Chapter 24: Another Me—You Hunt Humans, I Hunt Beasts
[Transmutation energy +1...]
Mord looked at the character attribute panel before him.
[Name: Mord]
[Nen Ability Level: C-]
[Nen Ability: Zanpakutō]
[Awakened Attribute: Pierce Through, Gonryōmaru! – Nen attacks can deal additional lightning damage (LV1: 101/1000, evolution conditions not met)]
[Enhancement Energy: 80/100 (Conditions to unlock new awakened attributes not met.)]
"Gonryōmaru's experience has increased." A trace of surprise flashed in Mord's eyes. He had originally thought his Zanpakutō only absorbed the spiritual energy of Nen users, but he had just killed a man-faced ape.
Yet he still gained experience, albeit a pitiful 1 point.
But the significance of this far exceeded what this single point of experience could represent.
Meanwhile, Satotz had already begun leading the group toward the Zevil Forest, with over three hundred examinees following closely behind.
Another unconventional marathon had begun.
Compared to the underground tunnel, the muddy path was even more difficult to traverse. More importantly, the hidden dangers lurking in the surroundings could claim lives at any moment.
The examinees had to remain constantly vigilant, striving to keep up with Satotz while staying alert to their surroundings.
As they ventured deeper into the wetlands, fog gradually began to rise around them.
"Gon, let's move to the front. We can't let the examiner get out of sight," Killua said, glancing at the white mist before adding, "And we should stay as far away from Hisoka as possible."
"Why?" Gon asked, looking puzzled.
Mord glanced at Killua. It seemed Killua had sensed the terrifying killing intent suppressed within Hisoka, though this was normal since, from a certain perspective, they were the same kind of people.
Mord spoke up, "Because he's been holding back for too long."
"Brother Mord, I still don't understand," Gon asked.
"Holding it in for too long leads to an outburst—you'll understand when you're older," Mord said, his gaze fixed ahead, expression unchanging as he continued. "That guy's about to start killing. I bet he'll take advantage of the thick fog to go on a rampage."
Killua gave Mord a deep, searching look.
To him, Mord was the one who truly shared Hisoka's nature.
"Leorio! Kurapika!"
"Big Brother Mord and Killua both said it's better to move forward—hurry up and follow!" Gon suddenly turned and shouted toward the group behind them.
The others who heard Gon's words were speechless.
"Idiot, if we could move ahead, we'd have done it already."
As for Kurapika and Leorio, they could only lament their misfortune, blaming their lack of monstrous physical abilities.
Leorio's voice carried faintly from the rear.
The fog grew thicker.
"Stay close to the figures ahead—they're our only landmarks!" one of the examinees behind called out.
But no sooner had the words left his mouth than a strawberry suddenly appeared in the dense mist.
An examinee froze in confusion.
The next moment, a gaping maw clamped onto his body, lifting him into the air.
Noggin Lugging Tortoise.
Active only in thick fog, it uses the strawberries growing on its back to lure and attack those lost in the mist.
"Why do I hear screams in the distance?" Gon asked from the front of the group.
"Probably someone fell for a trap," Killua replied casually beside him.
"Where did everyone behind us go?" Gon turned to look back.
There had to have been at least a hundred people behind them earlier.
"Where's Big Brother Mord?"
"He was just here a moment ago," Gon muttered in confusion.
Killua glanced back with a deep look and said, "Gon, let's not worry about them. We need to keep up with the examiner."
"Look, the fog is slowly swallowing the figures ahead too. If we get separated, we're out. We don't have time to worry about others now."
...
The giant Sloth Frog, too slow to chase prey, hid underground with its jaws wide open, patiently waiting for victims to pass by.
The Deceit Crow, spinning lies to lure people into traps before pecking at their flesh.
Its trick? Shouting things like "This way is safe, that way is dangerous!"—exploiting the psychology of examinees lost in the fog, leading them to certain death.
Then there were the Landmine Mushrooms, exploding on contact and rapidly multiplying over the paralyzed bodies of their victims.
The Hypno Butterfly, mesmerizing prey with its strange flight patterns, providing live feed for its larvae.
Soon, agonized screams filled the entirety of the Trick Tower's wetlands.
Mord casually bisected a Hypno Butterfly with his blade and moved on to his next target.
[Transmutation energy +1...]
For ordinary examinees, this place—shrouded in thick fog with visibility under three meters and riddled with danger—was a nightmare.
But for Nen users, it was no issue at all.
Because they relied not just on their five senses, but on Nen.
Mord, freely navigating the dense mist, hunted by sensing aura.
Meanwhile.
Another individual was doing the same—only while Mord hunted beasts, he hunted people.
A flurry of playing cards shot through the fog like the sharpest blades, effortlessly slicing through the throats of the unlucky.
Or directly pierce through their skulls.
For these candidates who had fallen behind and gotten lost in the thick fog, what they feared most at this moment might not be the terrifying predatory beasts, but this man with narrowed eyes, dressed in flashy clown attire, deftly shuffling playing cards between his fingers.
The Magician—Hisoka.
Hisoka's killing spree had a slight connection to Mord, though the relation was minimal.
Coming to take the Hunter Exam, aside from genuinely needing the Hunter License, Hisoka had another purpose—to discover those tantalizing little apples.
This year's Hunter Exam had proven exceptionally fruitful for this orchard owner.
Through prior observations, Hisoka had identified several promising young apples. However, since these apples were still unripe, he could only suppress his inner urges and murderous impulses with great restraint.
In the original work, when that Man-faced Ape impersonating the examiner appeared, he could no longer resist taking action.
But now, with Mord stirring things up, that killing intent had been suppressed even further.
Now fully unleashed, it was naturally even more terrifying.
The killing intent was so intense it seemed ready to overflow.
Mord noticed it from afar—he wasn't foolish enough to provoke Hisoka at this point and engage in an unwinnable battle.
Gaining experience was far more practical.
Just as Mord appeared to Hisoka as a fresh, tempting apple, Hisoka was, in Mord's eyes, an experience-packed gift box that could only be opened when he reached a certain level.
"Here, I am the examiner. Only those who pass my approval may proceed," Hisoka said, casually toying with a playing card as he addressed the dozen or so examinees before him.
Only those who passed his test were qualified apples. Rotten apples had no place in his orchard.
Rotten apples belonged in the trash.
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