Just how much had this guy looted?!
Fortunately, they didn't have to wonder for long.
The staff member soon announced: "Applicant No. 404, total resources..."
He paused for a moment, unable to help himself.
"... 16.72 million."
The number dropped like a bomb.
The room fell silent.
It was an amount so far beyond theirs that they couldn't even come close; in some cases, it's more than ten times higher.
"Well, looks like the first place in the second round is already decided..."
The other applicants remained silent, all turning to look at Luke, whose expression stayed calm and composed.
This applicant No. 404... Was no ordinary person.
"The totals of your collected resources will be handed directly to the examiners for the second phase."
"If there are no issues, please follow me."
After confirming and recording everyone's results, the staff member showed no reaction, hesitation, or delay.
He simply turned around and started walking forward.
Everyone, including Luke, immediately followed.
As they moved along, they gradually met with applicants from other exit points.
When the groups merged, they silently counted their numbers.
As Luke had expected, it was slightly fewer than the 150 he had estimated.
One thing caught his attention: Tonpa, the hunter exam veteran, was among the groups from another exit point.
As expected, there was no way that guy would be eliminated in the first round.
When Luke spotted Tonpa, Tonpa also saw him and instantly lowered his head, doing his best to suppress his presence.
"As I thought, that guy isn't just some ordinary rookie..."
Seeing Luke walking with several intimidating, brutal-looking applicants who had all passed the first round, Tonpa silently reaffirmed his thoughts.
And so, as all the remaining applicants cautiously observed one another, ten staff members led them across the region, past rocky hills and ridges, until they arrived at… a vast desert.
And there, standing in the distance, was a familiar figure waiting for them.
"Hm? Another familiar face..."
From a distance, Luke could already see the figure standing there.
Coincidentally, it was someone he knew, well, the word, knew, was putting it generously.
To be precise, it was just recognition, not familiarity, because this person only appeared briefly in the Hunter Chairman Election arc.
A minor character with little screen time and barely any presence.
His name: Bushidora Ambitious, nicknamed the samurai.
Originally a Blacklist Hunter, he later became a Single-Star due to his accomplishments.
During the election arc, he joined forces with Teradein Neutral and Loupe Highland, forming an alliance to run for the position of the new Hunter Association chairman.
Their slogan was the no-chairman faction.
They believed the Hunter Association belonged to all professional hunters collectively, and that the chairman should not hold such dominant power or influence.
Regardless of what his two allies truly thought, Bushidora Ambitious genuinely believed this.
As a member of the Hunter Association's disciplinary committee, his entire focus was on maintaining internal order and discipline within the association.
After officially announcing his candidacy for chairman, Bushidora Ambitious reinstated the association's internal Pure Paladin Squad, intended to root out corrupt members and criminals within the organization.
Well, there's nothing wrong with his thinking and approach.
But the problem was… his first two targets after taking action were Hisoka and Illumi Zoldyck.
One was a murderous maniac, the other from a family of professional assassins.
Eliminating both from the ranks of hunters would have made perfect sense in theory, but the reality was far crueler.
In terms of strength, Bushidora Ambitious and his two allies were utterly outmatched.
Not only were all the members of his reinstated Pure Paladin Squad defeated by Hisoka, but even the trio was wiped out on the spot, killed by Hisoka in an instant.
Their ideals were noble, but reality was merciless.
Now, Bushidora Ambitious was serving as the examiner for the second round of the hunter exam.
With a stern expression, he stood straight while waiting for the applicants to arrive.
Finally, once all the staff and applicants were gathered, he spoke: "The first round of the hunter exam is hereby concluded."
Expressionless, Bushidora Ambitious looked out toward the remaining applicants.
"Total number of successful participants: one hundred and nine."
After clearing his throat, he continued, "Next will be the second round of the hunter exam. I am your second-round examiner, Bushidora Ambitious."
"The contents of this second round are very simple."
Spreading his arms, he gestured to the vast desert stretching out behind him.
"In this desert behind me, I have placed sixty specially prepared sheets of paper from the Hunter Association."
"Each sheet contains a question or a task."
"If you can answer the question correctly or fulfill the task's requirement, bring that sheet back to me."
"Once I verify your answer, you will automatically pass."
Having clearly explained the rules, Bushidora Ambitious's voice echoed firmly across the field.
Upon hearing there were only sixty sheets, the applicants' expressions immediately hardened.
During the first round, when they were gathering supplies, no one knew how many valuable resources there were, but everyone assumed there was plenty to go around.
So there was no real pressure then.
But now, with the second round's rules made clear, only sixty sheets of paper existed.
That meant only sixty applicants could pass.
"Oh, right, there are a few additional details."
As the applicants tensed, Bushidora Ambitious continued casually, as if just remembering something.
"Each sheet of paper can only be answered once when presented to me."
"In other words..."
He gave a grim, faint smile.
"If someone finds a sheet and brings it to me to answer, if they get it right, they pass, and I reclaim that question. But if they get it wrong..."
He looked around at the silent crowd.
"That question is void; it's discarded. It will not be asked again, nor can anyone else attempt it."
"So before you come to me with an answer, make absolutely sure you know it and can get it right."
"Otherwise, you'll waste not only a question, but also a precious passing slot."
As his words sank in, the applicants erupted into murmurs.
"So that means..."
One of them couldn't hold back and blurted out: "... There might not even be sixty people who pass in the end?!"
"Correct."
Bushidora Ambitious glanced at the speaker and nodded calmly.
"Some of the questions are quite difficult, things even professional hunters may not know."
"Wait!"
Another applicant immediately shouted.
"Can you at least tell us what kind of questions are on those sheets of paper?!"
"If they're astronomy, geography, history, or math-related, there's no way we can answer them!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
Many others chimed in while nodding anxiously.
Most of them stare nervously up at Bushidora Ambitious.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't go that far."
Bushidora Ambitious said calmly.
The crowd collectively sighed in relief, finally relaxing a little.
They figured the Hunter Association wouldn't make purely knowledge-based questions, that would be far too cruel.
"But while they are not academic questions..."
Seeing the applicants' relieved expressions, Bushidora Ambitious gave a cold smile.
"Most of them are related to the work of professional hunters."
"For example, knowing how professional hunters can raise their star ranking, and what differences exist between a Single-Star and a Double-Star Hunter."
"The permissions tied to a hunter license, as well as the rules that must be followed after becoming a professional hunter, and so on..."
As Bushidora Ambitious spoke, those applicants who had just relaxed began to look bewildered, their faces filled with confusion as they stared blankly at him.
"Since you all wish to become professional hunters and obtain a hunter license, it's only natural that you should understand what a hunter must do."
Seeing their confused looks, the cold smirk on Bushidora Ambitious's face deepened.
"I'm not asking you any highly technical questions."
"These are just basic questions about the duties of a professional hunter."
"In fact, all of the answers are written in the hunter exam handbook."
"As long as you took the time to read and understand what a hunter is supposed to do and what's expected of them..."
"Then none of these questions would be difficult for you."
Although he said that, the truth was… the group of applicants exchanged uneasy looks, their expressions growing worse by the moment.
They all knew that obtaining a hunter license came with many privileges, but as for what responsibilities a professional hunter actually bore, they had never bothered to learn.
Of course, some among them truly pursued the exam out of ideals and ambition.
Those few actually felt a sense of relief upon hearing Bushidora Ambitious's words.
But such people were the minority.
Most looked troubled and scratched their heads in frustration.
Fortunately, before their anxiety could fester too long, Bushidora Ambitious continued: "Of course, since the purpose of the Hunter Association's exam is mainly to determine who has the ability and qualification to become a hunter..."
"So..."
He paused briefly, his face still expressionless as he continued: "These questions about a hunter's duties will be formally explained to you once you actually obtain your license."
"So, if you truly know nothing about the written portion, or if you only came here burning with passion just because you heard that being a professional hunter is a great profession..."
"Then you may choose to attempt one of the task-based challenges instead."
"On the sheets of paper, besides the written section, there are also task-based challenges."
"For instance, do one thousand push-ups, run ten kilometers on the spot, bark like a dog around the desert, and other such challenges."
The other applicants: so there is a way out after all! Task-based challenges exist?!
Those who really didn't understand a thing instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although some of the tasks sounded tough and even a little humiliating, they were still easier than answering written questions.
After all, to become a professional hunter, a bit of hardship and humiliation was a small price to pay!
Thinking this way, most of them quickly adjusted their mindset.
They rubbed their hands together eagerly, ready to dig through the desert in search of a question sheet.
"A friendly reminder."
Bushidora Ambitious added: "Some of those papers are buried quite deep. You might not even find them."
"And some task-type challenges also come with a certain level of danger, for example..."
A malicious grin finally crept across Bushidora Ambitious's face.
"Some of the tasks require the badge number of another applicant."
Huh?!
At those words, all the applicants froze.
Then, in an instant, they became alert again, eyes filled with suspicion and wariness as they glanced at those around them.
"As expected, this round won't be that simple."
Luke murmured while shaking his head as he watched the tension grow.
The conditions for passing this round were clear: find a sheet of paper in the desert, answer correctly or complete the challenge, and you pass.
It seemed simple, but upon closer thought, it was far from easy.
The knowledge-based questions were one thing, but now, after Bushidora Ambitious's explanation, even the task-based ones had become traps, some of them turning applicants into each other's prey.
This would make everyone paranoid, distrusting one another, constantly on guard to avoid becoming someone else's target.
"That means once someone digs up a sheet of paper, they'll immediately draw attention."
"And since there are only sixty papers in total, too few for the number of people here, whoever finds one first will have the first chance to pass."
"However..."
Luke looked up at the still expressionless Bushidora Ambitious.
"He never said that whoever finds the question automatically owns it."
"In other words, once a sheet of paper is discovered, it could spark a fight."
"After all, the questions that require certain knowledge are hard; few can answer them…"
"So the task-type ones will become hotly contested."
Yes, literally hotly contested.
"And everyone wants to clear the round quickly, preferably by finding an easy task."
"So once a simple one is found, fighting will inevitably break out again."
"Especially near the end, when maybe forty or fifty applicants have already passed…"
"With only ten papers left, the bloodshed from the final scramble will be even worse."
"No one who has made it this far wants to fail in the second round..."
Luke saw through the design of the exam completely.
This would be yet another brutal, bloody, and intense test.
As for Bushidora Ambitious himself, Luke could more or less guess his intentions.
This man, strictly speaking, wanted the Hunter Association to improve, to ensure that professional hunters were people of justice, truly upholding righteousness as their mission.
He genuinely possessed a strong sense of justice and integrity, but he also wanted others to live up to that same ideal.
Well, at least Bushidora Ambitious practiced what he preached.