Hunter: I became stronger even after I died.

Chapter 297 Beneath the Silence
The number of surveillance cameras in the library was deliberately increased.

Kurapika didn't stay on-site for two reasons: firstly, to provide more guidance to the test takers, and secondly, to observe the test takers' testing process through the monitoring screen.

When he arrived at the monitoring room, Netero, Menchi, Buhara and others were already there.

The examiners each held the exam papers that had just been distributed to the candidates.

They are looking at the exam questions.

"Uh."

Buhara looked on blankly, scratching his head every now and then.

The test paper had too many different types of questions. Despite feeling uncomfortable, he looked through the entire paper and was only confident that he could answer three questions related to food and the last question.

Even more frightening is that there were no multiple-choice questions on the exam paper.

This means that you can't even try your luck.

that is……

"I can only score a maximum of 4 points?!"

Buhara's eyes were vacant.

Menchi and Satsuma were also looking at the exam paper, their brows furrowing unconsciously.

This exam paper is simply inhuman.

Leaving aside the highly specialized questions, let's take one question from the exam paper as an example:

"The Hunter Exam has been held 287 times to date. Dear readers, what is the name of the candidate who currently holds the record for the most participations?"

Questions like these are impossible for even the examiners, let alone the candidates.

Menchi put down her test paper listlessly, looked at Kurapika who had just entered, and couldn't help but ask, "What's the passing score?"

There is no passing score.

Kurapika sat down in the middle seat that had been reserved for him, his expression calm.

Menqi's eyes widened slightly, and she asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"No matter the score, there is always a possibility of passing."

Kurapika gave an explanation, then stared intently at the numerous screens in front of him.

Apart from Chairman Netero, who remained calm and composed throughout, the other examiners all looked at Kurapika with undisguised surprise.

Buhara asked cautiously, "So... how many questions you answer correctly doesn't matter, whether you pass or fail is entirely up to you?"

"not quite."

Kurapika's left hand pressed lightly on the Nameless Chain of Souls, and he said, "Score is only one of the evaluation criteria. Whether they are qualified to advance depends on how they get the answers to the questions and their answer to the last question."

"The last question?"

Upon hearing this, Buhara looked at the exam paper again.

"Please answer truthfully: What is your true motivation for participating in the hunter test? If you obtain the license, how will you use it in the future?"

This is one of the four questions he was able to answer.

But he was even more confused.

If there is no passing score, how should the standard for passing be defined?
Buhala's head was a little itchy, and he felt like a brain was growing out of it, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Satsuki stared at Kurapika's profile, sensing a deep thought within him.

"The key is not the accuracy of the answers on the exam paper, but the candidates are not aware of this. Subconsciously, they naturally want to get high scores because the higher the score, the higher the pass rate, and they even deliberately set the exam venue in the library..."

After pondering for a moment, Saz turned his gaze to the monitor screen.

The candidate, number 502, who was closest to the book section, calmly got up and walked to the nearest bookshelf, clearly aiming to pick out a book from it.

That's right.

Maintaining quiet in the library is an obligation, while borrowing books at will is a right.

Most of the very difficult questions on the exam paper will specify which book they come from in advance, in order to reduce the difficulty of information retrieval for the test takers.

Otherwise, with thousands of books in the library, even an open-book exam would be difficult to complete within the limited time.

"Kurapika gave a hint, but... reaction speed and courage are another matter entirely."

Satsuma looked at Moro on the screen.

To be able to understand the rules in such a short time and to dare to make the right choice despite the risk of being eliminated.

This candidate, number 502, was not only exceptionally talented, but his boldness and daring gave other candidates a crucial advantage...

There's also that book called "Palu's Rare Beast Compendium".

Sartz looked at the book that Moro pulled out from the bookshelf, which corresponded exactly to the first question on the test paper.

From this perspective, the exam venue layout may not be a coincidence.

That was because, based on the ranking of the candidates' scores, Moreau's desk was specially arranged in the position closest to the library area.

More precisely, it's the closest place to the bookshelf where the "Palu Rare Beast Compendium" is located.

This arrangement greatly increases the likelihood of candidates taking the first step.

"This test seems extremely difficult on the surface, but if you find the right method, the pass rate will probably be quite high..."

Satsuki thought to himself, then glanced silently at Kurapika's profile.

This young, one-star professional hunter, despite exuding a cold aura in his words, actions, and even demeanor, reveals something different upon closer inspection…

He possesses a precious quality that makes people want to approach him and get to know him better.

"Kurapika".

Sartz, feeling a bit curious, asked, "Did you limit the number of people eliminated in this test?"

"If no 'conflict' occurs..."

Kurapika didn't keep them in suspense and replied directly, "Theoretically, I will only eliminate one candidate."

"what?"

Menqi, Doumianren, and Buhala all exclaimed in surprise.

Only one candidate was eliminated...

This means that at most 20 people can pass this test.

Such a pass rate is virtually unheard of in the history of hunter tests.

Satsuma had already guessed this, so it wasn't surprising.

He glanced at Netero's reaction and saw that the other man was holding a teacup, slowly sipping his tea, seemingly not caring at all about the so-called pass rate.

But in fact, when Chairman Netero intervened in the second test, Satz sensed that this year's Hunter Test was about to undergo a major overhaul.

Therefore, Kurapika only did so because he received authorization from the Chairman...

wrong.

Judging from the reaction of the bean-faced man, this is clearly not the case.

Satsuki raised his hand to his chin, and although he was curious, he didn't press the matter further with Chairman Netero and Beanman present.

Kurapika glanced at the astonished crowd out of the corner of his eye and asked curiously, "Why are you so surprised?"

"You ask us why we're surprised?"

Menchi stared straight into Kurapika's eyes and said, "Although this is my first time serving as an examiner, I know that the Hunter Exam has strict evaluation standards. How could there be such an absurd pass rate?"

“You’re right. Based on the pass rates of previous years’ tests, a pass rate of 95.24% is indeed very high.”

Kurapika nodded in agreement with Menchi's statement.

Menchi pouted and said, "Is that very high? That's outrageous!"

"Yes, but this year is different. Judging from the final results of the second test, the review committee clearly has the idea of ​​improving the pass rate through reforms."

Kurapika stared at the monitor screen in front of him and calmly said:
"Therefore, rather than arbitrarily deciding whether candidates stay or leave based on the examiner's personal preferences, giving candidates more possibilities within reasonable and compliant conditions should be the outcome that the review committee would prefer to see."

"..."

Menqi was taken aback.

reform?

The review committee hadn't mentioned anything like that to her. Satsuki's gaze towards Kurapika shifted slightly.

The surprise on the bean-faced man's face deepened.

Netero remained remarkably calm throughout.

Inside the library.

Moro found the answer to the first question in the Palu Rare Beast Encyclopedia.

However, given the size of the library here, finding the answer to the corresponding question within the time limit is simply not something one person can do.

Therefore, the key to passing this test lies in cooperation.

Silent cooperation.

The "exclusive free points questions" in the exam paper provide a hint on this point.

For example, the fifth question related to Whale Island is obviously a freebie for Gon, and the twenty-sixth question is a freebie that matches Killua's background.

Therefore, as long as we cooperate, we can finish this test paper in the fastest time.

Kurapika must have investigated the general situation of each candidate when he set up this level.

However, when Kurapika explained the rules, even though he gave hints, he didn't mention the most important qualification criteria.

And after understanding the prompts, there are many actions that may lead to being eliminated.

It is precisely because of these risks and unknowns that some unforeseen events may occur that could affect the cooperation.

But interestingly...

If you make a point of observing other candidates during the test, you can selectively identify suitable initial partners.

such as,

The innocent Xiao Jie.

Moro put the Palkia book back in its place and turned his head to look at where Gon was.

at this time.

When the candidates saw that Moro's reading of the books did not result in any "elimination," they all immediately understood.

This is an open-book exam! Thanks to Morrow's example, they didn't waste their precious time here!

Sudden.

Xisuo got up with the exam paper, but instead of going to the library, he came to Dongba.

Tonpa looked at Hisoka as if facing a formidable enemy, only to see Hisoka suddenly show a look of horror on his face as he looked towards the library entrance.

"?"

Dongba looked on with suspicion and glanced toward the library entrance.

When he quickly turned around, he saw Hisoka already walking towards the library area.

"??"

Tonpa was completely bewildered and couldn't understand Hisoka's behavior at all.

Seeing that the other candidates were getting up and heading to the library, he lost interest in the matter and took the exam paper corresponding to his candidate number to the library as well.

"If you can borrow books freely in the library, then 'exchanging notes' should be allowed too, right? Hehe, I'm so lucky!"

Dongba was secretly delighted.

He recalled how yesterday, in his attempt to dig a pit for these guys, he had inadvertently helped them.

Therefore, as long as the test allows candidates to exchange answers, he can benefit from this huge favor with a clear conscience.

But speculation is speculation; to confirm this information, we must go through practical experience.

However, before it is put into practice, there is a risk that "silent communication" will be eliminated.

"Let others do the 'mine clearing'."

Once Dongba realized this, he stopped rushing to contact other test takers.

The candidates who set off for the library area searched for books that corresponded to the test questions while pondering how to gain an advantage in this test, and they all had the same idea as the Dongba.

Humans are selfish creatures.

Even if they understood the examiner's hints, they were unwilling to be the first to speak out.

Furthermore, the examiner emphasized that losing or damaging the exam paper would result in disqualification…

So even excluding the risk that "exchanging notes" itself will not be eliminated, how can we ensure the level of trust between each other in cooperation?

Perhaps the number of qualified spots was determined from the very beginning.

So, destroying other people's exam papers can actually increase the pass rate, right?
Various unknown possibilities and risks influence the thoughts and choices of the test takers in a quiet environment.

Even the three Amory brothers dared not use any other means of contact or communication while maintaining silence.

So much so that the students in the library were quietly searching for the answers to their exam papers in the book section.

Only Morrow, after confirming the "easy question hint," went straight to Xiao Jie, who was looking for a book on a bookshelf.

Hearing the faint footsteps, Xiao Jie turned to look at Moro, who was already standing not far in front of him.

Morrow raised his index finger to his lips as a reminder to Gon to be quiet, then held up the test paper and pressed his finger against the fifth question on the paper that was related to Whale Island.

If it were a normal person, seeing that the other party directly pointed out a question related to their birthplace would definitely make them wary and cautious, not to mention the risk of being eliminated.

Therefore, out of caution, they would definitely stay away immediately.

But Xiao Jie is not a normal person.

Upon seeing Morrow's actions, a look of curiosity appeared in Gon's eyes.

He didn't immediately grasp Moro's meaning; he was simply curious how the other knew he understood the answer to the question.

Moro didn't care about Gon's slowness and moved his finger to the first question, for which he had already written the answer.

Seeing this, Xiao Jie tilted his head slightly and thought for a moment, finally understanding what Moro meant.

But just then, Leorio suddenly came from the side and stood between the two of them.

Seemingly to prevent accidents, Leorio had a large band-aid on his mouth, which looked quite comical.

Leorio looked at Moro warily, then shook his head at Gon behind him.

Xiao Jie hesitated for a moment, then suddenly had a bright idea. He pulled a book from the bookshelf, held a ballpoint pen in his other hand, and made a scribbling motion in the air towards the book.

Leorio suddenly realized something and randomly pulled a book from the bookshelf.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Moro sighed silently.

Following library rules involves more than just keeping quiet.

They actually dared to have the idea of ​​communicating by writing on books...

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

However, there were indeed no other alternatives in the library for writing and communicating, or rather, they had all been cleared out in advance.

Moro suddenly took a few steps forward, using this action to attract Leorio and Gon's attention.

Immediately,

He tapped a few times on a row of small print on the bookshelf shelf:

Please take care of books; do not write on them, tear pages, or damage them, so that more people can share the joy of reading.

Following Moro's actions, Gon and Leorio saw the message and were immediately startled.

Then,

Leorio, who had been somewhat cautious, along with Gon, cast grateful glances at Moro.

Morrow: "..."

at the same time.

Inside the monitoring room.

Kurapika, holding a notebook with exam numbers written on it, suddenly picked up a pen and ticked the number 502 in the first row.

Others noticed Kurapika's actions.

Uh, does that mean it's acceptable?
(End of this chapter)