hungry.
In his mind, he chanted over and over:
"Body, give me some face. Let me hold on. Just get me to the exit."
Then—boom. It felt like an invisible hammer slammed into his skull.
Face-Face Fruit contract failed.
Osren staggered. Gon immediately offered to carry him for a while.
"If I need it, I'll say so," Osren replied, calming Gon down for the moment.
This was his first time experiencing a Nen failure. One apple wasn't nearly enough to convince his body to keep going.
But failure didn't mean it was useless—it just meant the idea was valid. His tactic was sound: using food to get his body to "save face" and keep moving.
A faint smile curled the corner of Osren's lips.
My face is getting so big, even my body can't ignore it.
He asked Gon for a bunch more fruit. Every time he ate one, he muttered:
"Body, give me some face. Just a little farther."
His limbs still felt like lead, but somehow, like a puppet on strings, his body kept moving forward—step by step.
"It works. It actually works."
Another trump card. Another method to dig deeper.
Every time fatigue crept in, he'd pop another fruit—repeat the chant—and keep walking.
He no longer needed mental strength. He didn't need to will his way forward.
He'd tricked his own body into doing it for him.
"Osren, are you sure this is okay?" Gon asked, watching him eat while jogging.
Osren just shook his head and said nothing, pushing forward.
He was starting to suspect this tunnel ran through a mountain and circled back to the cedar tree. There was no way they should've been walking this long.
"Osren, I really think Gon should carry you for a bit," Kurapika advised. "There's still a tough exam ahead. If you burn yourself out now, you'll be in trouble later."
Even Leorio chimed in with a quieter warning. "Don't push yourself too hard. If you need it, I'll help you walk."
But Osren refused all their offers. He kept saying he could hold on just a bit more.
To them, it looked like he was just being stubborn.
But Osren was starting to notice something different.
The pain in his legs had faded into a strange, tingling numbness—like ants crawling under his skin.
It felt just like those scenes in novels where the protagonist pushes beyond their physical limit.
A warm sensation bloomed in his legs. They felt powerful, alive again—completely unlike the deadweight from moments ago.
In fiction, the hero's sheer willpower allows them to break past their limits. But that's fiction. In real life, almost no one actually does that.
Because it's a limit for a reason.
But now, Osren had done it—not with willpower, but with the Face-Face Fruit.
He'd forced his body to break through the wall.