"Hello. Judging by your face, this should be your first time taking the Hunter Exam, right?"
A simple-looking, middle-aged man in his thirties, short and stout with a square nose, suddenly walked over and greeted Morin.
A Number Tag marked 16 was pinned to his chest. He was also a Hunter Exam applicant.
Tonpa, Flavor Enhancer
"My name is Tonpa. I'm an old hand at the Hunter Exam."
His face was full of enthusiasm, and paired with that honest, plain smile of his, he looked every bit like a sincere, kindhearted good man.
He did not resemble a veteran applicant who embodied petty villainy and specialized in sabotaging newcomers in the slightest.
The legendary Tonpa, also known as the Newbie Killer.
Morin watched his performance with interest. It had to be said, this act was absolutely worthy of an award-winning actor.
"You're a newcomer, so you may not understand. The Hunter Exam is even harder than you imagine. I have the most experience in this regard."
He patted his chest and said proudly,
"I started taking the Hunter Exam more than twenty years ago, and I've taken it a full twenty-three times so far."
"You could say I'm the most experienced veteran! If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me!"
Although Tonpa was not yet the ultra-super veteran who would fail the exam for thirty-five consecutive years, having already taken it twenty-three times in a row made him the cream of the crop among Repeat Examinees.
"Oh, right. You must be thirsty after rushing all the way here, right?"
Tonpa seemed to remember something and enthusiastically pulled two bottles of juice from the pocket behind him.
"Here, I bought these drinks outside. They taste pretty good. Want to give one a try?"
As he spoke, he held the juice out toward Morin with an honest smile.
He looked completely harmless, as if he truly had no ill intentions.
"Then thanks."
Morin calmly took it from Tonpa. Amid the teasing, mocking, and amused gazes of the surrounding applicants, he popped open the can with a snap.
"Have a taste."
Tonpa gave a foolish grin, then saw something strange suddenly appear in Morin's hand.
"If I'm eating or drinking something from outside, I'm used to adding this."
Morin shook the bottle in his hand, which looked rather like a pepper shaker.
Item: Flavor Enhancer
Effect: No matter how awful something tastes, sprinkling it with essence powder will turn it into delicious food that people cannot stop eating.
It was seasoning capable of making even Gian's cooking taste unbelievably delicious.
Over the past half year, Morin had drawn all kinds of items through check-ins, both good and bad. More often, though, they were things like Flavor Enhancer—technically useful, but almost never needed.
Under Tonpa and the surrounding applicants' baffled stares,
Morin sprinkled some into the drink can, which he did not even need to taste
to know was definitely full of laxatives.
Immediately, the can seemed to release an enticingly fresh aroma that made people's hearts stir.
"Gulp?"
The surrounding applicants could clearly be heard swallowing.
Even Tonpa's throat bobbed twice.
"Are you thirsty too?"
Seeing that, Morin smoothly pushed the drink can back toward him.
"Then you drink first."
"N-No!"
Tonpa hurriedly declined. "This was specially prepared for you—ah, no, it was for you... for you..." He had originally intended to refuse, but Morin immediately sprinkled more seasoning into the can. Then Tonpa's voice gradually lowered, while his eyes became fixed on the drink in his hand. In the end—
Under the stunned gazes of the applicants, he threw back his head and gulped it down himself. "I didn't expect Flavor Enhancer to be this tempting. Even I nearly couldn't resist."
Since Tonpa was being so cooperative, Morin felt slightly relieved.
If too much seasoning was sprinkled on something, it would make people completely starry-eyed, leaving them able to see nothing but food covered in seasoning.
He should use this stuff less in the future.
Morin put away the seasoning, and Tonpa had already finished the entire can.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Once Tonpa came to his senses and realized what he had just done, his expression became as ugly as could be.
He immediately clutched his stomach, lowered his head, and hurried away.
He did not even glance at Morin.
The other applicants all looked at Morin with the same wariness.
Anyone who could toy with Tonpa the Newbie Killer like that was another ruthless character.
All the applicants silently regarded Morin as a major opponent on their path to passing the Hunter Exam.
After that little incident with Tonpa, Morin no longer felt quite so bored.
He casually found a seat, took out some manga and novels from this world, and began reading with great enjoyment.
To him, this Hunter Exam was more like a rare chance to relax.
As time passed, applicants gradually began entering one after another.
When soothing music began playing in the auditorium, signaling the official start of this Hunter Exam—
the number of people in the auditorium had already exceeded five hundred. The final applicant to enter wore Number Tag 555 on his chest.
Well, with that number, he could go to the Kamen Rider world and become a Rider.
a
Cheadle Yorkshire! The Exam Begins!
Tonpa also hurried back just before the entrance deadline.
However, judging by his pale face, he clearly was not feeling very good.
After the entry deadline passed, late applicants could still faintly be heard rushing toward the auditorium doors outside.
"What did you say? The time's up?!"
"You've got to be kidding! We worked so hard to find this place, and now you're saying we can't go in?"
"We haven't even taken part yet, and we're already eliminated? I refuse to accept this!"
"Let us in!!"
When they learned that they had already lost their qualifications, a burst of noisy commotion immediately came from outside.
The many applicants in the auditorium ignored them and patiently waited for the first-round examiner to appear.
Thud! Thud!
Several dull sounds rang out in succession, and the outside quickly became quiet again.
Based on Morin's ability to pinpoint sounds, the men in black outside had probably used physical means to help those people calm down.
"Alright, applicants who have arrived here?"
Suddenly, a soothing female alto rang out above the auditorium, unconsciously putting everyone at ease.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting.
As of just now,
the registration period for Hunter Exam applicants has ended.
"First, welcome to this year's Hunter Exam."
A woman dressed in feathered clothing, with a pair of pristine white wings tucked behind her back, drifted down from above like a white swan.
She landed precisely in the center of the vast stage ahead.
"Although all of you are determined to become Hunters, I must remind you once more?"
Her expression was stern and unsmiling, making her look like a woman who was difficult to get along with.
As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall visibly changed. Nearly every applicant wore a serious, solemn expression.
Morin, who had put away his novels and manga, found the situation somewhat strange.
The female examiner before him was an acquaintance he knew, though she did not know him.
"One of the future Zodiac, Cheadle Yorkshire?"
Morin rubbed his chin. "She's a hot-tempered woman, a Botanical Hunter, musician, and dancer.
"She's arrogant and picky. During the Chairman Election arc, she was responsible for distributing ballots to all Hunters. Later, during the expedition to the Dark Continent, she joined the biology team.
"She was also one of the hawks who pushed the Hunter Association's reforms after Netero's death."
Morin silently recalled the information he knew about Cheadle Yorkshire.
The fact that they had brought in one of the Hunter Association's future Zodiacs to serve as the chief examiner showed that the Association truly could not spare enough personnel this year.
On the stage, Cheadle looked around, raised her index finger, lifted her proud chin, and said flatly,
"Let me state this in advance: the Hunter Exam is extremely harsh. Those with poor luck or insufficient strength may be seriously injured or even die.
"It is also common for someone to be eliminated early due to conflicts between applicants. Anyone who wishes to withdraw may leave through the door behind you."
This official yet cautious declaration did not make a single applicant back down.
What a joke. They had finally found the location of the first test. How could they retreat now?
Most of the applicants shared the same thought.
Cheadle looked around at everyone again and said calmly,
"Then, there are a total of 555 participants in this exam. The test officially begins."
"I am the chief examiner for your first round. There are a few more people this year, so this round consists of two parts."
As she spoke, Cheadle held up one finger.
"For the first part, after I finish speaking, around one hundred and fifty feathers will drift down over your heads."
"Five minutes later, those still holding feathers will advance to the second part of this round. Those without feathers will be eliminated."
"One more friendly reminder?"
A cold smile curved across Cheadle's lips.
"There are no rules whatsoever during the struggle for feathers. As long as you seize a feather, that is enough."
Once those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall dropped several more degrees and became murderous.
The applicants all stared at one another, their faces full of vigilance.
"No rules whatsoever means..."
Morin said softly, "Any method is allowed, even if it means killing other applicants, right?"
Whoosh!
The moment his words fell, dozens of white feathers began drifting down from the sky!
"Grab them!!"
Before you continue