The First Exam Ends

Gelman stopped in front of Izunabi and took out the same card from his black robe, showing it to the examiner.

Izunabi glanced at it and confirmed it was correct, nodding. "Place it here, then wait beside me."

"Okay."

The card was placed on the ground. Gelman looked around and chose to sit under the large tree behind Izunabi, leaning against the trunk to rest.

Izunabi cast a sideways glance at him. Although his expression was calm, he was secretly on guard.

Hisoka and Gelman clearly stood out from the other examinees. They were undoubtedly masters who had learned "Nen," and quite possibly people from the underworld.

Izunabi remained cautious, ready in case Gelman suddenly attacked from behind. Though the possibility was low, he had to be prepared.

After waiting for a while longer, a tall figure emerged from the mist: Hisoka.

He walked towards Izunabi, first glancing at Gelman, who seemed completely unguarded and was meditating with his eyes closed, then shifted his gaze to Izunabi.

Izunabi instinctively felt a threat but held Hisoka's gaze, unwilling to back down an inch.

Hisoka smiled, his imposing aura suddenly receding. He spread his hands. "Here's your card."

He rubbed his fingers together, and as if performing magic, produced five cards, each covered in bloody fingerprints.

Izunabi was silent for a moment before speaking. "One card is enough for one examinee."

"Ah..." Hisoka feigned sudden realization. "Then I truly apologize to them."

He released his grip, and the five cards fell to the ground with a "tap, tap, tap," seemingly symbolizing the end of five lives.

"Alright, wait over there."

Izunabi wouldn't fault Hisoka's bloodlust. After all, his stated exam rules only prohibited attacking the examiner, not other examinees.

Since it wasn't explicitly forbidden beforehand, it was tacitly permitted.

They waited until five in the afternoon. The mist in the graveyard showed no signs of dissipating; instead, it grew thicker, making it difficult for anyone to see each other.

Fearing something might happen, the examinees instinctively drew closer to Izunabi.

Only Gelman, who had been sitting under the large tree from the start, hadn't moved an inch.

"Time's up." Izunabi picked up the cloth bag and slowly stood up, looking around. The examinees all turned their attention to him. "Of the 352 examinees, 143 have passed the first phase."

He slung the cloth bag over his broad shoulder and walked into the depths of the mist.

"Follow me, and don't fall behind. If you get lost, it'll be considered forfeiting the exam, and I won't help you if anything happens in the fog."

With Izunabi's warning, the examinees straightened up, their eyes fixed on his retreating back as they followed closely.

After everyone had walked about ten meters away and their figures were no longer visible, Gelman finally got up and slowly followed.

He liked walking at the very back, not because he enjoyed solitude, but because he preferred quiet. If the people around him were quiet, he wouldn't mind walking with them.

After about an hour's walk, around six in the evening, the group of examinees, led by Izunabi, finally emerged from the mist, having unknowingly left the graveyard long ago.

Before them lay a vast expanse of rolling hills and dense forests. The ground was covered in damp fallen leaves, and the dense branches overhead echoed with the chirping of insects.

Izunabi's wooden clogs trod on the muddy path without any apparent difficulty, but the examinees, on the other hand, stopped every few steps to shake off the mud clinging to their shoes or pant legs.

As dusk slowly descended and a crescent moon rose in the distant sky, they saw a brightly lit mansion perched on the mountainside.

Izunabi stood before the mansion's grand entrance and turned to face the examinees. "Well, my task ends here. You will rest here tonight, and the next exam will begin tomorrow morning."

After saying this, he offered no further explanation and left directly, leaving a group of bewildered examinees behind.

A while later, the mansion remained silent, with no sounds of living people, only the cold whistling of the evening wind.

Because it seemed suspicious, the examinees were on edge, wondering if this was part of the second exam, perhaps filled with traps.

Gelman, however, wasn't as worried. If there were traps, he'd just avoid them or deal with them as they came. What mattered most right now was that he was hungry and a little tired.

While the others hesitated, Gelman stepped out of the crowd first and walked through the open gate.

Hisoka's lips curved into a smile. He lagged a few steps behind but followed nonetheless.

They just went in? Fine, let them test if there are any dangers inside the mansion. The examinees, half confused and half surprised, waited quietly for what would happen next.

Long after the two had entered the mansion and no screams were heard, they concluded it was likely safe and finally entered one by one.

Over a hundred examinees entered the mansion and saw Hisoka staring at a painting on the wall.

Gelman, however, had entered a large hall where several rectangular dining tables were laden with all sorts of delicacies: chicken, fish, beef, bread, apples, oranges, cake...

He sat down at one of the tables and picked up a plate of fragrant steak, placing it in front of him.

But the moment he lifted the plate, a strange sound came from behind him.

A throwing knife shot out from a silently opened circular hole, aiming for the back of his head.

Just as the examinees had suspected, the mansion did indeed have traps, and they were part of the second exam.

Izunabi had only said, "The next exam will begin tomorrow morning," not "The second exam will begin."

Many examinees who had reached the hall, seeing Gelman so recklessly trigger a trap, couldn't help but exclaim in shock, mixed with a touch of schadenfreude.

However, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Gelman dodged the flying knife by turning his head. The knife whizzed past and embedded itself in a nearby pillar, vibrating with a hum.

For over a month, Gelman had to dodge various assassination attempts, his body developing muscle memory to the point where he was almost never caught off guard.

Gelman picked up his knife and fork, only for another throwing knife to shoot out from above. This time, however, he didn't even bother to dodge. The flying knife precisely embedded itself in the dining table.

This was a precise control of distance, coupled with absolute confidence, causing beads of glistening sweat to appear on everyone's faces.

Gelman ate half a steak and then reached for a sandwich cookie. As expected, another trap was triggered, and another throwing knife flew towards him...

And so, under the stunned gazes of the other examinees, Gelman calmly enjoyed a wonderful dinner before slowly rising and heading upstairs.

As if nothing had happened.