Sandstorm

The carcasses of monsters in the distance were gradually dragged into the desert floor, as if being swallowed by the sand.

By the time dawn broke, the three corpses were no longer visible.

After the caravan finished its preparations, they hurried on their way while the temperature was still low. The injured sat silently on their horses or camels, remarkably resilient.

The caravan passed through the area where the monsters had died, leaving behind a trail of footprints. A gust of wind blew across the yellow sand, revealing the white bones beneath, only to be quickly covered by dust again, leaving no trace.

Su Wu lay listlessly on a camel's hump with his eyes closed, his nose bleeding uncontrollably.

The human brain is the most mysterious region, with ordinary people only using a tiny fraction of it. As Six Eyes continuously fed him information, his brain was subjected to repeated assaults, forcibly expanding the areas it used.

Or rather... the usable area of his brain was being expanded. To some extent, this was a form of evolution, but if this evolution stopped, his brain might be overloaded by the massive flow of information.

He couldn't even relax his mind and rest.

This also meant that as long as Six Eyes was with him, he would endure this torment every day. However, it was much better than when he first acquired Six Eyes, when he would get nosebleeds every hour or two. Now, it only happened three or four times a day, which was significant progress.

Acquiring Limitless later would only increase the burden. Gojo Satoru himself constantly used Reverse Cursed Technique to recover his brain because of it.

Therefore, it was best to acquire Limitless along with Reverse Cursed Technique, or to obtain Reverse Cursed Technique first before gaining Limitless.

Su Wu sat up, wiped his nosebleed with a blank expression, and stuffed paper into it.

The caravan leader rode his horse to Su Wu's camel and struck up a conversation with a laugh.

"How are you feeling? It must be boring in the desert."

Su Wu half-opened his eyelids and glanced at the man, his posture appearing even more indifferent due to his lack of energy.

"You really don't know how to read the room," he said, his voice muffled by the paper in his nose.

"Oh my, you're quite unapproachable, kid..." The leader touched the black band on his head that held his hat in place, still looking cheerful.

"By the way, after we leave the Gordo Desert, where do you plan to go and what will you do?" he continued to ask.

Ah, here it comes.

This is like those inevitable interview questions: "Why did you choose our company?" "What are your career goals?"

To pass, you have to give some exaggerated, motivational answers filled with cheesy platitudes.

Su Wu grumbled internally while speaking with a blank expression, "I'm going to take the Hunter Exam. I don't know where it is yet."

Upon hearing this, the leader immediately showed a shocked expression. "You're going to take the Hunter Exam? That's incredible!"

"But I heard the Hunter Exam has a high mortality rate. Aren't you worried, kid?" After his shock, he showed a look of concern, while subtly preparing to observe the boy's answer.

Under his gaze, a smile appeared on the white-haired boy's previously gloomy face.

"Worried about what? Worried the mortality rate isn't as high as the legends say?" The corners of his mouth turned up, and the black markings on his face moved with his facial muscles.

He leaned his head towards the man, his eyes narrowed as he stared at him, a playful smile on his face. "You seem to know something. Tell me, tell me everything you know."

A clean and sacred color scheme, wicked and demonic tattoos, a boy who looked like a god or a demon.

The blue in his eyes held a mesmerizing charm, yet it also... evoked an inexplicable fear.

The leader suddenly fell silent for a moment. When he recovered, he quickly laughed it off. "So, what's your reason for wanting to become a Hunter?"

"Reason? Because a Hunter License is very useful," Su Wu replied matter-of-factly.

"You get visa-free entry into ninety percent of countries and can use various public facilities for free. It's the ultimate travel essential, isn't it?" the white-haired, blue-eyed boy explained eloquently.

He clearly saw the so-called Hunter License as merely a convenient tool.

But what he said was indeed true.

"I plan to travel all over the world," he concluded.

"I see..." The leader fell into thought for a moment.

Qualified? Not qualified?

There's no reason not to let him qualify.

"Speaking of which, how often does your caravan travel through the desert?" Su Wu asked in return.

"For goods like what we're transporting, once a year is enough," the leader replied, glancing back at the caravan's cargo with satisfaction.

"Once a year..." Su Wu nodded.

The Hunter Exam was also once a year, and their caravan traveled once a year. While it could be explained away as a coincidence, he didn't believe it.

"How many days does one trip take?" Su Wu continued to ask.

"Usually about a week." The leader's attitude was one of answering every question.

"Oh, right, Uncle..." Su Wu nodded, his gaze falling on the man again.

"You're a Hunter, aren't you." His tone was calm and certain.

He had noticed it from the beginning. Although the man's life energy wasn't as strong as the blonde woman he'd met before, it was stronger than the guards.

That's why he had initially accepted the invitation to be a bodyguard.

"Oh my, you noticed? How did you figure that out?" The leader seemed puzzled, unable to help but glance at the boy's intensely blue eyes.

From the young man's firm tone, he understood that even if he lied, it would be useless.

"Things like this are obvious at a glance." The white-haired young man yawned lazily.

"What's the next trial? Hurry up and give us the questions." He urged the leader.

"The next trial is..." The leader was about to speak when he suddenly turned his head to look behind him.

The weather suddenly turned grim, and rolling yellow sand raged from behind, a wall of flying sand becoming an obstruction to their vision, making it impossible to see the road ahead.

A fierce wind blew, rustling the clothes on their bodies, and the camels and horses became unsteady.

"Sandstorm! Watch out! Protect the goods! Speed up!" The leader shouted loudly, issuing commands.

But the sandstorm arrived faster than they could flee.

In just an instant, the overwhelming yellow sand caught up with the caravan and swallowed them.

Su Wu watched the group with an impassive expression as they, including himself, were swept away by a vortex that appeared in the desert, showing no intention of resisting.

This was because he observed that the leader also did not resist. Otherwise, as a hunter, the leader could have avoided this accident.

Could this also be a trial?

Amidst the dizzying spin, he maintained his ability to think and analyze, speculating.