Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth

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

Kevin rubbed his temples helplessly: "I really got 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 laid traps, and by the time the ship set sail in the second stage, these traps continued to deepen, leading those self-proclaimed clever candidates to believe that the ship might sink at any moment.

Coupled with the limited life-saving supplies on board and the rules of the second round of testing, a seemingly obvious test item emerged.

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 ship was about to sink, 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's test, and these words are like increasing the difficulty of the test, which is both unexpected and reasonable.

"That's really awful," said Basho, 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 paid such a high price!" 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 and said with an icy gaze, "However, I am the one who makes the rules, and I am the captain of this ship."

The severely injured candidate finally couldn't bear the answer and collapsed to the ground.

His injuries no longer allowed him to move.

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

"Heh, we really want to rush over there and blow your head off." This was a blatant display of anger and frustration.

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

Subsequently, staff members carrying first-aid kits began providing first-aid assistance throughout the ship. As for those 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, exams won't give them a chance to catch their breath; even if they are seriously injured, they have to drag their wounded 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 examinees had boarded the yacht did the cruise ship, having completed its mission, slowly sail away 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 steamer. The small steamer 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 bare skin was covered with all kinds of scars, and he exuded a kind of ferocious power.

“This guy looks like a beast,” Banana 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 emanating from this man.

Almost all the candidates felt a sense of dread, including Kate and Kevin. This was because the man was unabashedly exuding his aura; although he meant no harm, his wild personality made his presence extremely intimidating.

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

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that 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 muttered to herself, a sentiment echoed by all those with keen intuition who saw him.

"Hahahaha! I am the Wild Hunter—Zakar, 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, as long as you're not 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 places to advance in this exam, and the places will be determined by 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 gleams and clearly displays the numbers.

The tax collectors noticed that everyone had a different number on their chests, and they all sized each other up.

Among them, Kevin and Kate are the most eye-catching, both of them have the number 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 fruit score was 70 points.

Besides Kevin and Kate, the boy who sold radios before 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 Kevin's body was already intertwined. Although it was somewhat unstable, this was a sign that his Nen had been stimulated and he had learned to control it. It was estimated that he had awakened that night, which was truly unexpected.

I just don't know which one activated it.

He may have simply learned how to breathe and control his breath. In his previous training, he had been training his physique and will, which is why he could 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 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 signs on their chests, and then at his own sign, 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 thought in mind, Kevin labeled the guy as someone to be wary of.

One candidate reached out and tugged at the name tag on his chest, only to find that he couldn't pull it off at all.

"Don't waste your energy. You can't tear it off yourself. Only someone else can take it from your chest. Now listen to the rules."

All the candidates quieted down and focused on the examiners.

"You will enter the island from different directions and conduct a [hunt] within the island. The prey can be other examinees or creatures on the island."

"This island is called the 'Ancient Beast Island,' a wild place with a large number of ferocious beasts, making it very dangerous."

"I've put different score tags on each animal, and you can take them off once you successfully hunt them."

"Finally, your total score will be calculated. Remember, the score on your individual chests does not count towards the total score. On the contrary, if someone else takes your score card, your score will be deducted."

After explaining the rules, the examiner gave Xing Shuang no time to hesitate and waved his hand to give the order.

The yachts immediately split into two arcs, sailing around the island and taking the examinees to different locations.

Kevin and Kate's yacht circled all the way to the back of the island, and it seemed they were the last two to arrive.

"Looks like we've been targeted," Kevin said with a smile as he watched Kate arrive on the island first.

“Isn’t this what we expected?” Kate replied with a smile.

"Hopefully, we won't decide the winner on the island," Kevin said.

Kate shook her head: "No, this is definitely not the last exam."

He knew that hunter exams usually consisted of four or five sessions.

He would much rather have a fair and just match with Kevin and have a good fight.

Although he knew he was almost certainly no match for Kevin.

He has been undergoing basic Nen training but has not yet developed his own Nen ability.

In other words, he has to rely on the current situation and engage in close combat with Kevin, who is an Enhancement type.

The probability of winning is extremely low, almost impossible.

But he still wanted to fight, to see how much the gap between him and Kevin had widened.

Are we now even further apart?

Chapter 93 Dark Forest X Drone War

In the dense forest

Kevin strolled leisurely through the dense forest, the number plate with a perfect score of 100 on his chest gleaming.

"This is really enough. It's practically announcing my arrival to everyone." Kevin sighed helplessly, watching the flashing number plate. The higher the number, the brighter the light.

There are currently 26 candidates on the island, each with a minimum score of 50 points, and only the top eight candidates will be able to advance.

Such rules clearly force test takers to compete with each other.

Moreover, there are wild animals on the island, who also wear score tags, which makes the situation even more complicated.

Originally, test takers might have been able to roughly estimate the scores needed for the top eight by calculating each other's scores.

The average score of each candidate is about 75 points. With 26 candidates, the total score is 1950 points. On average, you should be able to be in the top 8 if you have 240 points.

Unfortunately, the exam won't be that easy.

Because of the presence of wild beasts, the scores become unpredictable, forcing the candidates on the island to stay active and continue fighting until the end of the exam, just like wild beasts struggling for survival in the wilderness.

These rules, indeed, match the temperament of that wild and untamed examiner.

"I scored 100 points. Such a high score is like the intimidating power of a wild beast, making other candidates have to carefully evaluate when choosing their prey."

Just like wild beasts, they will choose to avoid opponents they cannot afford to offend.

In other words, those who want to prey on high-scoring test takers like us, unless they're stupid, will try every means to increase their chances of winning, such as forming groups, setting traps, poisoning, or launching surprise attacks.

Moreover, he couldn't take the scorecards himself, but others could easily take them away. This place is now like a dark forest. Kevin muttered to himself, unable to help but complain.

He finally understood that these examiners were all vicious, and each exam carried their own unique style of malice.

"Is this [Hunter's Guild] really a legitimate organization?" Kevin couldn't help but scratch his head, sigh, and continue to ponder the questions brought about by the number plate.

For Kevin, who has a high score, the exam was challenging from the very beginning.

Those candidates who didn't want to provoke him would immediately run away as soon as they saw his number plate.

Battle is dynamic, and when the enemy is only focused on escaping, even if Kevin has Nen, he may not be able to catch up.

After all, the candidates who have made it this far all have their own special skills. Many of them may even be proficient in tracking and hiding in the forest. They might have already disappeared before Kevin even noticed them.

"Troublesome," Kevin muttered helplessly, but he didn't seem to care too much.

His aura began to recede, instantly entering a state of "absolute" control. He lightened his steps and moved silently through the forest.

Without any outward scent, even the animals in the forest couldn't detect Kevin's presence unless they saw him.

It must be said that Nen users do have a significant advantage when competing with these ordinary test takers, even though these ordinary test takers are all top performers in their respective fields.

Although the island is not vast, it can easily accommodate more than thirty candidates.

Kevin walked through the forest for a while, but even though he concealed his presence, he still couldn't find any trace of the other examinees.

Of course, it's also possible that everyone is very vigilant right now.

Continuing on, Kevin arrived at a small clearing in the dense forest.

He walked forward and sat directly on a rock in the open space. Then, instead of gathering his energy, he focused it into a probe-shaped column and shot it out.

At this moment, his irregular circle could reach a range of nearly four hundred meters, and he swept the circle around.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Kevin stomped a hole and rushed toward the nearby woods at great speed.

Suddenly, a figure leaped out of the bushes and nimbly evaded Kevin's pursuit by maneuvering left and right on the tree trunk.

Kevin's sudden punch missed, but the powerful impact snapped a large tree in half, and the tall trunk collapsed with a loud crash.

Kevin did not continue his attack, but stood still, watching the person who was secretly following him.