Guide X Exam Begins

Kevin had never heard of the title "Guide" before, since he only had a general understanding of the Hunter Exam and had not delved into the details, and he had no intention of taking any shortcuts.

"The Guide are those who know the exact location of the examination venues. They are employed by the Hunter Association and will screen the candidates along the routes leading to the various examination cities," Goreinu patiently explained.

Upon hearing Goreinu's reply, Basho seemed to recall some unpleasant experience and smacked her lips.

"So there's such a mechanism." Kevin couldn't help but exclaim, he hadn't expected that just finding the exam venue would be like a mini-exam or trial.

He originally thought that navigating through the jungle where it was easy to get lost under the cover of night, traversing the treacherous wilderness, and finally reaching the city would already be quite a challenge.

The three chatted as they quickened their pace through the forest.

Before they knew it, dawn was breaking, and they were almost out of the forest. A little further on...

Perhaps then we'll see villages, nearing the outskirts of the city.

"Strange, does this exam not require Guide?" Basho asked, full of doubt.

After all, they had only participated in the last Hunter Exam and failed; they couldn't be considered experienced veterans.

Moreover, in this context, "experienced and knowledgeable" doesn't seem to be a compliment.

Goreinu was also unable to answer the question and was filled with doubt.

Until they saw the edge of the woods.

Standing at the entrance where he was about to leave the woods, Kevin stopped.

"What's wrong?" Basho asked.

Kevin didn't respond; he simply looked up at the branches and leaves overhead.

"That Bird kept following us."

"A bird?" Goreinu looked up in confusion.

Sure enough, nestled among the intertwined branches and leaves, an Emerald-feathered Bird was hidden.

If it weren't for the fact that it was just getting light and Kevin hadn't reminded them, they would have had a very hard time spotting the bird.

Its feathers blend seamlessly with its surroundings, and it moves silently, making it completely undetectable at night.

After all, this is a forest, and it's normal for birds to be around. Their senses aren't sharp enough to easily spot birds that are so cleverly hidden.

"So it was you, you silly bird! You weren't hiding on purpose, were you?" Basho said after recognizing the bird.

His expression changed, and he shouted angrily without any politeness.

"You recognize it?" Kevin, quite surprised.

"Silly guy with Slicked Back Hair."

A crisp sound rang out.

Kevin stared in astonishment at the bird that was flying down; it had actually started talking.

This is not a simple imitation, but a clear expression imbued with extremely high intelligence.

"What bad luck! You're lucky you ran into this guy, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have shown up. If you hadn't found me, you wouldn't even be able to find the exam hall this year." The little green Little Bird landed on Kevin's shoulder and said in a rather arrogant tone.

"You're really something, abusing your power?" Basho complained, her face full of dissatisfaction.

"I'm the Guide. Whoever I say is unqualified, is unqualified!" the Little Bird declared arrogantly.

Then, it turned around on Kevin's shoulder, looked at Kevin, and asked, "You're pretty perceptive. I was hiding so well, how did you find me?"

"I noticed it the moment you started following me."

"Really? I didn't expect you to have discovered it from the very beginning." The Little Bird didn't doubt Kevin's words.

"You're very perceptive, you've passed." The Little Bird said to Kevin.

Then it looked at Goreinu: "You're lucky, you passed too."

Finally, it stared at the Basho, and Kevin even sensed a hint of disdain in the bird's expression.

"You got incredibly lucky; I'd say you barely pass."

So what if Basho doesn't pass? Anyway, the Little Bird is taking Kevin to the exam hall, and Basho can find the place by following behind.

Basho simply scoffed and didn't say anything more.

After all, if it weren't for the grudge between him and this bird, the group might have missed the exam because they couldn't find Guide.

"Let's go, I'll take you in. Let's go to the city first." After the Little Bird finished speaking, the group quickened their pace and hurried towards the city.

As soon as you step into the city, a salty, damp sea breeze hits you.

The city is mostly made up of low-rise buildings, and although it is a port city, its commerce does not appear to be thriving.

The streets were mostly frequented by local residents; there seemed to be very few tourists.

"Why are there so many soldiers here?" Goreinu noticed something amiss and asked in confusion.

"Didn't you check the intelligence on this city? It's a port city where a Naval Base of the local country is located."

Kevin listened quietly, then took a handful of nuts from his pocket and fed them to the Little Bird.

"Oh, thank you, you're so kind." The Little Bird, surprised by the delicious treat, said happily.

The group arrived at an inconspicuous seafood market, walked through the bustling crowd, and came to a seafood shop.

"Buy fresh Red Sea Fish caught at six o'clock this morning."

When the fishmonger heard this, he looked at the Little Bird, but there wasn't a trace of surprise on his face.

He waved his hand, signaling an employee to lead the group of people into the shop.

The Little Bird flew onto the employees' shoulders and said to them, "This is the entrance to the examination room."

After saying that, it gave the Basho a disdainful look. "If you don't succeed this time, you won't be so lucky next time."

After saying that, he followed the employee inside, and then the door was closed.

Immediately afterwards, a downward passage appeared in the wall.

The group walked in along the passage.

Kevin asked Basho curiously, "How did you end up having a grudge against this Little Bird?"

"Last year, when we first met, it pooped on my hair," Basho said seriously, taking out a comb and tidying up her hair.

So that's how it is. No wonder he harbors such a deep Resentment against that bird. It seems he's quite particular about his Slicked Back Hair.

The group passed through a dark passage and soon arrived at a very spacious basement below.

As they entered the basement, many of the other test-takers turned to look at them.

The number of test takers was not large, scattered, and appeared to be less than fifty.

"Hmm, looks like we've arrived quite early this time." Basho whistled softly, her tone tinged with excitement.

Goreinu nodded in agreement.

His number last year was 413, which was in a very late batch.

At that moment, a tiny person dressed in a suit, about the size of a green bean, walked over and took out three numbered tags from a backpack next to him, handing them to the three people.

"Here, these are your numbers."

Kevin bent down to take the numbered tag, and in the instant his hand lightly touched the other person's, a strong desire welled up in his heart.

The intensity of this desire was comparable to that when they obtained the Crystal Hand Bone before; it was at least a reaction triggered by a B-Rank material.

"You—what do you want to do!" The Green Bean Person was so frightened that he took several steps back, looking at Kevin in terror.

"Ahem." Kevin coughed lightly, quickly concealing his expression of longing.

He was simply caught off guard and taken aback by this sudden desire.

However, he is now able to control this longing emotion and will not be swayed by it.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so surprised. I've never seen anything like you—well, an intelligent life form—outside of all."

"Oh, you scared me! I'm glad you're alright." The Green Bean Person breathed a sigh of relief and pretended to wipe non-existent sweat from his forehead.

Kevin's look just now really scared him; he thought Kevin was going to devour him.

Kevin watched the Green Bean Person leave.

"This world is truly full of wonders." Kite, with her white hair, appeared beside Kevin at some point and remarked with a sigh.

At this moment, Kite was wearing a single-digit Number Plate on her chest.

After saying that, he looked at Kevin, smiled, and then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was saying I wanted to fight you. But I watched the recording of your first battle on the 200th Floor, you were amazing, much better than my first battle."

Kevin waved his hand dismissively and said with a smile, "It's alright. I'm more curious about how your trial went. Did you find your master?"

Hearing this, Kite shook her head somewhat helplessly.

"We've only found some clues about him so far, but it'll be soon. I feel like we'll find him very soon."

"Haha, then I wish you a speedy completion of your trial."

After talking for a while, Kite looked at the two people behind Kevin.

"You guys look familiar. Are you candidates who took the exam last year?"

Kite, who had also taken the exam last year, clearly recognized them.

The two nodded, indicating that they also knew Kite. After all, Kite had performed exceptionally well in her exams last year, making it hard not to remember her.

Kevin simply smiled and didn't interrupt the conversation between the three. At that moment, he felt a gaze on him and turned to look.

It was a short, stout man with a backpack slung over his shoulder; his number was quite early in the list. He was sitting there. When he saw Kevin's gaze, he smiled and nodded.

"It's that guy. If you had come alone, he would have definitely come over." Basho also noticed the short, fat man's gaze, her tone full of disdain.

"What's wrong with him?" Kevin asked.

"That man's name is Donpa. He's a veteran of the Hunter Exam; I've heard he's taken over thirty exams so far," Kite added, seemingly familiar with him as well.

"He's a despicable fellow." Even the usually easygoing Goreinu said so.

Judging from this, the man named Donpa certainly doesn't have a good reputation.

The four of them leaned against the wall, chatting idly.

As time went on, more and more test takers entered the basement, and the number of unfamiliar faces continued to increase.

I even saw a Nen user.

Kevin witnessed firsthand what the Donpa had done.

He spoke to the new test takers with a seemingly friendly demeanor, then took the opportunity to drug them.

This guy is definitely a bad person.

However, now that we're here, it means we've officially entered the exam phase, and everyone is a competitor.

The fact that the Donpa could do this clearly indicates that it was within the bounds of the examination rules.

Kevin didn't even know the specific rules of the Hunter Exam.

The exam hall entrance finally closed at 8 p. m.

"Quack quack quack!"

A strange Frog sound filled the entire venue.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A woman wearing Frog headdress appeared on the wall at some unknown time, as if she were glued to it.

She was dressed very scantily, and her bare skin was covered with a large number of colorful patterns, all kinds of strange and wonderful designs, as if she had covered herself with stickers.

"Hello! Hello!" she called out in a very lively voice.

"The first exam of the Hunter Exam is about to begin! I am the examiner for this exam— Wapoo."

I'm twenty-two years old this year.

To be honest, this is my first time being an examiner, so I'm a little nervous and excited. I hope all the candidates will be understanding.

Don't let my appearance fool you, I became Hunter x Hunter three years ago, and I'm already One-star Hunter now, pretty impressive, right?

The examiner was like a chatterbox, talking incessantly and switching between various topics at will.

As she spoke, she made various gestures on the wall, matching her words with her expressions. One moment she seemed very happy, the next she feigned shyness, and then she became serious in the blink of an eye.

Later on, she even started introducing her own preferences.

Actually, I really like Strawberry Fruit, but I don't dislike sweet and sour Green Date Fruit either, and---

"Enough! How long are you going to keep talking to yourself like that?" one of the test takers finally couldn't hold back and shouted.

The examiner was startled by the sudden shout, stared at the candidate in shock, and then burst into tears, the tears flowing from his eyes like a flood.

"How could you do this? They just wanted to get to know everyone properly!"

As she spoke, she cried louder and louder.

"Hey, why are you crying?!" The student who was just yelling was completely flustered and at a loss when faced with this sudden situation.

He looked around as if trying to prove to others that he hadn't done anything wrong and that the other person had suddenly started crying.

Just then, the examiner appeared in front of him without him noticing, and kicked him hard in the face, sending the candidate flying.

The surrounding examinees reacted very quickly, clearing a straight path the moment she kicked out, allowing the examinee to fly unimpeded to the wall and then faint.

The examiner was no longer the tearful, shy, and weak woman he had been moments before; instead, he wore a face of tyranny and irritation.

"Honestly, how dare you interrupt me!"

Kevin was speechless.

Does this examiner have a split personality? He never expected to encounter such a strange person.

"Another troublesome examiner," Basho complained, her face full of annoyance.

Goreinu sighed helplessly.

Even Kite silently pulled her Newsboy Cap down a little to express her helplessness. In that short time, everyone deeply felt how difficult this examiner was.

The key point is that the examiners have a great deal of autonomy in the examination.

"What's with those expressions?! Am I that annoying? Huh?" the examiner questioned, and all the candidates shook their heads in unison.

"Hmph, I knew it. Come with me, the exam is starting."

After saying that, she walked straight outside.

At this moment, an upward passage appeared in front of the spacious basement.

There were a total of 443 candidates—oh wait, no, there are 442 now—following behind the chief examiner.

They walked outside.

The upward sloping passageway wasn't long; they were outside in less than a minute.

By this time, night had completely fallen, and the moon hung high in the sky.

A salty sea breeze blew in my face.

A tall lighthouse stands on the distant sea cliff, its searchlight casting a bright beam as it slowly rotates in the darkness.

They are standing on a beach.

The examiner walked to the beach, put his hands on his hips, pointed to the opposite shore, and said, "Look ahead, do you see it?"

There is an island in the distance.

Your test involves swimming to that island and entering the venue for the next test. I'll be waiting for you there.

As soon as she finished speaking, one of the examinees reacted and hurriedly asked, "Wait a minute—isn't that a Naval Base? That's a heavily guarded area; trespassing will get you arrested and taken to court as an intruder!"

Upon hearing this, the candidates immediately became agitated.

The examiner, hands on hips and looking annoyed, said, "Then just don't get caught."

"Yes, that's right."

"What do you mean, 'right'? Someone's bound to get caught eventually, and what if they end up in jail!"

"This is the content of the Hunter Exam?"

"They actually allowed test takers to infiltrate Military Base?"

The content of this first exam left many candidates frowning, as it was no joke.

Kevin was also quite surprised, not expecting the exam content to be so unexpected.

Are they asking us to build Military Base right off the bat?

He looked at the people next to him and asked, "Was the last exam just as outrageous?"

Goreinu shook his head. "No, last time it mainly tested physical fitness and rock climbing ability."

Clearly, they were also quite surprised by the changes in the exam content.

"Haha, the Hunter Exam isn't child's play. If you're scared, just quit now," a strong, muscular man laughed.

The examiner nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, that's it. If you understand, then let's begin."

After saying that, she plunged into the sea, shooting off like an arrow, creating two splashes on the surface, and quickly swam towards the opposite shore.

Many candidates also jumped into the water and swam vigorously towards the distance.

Fortunately, Kevin and the others were lightly dressed, and after taking off their shoes, they jumped directly into the water.

They swam quickly in the water, heading towards their distant target.

As they got closer to the Military Base, they soon heard the sound of yachts.

Several military yachts shuttled back and forth on the sea, with soldiers on board holding searchlights and constantly firing at the surface.

"There! There are intruders!" Soldiers on a yacht spotted the two examinees and steered the yacht quickly towards them. The soldiers immediately took out specially made nets, caught the two examinees on the spot, and dragged them onto the boat.

It wasn't that simple after all. It was obvious that the Military Base had made preparations in advance, knowing that there might be uninvited guests tonight.

Upon seeing this, many candidates dove into the water and dispersed again.

Kevin and his three companions gathered in the darkness of the sea.

They have successfully crossed the outer Yacht Patrol Circle.

The island where the Military Base is located is right in front of us.

However, various searchlights were constantly scanning the area, and many patrol personnel were walking back and forth on the shore.

Getting to the island is extremely difficult.

Even on both sides of the Military Base, there are Underwater Warning Net, which means that it is impossible to go around from either side. The only option is to sneak in quietly from the front of this heavily guarded patrol area.

Moreover, the unspecified target location should also be included.

"This is troublesome." Basho's hair was already disheveled in the water, and he said with a frown.

"Don't worry, we're in a perfect position right now. No patrol boats will pass by, and we won't be caught on searchlights."

"It's obvious this test was meticulously planned. Our position in this circle was specifically for careful observation, looking for loopholes in the patrol."

Kite analyzed the situation calmly while carefully observing the conditions on the shore.

It seemed he had discovered some flaws.

"How long can you stay underwater?" Kite asked.

"25 minutes," Basho replied.

"30 minutes," Goreinu said.

"I think an hour should be fine," Kevin said after a moment's thought.

In the past, such data would have been unimaginable, but in this world, things aren't so outrageous.

Furthermore, Kevin can use his powerful Nen Aura manipulation abilities to construct a hollow, straw-like object.

As long as he can maintain his Nen Aura, he can breathe normally underwater.

"That should be enough time."

After Kite finished speaking, she led the group to continue swimming towards their destination.