"Please come this way. Before we begin, I must confirm something first. The Hunter Exam is extremely difficult. Even a slight lack of luck or courage could result in serious injury—or even death. If you still wish to participate, then follow me."
Satotz spoke calmly as he walked forward at an unhurried pace.
Without exception, everyone began following behind him. Since Lu Ou and his group had arrived last, they were walking at the very back.
"I see. There are 405 people taking the exam for the first time this year."
As soon as they started moving, Satotz had already determined the number of participants.
Originally there had been 406—but unfortunately, one had been eliminated early by Hisoka.
"Even though I knew it was unlikely, no one's dropping out at all. I was kind of hoping someone would," Leorio said, looking around and noticing that the crowd hadn't thinned at all.
"Huh?" Gon noticed something strange. "Everyone's walking faster."
"The exam has already started," Lu Ou said.
"Did you notice?" Tonpa cut in.
"The pace is increasing," Kurapika added, having noticed it as well.
Satotz's steps were getting faster and faster. Walking was no longer enough to keep up—they had to start running.
"So this is what this year's exam is like. Lu Ou was right—the test has already begun," Tonpa said.
"I'll explain now. I am Satotz, the examiner in charge of the first phase. I will now lead everyone to the site of the second phase. I trust some of you have already realized that this journey itself is the content of the first test."
No matter how fast he moved, Satotz's voice remained steady and relaxed. He didn't even seem slightly out of breath.
Before long, the group split into two segments.
The first group—those tightly following the examiner—made up the majority.
The second group consisted of those who didn't react quickly enough, or didn't care at first, and were pushed to the back.
Gon and the others were in the second group. Though they were fully focused, as first-time participants they still couldn't match the pace of experienced veterans.
From the second group, they could barely even see the examiner anymore.
Leorio tried to push forward, but was forced back by the crowd.
"Gon, let's run to the front. It'll be easier to keep up with the examiner that way," Lu Ou said.
"Huh? But it's packed up there," Gon replied, confused.
"Lu Ou, that's impossible. I just tried forcing my way forward—you saw it. There's no way through."
Leorio pointed at the dense mass of people ahead, completely unconvinced. After all, anyone taking the Hunter Exam had excellent physical conditioning. Trying to carve a path through a human sea like this was basically impossible.
Not to mention—he had already tried.
Kurapika also looked at Lu Ou with confusion, mentally analyzing the situation for possible solutions. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't find any viable method.
Tonpa curled his lips dismissively. These kids really seemed easy to fool—didn't look like they had much going on upstairs. Crushing them wouldn't even feel satisfying.
Killua, finding it interesting that there were two boys around his age, was running not far away. With his keen hearing, he naturally caught Lu Ou's words and became intrigued, choosing to observe further to see what this unremarkable kid was planning.
"Relax. I definitely have a way. Just follow me," Lu Ou said.
What was the difference between a life without showing off and being a salted fish?
To pull off this impressive move, Lu Ou had actually paid quite a price—and had even taken preventive measures ahead of time to use this moment to handle other matters as well.
Hearing Lu Ou's confidence-filled words, whether they believed him or not, everyone's attention shifted toward him.
Lu Ou began jogging lightly. When he drew level with Hisoka, he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Hisoka, please give me some face. Treat me as if I don't exist—forever."
"A specially prepared glass of juice, plus a rare chimera egg… that should be enough to make this wish come true—even if the condition is 'forever.'"
Lu Ou calculated silently.
Hisoka was never interested in people he didn't care about anyway. Treating someone as nonexistent came naturally to him.
More importantly, at this stage, Lu Ou had shown nothing worth Hisoka's attention. The 'fruit farmer' hadn't begun testing apples yet. Lu Ou's presence was about as noticeable as an ant on the ground.
So asking Hisoka to continue ignoring an ant he already didn't care about—plus a chimera egg, steak, and a specialty drink—should be enough.
And "treating me as nonexistent" didn't mean being blind to him. Simply put, as long as Lu Ou didn't do anything stupid or jump around in front of Hisoka, Hisoka wouldn't pay attention.
Still, this was a risky move.
If the Nen-based "face-fruit" judgment failed, imagine this: a complete stranger suddenly asking Hisoka not to pay attention to him. The outcome would be terrifying.
But the risk had to be taken.
Lu Ou and Gon were bound to encounter Hisoka sooner or later. Survival came first. Gon and the short one might be Togashi's beloved children—but Lu Ou wasn't. He had to plan for himself.
Lu Ou sped past Hisoka without feeling any murderous gaze or attention. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The contract was judged successful.
With the groundwork done, it was time for the main performance.
"Ahem."
Lu Ou cleared his throat.
"To everyone running in the middle up front—please give me some face and make a path."
His voice was loud and clear, making sure everyone who should hear it did hear it.
The moment the words left his mouth, the front hadn't reacted yet—but chaos erupted behind him.
"Huh?!"
Both Tonpa and Leorio's jaws nearly hit the floor.
With his sharp eyesight, Lu Ou even noticed Killua's skateboard wobble slightly—probably from surprise rather than uneven ground.
"This is your method?" Leorio stared at him with a are-you-kidding-me expression.
"This kid looks clever, but his brain doesn't work very well. They don't know you, they're all competitors—why would anyone make way for you?" Tonpa mocked him internally.
Even Kurapika was stunned. What kind of logic was this? What sense did it make?
Only Gon's eyes sparkled. His body tensed, ready to sprint forward—because he believed.
He believed the people ahead would move.
Peak blind faith.
And yet—
The moment Lu Ou finished speaking, the group he addressed unconsciously began shifting to both sides, opening up a path down the middle—just wide enough for two people to run side by side.
Most people who heard him had no intention of responding—but then again, he was just a kid. Letting him run ahead wouldn't make them lose first place or anything.
And besides—what did running first even matter in the Hunter Exam?
So they casually stepped aside, leaving a clear path.