Ice Snow Ski Resort, Lobby 3.
This was a warehouse roughly the size of a small athletic field.
The internal equipment had been cleared out, leaving it solely for examinees to wait temporarily.
The ceiling was fitted with several lamps, bathing the area in bright light.
Currently, over two hundred examinees were gathered here.
Creak—
The old, rusted iron door let out a sharp, piercing sound as it opened.
In the already silent environment, the sound of the door opening was like a thunderclap in the dark of night, particularly striking and immediately drawing the attention of countless people.
As fellow examinees for the Hunter Exam, everyone was a competitor, so they watched each other with extreme focus.
The iron door slowly opened, revealing a handsome, young face with a calm expression.
Lynn walked in with a composed air, dressed in a simple style of casual wear.
At his feet was the tiny and adorable Chopper.
He was currently 27 years old, but after learning “Nen,” he looked even younger, appearing as though he were in his early 20s.
Considering the possibility of running into Hisoka, Lynn had decided to have Chopper move with his clone; an extra hand meant an extra bit of hope.
Since the clone only shared abilities and did not include the emission or retraction of Nen, he had to keep Chopper by his side.
Examinees were allowed to bring pets, including but not limited to monkeys, bees, and the like.
Average build, no weapons, just a bit of good looks…
Seeing this, some examinees felt a secret sense of relief.
In their eyes, Lynn was the kind of existence that lacked any competitive edge.
As for that tanuki?
Was it here for a laugh?
With its thin limbs, it seemed useless for anything other than being cute.
“Here you go, please take your number tag.”
“Please be sure to pin it to your chest and be careful not to lose it.”
A short staff member, whose head was shaped like a large green pea, handed the number tag to Lynn with a gentle tone.
This was the personal secretary to the Chairman of the Hunter Association, Beans.
Beans was an extremely rare plant-type magical beast possessing high intelligence, which was why he had been assigned the role of secretary.
Chairman Netero often affectionately referred to him as “Bean.”
While handing over the number tag, Beans also glanced at Chopper, feeling surprised in his heart…
In his memory, he didn’t recall a breed of reindeer like this existing across the six continents.
Lynn looked at his number tag: 300.
A very clean, even number.
“Thank you,” Lynn replied politely, waving his hand as he strolled forward casually, with little Chopper following behind.
What a polite person…
Beans watched Lynn for a few more moments, especially since Lynn was one of only two Nen users on the field.
On the other side, Lynn found a quiet corner and stared at the number tag in his hand, thinking about a very important matter.
If he punched Beans right now, would a card drop out?
Retracting his thoughts, he realized he was just letting his mind wander; Beans hadn’t provoked him, so there was no need to rush up and strike.
Of course, it definitely wasn’t because he was Netero’s secretary.
“A fresh face, eh?
You’re a rookie, aren’t you?”
Just then, a greeting suddenly came from beside him.
Lynn looked over.
A middle-aged man wearing a blue vest, stout and with a square nose, walked over with a seemingly honest smile on his face.
He wore number 64 on his chest.
“Did I disturb you by saying hello so suddenly?
I’m sorry.”
“I’m Tonpa.
Don’t let my appearance fool you; I’ve participated in the Hunter Exam 34 times before.
I guess you could call me a veteran,” Tonpa scratched the back of his head, laughing heartily in self-deprecation.
Had it been an inexperienced rookie, they might have been deceived by Tonpa’s disguise and simply thought of him as a harmless middle-aged man.
But a moment of careful thought would reveal the flaws.
The Hunter Exam was no joke; the passing rate was terrifyingly low, and the death rate remained consistently high.
For Tonpa to participate in such a hellish exam for 34 consecutive sessions without dying meant he was naturally no ordinary person.
Lynn didn’t respond immediately, silently sizing Tonpa up.
This old guy was quite the character, nicknamed the “Rookie Crusher,” with a very unique hobby.
He participated in the Hunter Exam so many times not to become a Hunter, but to crush rookies along the way; he loved seeing those self-important, gifted geniuses sink into despair.
Many times, when he reached the later stages of the exam, he would even forfeit voluntarily so that he could return the following year to continue tormenting new examinees.
Tonpa approaching him now was likely an attempt to play some dirty trick.
“34 sessions, huh?
Then you are indeed a veteran,” Lynn said, passing the time with Tonpa since he was bored.
“I wonder how familiar you are with the other examinees?”
He bought it!
A rookie is just a rookie…
Tonpa felt a secret sense of pride, but on the surface, he said enthusiastically, “Yeah, I know many of the people here.”
As he spoke, Lynn followed Tonpa’s gaze toward the crowd.
Many examinees looked extremely tense.
A deathly silence permeated the area, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
It had to be said that the anime world was truly different; the people inside were all sorts of shapes and sizes, with a vast variety of clothing, builds, and features.
“See that pale fellow over there in the plain clothes wearing a white headcloth?”
“That’s Bourbon the Snake Charmer.
He’s a regular at the Hunter Exam.
I’ve seen him play a flute to drive a swarm of snakes,” Tonpa said in a serious tone.
In a corner of the warehouse, Bourbon sat leaning against the wall, motionless.
His attire was reminiscent of someone from the Middle East, and his face was so square it looked as though he had chewed too many nuts.
“And at the three o’clock direction, those three brothers talking in the crowd—those are Amori, Umori, and Imori.
Those three work together with great synergy; ordinary examinees are no match for them.”
“…”
In order to better gain Lynn’s trust, Tonpa revealed general information about many examinees, most of whom were familiar faces from the original story.
For instance, Bodoro the martial artist, the Amori brothers, the girl Ponzu…
In the crowd, some people noticed Tonpa’s side.
“Hey, you see that?” the eldest brother, Amori, joked.
“Yeah, that guy Tonpa found another target,” the second brother, Umori, said bluntly.
“That rookie looks naive; it seems Tonpa’s going to succeed.”
The three brothers were very familiar with Tonpa and even traded with him frequently.
It should be said that any veteran examinee knew exactly what Tonpa was like.
After a long while, Tonpa stopped, pulled out three cans of juice from his bag, and smiled.
“We’ve been talking for so long, I’ve gotten thirsty.”
“I happen to have prepared extra.
Consider this a greeting gift.
This is your pet, right?
How about a can for him too?”
On the surface, Tonpa’s smile was honest, but behind the scenes, he was full of malice.
Drink it.
The juice contained a super-strength laxative he had specially formulated; it was odorless, tasteless, and its power was beyond imagination.
If Lynn took even a single sip, he could forget about the Hunter Exam.
“You’ve really worked hard,” Lynn sighed.
“Year after year, delighting in deceiving rookies; you really are dedicated.”
“There’s something wrong with the juice, isn’t there, ‘Rookie Crusher’ Tonpa?”
Hearing this, Tonpa’s face stiffened, and his expression changed slightly…
I misjudged him!
This young man before him was definitely not some naive rookie!
In that very instant, his intuition told him this was a dangerous person who must be avoided.
“I am terribly sorry to have bothered you!” Tonpa bowed 90 degrees at high speed and turned to run away, but he didn’t succeed.
Lynn very naturally placed his right hand on Tonpa’s shoulder.
With just that simple movement, the latter felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been placed on his shoulder, making it difficult to move.
“You like targeting rookies, so I’m curious—have you approached that person yet?” While speaking, Lynn slowly turned Tonpa’s head, forcing him to look toward a certain corner.
The person sitting there was none other than Hisoka, dressed in his jester outfit.
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