Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth.

At this moment, Kevin was carrying a large white barrel on his back.

"This is an automatically inflatable life raft, big enough for the four of us."

“I brought a full set of five life jackets,” Kate said.

“I brought a harpoon gun.” Basho patted the box on her back.

Gorenu simply shook the fishing rod in his hand.

Banana looked at Kate: "Life jackets and life rafts have somewhat redundant functions. Should we go and get something else?"

To everyone's surprise, Gorenu shook his head and said from the side, "No, I've tried it. Once you take an item, you can't change it."

Kevin laughed and said, "But maybe we can exchange them with other test takers? There are definitely more smart people than just us, and there must be others who have discovered the same clue. After all, no one can have too many life jackets, and there are five here."

After a moment's thought, the group realized that Kevin's words made sense.

So they found a room at random, lay down, and started to rest.

At least before sunrise, they had the rest time they were entitled to by arriving early.

They planned to get a good rest so they could be in high spirits for the next assessment tomorrow.

At the entrance to the cruise ship, more and more candidates completed their exams and boarded the tanker one after another.

Frog Hachi was chattering away at the entrance, seemingly in a great mood, and was having a pleasant conversation with the test takers.

Having learned from the initial experience, no one dared to interrupt her now; they could only listen to her speak and occasionally chime in.

Some candidates also noticed something unusual on the ship and began to take action.

When someone takes action, others will naturally notice. Soon, more and more people are taking action, and there are even cases of people fighting over items.

However, none of this concerns Kevin and his friends anymore.

At this moment, they are resting comfortably in their terraced suites, quietly waiting for the signal to set sail.

The departure notice was broadcast throughout the entire ship until the announcement was made.

Chapter Ninety: Old Boat Survival X Exchange Meeting

The cruise ship slowly set sail.

The rising sun cast its rays, and on the deck, the candidates who had passed the first test had gathered.

The first examiner, Wahazi, and the second examiner that Kevin and the others had met before, were also here.

"So few people passed? Was my first test too difficult?" Wahachi asked unconsciously.

The white-bearded old captain simply rolled his eyes and didn't reply.

Kevin and his friends stood at the back, watching the candidates who had successfully passed the first round.

This one round alone eliminated almost the entire pool of participants, leaving only 105.

"It was a little more difficult than last year," Basho commented. Last year, about 500 candidates participated, but only 200 passed the first round.

"Alright everyone, I'm the examiner for the second exam. You can just call me Captain."

At this point, the second examiner spoke.

"The second test begins the moment the ship sets sail. This test is simple: the ship will sail at sea for three days and three nights, and if all goes well, it will reach its destination on the morning of the fourth day, which is the location of the third test."

"However, resources on the ship are limited. There are only two hundred boxed meals prepared in this box next to me. Each person can only take one box. I will throw away the rest in front of everyone."

"The staff area is separated from your activity area. There are no supplies on the ship. All you have to do is hold out until you reach your destination."

"Remember, each person can only take one item. No stealing from others or fighting is allowed. I wish you all a safe and successful few days."

After saying that, the captain and Wahachi walked towards the captain's cabin without looking back.

A staff member wearing sunglasses and a black suit handed out boxed meals to the test takers one by one. Immediately afterwards, some people grabbed their meals and hurriedly ran downstairs.

There were still some people who didn't look for available tools at the beginning, or who rushed to arrive just before setting sail.

Kevin and the others were not in a hurry, standing on the deck watching the rising sun over the sea.

They had already made all the necessary preparations and had selected the items they needed.

"Ah, what a rare and beautiful sight! My inspiration is flowing like a spring," Basho suddenly exclaimed poetically.

Ignoring the strange looks from the three people around him, he pulled out a long, narrow notebook from somewhere, picked up a pen, and started writing.

After finishing writing, he muttered to himself.

"Standing at the bow of the ship, the sun shines on the ocean, and the sea is swept by the wind and waves."

After reading it aloud, he was extremely captivated, his voice even lowering slightly: "Perfect, absolutely perfect."

"What is this?" Kevin asked, puzzled. To be honest, he didn't understand what kind of literature this was.

"Haiku, a form of poetry from my hometown, I think I did a good job, right?" Basho was clearly satisfied with his work, and confidently turned to ask, "What do you guys think?"

Kate quietly pulled her newsboy cap down a little. Although she came from and grew up in the slums, she had still learned quite a bit on her own later on.

Forgive him, perhaps he did not receive a good education from childhood and is unable to understand Basho's "masterpiece".

Gorenu managed to squeeze out a few words: "It's...okay."

Although he didn't understand what haiku was, he couldn't bring himself to call it "good".

Kevin, being quite accommodating, asked, "Is it a form of poetry? It sounds like a 5-7-5 format. But it can't be that simple, can it?"

"Oh! You know quite a bit about this. On the surface, it's just this kind of syllable format, but of course there are more in-depth requirements, such as [seasonal words] and [rhyme schemes]." As she spoke, Basho enthusiastically chatted with the group about her favorite things.

"The format is as just mentioned, consisting of 5-7-5, a total of 17 syllables, written in three lines. It also needs to include seasonal words, which are words or characters related to the season. In addition, it needs to include pauses, using auxiliary words to create pauses, and it also needs to have a lingering resonance."

He spoke eloquently, and the three listened quietly, for this was, after all, a sharing of knowledge.

"For example, in my hometown, there is a haiku poet with the same name as me. He has a work that, even when translated into common language, is in a standard format. [Beside the quiet ancient pond, a frog jumps into the middle of the water with a splash.]"

He repeated it in his native dialect, which, although not the common language, sounded somewhat like Japanese to Kevin.

“Then this revision of the haiku you just wrote might be more in line with the requirements.” With that, Kevin made some changes: “Standing alone at the bow, the rising sun shatters the blue waves, and the ripples sway in the light.”

"Isn't this more poetic? It should also fit the format of haiku."

After listening, Basho fell silent.

Kate and Gore-Nu couldn't help but look at Kevin.

They had a general understanding of the format of haiku, and judging from the intonation and expression in common language, Kevin's revised version was much better than Basho's original, and it was more like a poem with an ancient charm.

They still don't understand, but at least it sounds better.

"You...you wouldn't happen to be some kind of haiku master, would you?" Basho's face was full of obvious surprise. The other person had only listened to his simple explanation and was able to create works that were much better than his.

"It seems that's all the talent I have," Basho said, somewhat disheartened.

However, before anyone could comfort him, he regained his energy, clenched his fist with a serious expression, and said, "I will not be discouraged. I will become a haiku saint, just like my name suggests."

After saying that, he picked up a comb and tidied up his exaggerated pompadour.

After a while, Kevin and the others leisurely returned to their room.

The room they chose was in a great location, with a balcony and close to the sea, making it convenient for fishing or escaping by boat later.

They ate the boxed lunches casually, simply filling their stomachs.

Meanwhile, outside, the candidates had already begun to scheme and plot against each other.

Inside the captain's cabin, two examiners were observing the situation on the ship through a monitor screen.

“Those guys who arrived first are really taking it easy.” Wahachi looked at Kevin and the others’ relaxed appearance, then pointed to the details on the screen and said, “They took two pieces of rescue equipment. Looks like they’ve already guessed what you’re going to do next.”

The captain, arms crossed and a pipe dangling from his mouth, said nonchalantly, “What’s so strange about that? If you observe carefully and pay attention to some details, you can tell that this ship might sink just before it reaches its destination.”

Moreover, he deliberately left some small clues as hints.

After all, this is an exam, and each examiner has a lot of autonomy to design the exam they are responsible for and select candidates according to their own ideas.

The captain hopes that this exam will help candidates understand what teamwork is, how to quickly find suitable teammates, how to identify whether teammates are trustworthy, and whether they themselves can trust others.

Of course, the ability to think, observe, and respond is also a basic requirement, including the collection and analysis of intelligence.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder how many people will pass this time," Wahachi muttered to himself, looking at the monitor screen.

This exam was a perfect opportunity for the Dongba priests.

After all, he was a veteran who had taken thirty exams and had experienced all kinds of tests. In fact, many of the examiners had taken the exams with him.

He quickly found several other candidates who had also taken multiple exams, and the group gathered together.

"Hey, you've all realized it, haven't you? This ship is definitely going to sink. It seems none of you have any survival supplies," Dongba said to the group of five.

Such information is not difficult to deduce and analyze from existing information.

One of them looked at Dongba and replied directly, "When the ship sinks, some of the materials themselves can be used as rescue supplies."

For someone who is a good swimmer and considers themselves capable, this is indeed not something to worry about.

"Haha, that's true, but having some life-saving supplies is always better than nothing, isn't it?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" We're all seasoned veterans; we both know what's going on.

Dongba revealed a sinister smile and said, "Let's play around with those new examinees. Although robbing is not allowed, it doesn't say stealing is not allowed either. And as long as you're not caught, it's not considered stealing."