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

Lynn stomped his foot, and a misty Gengar quickly floated out, its pair of scarlet eyes fixed on Snowball. Invisible waves emanated from it, making the latter feel drowsy.

Hypnosis!

A few breaths later, the snowball fell asleep peacefully again, and at the same time opened its mouth to deflate, gradually shrinking to its normal size.

This little guy is quite cute when he's asleep, a bit like a Digimon baby.

"It worked?" Xiao Jie asked in a low voice, surprised. He had just been thinking about what to do, but in the blink of an eye, Lynn had put them to sleep and restored their original size.

That's a really good ability.

He wants to get close to the animals in the forest, but some animals are not very friendly, making it difficult for him to approach them. If he can make them fall asleep, he can easily get close to them.

Lynn tiptoed over to the snowballs, carefully embracing them both. After greeting the others, she returned.

Both he and Leorio's goal was the snowball, and he also submitted Leorio's mission on his way back.

Leorio, meanwhile, takes the "Finding Cane" and accompanies Kurapika and the others to search for another animal, the "White Cat."

Return to the Tower of Tricks.

Lynn handed the two snowballs in her arms to Ginta: "These are the goals that I submitted with candidate number 437."

"Okay." Ginta's attention was focused on the snowballs. He carefully placed them into the special pet carrier, his eyes revealing his love for the animals.

Coming to his senses, Ginta, whose reaction time was rather slow, finally spoke up: "By the way, congratulations on completing the third exam. You are Lynn, right? Gail and Kangzai both mentioned you to me."

Most people have good relationships with the twelve earthly branches and keep in touch often, except for the first and last branches, Zi (Rat) and Hai (Pig).

In the twelve earthly branches, Gintae is the epitome of an honest and kind person, and he can get along well with most people.

Some time ago, he learned about Lynn from Gail and Kangzai. He knew that Lynn was a powerful exorcist and was also very strong. Gail and Kangzai were no match for him.

“That’s right.” Lynn nodded slightly.

"Thank you for joining the association. The association will definitely be better with you." As he said this, the sentimental Ginta's eyes reddened slightly, as if he was about to cry at any moment. "It's not easy for the president to lead the association. I would like to thank you in advance for your contributions to the association. If you need any help, you can come to me. I will do my best to help you."

Although Lynn knew that Ginta was very sentimental, she didn't expect that this alone would make him almost cry. This shows that he really respects Chairman Netero and likes the Hunter Association very much.

"I actually need your help," Lynn said, changing the subject. "I'm currently looking for a sparring partner. How about a match?"

Since Ginta had brought it up, he decided not to stand on ceremony.

"Sparring partner?" Ginta's thick, donut-shaped lips parted slightly, and he paused for a moment. Then, seeing that it was still early and that the second batch of examinees, apart from Lynn and the others, shouldn't arrive at the bottom of the tower so soon, he nodded in agreement, "Okay."

The two moved to an open space outside the tower, and after maintaining a certain distance, they looked at each other.

Ginta's profession is a commando, and he is the largest member of the Zodiac. He was even rated 90 points by Hisoka, which shows that his strength is even greater than that of Kangzai.

Without much talk, Lynn appeared in front of Ginta in a flash and simply threw a punch as a test.

So fast... Ginta seemed like a different person during the battle. Not only did his expression become more solemn, but his thinking also became more agile. Based on the amount of Nen that Lynn displayed, he almost instinctively assessed the threat and reflexively raised his arms to cross them in front of his chest to block the punch.

Peng!

Yintai swayed slightly, but remained firmly in place, and then kicked Lynn in the waist with a whip kick.

Lynn simply stepped back slightly, creating distance like a piece of paper blown away by the wind, causing his kick to miss completely.

The next moment, Ginta's Nen energy surged rapidly around his body, and as it burst forth, it quickly outlined three figures of different sizes around him.

After the first exchange, he could tell that Lynn's strength was even greater than his own, so he had to use his Nen ability as soon as possible.

Lynn's eyes narrowed as he saw three Nen beasts positioned to the left and right of Ginta, guarding him like door gods.

Judging from their appearance, they seem to be a black bear, a white rabbit, and a large tortoise?

To be honest, this lineup seems a bit strange at first glance, but upon reflection, it makes perfect sense. The black bear is strong, the white rabbit is fast, and the tortoise has strong defense. From this perspective alone, it makes sense.

However, it remains to be seen how effective it will be in actual combat.

The Nen beasts that can only be seen with the [Condensation] ability, so is Ginta an Emission type? It's not uncommon to see Emission types with such a burly build.

"Lynn, listen up, this is my Nen ability, 'My Animal Companion,' which allows me to summon Nen beasts to fight," Ginta explained simply. As soon as he finished speaking, three Nen beasts rushed towards Lynn.

"Roar!" The black bear beast, about three meters tall, strode up to Lynn and slammed down its large paws.

Lynn dodged backward, and at the same time, White Rabbit displayed amazing speed, rushing towards him in a flash, only to be kicked away by him with a whip kick.

However, when the kick landed, Lynn frowned. The white rabbit felt unexpectedly hard, as if he had kicked a part of a Nen user's defense.

It has both speed and defense?

The next moment, the black bear in front of him suddenly increased its speed and slammed out a paw, which Lynn dodged by speeding up.

The bear paw slammed into the ground, creating a visible dent, sending dust billowing into the sky, and even the ground began to tremble.

The black bear's behavior was also strange; its speed suddenly changed again.

So next... Lynn's gaze fell on the tortoise that was approaching unhurriedly. He saw it raise its paw to strike, but he dodged it. The paw landed on the ground and suddenly created a large crater, which was more destructive than the black bear's attack.

Seeing this, Lynn already had a guess in his mind.

Ginta's Nen beast ability is not fixed, but can switch!

Black bear — strength.

White Rabbit — Speed.

Tortoise – defense.

Given certain base values, the abilities they represent can be converted. For example, the white rabbit now has the turtle's defense, the black bear has the white rabbit's speed, and the turtle has the black bear's strength. It's unclear whether this is a fixed rotation or can be freely switched according to Ginta's wishes.

This is a great ability; it leverages information asymmetry.

If it weren't for his Observation Haki, which allowed him to anticipate and dodge, anyone else would probably have been injured by the black bear's attack.

Collecting his thoughts, Lynn began to get serious, unleashing a dense chill from his body. In the blink of an eye, a large area of ​​ice formed on the ground, freezing the tortoise and the black bear into lifelike ice sculptures. This state could only be maintained for a short while.

Then, several tigers emerged from the ice and attacked it. All it needed to do was to entangle these two spirit beasts.

He moved with lightning speed, heading straight for Yin Tai.

Midway through, he coated his hands with Armament Haki, drawing flowing arcs in the air. His left hand first blocked Ginta's right fist, and while using Ginta's strength, he counterattacked with even greater power.

Peng!

Ginta only made a slight collision, and then his entire body was forced to retreat, unable to withstand such force.

Lynn pressed his advantage, unleashing a flurry of punches in mid-air, each punch more powerful than the last!

Ginta felt extremely uncomfortable fighting.

Every time his attack hit Lynn's hand, it was as if he had hit a ball of cotton; the force was strangely redirected, and then Lynn would return the favor tenfold, using his own strength to strike him back.

Lynn's defense was also impenetrable. He couldn't hurt Lynn, but every move Lynn made put him under pressure.

His spirit beasts were also blocked one by one by Lynn's ice creatures, and they were unable to come to his aid. Even the fastest rabbit rushed over, but Lynn anticipated and dodged it in advance.

While maintaining his Nen beast, Ginta dealt with Lynn. After only a short while, Ginta's Nen energy was drained away like a flood. Finally, when Lynn felt that the sparring session was almost over, he punched Ginta, sending him flying five meters away.

"I give up, I can't beat you at all," Ginta said helplessly.

Lynn was also helpless.

As his strength continued to improve, the difficulty of finding a suitable sparring partner also increased. Although Ginta was one of the top-ranked members of the Zodiac besides Kin, Pot White, and others, he was still far behind him.

He only needs to use a few basic abilities to defeat his opponent in a short time, without having to use his full strength, let alone character cards.

Strictly speaking, at least A-level strength is needed for him to use 70% of his power, and A+ level strength is needed for him to go all out.

Fortunately, he didn't have high expectations for this battle; he was more interested in getting more cards. If he really had something to look forward to, it would be the sparring match with the old man later.

He was lucky today, perhaps because he drew a very auspicious number using the [Fortune-telling Tissue] in the early morning. He defeated Empress Yin and successfully obtained the Sheep Talisman, which was even an A-grade one.

【Name: Sheep Talisman】

[Grade: A]

[Type: Item Card]

[Background: Jackie Chan Adventures]

[Description: A talisman that governs the soul. The holder can have their soul leave their body, ignoring physical form and traveling freely. It cannot affect things but can alter the dreams of others, greatly reducing the damage to the soul. Even if the physical body is destroyed, the soul can be preserved.]

The Sheep Talisman governs the soul, enabling it to leave the body, alter dreams, and even increase the soul's resilience, preserving the soul even if the physical body is gone.

Of all these, Lynn was most interested in the point about the damage to the soul.

The concept of a soul does exist in the world of Hunter x Hunter.

Among them is a special being concerning the soul—the Demon King!

The Demon King created a legendary piece of music, the Dark Sonata, consisting of flute, recorder, violin, and piano versions. Anyone who plays or listens to it will suffer a fatal disaster.

Melody's appearance changed irreversibly after listening to a short segment of the flute piece, and her friend who was in charge of playing it died on the spot. However, this also gave Melody the ability to hear other people's heartbeats and thus judge their emotional changes.

This is a very characteristic of the Dark Continent, focusing on the exchange of "giving" and "receiving," emphasizing an equivalent exchange within a controllable range.

This is just one description of the Demon King. In the movie, Jade, a powerful man who was once Netero's colleague, sacrificed his soul to the Demon King in exchange for a chance to be resurrected. This shows that the Demon King has the ability to collect other people's souls and fulfill their wishes, and is most likely related to the Dark Continent.

Perhaps, on that eerie dark continent, there is no shortage of [disasters] that target the soul, making it impossible for Nen users to defend against them.

Because he possesses the [Sheep Talisman], he naturally surpasses others by a large margin, greatly increasing his soul's resilience to injury. Even if his physical body is destroyed, his soul will not be annihilated.

Lynn felt more and more that the [Sheep Charm] was very important.

This is probably a life-saving tool that is no less useful than the substitute scarecrow.

Lynn carefully put away the sheep charm, chatted with Ginta for a while, and soon Leorio and the others returned with their loot.

It turns out that the "white cat" is a very fast kitten with a strong sense of alertness, but it was not a problem for the group. They caught three kittens in no time, mainly because the search stick saved them a lot of time.

Chapter 136 The Battle with Netero! A Surprised Netero!

During the waiting period, candidates arrived at the bottom of the tower one after another. After passing the first half of the exam, they immediately began the second half, making the most of every second.

Three days passed quickly.

Some are happy while others are sad. Those who pass are naturally in a good mood, while those who don't can only wait until next year to try again.

In the end, only 22 out of 46 candidates passed the third exam.

The fourth exam awaits them!

At the bottom of the Tower of Tricks, Riber stood before the crowd, with a lottery box placed in front of him.

The fourth exam was titled "Hunting and Being Hunted".

Each candidate draws a number according to their ranking at the bottom level, and the number they draw is their target number!

The exam venue is "Sebi Island," which can be seen with the naked eye when standing under the Tower of Tricks.

As per the rules, Lynn slowly walked out of the crowd, came to Riber to draw lots, grabbed a lot, and left.

After everyone received their lottery cards, Ribert asked them to tear off the film covering the cards to reveal the numbers underneath.

The candidates immediately thought of the examiner's words about "hunting and being hunted," and they all covered their numbers with their hands. Even though they hadn't rehearsed, their actions were surprisingly synchronized!

A sly glint flashed in Riber's eyes as he chuckled inwardly, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips, as he continued reciting the rules.

The test uses a point system; your own number plate counts as three points, and the target's number plate also counts as three points.

The bibs of other non-target participants are counted as one point each.

A score of 6 or higher is considered passing.

In other words, provided their number plate is not stolen, candidates can choose to target one person or target three other candidates.

If your number plate is taken away, it will be much more difficult to qualify.

Boarding the yacht prepared by the Hunter Association, the examinees set off for Sebiru Island.

On the yacht sailing against the wind and waves, Xiao Jie looked around and muttered to himself:

"The exam has already started..."

"Yes, everyone has put away their number tags, which reduces the risk of being hunted to some extent."

Kurapika remained calm, glanced around, and then slowly spoke, pausing before continuing:

"But there are still some people who don't need to resort to these petty tricks..."