Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth.

After that battle, those people will probably behave themselves a lot and won't dare to easily try anything with them again.

After all, these candidates aren't stupid; none of them who made it this far are idiots.

Kevin soon fell asleep.

When he felt the cruise ship stop moving, Kevin opened his eyes and looked out onto the balcony; it was already daylight outside.

How is this going?

He hurriedly got out of bed, but before he could ask anything, the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Hello? Is anyone still alive? If anyone is alive, come up to the deck."

Upon hearing the announcement, Kevin had no choice but to push open the door and go outside.

Kate, Banana, and Gore-Nu also pushed open the door and came out. They looked at each other and saw doubt in each other's eyes.

They walked through the passageway toward the deck.

Bloodstains were everywhere along the way, a testament to the ferocity of the battle that had taken place there the previous night.

Along the way, they also encountered other candidates.

These candidates all appeared listless, many of them had injuries, their wounds were exposed, and they walked slowly with a limp, some even dragging their legs or having their bent arms in slings.

"This battle is truly intense," Gorenu couldn't help but exclaim.

Just by looking at these people and the damaged and dented surroundings, one can imagine how intense the battle must have been.

They went up to the deck, where the captain was already standing, followed by a group of staff. These staff members seemed to have been prepared, each carrying a first-aid kit.

The candidates who were still able to move gathered in front of the captain. Kevin glanced around and found that only 30 people remained.

Half of them were carrying various injuries, some of which were quite serious, leaving a trail of blood on the ground as they walked.

"Hey, can't you guys take a break? You're working so hard. If you fail, you can try again next year, but if you lose your lives, you'll have nothing left," Kevin couldn't help but say.

The captain's words interrupted everyone's idle chatter and contemplation.

"Seeing everyone in high spirits, I'm relieved," the captain lied through his teeth.

"Congratulations everyone, you have passed the second test. Look over there, that's the location of the third test. A ship will be here soon to take you there." As he spoke, the captain pointed to a small island not far away, which was clearly visible to the naked eye.

However, some of the candidates present were clearly not satisfied with the result.

The young man selling radios asked, "Why did we arrive safely?"

"Why what?" the captain asked, puzzled.

Another candidate, looking equally dissatisfied, said, "Didn't they say the boat would sink on the way?"

“A shipwreck? Who told you that? I remember saying that this ship would be heading to the exam venue for the third exam.”

The captain still looked puzzled, but a wicked smile crept across his face.

Wahachi, standing next to her, turned her head away, looking displeased. Even she had been fooled.

The test takers then realized that they had been scammed.

It wasn't just this one examiner; all the candidates were fooled.

“So that’s how it is. It was all an illusion,” Kate said.

Kevin rubbed his temples in exasperation: "We really were blatantly tricked."

There was no shipwreck at all; all the so-called conditions that could lead to a shipwreck are illusions.

From the very first stage, various pieces of information were designed to trap candidates. As the ship set sail in the second stage, these traps deepened, leading those who considered themselves clever to believe that the ship might sink at any moment.

In addition, given the limited life-saving supplies on board and the rules of the second round of testing, a seemingly obvious test item was presented to everyone.

Everyone tacitly made preparations for this, and as a result, the scam was deeply imprinted in their minds.

As everyone prepared for the possible shipwreck and their escape, especially on the last night when everyone thought the sinking was imminent, the captain's words were like a spark that ignited an explosive.

Even at the time, those words seemed reasonable in that interconnected situation.

After all, this is a hunter exam, and these words are like increasing the difficulty of the exam, which is both unexpected and reasonable.

"That's really awful," Basho said, her face full of displeasure.

"That's despicable!" Gorenu, who had also been tricked, was also very unhappy.

"Then what about all the fighting we did last night? We sacrificed so much!" a severely injured examinee roared. His arm was broken, his lower leg was twisted and deformed, and he dragged his heavy body, looking extremely miserable.

The captain stared at him: "Hmm... So you guys have brains? Heh heh heh."

He let out a cold laugh, then said with an icy gaze, "However, I am the one who makes the rules, and I am the captain of this ship."

The seriously injured student finally couldn't bear the answer and collapsed to the ground.

His injuries no longer allowed him to move.

"Alright, congratulations on losing another competitor. Thank me instead," the captain sneered.

"Heh, we really want to rush over there and blow your head off." This was the common thought in everyone's mind.

"Don't look so gloomy, smile. Look, the ship to pick you up is here. Hopefully, next time we meet, we'll be colleagues." The captain let out a hearty laugh and waved.

Then, staff members carrying first-aid kits began providing first-aid assistance throughout the ship. As for the candidates whose injuries were too severe to be saved, they could only accept their bad luck.

On the sea.

One by one, ten yachts slowly approached, lined up and anchored below the cruise ship.

"What are you waiting for? Get on board!" the captain urged from the side.

Those candidates who passed the exam but were seriously injured also received some basic treatment.

Clearly, the exams won't give them a chance to breathe; even if they're seriously injured, they have to drag their aching bodies to the next battle.

In this situation, four more of the original 30 people withdrew.

The four people were too badly injured to perform well in the upcoming tests.

Dragging it out will only lead to death.

In the end, a total of 26 people boarded the yacht in groups of two or three. A large ship was also on board, which took the injured examinees and some staff members.

Only after all the candidates had boarded the yacht did the cruise ship, having completed its mission, slowly sail into the distance.

With a deafening roar, the massive steel ship slowly sank into the water.

The yacht started and headed towards the island, eventually stopping around a small boat. This small boat was a size or two larger than the yacht.

A wild man stood at the bow of the ship. He had medium-length hair like a savage, which was disheveled and he was dressed in animal skins. His exposed skin was covered with all kinds of scars, and he exuded a kind of beastly intimidation.

“This guy looks like a wild beast,” Basho said, frowning as she looked at the other person.

Gorenu, who was on the same ship as him, looked grave; they both felt a strong threat from this man.

Almost all the candidates were on high alert, including Kate and Kevin. This man was unabashedly exuding an aura of power; though there was no malice intended, his wild personality made this aura extremely intimidating.

Judging solely from his outward appearance, he was one of the strongest people Kevin had ever met.

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean he's the strongest, but among the people Kevin knows, apart from King and Bisky, there shouldn't be anyone stronger than him.

“What a beast,” Kate murmured to herself, a sentiment echoed by all those with keen intuition who had seen him.

"Hahahaha! I am Zakar, the Wilderness Hunter, the examiner of the third exam!" The man's voice was like the roar of a wild beast.

"The exam venue for this test is on that island over there, unless you're completely stupid."

"The exam will last for three days. I will be waiting for you on the shore after three days. Remember, there are only eight spots for advancement in this exam, and the selection will be based on points."

As he spoke, he flicked his hands downwards, and round nameplates flew out one after another.

These nameplates are marked with numbers and are made of a special material that shimmers and clearly displays the numbers.

Everyone noticed that the numbers on each person's chest were different, and they all looked at each other.

Among them, Kevin and Kate are the most eye-catching, both of them have a score of 100 on their chests, which is the highest score among all of them so far.

The lowest score was only 50 points, while the banana score was 75 points and the goreno score was 70 points.

Besides Kevin and Kate, the boy who used to sell radios had a score of 90 on his chest.

Kevin speculated that this was because he had activated his Nen on his own.

Kevin noticed that the energy around him was intertwined and somewhat unstable, but this was a sign that his Nen had been stimulated and he had learned to control it. He guessed that it had awakened that night, which was truly unexpected.

I just don't know which one activated it.

He may have simply learned how to control his breath. Throughout his training, he has also trained his physique and willpower, which is why he can use and control his breath under certain circumstances.

Otherwise, it would be like a special ability where one directly awakens Nen and then learns to control ki.

In this situation, it is impossible to determine which one it is.

There was another candidate named Locke, whose score on his chest was 95.

Kevin remembered him; he was also a Nen user, but he always kept to himself and had little presence.

However, he looked at himself and Kate, at the badges on their chests, and then at his own badge, seemingly quite surprised.

Didn't expect we were stronger than him?

This shows that this guy is very confident in himself and should be a skilled Nen user.

With that in mind, Kevin labeled this guy as someone to be wary of.