Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth

Gao Wen pondered for a moment, then silently followed.

Kevin quickly realized that someone was following him.

It wasn't that his senses were particularly sharp; it was just that the other party's tracking skills were so poor that the movements were as if they were openly following him.

After following for a while, Kevin couldn't help but speak up and remind him, "Even if you're going to follow me, can't you at least keep your footsteps quiet? Your footsteps are as loud as an elephant's."

Upon hearing Kevin's complaint, Gawain, who was hiding behind the tree, was stunned for a moment, not expecting to be discovered so quickly.

"So, you want to get my points?" Kevin asked, turning around, the number tag on his body reflecting a blinding light.

Gao Wen stepped out from behind the tree, slightly shielding himself from the sunlight reflected off the number plate, as the light was simply too dazzling.

No, I did not mean to offend.

“It’s you. Speaking of which, I didn’t expect you to make it to the third game.” Kevin recognized Gawain as well.

Gao Wen nodded and said solemnly, "Thank you for reminding me on the ship, but I have failed to live up to your good intentions."

"What? Oh, you mean that? Don't worry about it, but I didn't expect you to be so rigid." Kevin was a little confused by what the other person said.

“I’m sorry to follow you, but I do have something I’d like to ask you.” Gawain’s attitude was polite, and Kevin was curious about what he wanted to ask, but Kevin probably already guessed it.

Sure enough, Gawain continued, "I want to know, what exactly is that power within me? Your scores are higher than mine, so you should have this power too, right?"

As he spoke, he clenched his fist and struck a nearby tree stump, instantly creating a dent.

Kevin gave Gawain a brief explanation, at least telling him what the power he was currently experiencing was, since Gawain had already awakened his Nen on his own.

"I see, the power of body and will, huh?" Gawain seemed to understand something, and judging from his radiant appearance, he seemed to have accepted the explanation very easily.

"Is this... the power of a knight?"

"What the hell is this, Knight's Strength?" Kevin couldn't understand what Gawain was saying at all.

Finally, Gawain stared intently at Kevin, opening his mouth as if to say something, but Kevin interrupted him directly: "Wait, I think I know what you're trying to say, but I don't have the time or energy right now. However, I can point you in the right direction. All professional hunters possess this power; you should understand if you look at those examiners."

"As long as you pass the exam, you will naturally have a dedicated teacher to teach you the knowledge and experience in this area. This is a privilege of becoming a hunter."

After hearing this, Gao Wen closed his mouth and nodded: "Thank you for your explanation. I am very grateful. Thank you for your help."

"Alright, let's go. Don't forget we're still competitors."

"I will remember your great kindness." After saying this, Gao Wen left.

Watching Gao Wen's departing figure, Kevin wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Although Gawain wasn't very strong, his strange attitude and overly polite and serious conversation made Kevin somewhat overwhelmed.

"No wonder he can awaken Nen on his own. He seems to be someone with peculiar ideas." Kevin couldn't help but remark.

Having earned enough points to secure a place in the top eight, and with everyone avoiding him, and having also hunted down an uncooperative beast and obtained its number tag, Kevin simply went to the pier, found a comfortable place to rest, and quietly waited for the exam to end.

The last night passed, and dawn gradually broke. There were less than four hours left until the end of the exam.

A figure emerged from the woods.

"Kate, you're here pretty early." Sure enough, Kate was the first to arrive.

Kate walked over, looked at Kevin's location and surroundings, and then glanced at the scoreboard on Kevin's body.

These scorecards add up to exactly 685 points. Subtracting Kevin's original score, his net score is a high 585 points.

"You've been here for quite a while, haven't you? How did you manage to get so many points so quickly?" Kate was somewhat surprised. His first guess was that Kevin might have given him a Nen ability for reconnaissance and tracking.

Kevin just smiled and said, "It's all good."

Kevin also noticed Kate's number plate, which showed a total of 595 points. Subtracting Kate's own points, he still had 500 points.

Not long after, Locke arrived.

He had more points than Kate, and if he hadn't lost points earlier, his actual score would have been even higher than Kevin's.

Locke looked at Kevin, nodded slightly as a greeting, and then walked to the other side to wait.

"You know him?" Kate was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Kevin to be able to make friends under these dark forest-like hunting rules.

"We've fought, so you could say we became friends after the fight."

Kate looked at Kevin's number plate with a score of 95 on his chest and seemed to understand something.

Two more hours passed, and there was only one hour left until the end of the exam.

Radio broadcasts began to blare across the island.

"Why is no one here?"

“Because they’re all hiding around, the exams aren’t over yet, are they?” Kate said.

Upon hearing this explanation, Kevin slapped his forehead and instantly realized, "Right!"

Under such rules, waiting at the last gathering point as the exam nears its end to hunt down candidates who arrive as the time draws near is a viable strategy.

Everyone was on high alert, so naturally they wouldn't show themselves easily at the last minute; hiding and observing from the sidelines was the normal course of action.

However, some people also agree with the idea that...

For example, Gao Wen, who is upright and honest, came out openly and honestly.

Upon seeing Kevin, he went up to him and solemnly expressed his gratitude.

This scene made Kate glance at him repeatedly: "Was it also a case of 'becoming friends through a fight'?"

"No, I don't quite understand that either."

Besides them, Banana and Gorenu also came over. They were willing to show themselves mainly because they saw Kevin and Kate there.

The two men were filthy, their clothes covered in marks from the battle, with some wounds hastily bandaged with scraps of clothing.

"Looks like you two haven't had an easy three days," Kevin said with a smile.

Banana waved her hand: "It's definitely not as easy as you. You look like you're here on vacation."

"Fortunately, we met the next day. We trusted each other and helped each other, making the hunt much easier," Guo Lienu added from the side.

Judging from their injuries, not all of them were caused by fighting with the test takers; some were clearly marks left from fighting with wild animals.

This indicates that they not only hunted the examinees, but also the wild animals on the island.

Their scores weren't high; after deducting their own scores, Banana had 270 points and Gorenu had 250 points. These scores were relatively low compared to what was displayed by the audience.

Of the four people besides the two of them, Gao Wen had the lowest score, but even so, Gao Wen still had 350 points.

They exchanged a glance and both knew that they might be eliminated, especially since Guoliu only had 250 points, making the situation even more dire.

As time went by, a ship slowly approached.

With less than twenty minutes left before the end of the exam, the candidates began to gather.

Most of the candidates were injured and had score cards of different sizes and values ​​on their bodies. Some candidates didn't even have a single score card.

Banana and Gorenu felt increasingly heavy-hearted as they saw the candidates who scored higher than them.

With a crisp sound, the boat docked completely.

Several staff members disembarked from the ship, while the beast-like examiner stood on the ship with his arms crossed.

Soon, the scores were tallied, and the examiners announced the results directly:

"The following people will take the final exam to advance."

585—Kevin 49

510—Lock 105

500—Kate 8

340—Gaowen 351

335—Iker 157

300—211 Astland

270—Banana No. 50

250—Gorenu No. 51

Chapter Ninety-Six: Netero's Interview

The remaining candidates were picked up by boat one by one.

A hunter airship bearing the XX logo floated quietly above the island.

"call out!"

A figure descended from the sky like a shooting star, and this sudden appearance really startled everyone around.

As the dust settled, it billowed up in all directions.

Banana and Gorenu subconsciously looked up at the airship in the sky, secretly surprised.

That distance must be two or three hundred meters, right? Jumping straight down from a height of two or three hundred meters? Is that really okay?

Not only them, but other test takers also found this hard to understand.

However, quite a few people recognized the person who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the spot—Isaac Netero, the current president of the Hunter Association.

After all, they had done a lot of research on the Hunter Association beforehand in order to take the hunter exam.

The image of Guild Master Netero is not difficult to obtain information. As the guild master of the Hunter Guild, his name and appearance are not unfamiliar to the candidates.

Kevin stared at the old man.

He had long, snow-white eyebrows, and a full white beard that curved into a unique hook shape at his chin, with the end dyed black.

The hair around the top of his head was shaved completely, with only a topknot tied at the top.

The earlobes of both ears were unusually large, giving them a solemn, Buddha-like appearance.

He wore a loose white outfit with blue stripes, and the years had etched deep wrinkles on his face, highlighting his advanced age.

However, his age did not diminish his vibrant energy and spirit.

The aura surrounding the old man's body was exceptionally stable, like an indestructible armor clinging to his body, without the slightest fluctuation.

Although it was difficult to judge the opponent's strength from appearances, Wen's intuition strongly told him that the old man in front of him was unfathomable and powerful enough to inspire awe.

Kevin was 100% certain that this was the most powerful person he had ever met, and that he would likely never encounter someone stronger than him again for a long time to come.

Just standing there, Kevin's intuition gave him a sense of insurmountable distance.

Yet this incredibly powerful old man was so relaxed and unguarded that even Kevin could easily sense that he was completely exposed and vulnerable.

Could this be the legendary pinnacle of martial arts?

Kevin pondered to himself, but could not reach a definite conclusion.

His ideas were merely based on vague impressions from movies, television shows, and various forms of entertainment he had seen.

Is this Biskey's master? He's really amazing.

"Haha, are these the candidates for the last exam this year?" President Netero let out a laugh like a quirky old man, his voice relaxed yet sharp, giving him the perfect impression of a strange old man next door.

This diluted the seriousness that his identity should have given people.

His gaze slowly swept over the eight candidates in front of him.

The examiner for the third test, a man who was usually as wild as a beast, unconsciously restrained his unruly aura at this moment.

With a hint of respect, he said to Chairman Netero, "That's right, Chairman, they are the eight candidates who passed the third exam."

"Oh! The quality of this year's candidates seems quite good." President Netero nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with the candidates before him.

After all, there are four wild Nen users here, and the four examinees next to them also look quite good.

"Now, all candidates, please board the airship."

As the airship slowly descended, the passengers were quickly assigned to different lounges.

In a reception room on the airship, the examiners and Chairman Netero sat together, enjoying tea and snacks while chatting.

"Little frog, why do you look so unhappy? Did this old man upset you?" Chairman Netero asked with a smile.

Froghachi glanced at the captain beside him with a dissatisfied look.

He then briefly recounted the situation of the second test, as well as some misleading information that the captain had deliberately inserted during the first test.