Chapter Summaries

Oboro fought Netero in Hall 3, revealing his improved martial arts and a demanding Breathing Technique, but Netero still outclassed him. After Oboro left injured, Netero told Biscuit that Oboro had great potential but warned that his self-directed nature could lead him toward either light or darkness.

• Oboro challenged Netero and attacked with refined martial techniques, but Netero blocked his strikes and countered him effortlessly.
• Oboro used his Breathing Technique to push his body and Nen to their limits, briefly scratching Netero's hand before collapsing from the strain.
• Oboro refused Netero's invitation to use his Nen ability, said he no longer felt like taking the Hunter Exam, and left the Amusement Park injured.
• Netero reflected on Oboro's potential and called Biscuit, explaining that Oboro's physical growth exceeded expectations but that he had not yet grasped Nen's true essence.
• Netero warned Biscuit that Oboro's strong will and personal code could take him in either a good or dangerous direction, while Biscuit hoped joining the Hunter Association and forming friendships might change him.

Oboro reflected on his battle with Netero and renewed his determination to strengthen his body and Nen. As the Hunter Exam preliminaries neared their end, Shalnark and Phinks arrived at the venue, where they exchanged greetings with him.

• Oboro reviewed Netero's physical strength and resolved to resume comprehensive martial arts and body-tempering training.
• Oboro observed that the Hunter Exam had a relatively small field of candidates and watched Tonpa ingratiate himself with newcomers while remaining wary of Oboro's 001 badge.
• On the last day of the preliminaries, Oboro sat in Hall 3 and exchanged messages with David about changes among the underground forces.
• Shalnark and Phinks entered the hall, and Phinks pushed through the crowd while Shalnark apologized to the examinees.
• Shalnark greeted Oboro, and Oboro returned the greeting.

Oboro watched Phinks provoke the Hunter Exam’s first examiner, Aldama, after Aldama announced a twenty-four-hour waiting test. Phinks backed down from a fight but vowed to settle the score later, while Oboro took a nap as the examinees waited.

• Oboro reflected on the Phantom Troupe and waited with Phinks and Shalnark for the examiner to appear.
• Aldama introduced himself and announced that examinees would pass by remaining in the venue for twenty-four hours.
• Phinks threatened to kill the other examinees and then challenged Aldama, who answered with a powerful sound wave that shattered windows.
• Shalnark calmed Phinks, who agreed to follow the rules but promised to find Aldama later.
• Oboro leaned against a wall and fell asleep while Phinks folded his arms and closed his eyes.

The examinees endured Aldama’s punishing heat test, then followed him into the Gordo Desert for Nanji’s scorpion-catching round. Phinks went after Aldama, while Shalnark noticed that Oboro had disappeared.

• Aldama’s heated hall drove many examinees to collapse or withdraw, while Oboro rested through the ordeal beside Phinks and Shalnark.
• Aldama opened the doors the next day and led the survivors into the Gordo Desert, where only seventy or eighty reached an oasis.
• Nanji introduced the second round: each examinee had two days to catch at least three venomous Blue-Eyed Poison Scorpions.
• Phinks decided to pursue Aldama, and Shalnark warned him to avoid leaving evidence before resting in the shade.
• Shalnark noticed that Oboro was no longer among the scattered examinees.

Phinks pursued Aldama into the desert and fought the One-Star Crime Hunter, while Oboro watched and assessed the young Spider’s abilities. Aldama gained the upper hand, and Oboro suspected the examiner’s Nen ability stored absorbed attacks as the battle continued.

• Oboro followed Phinks and reflected on the Phantom Troupe’s early growth and the dangers their crimes might bring.
• Aldama stopped in the desert and revealed that he was a One-Star Crime Hunter who had judged Phinks and Shalnark to be criminals.
• Aldama and Phinks began fighting as both Enhancers, while Oboro watched from nearby.
• Aldama quickly suppressed Phinks with experienced combat and a strange rebounding effect from his Nen.
• Oboro suspected Aldama was selectively absorbing and storing Phinks’s attacks, while Aldama taunted Phinks to continue fighting.

Oboro watched Phinks turn the fight around against Aldama by unleashing his resolve and growing stronger, then received Netero’s offer to trade a rescue for a method of becoming stronger and a small favor. Oboro accepted and stepped onto the battlefield as Aldama was being beaten.

• Aldama overwhelmed Phinks, but Phinks used a desperate counterattack that forced Aldama to dodge his full-power Ko punch.
• Phinks’s aura surged as his resolve peaked, and he struck Aldama repeatedly with his rotating-arm attack.
• Oboro prepared to leave, but Netero called and asked him to save Aldama.
• Netero offered Oboro a method to grow stronger and one small request in exchange for the rescue, and Oboro accepted.
• Oboro ended the call and stepped onto the battlefield as Phinks continued beating Aldama.

Oboro rescued the wounded examiner Aldama from Phinks and defeated the injured Phantom Troupe member in a brief fight. He killed Phinks and fled with Aldama, who needed urgent treatment.

• Phinks tortured Aldama until Oboro approached and demanded to take the examiner away.
• Oboro swiftly carried Aldama out of Phinks's reach, then revealed that he knew Phinks was a Spider and identified himself as part of the mafia.
• Oboro used Sett's abilities to seize Phinks and slam him into the ground, then struck him with Haymaker when Phinks counterattacked.
• Phinks tried to warn Shalnark, but Oboro pierced his chest before he could make a sound.
• Oboro carried Aldama away, leaving Phinks to die in the sand.

Shalnark found Phinks dead in the desert and concluded that Aldama had likely killed him, then abandoned the Hunter Exam and reported back to the Phantom Troupe. Chrollo told the Troupe about Phinks's death while Franklin and Feitan continued slaughtering mafia members at a warehouse.

• Shalnark arrived at the battlefield, examined Phinks's body, and considered how Aldama or another powerful opponent could have killed him.
• Shalnark decided not to pursue Aldama, called the Phantom Troupe, and reported that Phinks was dead and Aldama was the likely killer.
• The person on the phone ordered Shalnark to return, and he left the desert after withdrawing from the Hunter Exam.
• Franklin and Feitan attacked a mafia-controlled warehouse while Chrollo, Machi, and Pakunoda watched from the sidelines.
• Chrollo told the Troupe that Phinks had died and said they would wait for Shalnark to return before acting.

Oboro returned to the oasis after rescuing Aldama, passed Nanji’s Blue-Eyed Poison Scorpion test with ease, and rested while the other examinees struggled. As night approached, Tonpa sought Oboro’s help, and Oboro told him where and when to catch the scorpions.

• Oboro handed Aldama over to Association examiners, then returned to the oasis and found Shalnark gone.
• Oboro exposed a hidden burrow, caught several Blue-Eyed Poison Scorpions, and passed Nanji’s test.
• Examinees were stung as they searched, and Nanji ignored their pleas for help and punished a man who threatened her.
• Only three examinees had passed by sunset, and Tonpa asked Oboro to help him catch scorpions.
• Oboro pointed Tonpa toward a nearby burrow and advised him to wait until night, so Tonpa sat down and resumed fanning him.

Oboro passed the Hunter Exam with Tonpa’s help, then became one of only three candidates to earn a Hunter License. At Association headquarters, he irritated Biscuit during his briefing and noticed Pariston watching him, leaving him wary of the man’s interest.

• Oboro helped Tonpa pass the third exam, but Tonpa surrendered during the fourth and thanked Oboro before being eliminated.
• Oboro and two other candidates passed the difficult fourth exam and traveled to Hunter Association headquarters, where they received their Hunter Licenses.
• Netero welcomed news of Oboro’s arrival and told Beans that he found the newcomer interesting.
• During Biscuit’s briefing, Oboro pretended to sleep until she sent the other two Hunters out and shook him awake.
• Oboro spotted Pariston in the conference room and deliberately acted unfamiliar with Biscuit, but Pariston noticed his glance and waved warmly.

Oboro met with Netero to claim the promised way to become stronger and revealed that he wanted to become an Ancient Script Hunter. Netero inferred that Oboro was pursuing the Dark Continent and forbade him from going, freezing Oboro, Biscuit, and Beans with his pressure.

• After Biscuit warned Oboro to stay away from Pariston, she took him to Netero's office.
• Oboro told Netero that he wanted to become an Ancient Script Hunter and asked how Netero could make him stronger.
• Netero questioned Oboro about the Association and suggested that Linne Horsdoeuvre and he were the people Oboro cared about most.
• Netero inferred that Oboro's ambitions led to the Dark Continent and suspected he had joined the Association to use Netero and reach the V5.
• Netero cracked his teacup and ordered Oboro not to go, his pressure leaving Oboro, Biscuit, and Beans unable to move.

Oboro accepted a dangerous Association mission to investigate an unusual tribe in the isolated East Gorteau Republic after Netero warned him not to go to the Dark Continent. Netero hoped the mission’s unknown dangers would force Oboro to grow, though Beans and Biscuit worried he might not return.

• Netero warned Oboro that he was forbidden from setting foot on the Dark Continent while Netero lived or remained stronger, and Oboro recognized the warning as an attempt to protect him and humanity.
• Beans gave Oboro a file about an unusual tribe in East Gorteau and explained that the Association needed someone to investigate the isolated country.
• Oboro realized the mission was dangerous and poorly documented, but agreed after Netero confirmed it could help him grow stronger.
• Biscuit offered to help for a fee, but Oboro left without answering her, making her shout angrily after him.
• Beans questioned whether sending Oboro alone was too risky, but Netero said facing the unknown—and possibly death—was what Oboro needed.

Oboro struggled to assemble a qualified team for Netero’s dangerous mission in East Gorteau after the Association’s recruitment yielded no suitable Hunters. With the Fills Family’s help, he recruited Hisoka and continued seeking capable fighters and specialists.

• Oboro registered the mission with the Hunter Association, but rejected Pariston’s application after learning the Two-Star Hunter had joined.
• Oboro returned to the Fills Family’s territory when the Association stopped contacting him and the mission’s entry deadline approached.
• Oboro asked David and Lily to assemble a team of no more than eight people, but dismissed the Fills Family’s nearly twenty Nen-user security members as too weak.
• Lily urged Oboro to contact Hisoka, and Oboro called in a favor to get him to come.
• Hisoka initially refused, but called back and admitted he was interested after Oboro teased him about missing a chance to observe him up close.
• Oboro sent Hisoka his location and planned to recruit two more capable fighters alongside three civilian specialists.

Oboro assembled a team, including Hisoka, and took them to East Gorteau to investigate the Botswa Tribe. Footage of soldiers massacring the tribe revealed a dead tribesperson lunging at the camera, leading Oboro and Hisoka to suspect Nen was involved.

• Oboro waited for Hisoka to arrive, then led the team aboard his spacecraft bound for East Gorteau.
• Oboro and Hisoka discussed the mission, and Hisoka guessed that Oboro was risking his life in pursuit of strength.
• Dama reported that she had secured the team's entry into East Gorteau and found deleted footage of soldiers massacring the Botswa Tribe.
• Oboro paused the footage on a dead tribesperson lunging toward the camera, and Dangrui suggested the massacre might be tied to resources beneath the tribe's settlement.
• Oboro and Hisoka considered how someone could fight after death and suspected Nen was responsible.

Oboro’s group entered East Gorteau under the cover of business and learned that the Botswa Tribe’s conflict with the military had become a sprawling war. After fighting through guarded routes, they reached a village and forced a local man to guide them toward the Sawtooth Mountains.

• Oboro’s group endured strict inspections at the East Gorteau border and were warned that breaking the country’s laws would mean execution.
• Hisoka secretly killed a local at the checkpoint and learned that the Botswa Tribe likely lived in the sealed-off Sawtooth Mountains, where fighting was still underway.
• Hisoka told the group that the royal army had suffered heavy casualties and that several frontline towns had fallen with no survivors.
• Oboro ordered the group toward the nearest residential area, and Hisoka silently killed soldiers guarding their route.
• By nightfall, the group reached a poor village, where Oboro threatened an adult man until he agreed to lead them to the Sawtooth Mountains.

Oboro and Hisoka investigated a sealed town and learned that tiny parasitic bugs turned the dead into aggressive creatures and spread through living beings. They entered the Sawtooth Mountains to find the source, where they were surrounded by creatures in the dark.

• Oboro’s group watched soldiers in protective suits guard a ruined town and saw a pile of burned corpses.
• Lance captured a soldier, who explained that bugs emerging from dead Botswa tribesmen could infect people and animals, creating more walking corpses.
• Oboro ordered Kaji and Lance to protect the civilians, then went with Hisoka into the Sawtooth Mountains to investigate the insects.
• Oboro and Hisoka found battlefield remains but no Botswa corpses, and Hisoka picked up a bloodstained scrap of Botswa clothing.
• Oboro rejected Hisoka’s suggestion to seek out the Botswa Tribe immediately, and the two noticed gleaming eyes as creatures surrounded them.

Oboro and Hisoka fought enhanced animals and discovered insects that consumed Nen and carried an unfamiliar, malicious power. After sending Kaji to investigate the insects, Oboro concluded that the Botswa Tribe’s power might come from an object or technique connected to the Dark Continent.

• Oboro and Hisoka fought their way through an attacking herd of enhanced animals, then fled when Oboro found a tiny insect chewing through his Nen.
• Hisoka showed Oboro that several insects could consume Nen, and Oboro ordered Kaji to escort Dama to the base and send photographs to the Association for research.
• Hisoka suggested the insects caused berserkification, while Oboro sensed that they carried an evil Nen-like will that had not originated from the insects themselves.
• After Lance released the villager, Oboro considered whether the insects’ power resembled Cursed Grudge or Post-Mortem Nen and found neither explanation convincing.
• Oboro suspected the Botswa Tribe’s power came from a physical object or inherited technique tied to the Dark Continent.

Oboro investigated the insects infecting the Sawtooth Mountains and deduced that their spread was part of a Botswa Tribe ceremony tied to the king. After reporting his theory to Netero, Oboro was left to handle the crisis with his team.

• Oboro tested an insect-infested corpse and found that the insects controlled the host, used its aura after death, and multiplied by transferring their Nen and will into others.
• Oboro and Hisoka reached the town and witnessed tens of thousands of infected animals overwhelming the soldiers, while an East Gorteau Enhancement Nen user fought to hold them back.
• Oboro saw a Botswa tribesman kill himself, after which the insects devoured him and the beast horde grew more agitated, so Oboro and Hisoka retreated from the mountains.
• Oboro deduced that the insects had begun a ceremony meant to preserve the Botswa Tribe, with the tribesmen sacrificing themselves and the king as the likely target.
• Oboro reunited with Lance and the others, returned to the base, and told Netero that the insects might overrun East Gorteau; Netero declined to take over the mission, and Oboro hung up in frustration.

Oboro and his team crossed into the Sawtooth Mountains to reach the Botswa Tribe, fighting through the tribe’s parasite guards along the way. At a lake near the settlement, they found Lance among six Nen-user parasites and prepared to face a furious Botswa tribesman.

• Oboro chose to target the Botswa Tribe instead of trying to assassinate the king, then led Hisoka, Kaji, and Lance back across the border toward the Sawtooth Mountains.
• The team used Kaji’s Patch ability to scout the area, and Lance drew away the parasite birds guarding their route.
• Oboro and Hisoka climbed a cliff and killed hundreds of parasites protecting the Botswa settlement, then continued through repeated attacks.
• After a day of fighting, Oboro stopped Kaji from drinking at a lake when six human Nen-user parasites appeared with Lance among them and a Botswa tribesman behind them.
• Oboro claimed four opponents for himself, but Hisoka rushed forward, laughing that he would take them all.

Hisoka and Oboro fought the evolving parasitized Nen users, then continued with Kaji toward the Botswa Tribe’s settlement. They reached the damaged village at dusk, where the tribe remained hidden in the caves and Oboro sensed danger.

• Hisoka killed the six parasitized Nen users, but the headless corpses revived with stronger Nen and overwhelmed him.
• Oboro joined the fight, crushed several insects, and helped Hisoka destroy the corpses.
• Oboro’s Heal failed to recognize Hisoka as a teammate, and the three continued toward the Botswa Tribe’s living area.
• As night fell, Oboro wondered why the tribe had not sent reinforcements and grew uneasy about their approach.
• Oboro, Hisoka, and Kaji reached the war-damaged village, where the Botswa Tribe stayed hidden in caves without visible defenses.