Hunter Exam

A city called Vita.

Lucky stepped off the airship and looked at the somewhat desolate city. "I didn't expect the first exam to be held within the Five Great Nations."

By then, Lucky had already left Keli City.

After obtaining the Six Styles, he had familiarized himself with them a little and informed a few acquaintances that he was leaving.

Then he had directly entered the Hunter Exam.

Of course, he did not need to take the preliminary exam.

He had arrived directly at the location of the first exam.

The Five Great Nations Lucky had mentioned were also commonly known as V5.

They were the Begerosse United Nations, Saherta United States, Ochima Federation, Minbo Republic, and Kukanju Kingdom.

"Even among the Five Great Nations, not every place is prosperous." Lucky bought a map and began searching for the venue of the first exam.

The city of Vita stood on the edge of a vast desert, which made it seem especially barren.

The city was not large, and Lucky quickly found the examination site.

It was at the city's edge, in the direction of the desert.

A highway covered by windblown sand stretched into the desert.

Lucky could more or less guess that passing the preliminary exam probably meant obtaining information about Vita City.

The candidates would then have to find their own way to reach this city.

This city might not even have had an airship airport.

Lucky had been able to reach it because he had taken a Heavenly Arena airship directly here.

That was the kind of freedom money bought.

As he approached, Lucky's gaze fell upon a tall tower at the edge of the city.

Someone jumped down from above.

"Here so soon?" She was a young woman dressed in a white cloak, with slightly dark skin.

Hunter Association staff members were nearby.

One of them walked over and handed Lucky a Number Plate.

It was Number 1.

"My name is Tina Megan, and I am the examiner for the first exam." The examiner for the first exam was a woman.

Under normal circumstances, she would have waited until all the candidates had arrived before appearing.

However, after sensing Lucky's aura, she had jumped down from the tower to greet him.

"My name is Lucky Phoenix." The female examiner looked quite young, and Lucky gave her a brief once-over.

"There are still more than three hours before the exam begins. You may move freely around the city." With that, she leaped back onto the tower.

Yet inwardly, she thought, I didn't expect to encounter such a formidable candidate during my first time as an examiner.

She thought back to when she had taken the Hunter Exam herself.

Since there was still so much time, Lucky did not remain at the examination site. Instead, he began wandering around the city.

He had basically determined the content of the first exam.

It would be a marathon leading into the desert, though he had no idea where the destination was.

The Hunter Association did not proactively arrange the contents of the Hunter Exam. Instead, it selected Hunters as examiners each year and allowed them to design the exams themselves.

Of course, the final examination plan still had to be approved by Chairman Netero.

Even so, every Hunter appointed as an examiner had a different style.

But once enough exams had been held, the contents inevitably became somewhat repetitive.

The most common format was this sort of long-distance marathon, usually made challenging through distance and danger.

Others were simple duel-based exams, where candidates fought to determine who would be eliminated.

Lucky was no stranger to the Hunter Exam. It was not merely because of the anime; he had also gathered quite a bit of information about it himself.

Lucky had even considered writing a book related to the Hunter Exam.

But if it really was a marathon-style exam, he should be able to use another method, right?

Lucky imagined an amusing scene.

He immediately began searching the city to see whether he could buy some form of transportation.

At the same time, he gathered some intelligence. This desert was called the Vita Desert. Besides thirst, getting lost, and sandstorms, it also contained dangerous hazards.

For example, quicksand, Sand Snakes, Giant Lizards, and other creatures.

There was also a large Oasis in the desert, one called Bahari Oasis.

All of this was useful information.

After all, the finish line for the first exam might very well be at Bahari Oasis.

Candidates who had arrived early could also learn this information if they had the time to ask around.

While Lucky wandered through the city, many strangers began arriving as well.

Some had come on foot, while others had arrived by transportation, including horses, camels, and buses.

"Lord Lu Qi!" Someone suddenly called out Lucky's name.

It was a young man.

Naturally, Lucky did not recognize him.

"Lord Lu Qi, my name is Wesley. I am a contestant who passed the 190th Floor." He had also come to take this Hunter Exam in order to learn Nen.

That also meant he was an independent Martial Artist.

As for why he recognized Lucky, the reason was obvious.

As the reformer of both Heavenly Arena and Keli City, as well as the Floor Master of Heavenly Arena's 251st Floor, Lucky was naturally a highly renowned figure.

Anyone who competed at Heavenly Arena knew Lucky, and that included the other Floor Masters.

More publicity meant greater fame.

It also attracted Martial Artists who came for that fame.

"I see. Since the exam has not started yet, you can look around the city for information that may be useful for the exam." Lucky first told him where the examination site was, then gave him a few reminders.

Since Wesley was a Heavenly Arena contestant, Lucky did not mind lending him a small hand.

The Hunter Exam was dangerous. Even a contestant capable of defeating fighters on the 200th Floor could still fail miserably.

Of course, that did not necessarily mean losing one's life. They could be eliminated for other reasons.

Being strong did not guarantee passing.

There would always be Hunter examiners who chose bizarre ways to conduct their exams. As long as the test was unrelated to combat, there was still a chance of being eliminated.

After all, Lucky knew of such examples.

"Thank you, Lord Lu Qi!" Wesley held Lucky in tremendous respect. It could not be helped; Lucky's reputation was simply too immense, especially for a young man like him.

Naturally, this also drew the attention of some other candidates.

But Lucky did not care, because he was already used to it.

Even in such a small city, Lucky still managed to buy a car. He also bought some food and put it in the vehicle.

When the time was about right, he drove straight toward the examination site.

By then, 359 candidates had gathered at the site for the first exam.

It seemed that was the number of participants in this Hunter Exam.

When Lucky drove over, all the candidates were briefly stunned before immediately understanding.

None of those who had made it here were fools.

Of course, some candidates still wondered, Is that allowed?

Even examiner Tina wore the same expression, while wondering whether she should temporarily add another rule.