But if he wanted everyone else to think the same way as he did, that was simply unrealistic.
Those who could become professional hunters were all eccentric types, and most of them lacked any real sense of justice or morality.
Perhaps Bushidora Ambitious also understood this truth.
That was why he chose to start with those applicants who had yet to earn their hunter licenses.
"If they can understand the true responsibilities of professional hunters, that would be ideal."
"And even if they don't right now, after this round, they will come to realize the importance of that knowledge."
"It doesn't need to be many; if he can influence even one or two who might become professional hunters, that's already success!"
Bushidora Ambitious's face remained expressionless, but in his heart, that was exactly what he was thinking.
However, this was nothing more than his own wishful thinking.
"Oh right, there's one more thing..."
Bushidora Ambitious cleared his throat and continued.
"Regarding the ranking of the materials you all collected in the previous round, the staff who escorted you here have already compiled and submitted the data to me."
As soon as he mentioned business, the other applicants immediately turned their attention to him.
"There were ten extraction points in the previous round. So I've ranked all of your total material values from highest to lowest and taken the top ten."
"Among them, the bottom four of the top ten will be given clues that point to the locations of relatively easy questions, so they can find them more easily."
"As for the middle three, I'll directly tell them the exact locations of some of the questions, but I won't disclose what type of questions they are."
In other words, the bottom four received clues to easy questions, while the middle three got exact locations but without knowing what kind of questions awaited them.
Still, compared to completely unknown hints, a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush.
That was a decent enough advantage.
And for the remaining top three…
"For the third place…"
Bushidora Ambitious continued, "I'll tell them the exact location of an especially easy question."
"The second place…"
He said: "They only need to bring any one sheet of question paper back to me and they'll automatically pass."
The third place got to know the exact spot of an easy question.
The second place, on the other hand, didn't even have to complete one; they just had to bring one back, and they would pass.
At first glance, second place still had to find a question first, while third place had one handed to them on a silver platter.
But that also meant the third place holder would instantly become a target for everyone present, since they knew where the sheet of question paper was located.
Even if they managed to find the sheet of question paper successfully, keeping hold of it would be another story entirely.
In contrast, second place only needed to find any question.
And that meant, so long as they weren't foolish, they could simply pick up one random question and then trade it with someone who had drawn an extremely difficult one.
That way, second place would end up holding a hard-to-complete question.
With that in hand, and by leveraging their advantage, other applicants wouldn't see them as a target anymore.
In the end, second place might actually be safer and have an easier time passing than third place.
After Bushidora Ambitious explained the benefit of second place, the other applicants silently thought the same thing; it was easy to see the logic in it.
"As for the advantage of first place..."
Bushidora Ambitious drew out his tone.
"First, I'll tell them the exact location of one sheet of question paper..."
He raised one finger, then a second.
"Then, as long as they bring a sheet of question paper back to me, they too will pass automatically, without completing any requirements."
As soon as he said that, the other applicants were momentarily stunned.
This advantage was just a combination of both second and third place benefits, isn't it?!
They would know a question's exact location and could automatically pass just by bringing it in.
And they wouldn't even need to worry about their sheet of question paper being stolen.
As long as they could find one, they would pass directly.
It truly was a fitting reward for the first-place finisher of the previous round, an enormous advantage, indeed.
And as for who that top-ranked applicant was…
"Now, I'll announce the specific list of the top ten."
Bushidora Ambitious began reading aloud: "Tenth place, applicant No. 375, total materials value: 2.7 million Jenny."
"Ninth place, applicant No. 289, total materials value: 2.83 million."
"Eighth place..."
He read them out one by one, calling out the numbers of the corresponding applicants.
Those from tenth place onward had fairly normal totals, mostly around two to three million.
After all, they had hoped to gain some advantage in the second round by collecting more.
But from fifth place upward, the numbers climbed higher, four million, five million, and more.
"These are clearly the strong ones."
Bushidora Ambitious noted, "Those confident in their own abilities who managed to gather this much."
Meanwhile, Tonpa, hiding within the crowd, watched the commotion quietly.
His own total had barely passed the one-million mark.
He had no intention of passing anyway; he just wanted to linger through the rounds and indulge in his twisted enjoyment.
That was why Tonpa hadn't bothered to collect much at all.
He simply blended in with the crowd, grinning as he watched.
"Fight, fight, let them all fight!"
He thought gleefully.
He could easily see Bushidora Ambitious's true intention, especially with the clues given to the bottom four about question locations.
Yes, those top ten applicants would surely be targeted by opportunists.
As long as they held those clues, every other applicant wanting to pass wouldn't leave them alone.
For the top ten, their ranking was both an advantage and a burning-hot curse.
If they didn't have the strength to protect those clues… the outcome would be absolutely tragic!
"Speaking of which, he should have collected quite a lot of supplies too, right?"
Tonpa instinctively turned his gaze toward Luke, who stood there calmly, waiting for the rankings to be announced.
"They've already announced up to third place, and still no sign of his number?"
"Or am I just overthinking it?"
While he was mulling over the thought, Bushidora Ambitious announced the total supplies for second place.
"Second place, applicant No. 177, total materials value: 8.72 million Jenny."
The second-place applicant had gathered over eight million worth of supplies, enough for eight people to pass.
Truly a remarkable and well-deserved achievement.
However…
"Over eight million in total, and that's still not first place?!"
Tonpa was astonished, his eyes once again drifting toward Luke, now even more convinced of his suspicion.
"As expected, the only one who could possibly take first place... it is him!"
He had always trusted his instinct; it was this instinct that sensed danger that had allowed him to survive the hunter exam again and again.
It was Tonpa's one and only foundation for making it this far.
So why wouldn't he believe it now?!
While Tonpa was lost in thought, the other applicants, upon hearing Bushidora Ambitious announce the second-place total, also erupted in shock.
They all shared the same thought as Tonpa: "No way, over eight million, and that's still not enough for first place?!"
"Then how much did the first place get? Ten million? Or even more?!"
"Is there really someone that strong among us?!"
The applicants whispered among themselves, but none looked more displeased than the second-place holder, applicant No. 177.
With more than eight million in supplies, he had been confident he'd secured first.
But now, someone has outdone even him?!
"Who is it?!"
Applicant No. 177's face twisted, eyes sharp as blades as he scanned the crowd.
Just then, Bushidora Ambitious prepares to announce the first-place result.
To be honest, even he was a bit surprised.
He had assumed the top applicants would have gathered no more than eight or nine million in supplies.
Even ten million, at most, for the truly exceptional ones.
But unexpectedly, the first-place total for this round was…
"First place, applicant number 404, with a total supply value of 16,720,000 Jenny."
The moment that number was announced, the entire area erupted.
Except for those few who had been with Luke at the same exit point and already knew the result, every other applicant stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"S-sixteen million?!"
Even Tonpa himself was dumbfounded.
He had imagined Luke might have gathered a huge amount, perhaps over ten million, but never did he expect him to surpass fifteen million!
That was nearly double the amount of second place!
If even Tonpa was that shocked, then the others were even more stunned.
"Sixteen million?!"
"That's impossible for one person to gather, right?!"
"Of course not! He must've hunted other applicants for it."
"But to have hunted that many..."
"This guy's not someone to mess with!"
Groups of applicants murmured among themselves, their words filled with both shock and fear.
At that moment, every single one of them raised their alert level toward applicant No. 404 to the maximum.
To gather that much, whether or not his hands were stained with the blood of others, his sheer danger alone demanded respect.
Even the second-place applicant, number 177, withdrew his earlier aggressive glare, averting his eyes and pretending nothing had happened.
After a brief uproar, silence gradually returned.
Even Bushidora Ambitious, after his initial surprise, carried on as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Alright, next, the top ten applicants, please come up one by one to receive your reward."
From tenth place onward, the applicants stepped forward quietly to claim their rewards.
But all of them could feel it, as they held the papers they had been given, they could feel the sharp, focused gazes of the other applicants from every direction.
Those holding the clues had instantly become the clearest targets in everyone's eyes.
And just like that, the tension between those protecting clues and those preparing to steal them began to rise again.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere around the top three remained calm, well, mostly the top two.
Even so, plenty of applicants still eyed the third-place holder greedily, each thinking: "Maybe I can snatch it for myself."
Luke, on the other hand, accepted his sheet of paper from Bushidora Ambitious casually.
It contained a simple question, along with a clearly marked map showing the location tied to that question.
"So that's where it is?"
Luke glanced at the map with an understanding nod, then neatly folded the paper.
"The map's clear enough."
"Following this route, I'd be able to find it quickly."
"But still..."
A faint glint lit up in his eyes.
"I don't really have the patience to keep playing along with this exam."
"This whole hunter exam game thing, let's end it here."
Arms folded across his chest, Luke had already made up his mind.
"Alright, all the pre-test preparations are now complete."
"Lastly, one friendly reminder."
Bushidora Ambitious clasped his hands behind his back, his expression stern.
"In this vast desert, besides the many sheets of question paper I've placed, there are also creatures that naturally inhabit this land."
"When you're digging and searching, remember to avoid getting hurt by them."
"For a professional hunter, being able to respond at any time to threats that may come from nature is an important skill!"
Other applicants: "... ?"
Besides the test question itself, are there additional dangers in this desert?!
This is only the second round, does it have to be this difficult?!
Some applicants twitched and felt how tricky this round had become.
Even Tonpa's face looked a little grim as he muttered to himself.
"This year's hunter exam is the hardest one in recent years."
If even Tonpa says that, then it's been certified properly.
"Now I announce..."
Bushidora Ambitious cleared his throat. "The hunter exam, second round, officially begins!"
Clatter!
The moment he finished speaking, over a hundred applicants immediately ran off.
Of course, quite a few of them fixed their eyes on the top ten applicants, especially those who had obtained the clue locations.
"Go fight and scramble for it..."
Bushidora Ambitious watched the scene with a blank face, but inwardly he sneered.
"Those whose heads are full of only the privileges and benefits of a hunter license, with no sense of professional responsibility."
"I would rather see them all die in such a scramble!"
Bushidora Ambitious detested that behavior intensely.
But under Hunter Association rules, he could not stop them.
All he could do as an examiner was try to provoke conflict among those applicants.
If these people who only saw profit and greed would die in this round, all the better.