Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth

"Among these candidates, who do you think is the strongest?"

Kevin didn't hesitate for a moment. He pointed to himself and said confidently, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be me."

Chairman Netero nodded again, his expression unchanged.

Do you like fighting?

When asked about this, Kevin answered without hesitation: "It depends on the type of battle. If it's a battle between people, frankly, I'm not interested at all."

"Of course, this does not mean that I will resist it. After all, violence is indeed convenient at times, especially when I use violence in the name of justice."

"After all, I really dislike trouble."

This answer seemed to pique Chairman Netero's interest, and he looked up, staring intently at Kevin.

"What if it's not a battle between people?" Chairman Netero asked curiously.

"That's a different story. If it's not a battle between people, then in my view there are only two possibilities."

"Firstly, it was a battle I actively chose to participate in. Since it was something I did willingly, there's no need to say more, because I'm sure I'll gain something from it."

"Secondly, there are the battles I was forced to get involved in. In these situations of fighting against non-human opponents, it is often a matter of necessity and there is no way to refuse. There is nothing to hesitate about. In order to survive, life naturally has to fight."

Kevin understood that these words also applied to battles between people.

However, whether he was active or passive, he could not derive any enjoyment from fighting between people. In his eyes, fighting was merely a means and tool to achieve his goals.

Whether due to the peace of the world in the past or his own nature, Kevin truly lacks interest in the battles between people.

But he also knew that in this world full of extraordinary power, strength was an essential guarantee for survival.

“Okay, I understand. You may leave now,” Chairman Netero said.

Kevin nodded, got up and left the room.

Subsequently, each candidate underwent an interview in turn. The interview questions were nothing more than, "Why do you want to be a hunter?" and "Who do you think is the strongest?"

Almost all the candidates knew in their hearts that there was a general consensus on who was the strongest in this exam.

Previously, they might have hesitated between Kate and Kevin, but after the third test, that doubt had largely disappeared.

After all, Kevin is far ahead in points, and his strength is undeniable.

And that concludes the interview process.

The airship flew continuously in the sky for five days, allowing the candidates to fully rest and recharge so they could be in top condition for the upcoming exams.

Finally, the airship landed in the territory of Kakin, on the continent of Ezhen.

Kakin is another superpower on a continent. Although it is not a member of V5, its sphere of influence and military strength are almost comparable to those of V5 countries, making it the strongest country below V5.

The candidates traveled from the superpower on the continent of Eurubian—the United Nations of Saherut—to this place.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Final X Victory

The airship landed smoothly in the private airstrip of a super hotel.

The Hunter Association booked the entire hotel.

"President, your job isn't around here, is it?" the captain asked, rolling his eyes.

They kept saying they were busy, but it took them several days to get here by airship.

If it's just a duel, they can easily find a place locally; it's not a problem for hunters at all.

"Oh dear, you found out?" Netero replied with a hearty laugh.

Then, they led the candidates to a spacious arena in the hotel.

After all the candidates had gathered, Netero cleared his throat, stepped forward, and said, "This is the examination room for the final exam. Now, I will explain the exam arrangements to everyone."

I will divide you eight candidates into two teams of four.

Each team member must fight against every member of their team. Weapons can be used freely during the battle, but killing is strictly prohibited. Violation will result in immediate disqualification from the exam.

Each candidate will have to compete in a total of four matches, and each person will have to fight me once. The matches will be played on a one-win-one-point basis, and the candidate with the highest final score will win.

As for your duels, I will act as the referee. The specific conditions for each battle will vary depending on the circumstances of both sides, with different restrictions and winning conditions set for each fight.

The candidates understood the rules, but why did they have to fight the president? This was a question on everyone's mind.

Netero seemed to sense everyone's confusion and explained with a smile, "Don't worry, everyone. I'll set limits for myself to make sure it's within your capabilities. As long as you meet my conditions, you'll get 1.5 points. This is a real bonus competition!"

The unsuspecting test-takers nodded involuntarily.

"The Hunter Guild Master is so kind."

"The president probably wants to test our abilities."

The test takers whispered among themselves.

Upon hearing these words, the examiners nearby couldn't help but inwardly rant and rave.

“Next is the group assignment,” Netero said, as the cloth on the whiteboard next to him was lifted, clearly showing the group assignments and numbering of the two groups.

Group 1: Kevin (No. 1), Locke (No. 2), Kate (No. 3), Gawain (No. 4).

Group 2: No. 1 Iker, No. 2 Astram, No. 3 Banana, No. 4 Gorenu.

This grouping makes everything clear at a glance.

Within each group, the ranking is also based on the scores from the previous exam.

The chairman grouped the four candidates who could use Nen into one group, which meant that at least one of the four candidates who could use Nen would be eliminated.

"Then, let's begin with the first group's test. Contestant number one—Kevin—will face off against the Hunter Association's president—Lord Netero."

The referee, wearing sunglasses and a suit, announced the result in a loud voice.

[Xing Gao] To his surprise, the first matchup was between Kevin and the president of the Hunter Association.

Kevin instantly realized that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he was the strongest among the candidates.

Placing himself in the first position and arranging for the president to fight him first is likely an attempt to let other candidates know his strength and fighting style through this battle, so as to gain an advantage in subsequent duels with him.

After all, for Nen users, battles are about acquiring information, and of course, it depends on what kind of ability it is.

It doesn't mean much to Kevin; he can just watch it casually.

Kevin walked onto the field, his gaze fixed on Netero as he strolled over.

President Netero gently stroked his beard and said, "The rules for your duel with me are that I will push you three times. As long as you are not pushed away by me even once, you will win this duel."

Upon hearing these rules, Kevin frowned slightly and began to think of a way to deal with them.

He didn't feel insulted; on the contrary, his intuition told him that the old man in front of him was unfathomably powerful.

At this moment, what he needs to think about is how to avoid being pushed away.

It's important to note that, according to the rules, being "pushed into the air" only counts if the entire person is pushed into the air. Simply being pushed backward or falling to the ground does not count as being "pushed into the air."

With that thought in mind, Kevin assumed a horse stance and got into a defensive position.

As for dodging.

That's underestimating the other person too much; he had absolutely no room or chance to dodge.

"Are you ready?" Netero asked with a smile, not in a hurry.

“Come on,” Kevin replied seriously.

As soon as he finished speaking, Netero vanished from his spot almost instantly, reappearing in front of Kevin and shoving him out with a palm strike.

Just as Kevin had thought, he had no chance of dodging.

"boom!"

A powerful force struck, and even though Kevin was prepared to defend himself, he was still sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the wall.

Amidst the billowing smoke, Kevin coughed a few times and slid down the wall.

"This power is outrageous."

Kevin was secretly amazed. He clearly felt that this attack was a display of the opponent's pure strength, and it had not been a mere formality that had pushed him away.

"Oh dear, did you go too far? Do you want to take a break?" Netero asked with a smile.

Kevin dusted himself off, walked back to the center of the field, and shook his head: "No need, let's continue."

"Are you ready?"

Kevin nodded.

This time, Netero did not launch a sudden attack. Instead, he slowly walked up to Kevin, his palm moving visibly closer to Kevin before gently pushing it out, as if he were just lightly touching him.

"call out!"

This time, Kevin wasn't thrown back with the same force as before; instead, he glided forward at an even faster speed.

However, instead of crashing into the wall, he braced himself with his hands and stomped his feet, leaving two marks on the ground, and abruptly stopped just before reaching the wall.

Although Kevin didn't crash into the wall, he did fly out, so this time he still can't be considered to have passed.

"Oh! Not bad at all." Netero exclaimed, having just noticed that Kevin had unleashed even more Nen without using any special techniques.

Netero was very confident in his control of his power, exceeding his opponent's limits by only a tiny bit.

So the sudden outburst of anger offset this, allowing Kevin to regain his balance midway.

Kevin took a deep breath and returned to the center of the court.

“This is the last time, so you’d better use all your strength to stop me,” Netero said with a smile.

Kevin no longer hesitated and took out a vial of medicine from his waist—the [Strength Potion].

Upon seeing this, Lockton, who was watching from the sidelines, widened his eyes and became completely focused, not wanting to miss a single detail.

With the power potion ingested, Kevin's physical attributes improved, but his apparent strength did not increase, because he had already mastered the relevant techniques and was currently in the state of using those techniques.

Kevin repositioned himself.

"Then, here comes the final blow."

This time, Netero actually got into a fighting stance, looking like he was going all out.

However, Kevin remained unmoved. He knew in his heart that if his opponent really used his full strength, he would have no chance to stop him, and the duel would lose its meaning. So worrying was useless.

Netero lunged forward, this time not with extreme speed, but with a clearly visible movement, pushing his palm forward.

His palm landed firmly on Kevin's chest.

"when!"

A loud crash rang out, like a fleshy hand slamming into steel.

Kevin was instantly propelled forward, but this time he didn't fly up. Instead, his legs remained firmly planted on the ground, and he glided backward for a long distance until his back gently rested against the wall.

Two clear furrows were left on the ground, and Kevin's shoes were worn through.

Kevin took off his shoes and let out a long sigh of relief: "This shouldn't count as being pushed away, right?"

"Hahaha, congratulations, you've scored 1.5 points in this battle." Netero laughed heartily.

"Then let's begin the next battle."

After speaking, Netero immediately took on the role of referee.

In this exam, candidates with later numbers have a greater advantage.

As candidate number one, you need to fight against the president and three other candidates in succession.

During the battle with the president, his battle information is likely to be obtained by other candidates, and what follows is a continuous battle that will not give you a chance to catch your breath.

Since Candidate Number Two has already fought Candidate Number One and had a break in between, he only needs to fight three battles in a row when it is his turn, one of which is a duel with the president.

Candidate number three was able to rest between the first two battles. When it was his turn, he only needed to fight two battles against the president and another candidate.

Candidate number four has the most obvious advantage. He can obtain enough information in battles with other candidates, and there is a rest time between each battle. When it is his turn, he only needs to fight one battle with the president.

Kevin looked at Locke across from him. At this moment, the chairman announced the rules of their duel: "No surrender is allowed, and the final outcome will be judged by me."

Upon hearing the rule "no surrender," Locke frowned.

He knew in his heart that he was no match for Kevin, and the chances of winning in such a place were even slimmer.

Moreover, surrender is not allowed, which means he must fight. As a result, his combat information is likely to be exposed, and his chances of winning in subsequent battles with other candidates will be even lower.