Oasis of God

The Hunter Exam would not be held continuously; candidates were always given time to rest.

The examination locations also varied, requiring travel by airship.

Of course, the two exam locations would not be on separate continents.

Meanwhile, Lucky headed deeper into the oasis.

Oasis of God!

For it to be called that, there had to be some kind of secret to it.

Lucky had initially wondered whether the oasis might contain dangerous creatures.

But he soon discovered that there were only ordinary animals in this oasis, completely different from the creatures outside in the desert.

It was simply unbelievable.

Did the creatures of the desert not come here to hunt?

At the center of the oasis was a small lake, with an island in the middle.

A towering Oak Tree stood on the island.

Lucky immediately noticed something unusual about that Oak Tree.

The feeling had not been very obvious before, but now Lucky could clearly see that the towering Oak Tree was giving off powerful green "aura."

What Lucky had sensed earlier had come from this green Oak Tree.

Quite a few animals were drinking near the lake, and the scene was very peaceful.

Of course, that peace was quickly disrupted by some candidates. Some came to drink, while others began hunting to prepare dinner for the evening.

As the examiner, Tina had already jumped into the lake and was swimming toward the island.

Lucky was very interested in the Oak Tree.

He headed directly toward the island in the lake.

That was right—he walked there, stepping directly across the water's surface.

It was not because Lucky was using Nen like chakra. After all, they were two different kinds of power.

One reason he could do this was that Nen itself had special effects. Naturally, it could not allow him to stand steadily on water as chakra could.

But it allowed him to remain briefly on the surface of the water, much like hovering in the air during a jump.

And the Moonwalk Lucky had learned could also be used on water, making it even more convenient.

It looked as if he were walking atop the water.

All the candidates resting by the lake turned to look in Lucky's direction.

In contrast, the examiner was swimming through the lake.

Was he even human?

That thought arose in every candidate's mind.

Sensing the fluctuations of Nen, Tina immediately stopped moving and looked toward Lucky.

Then she saw Lucky walking across the water, and shock appeared on her face as well.

She was shocked not only that Lucky was walking on water, but also by the direction he was heading.

Of course, she soon recognized Lucky's control over Nen and his mastery of his body's strength.

She had already thought highly of Lucky, but apparently not highly enough.

Tina stopped swimming as well. If Lucky could do it, then she could too.

After several attempts, she managed to walk and move through the water a little.

But she could not keep it up for long.

Walking freely across the water like Lucky was not so easy.

As Lucky passed by, he asked, "This place should have some special significance, right? Won't what you're doing disturb its peace?"

Tina was a local, and this place was called the Oasis of God.

Lucky assumed it must carry some special meaning.

"You can see God?" Tina asked incredulously.

See God?

Lucky looked toward the island and the Oak Tree ahead.

Could no one else see them?

"How is that possible? Even using Gyo, it should be impossible to see through it." Tina looked utterly disbelieving.

This place truly counted as somewhere special.

According to the Hunter Association's records, it could actually be considered a Secret Realm.

This oasis did not remain fixed within the Vita Desert. It changed locations every so often.

It could even be said that this oasis was "alive."

Long ago, this place had not been a desert, but an oasis. No one knew what it had gone through to slowly become a desert.

Tina was a descendant of the people who had once lived in this oasis.

They were known as the Green Spirit Tribe.

And the Oak Tree was the Divine Tree of their people.

Naturally, once the oasis became a desert, the humans who had lived on this land had to migrate. Vita City, on the edge of the desert, was one of the cities where they had settled.

As time passed and the era changed, the Green Spirit Tribe had basically vanished from history. They had not gone extinct; there were simply very few people who still considered themselves part of the Green Spirit Tribe.

They had mingled with outsiders and gradually forgotten this history.

Now, only Vita City still had legends related to them.

And very few people in Vita City knew of this oasis.

Tina had only learned of the Oasis of God because her father had brought her here when she was young.

Of course, this oasis was not much of a secret to the Hunter Association and certain Hunters.

At first, Tina had not thought much of it either.

But she soon realized something was wrong. The Hunter Association, including some Hunters she knew, could not discover the island at the center of the lake.

Even if they tried to approach it, they could not get close.

It was as if they could not approach it as long as they could not see it.

That was why this place had been classified as a Secret Realm.

It was also through the Hunter Association that Tina learned there were many wondrous places in this world, and the Oasis of God was not the most extraordinary among them.

Or rather, it was fairly ordinary.

In the end, through Tina's tests, it was determined that only descendants of the Green Spirit Tribe could see Lord God.

Yet Lucky could see it too.

Could he have Green Spirit Tribe blood?

"Looks like it's very mysterious!" This only drew Lucky's attention further as he continued forward.

Then he vanished into the mist.

That was right. In the candidates' eyes, the center of the lake was obscured by thick water mist.

As for Lucky, he had merely stepped onto the island at the center of the lake.

The air became extraordinarily fresh. With every breath, it felt as though the fatigue in his body was being driven away.

The island was not very large.

Other than the towering Oak Tree, there were no other trees.

There were also some plants and flowers on the island.

They carried a unique fragrance, but unfortunately, Lucky was not a botanist and could not identify them.

He simply walked toward the Oak Tree.

The Oak Tree was around thirty meters tall.

From Lucky's perspective, the Oak Tree was constantly "breathing." Its aura continuously circulated, drifting into the distance before fading away.

There were also several acorns growing on the tree.

This Oak Tree should possess some miraculous effect.

Lucky walked over and placed his hand on the Oak Tree.

Then something astonishing happened. The Oak Tree's aura actually connected to Lucky's body, and the Aura Nodes in his body began activating at an extremely slow pace.

It was only because Lucky had made some progress in training Iron Body and possessed an exceptionally keen awareness of his body that he noticed this change.

Otherwise, he would not have detected it at all.

This was enough to shock Lucky, because it might be a third method for unlocking Nen—and it was so harmless, requiring no grueling training.