Ryker scanned the remaining candidates.
They were the elite of the elite. The chaff had been winnowed out in the tunnel and the swamp. Almost everyone here had at least one [Blue] trait.
He checked the data.
Most of the traits were mediocre. Sure, if he massacred all 100 people here, he might fuse enough Blues to get a Purple... but mass murder in front of the examiners was bad business. It would trigger the Hunter Association's "Problem Child" protocols, and he wasn't ready to fight Netero yet.
The only real loot boxes left were the Big Three: Hisoka, Illumi, and Hanzo.
"Um... excuse me!"
A timid voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ryker looked down. A young girl with a large yellow hat and messy green hair was standing in front of him, blushing furiously.
Ponzu. The Bee User.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving me back there!" she bowed deeply. "I'm Ponzu. If it wasn't for you, I would have been eaten by that Slacker Frog!"
"Hmm? Me?" Ryker blinked.
He vaguely remembered Ponzu from the anime. She was the one who met a tragic end later in the Chimera Ant arc. He hadn't intentionally saved her. She must have been part of that group he liberated while farming the frog.
"Ah, right. That. Don't mention it. Just a coincidence," Ryker shrugged.
"Coincidence or not, you saved my life! I will definitely repay you!" Ponzu insisted, eyes shining with hero worship.
"Heh. Saved her from a Slacker Frog with one punch? Yeah, right."
"Stop bragging. That frog is huge. Its skin is thicker than a tank. One punch? Please."
"These kids are just hyping each other up. Probably never even saw a real monster."
A group of nearby candidates overheard the conversation and started snickering. They looked at Ryker with disdain, clearly marking him as a liar.
Ryker sighed.
He wiped his fist on his shirt. It was still slightly smoking from the last encounter.
"Hey," Ryker called out to the loudest heckler.
"What?" The guy sneered. "Got a problem, kid?"
"Think you can take this punch?" Ryker asked politely. "It has sixteen years of investment behind it."
"Sixtee—"
BOOM!
Ryker didn't wait for an answer.
On Whale Island, he was a nice guy because everyone there was family.
Out here? In the savage world of Hunters? If he didn't assert dominance, he was wasting his transmigration.
His fist connected with the heckler's chest.
It wasn't a kill shot. Ryker held back. He only used about... 5% of his power.
But 5% of [Monstrous Strength] (Gold) was still catastrophic.
The heckler didn't just fly back. He was launched like a surface-to-air missile.
WHOOSH!
He broke the sound barrier, disappearing into the dense forest behind the mansion. A trail of broken trees and a deep trench marked his trajectory. He finally came to a stop about a hundred meters away, buried in a hillside, twitching but alive.
Ryker blew on his knuckles.
He turned to the heckler's friends.
"Anyone else want to test the quality control?"
Thud. Thud.
"I... I'm sorry! I was blind! Please forgive me!"
"I quit! I withdraw!!"
"Mommy!!"
The tough guys wet themselves instantly. Two of them ran for the exit screaming.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
It was absolute.
The laughter died. The gossip stopped. Even the ambient noise of the forest seemed to hold its breath.
Every pair of eyes was glued to Ryker.
In the Hunter world, strength was the only law that mattered. And Ryker had just proven he was the Sheriff.
"One punch... sent him flying a hundred meters..."
"Monster..."
The candidates unconsciously stepped back, creating a wide "danger zone" around Ryker.
"He really is a monster," Illumi (disguised as Gittarackur) clicked his teeth, turning his pin-covered head toward Hisoka. "Your fruit seems... thorny."
"The more dangerous the harvest, the sweeter the taste~"
Hisoka trembled.
Not with fear. With ecstasy.
His blood was singing. A fruit that could bite back? Yes, please.
Just then, the heavy doors of the mansion creaked open.
"Welcome, candidates who survived the First Phase!"
A woman's voice rang out—confident, loud, and slightly annoyed.
Sitting in a throne-like chair in the courtyard was a young woman with turquoise hair tied into five topknots. She wore a mesh shirt and bikini top, exuding an aura of wild confidence.
Next to her sat a giant of a man, his stomach rumbling like thunder.
"I am Menchi! The Second Phase Examiner!"
"And I'm Buhara!" the giant added.
"We are Gourmet Hunters!" Menchi announced, crossing her legs. "Your task is simple. You must satisfy our palates!"
"The ingredient is... PORK!" Buhara shouted, slapping his belly. "Specifically, the Great Stamp from the Biska Forest behind us! Catch it, cook it, and make us say 'Delicious'! That is the only rule!"
"Go!"
The candidates scrambled, rushing into the forest like a tidal wave, eager to get away from the examiners—and from Ryker.
Ryker, Gon, and the others followed at a leisurely pace.
Surveillance Room / Comms Channel.
"Satotz? That's the kid you were talking about?"
Menchi spoke into her headset, watching Ryker's back as he entered the forest. "Number 406. He looks... decent. A bit pretty for a Hunter."
"Don't underestimate him, Menchi," Satotz's voice crackled in her ear. He was watching from a tree branch high above. "In the First Phase, he defeated twelve armed candidates in under sixty seconds. He ran 80 kilometers without a drop of sweat. And just now? He punched a man into the stratosphere without using Nen."
"I suspect his physical capabilities are already at Pro Hunter level. Maybe higher."
"Hmph. We'll see," Menchi sniffed. "Physical strength doesn't make a Gourmet Hunter. Can he cook? Can he appreciate nuance? If he just brings me a charred pig, I'll fail him regardless of how strong he is."
"Be careful, you two," Satotz warned. "Don't set the bar too high. The Chairman is watching."
"Yeah, yeah. The pigs in this forest aren't normal either. Let's see if they even survive." Buhara chuckled.
"Relax, Satotz. We are professionals. We will judge fairly." Menchi cut the connection.
"Fairly," she muttered. "But if he has an attitude, he's getting an F."