Hunter x Hunter: Card Master, the Strongest in the World

Under the bright sunlight, the building's surface shimmered with a dazzling halo.

"Is this... the location of the Hunter Exam?" Kurapika asked seriously. This place perfectly matched his expectations. "As expected of the renowned Hunter Association, they must have booked the entire building for the exam, right?"

"Huh? Will the exam be held here? I wonder what kind of exam it will be?" Xiao Jie asked curiously.

Kim must have undergone a similar assessment before, right?

Leorio frowned, staring at the gleaming building. Something felt off. His master had once told him that the Hunter Exam loved to subvert expectations and surprise people.

His master would never lie to him, so...

Leorio's gaze shifted, finally settling on the old, run-down restaurant next to the building. His eyelids twitched, and he muttered, "Could the official venue be this restaurant next door?"

The two are like a king and a beggar in comparison, with the restaurant's roof entangled by countless tangled vines, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.

It's hard to believe that even if someone racked their brains, they would never understand that this small restaurant is the location of this Hunter Exam.

"You guessed right," the father of the fierce fox said cheerfully, as he walked to the restaurant entrance. "This is the entrance to the venue, everyone, don't go to the wrong place."

A big question mark appeared above Gon's and Kurapika's heads again. The difference is too big, isn't it?

At this point, the two sensed something was wrong; it seemed the Hunter Exam was even more unconventional than they had imagined.

Even though Leorio was somewhat prepared, he still couldn't help but show a look of amazement when he heard the results... The Hunter Exam is just too bizarre.

"Mr. Leorio is amazing, he actually managed to find the real location," Gon said to Leorio, full of curiosity.

"Ahem..." Leorio blushed, but while feeling smug, he didn't forget to explain, "Actually, it's because my master taught me well. He had told me about the characteristics of the Hunter Exam before."

"So Mr. Lynn was Mr. Leorio's master," Gon exclaimed in surprise, and Kurapika next to him also noted it down.

They only knew that Leorio and Lynn were traveling together, but they didn't expect that they were master and apprentice... because Leorio seemed to look older than Lynn.

Apprentice?

Kurapika glanced at Leorio without leaving a trace. Since he was the master's disciple, did Leorio also possess great strength?

After their chat, the four followed the fierce fox's father into the fast food restaurant.

"Welcome," the chef said casually, then a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes when he saw that the leader was the fierce fox father.

Since the guide is here, the people next to him must be the test takers.

After exchanging the password, Lynn and the other three were led to what appeared to be a private room, but was actually an elevator.

The father of the fierce fox hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke: "Next, you will arrive at the official venue of the Hunter Exam. The Hunter Exam is very brutal. Sometimes there are not a single qualified candidate in a year. It is already very impressive that you three newcomers have made it this far on your first attempt. If you do not pass this year, I would be happy to host you next year."

He then looked at Lynn, paused, and smiled, "I won't say much more. With your abilities, you're definitely not in trouble... right?"

After what happened last year, he no longer dares to speak with too much certainty.

"I think nothing will happen." Lynn could understand the feelings of the fierce fox's father, but this time there really was no surprise.

With his current strength, Hisoka would just be a slowdown. Even if he didn't pass the exam, Netero could just come to him and give him a Hunter License.

Because of his value.

After the fierce fox's father left, the elevator in the private room began to descend smoothly.

Leorio chuckled: "His idea is probably going to fail. I'll definitely pass this year, no need to see him again next year."

"Oh? You're that confident?" Kurapika asked, slightly surprised. However, Leorio did seem to have a careless personality, so it was normal for him to speak exaggeratedly. "Only one newcomer passes the Hunter Exam every three years. The pass rate is outrageously low."

However... with Lynn, such a powerful master, by his side, Leorio's chances of passing the exam are indeed very high.

"The Hunter Exam is so difficult, why do people still come?" A bewildered Gon asked a question that shocked Kurapika and Leorio.

"Didn't you know the benefits of being a hunter before you took the exam?" Leorio couldn't help but ask.

"Well... actually, I took the exam to find my father, because he was also a hunter." As he spoke, Gon's eyes lit up. He finally had the chance to become a hunter like Ging. At least in this respect, he was closer to Ging.

……

Underground site.

The venue was extremely spacious, about five or six stories high, with rows of red-glowing light bulbs on the walls on both sides to provide illumination.

Perhaps it's because the underground space isn't well-ventilated and there's not enough air circulation, or perhaps everyone is just too nervous.

Almost every candidate looked extremely tense, and a deathly silence permeated the crowd, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Ding Dong!

As soon as the elevator whistled, countless test takers turned to look.

As fellow candidates for the Hunter Exam, each is a competitor of the other, so they pay close attention to whether each candidate is competitive.

The elevator doors then opened, revealing four figures inside.

A man dressed in a suit, wearing small glasses like an old man, looked very mature despite not being very old. He was carrying a first-aid kit and looked like an office worker.

A younger boy, dressed in a green tracksuit, had a long fishing rod sticking out from his backpack. What was most striking was his black hair, which resembled both a sea urchin and a hedgehog.

There was also a blond boy whose robes had unknown patterns.

Standing in the middle of the three, in the center position, was a young and handsome man dressed casually, exuding composure; some people felt he looked somewhat familiar.

Among the crowd, Dongba noticed someone coming and walked towards the elevator, and soon saw Lynn and the other three coming out of the elevator.

Wait a minute? That person looks so familiar.

Tonpa froze for a moment, then his mind immediately flashed back to last year's Hunter Exam. That face couldn't be mistaken... Wasn't that the examinee who was killed in the explosion?!

While Dongba was still stunned, Lynn had already walked up to him and greeted him: "Hey, Dongba, long time no see."

"Ghost...ghost!" Dongba's face turned green instantly. Looking at Lynn's smiling face, his body trembled like a leaf, and he couldn't speak clearly, stuttering continuously.

He must have encountered a ghost!

The explosion that night was incredibly powerful; it destroyed buildings. How could a mortal body possibly survive?

Hisoka is one thing, but Lynn really did disappear that night.

Because Dongba hadn't been following Sky Arena for a while, he really didn't know that Lynn was alive, or even that he was the owner of Sky Arena.

In his eyes, it was a person who had long since died and whose body had been completely destroyed, but now appeared alive and well in front of him.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

Then, Dongba's adrenaline surged, and he ran frantically into the crowd, wanting to get as far away from Lynn as possible.

She was terrified that Lynn, who had come to claim her life, would steal her soul at any moment.

Lynn raised an eyebrow as he watched Dongba scramble away.

This person's mental fortitude is still a bit lacking. It's just a "dead person coming back to life," is it really necessary to be so scared?

Seeing that Lynn scared someone away without doing anything, Lynn became even more mysterious in Gon and Kurapika's hearts.

The man reacted as if he had seen a monstrous flood.

"Here, these are your number plates." At this moment, the bean-faced man came over and handed them number plates, although the numbers were a bit strange.

林恩436号、雷欧力437号、小杰438号、酷拉皮卡439号……印象中原著只到405号，是因为蝴蝶效应多了一些人么？

Lynn scanned the candidates in the arena, and many of them looked familiar, such as the Amory brothers, the martial artist Baudelaire…

Then they discovered something was wrong.

There's also an unfamiliar Nen user on the field. Is this also part of the butterfly effect?

As for Illumi, who participated in the original work, he did not appear.

The real Illumi has already been killed by him; the one now is a fake, and Illumi is currently still on an assassination mission.

He planned to bring Killua back after Killua finished the Hunter Exam, so he could give his family an explanation.

At the same time, someone in the crowd noticed him.

Almost simultaneously, Lynn looked in that direction and met a pair of cunning and bewitching eyes—it was Hisoka!

Hisoka leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his narrow eyes narrowed, his gaze towards Lynn filled with anticipation, surprise and excitement, as if countless ants were crawling all over his body, making him restless.

He really came!

And... it's even stronger than expected!

Watching on TV is certainly not accurate enough and cannot compare to face-to-face interaction.

Hisoka's eyes gleamed as he examined Lynn's Nen level. It was about the same as his, no, even stronger!

It's not much more than expected; this battle is still fightable!

After all, it's common for Nen users to win battles against much stronger opponents, and at least from the perspective of Nen, he felt that he wasn't much worse than Lynn.

But what he didn't know was that Nen was just one of Lynn's many methods.

Whether it's dual-color Haki, Gourmet Cells, or the Stand Scarecrow... he possesses terrifying and comprehensive abilities. Nen is just the tip of the iceberg. His overall strength far surpasses Hisoka's!

Lynn stared blankly at Hisoka, who was wearing a strange smile.

Well, regardless of whether Hisoka dares to go up later, he will still make a move... Let's focus on hitting his face later, especially when he smiles, he looks even more irritating.

Lynn also noticed that Hisoka's arms were normal, not missing, and were not a disguise of "Flimsy Deception." He wondered what price Hisoka had paid to have his limbs regenerated.

Ring ring ring ring!

Suddenly, a loud and piercing bell rang out from behind the massive stone gate.

The sound of the bell acted like a switch; as the bell rang, the stone door slowly rose, revealing a gaunt figure behind it.

The heavy stone gate moved upwards, causing a slight tremor throughout the entire area, which made the examinees tremble.

The man was wearing a black suit, had short purple hair, and a very noticeable curly mustache. He was holding a strangely shaped little toy in his hand, which was the one that had just made the bell.

The man is none other than Satchi, who can be considered a "Pringles spokesperson"!

"Sorry to keep you all waiting, the Hunter Exam is now officially beginning!"

Saci's standard expression was like a calm lake, without a ripple, as he calmly delivered his opening remarks.

"From this moment on, the Hunter Exam officially begins!"

"Just to confirm one last time. In this exam, if you are unlucky or lack the ability, there is a risk of serious injury or even death."

"If any candidate wishes to leave, they can now take the elevator they came in through to return."

Sachs paused briefly, and seeing that no one moved, he spoke again:

"I understand. All 439 students participated in the first exam!"

After making the announcement, Saci turned around, spread his arms and legs wide, and ran forward in a bizarre, puppet-like manner.

"For the first exam, please follow me to the location of the second exam!"

The test takers also sprang into action, and from above, the endless crowd looked like waves crashing forward.

As time went by, more and more people began to run out of energy and dropped out of this extremely demanding long-distance race.

The remaining candidates were also in poor condition. Most of them looked like hardworking oxen, panting heavily and about to reach their physical limits!

The dimly lit area was almost entirely filled with the sound of chaotic footsteps, as everyone was too exhausted to speak. Every bit of energy was extremely precious to them!

While an extremely long marathon is certainly difficult, it tests people's willpower even more. Not knowing how far or how long it will take, every step you take is a test!

This is only the first exam! Understandably, only one or two people pass the Hunter Exam each year.

Beneath this shockingly high elimination rate lie a series of exams that are incredibly difficult for ordinary people!

As time went on, Kurapika also began to feel tired.

He looked at Leorio and Lynn beside him, who seemed completely unaffected, and although he didn't say anything, his brows were tightly furrowed.

Lynn and Leorio are clearly not in a good state.

No matter how good a person's physical fitness is, they shouldn't be able to maintain steady breathing without any fluctuations after running for so long.

Thinking back to Lynn's amazing actions, Kurapika's emotions were hard to calm down.

Lynn is very strong, that's for sure.

As Lynn's apprentice, Leorio likely learned something from Lynn, which is why he performed so well.

There must be some kind of magical power at play that allows them to exhibit such a huge difference from normal people.

If he could master such an ability, he would have a much better chance of taking revenge on the Phantom Troupe!

So, if he were to become Lynn's apprentice... would Lynn agree?