Chapter Summaries

Gelman and Hisoka passed Izunabi’s first exam, which ended with 143 of 352 applicants qualifying. At the mansion where the applicants were told to rest, Gelman calmly ate dinner while evading traps, as the second exam began unexpectedly.

• Gelman presented his card to Izunabi and waited beneath a tree, while Izunabi stayed wary of him.
• Hisoka submitted five bloodied cards, and Izunabi accepted them before ordering him to wait.
• Izunabi announced that 143 applicants had passed and led them through the mist to a mountain mansion.
• Gelman entered the mansion first, and Hisoka followed; the other applicants waited before going inside.
• Gelman triggered several dining-hall traps but dodged the knives and calmly finished his meal before heading upstairs.

Gelman drove Tuomen out of the mansion’s best room, and examiner Ian removed the injured candidate from the exam. At four in the morning, Gelman joined the remaining examinees outside as an unfamiliar man began what appeared to be the next exam.

• Gelman claimed the largest room, and Tuomen forced his way in to demand it.
• Gelman struck Tuomen into the corridor, leaving him unable to move without pain.
• Ian identified himself as the examiner, declared Tuomen had to withdraw for emergency treatment, and carried him away.
• Hisoka watched Ian leave with Tuomen and considered what to do about Gelman.
• Metal clanging woke Gelman at four in the morning, and he went outside to join the gathered examinees.
• Gelman saw that the examinees’ numbers had dwindled and found a blue-haired man striking a metal tripod before them.

Hogari introduced the Third Exam and explained that the candidates had to find the cave producing the mountain mist, but Hisoka and Gelman’s disrespect provoked him into a confrontation. Hogari attacked them, expecting to injure both men, but his first move went wrong.

• Hogari introduced himself as the Third Exam’s examiner and announced that the fifty-two remaining candidates could proceed.
• Hisoka questioned how many exam rounds remained, called the exams boring, and mocked Hogari’s rules.
• Hogari began explaining the mist-cave task, then singled out Hisoka and Gelman after noticing their yawning and apparent disrespect.
• Hogari demanded apologies, but Hisoka and Gelman refused and challenged his judgment and abilities.
• Hogari charged at Hisoka with a knife, intending to injure him and then Gelman, but his first step went wrong.

Hisoka defeated Hogari, then overwhelmed the examinees who tried to attack him together. After the survivors fled, Hisoka confronted Gelman, whose weapons appeared as their battle began.

• Hisoka used Elastic Love to control Hogari’s knives, dislocate his arms, and throw him down the mountain.
• Hisoka declared that he would take over as examiner and challenged the remaining examinees, including Gelman.
• Chen Li rallied the examinees to attack Hisoka, but Hisoka incapacitated him, the three brothers Amori, Umori, and Imori, and many others.
• The remaining examinees fled, leaving Gelman to face Hisoka as dawn broke.
• Gelman split a stone Hisoka had sent at him, and Hisoka attacked by swinging stones, dirt clods, and injured examinees with Elastic Love.

Gelman and Hisoka fought over Gelman’s chance to advance in the Hunter Exam, with Gelman ultimately revealing a flamethrower and earning Hisoka’s pass. Their confrontation ended when an old man and Beanpaste Man emerged from the woods.

• Hisoka attacked Gelman with candidates and debris, and Gelman identified the range limit of Elastic Love.
• Gelman and Hisoka closed in and exchanged attacks, with Hisoka blocking Gelman’s blunderbuss and trapping his Meat Saw with Elastic Love.
• Hisoka wounded Gelman’s left arm with Nen-charged cards, but Gelman summoned a flamethrower and burned Hisoka’s clothes and hair.
• Hisoka deduced that Gelman could conjure more than two weapons and speculated that a hidden object enabled the ability; Gelman did not confirm his guess.
• Hisoka granted Gelman a pass to the next stage, and Gelman pointed out that Hisoka might be expelled for attacking an examiner.
• An old man and Beanpaste Man emerged from the woods after both fighters noticed someone approaching.

Netero arrived after Hisoka's attack on the examinees, disqualified Hisoka, and declared Gelman the sole passer of the 286th Hunter Exam. Gelman boarded an airship for a Hunter Association branch, where he was to rest and receive his Hunter License.

• Netero introduced himself as chairman of the Hunter Association and disqualified Hisoka for attacking Hogari and injuring examinees.
• Hisoka accepted the disqualification, told Gelman he looked forward to meeting him again, and left.
• Netero ordered Beanpaste Man to arrange medical care and search for the examinees who had fled.
• Netero declared the exam over and Gelman its sole passer because he was the only examinee remaining.
• Gelman boarded an airship with Netero and Beanpaste Man, then entered the room Beanpaste Man had assigned him.

Gelman arrived at the Hunter Association’s Sofa City branch and, after two days, received his Hunter License as the only passer of the 286th Exam. He declared that his hunting target was beasts, became a Beast Hunter, and left the branch to begin his journey.

• Gelman arrived at the branch, where Menchi argued with Netero about the exam and Buhara pulled her aside when Gelman passed.
• Netero introduced Gelman as the only person who passed the exam, then Beanpaste Man led him into the branch and showed him around.
• Beanpaste Man explained the Hunter License’s privileges and rules after Gelman received it on January 10.
• Netero asked Gelman about his hunting target, and Gelman said he would hunt beasts.
• Gelman packed his things and left the branch after Netero encouraged him to pursue a One-Star Hunter ranking.

After arriving in SW City, Gelman asked Biscuit for access to the Hunter exclusive website and explored its information and potential buyers. He found that details about the Dark Continent were restricted, while the site’s Phantom Troupe information was vague and identified him as a suspected member.

• Netero reflected on Gelman’s unusual familiarity with the Dark Continent and worried that the young Hunter might have reached it.
• Gelman flew from Sofa City to SW City, checked into the Opera Hotel, and asked Biscuit for the Hunter website address.
• Biscuit agreed to send the address in exchange for another Chameleon Stone, then hinted that she could guess where the first one came from.
• Gelman logged into the website at an internet café and found that detailed Dark Continent information was inaccessible.
• Gelman searched the Phantom Troupe listings, saw that the site called him a suspected member, and reviewed the large bounty for information about the group.
• Gelman searched for potential buyers in fields including medicine, biology, plants, gems, and gourmet food, and memorized their names.

Gelman arranged for Machi to stay nearby in case he needed treatment, then used the Lantern to return to the Dark Continent. He left Arid River Valley and began exploring the wilderness beyond it.

• Gelman reviewed Pariston and Ging's ties to the Dark Continent, then messaged Machi to arrange possible treatment.
• Machi arrived at Gelman's hotel on January 13, and Gelman gave her a key card for the room next door through the morning of the 15th.
• Gelman materialized the Lantern and traveled with the four imps to Arid River Valley in the early hours of January 14.
• Gelman fought off some Meat Sucking Bugs, collected a Chameleon Stone for Biscuit, and avoided other giant insects when possible.
• Gelman crossed out of Arid River Valley and continued into the wilderness, where he encountered more vegetation and unfamiliar creatures.

Gelman crossed the Muddy Land and was attacked by a flock of Multi-eyed Crows, which he drove off with his Flamethrower. Their Lord appeared, marked Gelman with an extra eyeball, and forced him to prepare for a close fight.

• Gelman reached the Muddy Land after traveling north and paused to record his observations.
• A Multi-eyed Crow pecked at Gelman's backpack, then summoned a flock that surrounded and attacked him.
• Gelman used his Flamethrower to burn most of the crows, while the survivors fled into the Reed Forest.
• The Lord of Crows emerged from the reeds, and an eyeball grew on Gelman's left arm as his Hunter Badge showed Pressure +5.
• Gelman found that the Lord's wings could block and rebound his flames, so he dismissed the Flamethrower, took out his Blunderbuss and Meat Saw, and prepared to fight.

Gelman fought the Lord of Crows by exploiting the vulnerable eyes beneath its feathers and avoiding its eye curse. After a Beast Buster critical hit and a close-range blast wounded the creature, Gelman was injured and swarmed by Multi-eyed Crows, but he drove his hand deep into the Lord of Crows’ abdomen.

• Gelman realized the Lord of Crows’ exposed eyeballs were its weak points and deduced that its curse had infected the wound on his left arm through eye contact.
• Gelman shut his eyes, used En to guide himself, and threw a poison gas bomb at the Lord of Crows.
• Gelman grabbed the Lord of Crows’ talon as it charged past, then climbed aboard and stabbed its abdomen with the Meat Saw, triggering a Beast Buster critical hit.
• Gelman changed the Meat Saw into a Blunderbuss and fired into the creature’s wound, but the Lord of Crows trapped him in its wings and pierced his right shoulder with its beak.
• Gelman climbed back onto the Lord of Crows as it took flight, endured attacks from Multi-eyed Crows, and thrust his left hand deep into the creature’s wounded abdomen.

Gelman killed Lord of Crows in the Reed Forest and returned to the human world with a cursed Monocle and severe wounds. He went to Machi for treatment, and she stitched his injuries.

• Gelman burned Lord of Crows from the inside with an antique-bronze Flamethrower, then escaped its burning body and the attacking flock.
• Gelman recovered Lord of Crows' Monocle, kept it in his backpack, and used the Third Lantern to return to the human world.
• Gelman arrived at the Opera Hotel at two in the morning and knocked on Machi's door, badly injured and covered in mud.
• Machi let Gelman lie on her sofa, cleaned his wounds, and used Nen Thread Stitching to close them.

After Machi treated his wounds, Gelman reviewed the gains and new drawbacks from his hunt, including increased stats, a new Lantern, and narcolepsy. He recovered quickly, arranged for the Vermillion Bug's Chameleon Stone to be delivered to Biscuit, and learned that Machi had left, leaving him with her hotel bill.

• Machi finished stitching Gelman's wounds and charged him twenty million Jenny, and Gelman apologized for staining her room before leaving.
• Gelman reviewed his Hunter Badge gains, raised his Physique to 26 and Aura to 20, and discovered he had gained the Genius trait, Narcolepsy, a new Lantern, and Lord of the Swarm's Shield.
• Gelman slept until 11:40 a.m., then spoke with Machi on their adjoining balconies and reminded her to eat on time.
• Gelman sent the Vermillion Bug's Chameleon Stone to the address Biscuit had provided.
• Gelman learned that Machi had checked out and saw her message with her account number, then examined the bill for her room.

Gelman arrived in Yorknew City and tried several ways to reduce his sixty-point pressure, but none worked. He contacted Biscuit to arrange a session with her Nen ability, Magical Beautician Miss Cookie.

• Gelman left the Opera Hotel, wired Machi the twenty million Jenny, and traveled to Yorknew City.
• Gelman tried praying and enduring a flogging at a church, but his pressure did not decrease.
• Gelman tried gambling and drinking, then rejected a woman’s advances at a bar to avoid catching a disease.
• Gelman messaged Biscuit about her Vermillion Bug’s Chameleon Stone and asked to use Magical Beautician Miss Cookie.
• Biscuit agreed to charge Gelman twenty thousand Jenny per session, and he asked when she could come to Yorknew City.

While preparing to sell the Lord of Crows' Eyeball, Gelman encountered Shizuku, who claimed he owed her money for cleaning up his crime scenes. She eventually remembered that he had never hired her directly, but that his dead middleman Bilbo still owed her 500,000 Jenny.

• Gelman found a woman's wallet in his pocket, remembered stealing it through his kleptomania, and kept its cash to cover Biscuit's first payment.
• Biscuit agreed to reach Yorknew City on January 18th, giving Gelman two days to begin selling the Lord of Crows' Eyeball.
• Shizuku approached Gelman and demanded 500,000 Jenny, but he denied knowing her or owing her money.
• Gelman searched a Hunter-only website for auction houses in Yorknew City, and Shizuku sat beside him to look up his information.
• Shizuku recognized Gelman and explained that he owed her for cleaning five crime scenes, before realizing that Bilbo had hired her and died before paying her.

Gelman paid Shizuku the five hundred thousand Jenny he owed her, then considered recruiting her for his Dark Continent team. Shizuku asked about the risks and rewards, and paused to think before agreeing to anything.

• Gelman verified Shizuku's contract and evidence that she had cleaned up scenes for Bilbo, then transferred her five hundred thousand Jenny through online banking.
• Gelman considered how Shizuku's Nen ability could support his planned Dark Continent expeditions and help recover valuable remains.
• Gelman asked whether Shizuku belonged to an organization, and she said she did not.
• Gelman offered Shizuku a place on his team, proposing they share any gains evenly with future teammates.
• Shizuku asked about the destination, danger, and rewards, and Gelman said he would explain only after she agreed and signed a contract.
• Shizuku told Gelman to wait while she thought about his offer.

Gelman brought the Lord of Crows' Monocle to an auction house in Yorknew City and chose to seek a quick private sale. The Nosra Family arrived after Neon's divination pointed them to the eyeball, and Light offered Gelman one hundred million Jenny for it.

• Gelman left Shizuku at the internet café and visited auction houses to find a buyer for the Lord of Crows' Monocle.
• The appraiser explained the auction and quick-sale options, and Gelman chose a quick sale through private clients.
• The appraiser contacted the Nosra Family, whose members were searching Yorknew City for rare creature eyes and organs.
• Light and Neon arrived with their bodyguards, and Daznuo confirmed that the eyeball possessed powerful cursed Nen.
• Light revealed that Neon's Angel's Automatic Notetaking had pointed to the eyeball and offered Gelman one hundred million Jenny for it.

Light bought Gelman’s “Lord of Crows’ Monocle” for a hundred million Jenny to protect Neon from the future foretold by her prophecies. After Gelman left the auction house, Daznuo recognized him as a wanted man suspected of belonging to the Phantom Troupe, and Light asked what had happened.

• Light agreed to sell “Lord of Crows’ Monocle” to Light for a hundred million Jenny, and Daznuo transferred the money before Gelman handed over the eye.
• Light took Neon away from the auction house while Daznuo followed with the jar containing the monocle.
• Shanzhi confronted Light outside, insulted him, and threatened that the Ten Dons would eventually ruin the Nosra Family.
• Shanzhi noticed Gelman as he left the auction house and wondered where he had seen him before.
• Daznuo told Light that Gelman was wanted on a Class B warrant, had killed a minor gang boss, and was suspected of being in the Phantom Troupe.

Light learned that Gelman had been hunted after rumors linked him to the Phantom Troupe, so he ordered his family to withdraw from the hunt and left Yorknew City with Neon. Meanwhile, Gelman encountered Shanzhi and his men, who attacked him while he was on the phone with Shizuku.

• Daznuo told Light that Gelman had killed a Ten Dons underling and that one of their men had died trying to hunt him.
• Light ordered Daznuo to keep their family out of the hunt and arranged to leave Yorknew City with Neon and his guards.
• Gelman strolled along the riverbank and let Shanzhi and five subordinates confront him.
• Shanzhi's men opened fire while Gelman answered Shizuku's call, but Gelman vanished and killed several of them with his Meat Saw.
• Gelman continued his phone conversation as he cut down Shanzhi's remaining men, leaving Shanzhi in terror.

After killing Shanzhi and the last surviving thug, Gelman met Shizuku, who agreed to work with him long-term. He told her their destination was the Dark Continent, but a gang force surrounded them and Gelman attacked its leader.

• Gelman killed Shanzhi and the wounded survivor, then took money and a ring from the bodies.
• Gelman met Shizuku in the square, confirmed she would work with him, and shook her hand.
• Shizuku explained her ties to Meteor City's ideals, and Gelman told her they were heading to the Dark Continent.
• More than a dozen cars sealed off the square as gang members arrived, declaring that the Ten Dons had placed a bounty on Gelman.
• Gelman rushed the gang officer, Ross, and cut off his head as the gang members prepared to shoot.