A Lie x A Beastlike Man

More than twenty candidates crowded both sides of the aisle, surrounding Kevin and his three companions in the middle.

Basho's expression was grave, his brows furrowed. "Looks like today's going to be tough."

Goreinu pulled out a Club from somewhere, already ready to fight at any moment.

These people are no ordinary individuals; they are all candidates who have successfully entered the second round of the exam, and their combat strength is not to be underestimated. Moreover, there are more than twenty of them here.

Having a large number of people is impressive.

Basho and Goreinu knew in their hearts that they were prepared to be beaten up and have all their things stolen.

Of course, they weren't without better options, but clearly those weren't on their radar.

"We don't mean you any harm. Just hand over the rescue supplies you have. I bet you have quite a bit of food on hand. Give it all over, and we'll let you go."

The leader spoke frankly, a smug smile on his face.

"Don't even think about resisting. We're all experts here, not just some street thugs," another person warned.

Actually, although these people were quite dissatisfied with Kevin and his friends' leisurely attitude these past few days, they were still taking exams.

They hoped to seize the relief supplies without firing a single shot, and also get some food along the way.

If they start fighting, they themselves could get injured, and that would be a huge problem.

"What are you planning to do, Kevin?" Basho asked.

Over the past few days, the four of them have worked together seamlessly, with Kevin usually making the decisions.

"If it comes to fighting, no problem." Even the usually mild-mannered Goreinu showed a determined smile.

Kite didn't speak, just stood there quietly. He knew in his heart that this crisis was nothing to them, so he appeared extremely relaxed.

"Let me decide? That's quite a difficult question." Kevin chuckled twice, looking equally relaxed.

"The same attitude again! I've had enough of you guys these past few days!" a guy in the crowd shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Yes, apologize! Apologize for your disgusting appearance!"

"That's right, otherwise even if you hand over the supplies, we won't let you go!"

The crowd's discontent was completely ignited, and they desperately needed an outlet.

With such a large number of people, even the weaker candidates joined in the fervent shouting.

Kevin stared silently at the first person in the crowd to speak, and said coldly, "Heh, my choice is for you all to kneel down!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kevin rushed to the left, and Kite followed quickly to the right, with Basho and Goreinu close behind.

However, after running only a few steps, the two slowed down and eventually stood still, their eyes filled with confusion.

One scream after another echoed in my ears.

Basho saw Kevin rush over like a tiger, throw a punch, and then stop.

But what about the dozen or so people in front of him? The three who were hit were instantly sent flying, knocking down a large number of people.

This large group of people seemed to be swept away by an invisible force, and they were all sent flying.

The scene was like bowling; a large number of the group collapsed instantly.

Only one man stood there, trembling, his face filled with terror.

It was the same person who demanded that Kevin and the others apologize.

The situation on the other side was similar, except that Kite's side didn't seem to have as much impact as Kevin's, but the scene was equally dramatic.

Kite rushed into the crowd, waving her hands rapidly, and a large number of people collapsed.

After Kevin stopped, he dusted off non-existent dust from his clothes and slowly walked over to the only guy still standing, completely ignoring the crowd of people lying on the ground and wailing in pain around him.

He raised his hand and gently patted the man's trembling shoulder, uttering a puzzling remark. "Well done."

After saying that, he turned and left.

"What?" The man looked puzzled and turned to look at his companion.

The group of fallen men weren't unconscious; several of them were staring at him with wide eyes, gritting their teeth and cursing, "You bastard!"

Only then did he realize why Kevin had done it.

The group ignored the wailing outside, closed the door, and shut out the sounds.

Basho and Goreinu silently behind.

Only after returning to the room did Basho say with dissatisfaction, "You two are actually that powerful? Damn it!"

I made thorough preparations before deciding to fight alongside you.

Goreinu nodded repeatedly, indicating that he deeply agreed.

Kite simply smiled slightly and remained silent.

Kevin looked at the two of them and waved his hand helplessly. "You can't blame me for this. I thought you knew since you didn't ask."

Who would tell others they're a great fighter for no reason?

"Well, this is a good thing. I was worried that tonight would be troublesome." Basho waved her hand helplessly and went back to her room.

The sudden chaos actually relaxed him, and he obediently lay down on the bed to rest.

Kevin and his friends were the same.

After that battle, those people will probably behave themselves a lot and won't dare to easily try anything with them again.

After all, these candidates aren't stupid; none of them who made it this far are idiots.

Kevin soon fell asleep.

When he felt the Mail Steamer stop moving, Kevin opened his eyes and looked out onto the balcony; it was already daylight outside.

What's going on?

He quickly got out of bed, but before he could ask anything, the Captain's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Hello?"

Is anyone still alive? If so, come up on deck.

Upon hearing the announcement, Kevin had no choice but to push open the door and go outside.

Kite, Basho, and Goreinu also pushed open the door and came out. They looked at each other, and all of them saw doubt in each other's eyes.

They walked through the passageway toward Shenban.

Bloodstains were everywhere along the way, a testament to the ferocity of the battle that had taken place the previous night.

Along the way, they also encountered other test takers.

These candidates all appeared listless, many of them bearing injuries with their wounds exposed. They walked slowly with limpses, some even dragging their legs or using slings to support their bent arms.

"This battle is truly intense," Goreinu couldn't help but exclaim.

Just by looking at these people and the damaged and dented surroundings, one can imagine how intense the battle must have been.

They arrived at the deck, where the Captain was already standing, followed by a group of staff. These staff members seemed to have been prepared, each carrying a first-aid kit.

The able-bodied candidates gathered before the Captain. Kevin glanced around and found only 30 people left, half of whom bore various injuries, some quite serious. They had come a long way...

A trail of blood was left on the ground.

"Hey, can't you guys take a break? You're pushing yourselves so hard. If you fail, you can try again next year, but if you lose your lives, you'll have nothing left," Kevin couldn't help but say.

The Captain's words interrupted everyone's idle chatter and contemplation.

"Seeing everyone in high spirits, I'm relieved," the Captain lied through his teeth.

"Congratulations everyone, you have passed the second test. Look over there, that's the location of the third test. A ship will be here soon to take you there." As he spoke, the Captain pointed to a small island not far away, which was clearly visible to the naked eye.

However, some of the candidates present were clearly not satisfied with the result.

The young man selling Radio asked, "Why did we arrive safely?"

"Why what?" the Captain asked, puzzled.

Another candidate, looking equally dissatisfied, said, "Didn't they say the boat would sink on the way?"

"A shipwreck? Who told you that? I clearly remember saying that this ship was heading to the examination hall for the third exam."

The Captain still looked puzzled, but a wicked smile crept across his face.

Wahachi, standing nearby, turned her head away, looking displeased. Even she had been fooled.

The test takers then realized they had been scammed.

It wasn't just this one examiner; all the candidates were fooled.

"So that's how it is, it was all an illusion," Kite said.

Kevin rubbed his temples in exasperation. "We really were blatantly tricked."

There was no shipwreck at all; all the so-called conditions that could have caused the ship to sink were illusions.

From the very first stage, various pieces of information were designed to trap candidates. As the ship set sail in the second stage, these traps deepened, leading those who considered themselves clever to believe that the ship was likely to sink at any moment.

In addition, given the limited life-saving supplies on board and the rules of the second round of testing, a seemingly obvious test item was presented to everyone.

Everyone tacitly made preparations for this, and as a result, the scam was deeply imprinted in their minds.

As everyone prepared for the possible shipwreck and their escape, especially on the last night when everyone thought the sinking was imminent, the Captain's words were like a spark that ignited an explosive.

Even at the time, those words seemed reasonable given the interconnected nature of the situation.

After all, this is a Hunter Exam, and these words are like increasing the difficulty of the exam, which is both unexpected and reasonable.

"That's really awful." Basho, her face full of displeasure.

"That's despicable!" Goreinu, who had also been tricked, was also very unhappy.

"Then what about all that fighting to the death last night? We sacrificed so much!" a severely injured examinee roared. His arm was broken, his lower leg was twisted and deformed, and he dragged his heavy body, looking extremely miserable.

The Captain stared at him. "Hmm... so you guys actually have brains? Heh heh heh."

He let out a cold laugh, then said with an icy gaze, "However, I am the one who makes the rules; I am the Captain of this ship."

The seriously injured student finally couldn't bear the answer and collapsed to the ground.

His injuries no longer allowed him to move.

"Alright, congratulations on losing another competitor. Thank me," the Captain sneered.

"Heh, we really want to rush over there and blow your head off." This was the common thought in everyone's mind.

"Don't look so gloomy, smile. Look, the ship to pick you up is here. Hopefully, next time we meet, we'll be colleagues." The Captain let out a hearty laugh and waved.

Then, staff members carrying first-aid kits began providing first-aid assistance throughout the ship. As for those candidates whose injuries were too severe to be saved, they could only accept their bad luck.

On the sea.

One by one, ten yachts slowly approached, lined up below the cruise ship.

"What are you waiting for? Get on board!" the Captain urged from the side.

Those candidates who passed the exam but were seriously injured received some basic treatment.

Clearly, exams won't give them a chance to breathe; even if they're seriously injured, they have to drag their aching bodies to the next battle.

In this situation, four more of the original 30 people withdrew.

The four people were too badly injured to perform well in the upcoming tests.

Dragging it out will only lead to death.

In the end, a total of 26 people boarded the yacht in groups of two or three. A large ship was also on board, which carried the injured examinees and some staff members.

Only after all the candidates had boarded the yacht did the Mail Steamer, having completed its mission, slowly sail into the distance.

With a deafening roar, the massive Steel Ship slowly sank into the water.

The yacht started and headed towards the island, eventually stopping around a small boat, which was a couple of times larger than the yacht.

A wild man stood at the bow of the ship, his medium-length hair, resembling that of a savage, was disheveled and unkempt.

He was covered in animal skins, his bare skin was covered with all sorts of scars, and he exuded a beast-like power.

"This guy looks like a wild beast," Basho said, frowning as she looked at the other person.

Goreinu was on the same ship as him, looked grave; they both felt a strong threat emanating from this man.

Almost all the candidates were on high alert, including Kite and Kevin. This man was unabashedly exuding his aura, and although he meant no harm, his wild personality made his aura extremely oppressive.

Judging solely from his outward appearance, he was one of the strongest people Kevin had ever met.

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean he's the strongest, but among the people Kevin knows, apart from King and Biscuit, there shouldn't be anyone stronger than him.

"What a beast," Kite muttered to herself, a sentiment echoed by all those with keen intuition who had seen him.

"Hahahaha! I am Zakarl, the Wild Hunter, the examiner of the third exam!" The man's voice was like the roar of a wild beast.

"The exam venue for this test is on that island over there, unless you're completely stupid."

"The exam will last three days. I'll be waiting for you on the shore after three days. Remember, there are only eight spots available for advancement, and the selection will be based on points."

As he spoke, he flicked his hands downwards, and round nameplates flew out one after another.

These nameplates are marked with numbers and are made of a special material that shimmers with light.

The numbers are displayed clearly.

Everyone noticed that the numbers on each person's chest were different, and they all looked at each other.

Among them, Kevin and Kite stand out the most, both with a score of 100 on their chests, the highest score among all.

The lowest score was only 50 points, while Basho scored 75 points and Goreinu scored 70 points.

Besides Kevin and Kite, the boy who used to sell Radio had a score of 90 on his chest.

Kevin speculated that this was because he had activated his Nen Aura on his own.

Kevin noticed that the energy around him was intertwined and somewhat unstable, but this was a sign that his Nen Aura had been stimulated and he had learned to control it. He guessed that it had awakened that night, which was truly unexpected.

I just don't know which type of activation it is.

He may have simply learned how to control his breath. Throughout his training, he had also trained his physique and willpower, which is why he could use and control his breath in certain situations.

Otherwise, it would be like Specialization ability where one directly awakens Nen ability and then learns to control ki.

In this situation, it is impossible to determine which one it is.

There was another candidate named Locke, whose score was 95.

Kevin remembered him; he was also a Nen user, but he always kept to himself and had little presence.

However, he looked at himself and Kite, at the badges on their chests, and then at his own badge.

This seems quite unexpected.

Didn't expect we were stronger than him?

This shows that this guy is very confident in himself and should be a skilled Nen user.

Kevin thought to himself, labeling this guy as someone to be wary of.

One candidate reached out and tugged at the name tag on his chest, only to find that it wouldn't come off.

"Don't waste your energy. You can't tear it off yourself; only someone else can take it from your chest. Now listen to the rules."

All the candidates quieted down and focused on the examiner.

"You will enter the island from different directions and hunt within it. The prey can be other candidates or creatures on the island."

"This island is called [Ancient Beast Island], a wild place with a large number of ferocious beasts, making it very dangerous."

"I've put different score tags on each wild animal. You can take them off once you successfully hunt them."

"Finally, your total score will be calculated. Remember, the scores on your individual chest tags are not included in the total score; on the contrary..."

If someone else takes your scorecard, your score will be deducted.

After explaining the rules, the examiner gave everyone no time to hesitate and waved his hand to give the order.

The yachts immediately split into two arcs, sailing around the two sides of the island and beginning to transport the examinees to different locations.

Kevin and Kite's yacht circled around to the back of the island, indicating they were the last two to arrive. "Looks like we're being targeted," Kevin said with a smile, watching Kite arrive first.

"Isn't this what I expected?" Kite replied with a smile.

"Hopefully, we won't settle things on the island," Kevin said.

Kite shook her head. "No, this certainly isn't the last exam."

He knew that the Hunter Exam usually consisted of four to five sessions.

He would much rather have a Justice and just match with Kevin.

Although he knew he was almost certainly no match for Kevin.

He has been undergoing basic Nen ability training but has not developed his own Nen ability.

In other words, he would have to rely on the current situation to fight Kevin, who is Enhancement Type, in close combat.

The probability of winning is extremely low, almost impossible.

But he still wanted to fight, to see how much the gap between him and Kevin had widened.

Are we now even further apart?