Chapter Summaries

Nico and Kastro arrived at the Hunter Exam venue and waited among the examinees, where they spotted Hisoka and Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika. Elsewhere, Leo climbed the World Tree, placed markers along it, and spent a quiet day at its summit.

• Nico and Kastro entered the underground exam venue, received badges 65 and 66 from Beans, and waited for the exam to begin.
• Kastro spotted Hisoka but restrained himself, while Nico observed the incoming examinees, including Tonpa and a silver-haired boy.
• Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika arrived at the venue, and Nico remarked that the three looked interesting.
• Leo reached the World Tree, signed the required document, and ran up its trunk while placing markers along the way.
• Leo reached the nest at the summit, gently greeted its five chicks, placed his final marker, and spent the day relaxing above the ocean.

Menchi announced that fifty-five examinees had passed the second test, and the Hunter Association airship carried them to the World Tree for the next stage. As the examinees saw Leo waiting at its summit, they realized he might be their next examiner.

• Menchi announced that all fifty-five examinees who retrieved grape spider eggs had passed the second test.
• Hisoka recalled his defeat by Leo and the Phantom Troupe's destruction, then smiled as he awaited the Hunter Exam's next amusement.
• Leo slept peacefully in a nest atop the World Tree, then woke at dawn and watched the Hunter Association airship approach.
• The airship broadcast warned the examinees about the World Tree's height and the dangers of climbing it.
• Gon spotted Leo at the summit, while Nico and Kastro recognized their Master and Grandmaster; Hisoka smiled without looking outside.

Leo introduced the third Hunter Exam test at the World Tree: the examinees had two hours to climb the tree and retrieve one of thirty-five hidden tags. The test began with the candidates climbing while Leo watched from below, and Hisoka followed after first staring at him.

• Leo jumped more than three hundred meters from the World Tree and landed unharmed, stunning the examinees.
• Leo announced that candidates had two hours to climb the World Tree and return one of thirty-five hidden tags to pass.
• Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, Hanzo, Pokkle, Ponzu, Gittarackur, Nico, and Kastro began climbing at different paces.
• Hisoka stayed behind to watch Leo before he too began climbing, while Leo observed the candidates and noted that each tag weighed fifty jin.

Leo watched the examinees tackle the third Hunter Exam test: climbing the World Tree, finding a metal plate, and returning safely. As examinees discovered that plates could be difficult to remove and that stealing and attacking were not forbidden, the competition grew more dangerous.

• Satotz, Menchi, and Bukhara discussed Leo’s strength and predicted that only about twenty-four to twenty-six examinees would pass the test.
• Gon and Killua found a plate around the three-hundred-meter mark, but continued climbing because Gon wanted to reach the top.
• Leorio struggled up the tree while Kurapika urged him onward, and Hisoka used Bungee Gum to walk up the trunk.
• An examinee found a plate at the five-hundred-and-fifty-meter mark but could not pull it free because it was unusually heavy.
• Two examinees shoved the struggling examinee off the tree and then lunged for his plate as Leo watched the competition turn violent.

Leo oversaw the end of the third Hunter Exam test, in which examinees had to find badges in a giant tree and return within two hours. Twenty-seven examinees passed, including Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika, and the story left them celebrating the test’s completion.

• Illumi and Hisoka returned with badges and passed, followed by Kastro and Nico.
• Hanzo, Bodoro, and other examinees returned with badges, while Kurapika and Leorio pulled two heavy badges from a hollow and passed.
• Gon and Killua reached the top of the tree, found a badge in a bird’s nest, and played with the chicks before descending and passing.
• Three more examinees returned just before time expired, bringing the total number who passed to twenty-seven.
• Leo announced the end of the third test as the successful examinees celebrated.

After the Hunter Exam, Leo rescued the applicants who had failed to return in time and discussed Hisoka’s dangerous behavior with Menchi and Bukhara aboard the airship. Chairman Netero appeared before them, and Leo eagerly asked to fight him, leaving Netero intrigued.

• Leo rescued every applicant who had failed to return from the World Tree and encouraged them to try the exam again next year.
• Aboard the airship, Menchi and Bukhara discussed how Hisoka’s killing intent had affected the second test, and Leo called Hisoka an unhinged serial killer.
• Isaac Netero appeared silently in the dining room, startling Menchi, Bukhara, Satotz, and Leo with his speed and presence.
• Leo praised Netero’s strength and told him that he wanted to fight him to understand the gap between them.
• Netero listened to Leo’s challenge and called it interesting.

Leo secured a promise from Chairman Netero and arranged to challenge him in a spar once they reached the fourth-phase site. At Trap Tower, the applicants began the fourth phase while Leo and Netero prepared to fight on nearby grassland.

• Leo accepted Netero's offer of a future favor and told him he would call it in soon.
• Leo postponed their spar until they reached open ground, and Netero agreed.
• The airship brought the applicants to Trap Tower, where they were told to reach the ground alive within seventy-two hours.
• Applicant number 86 tried climbing down the sheer tower wall but was killed by a flock of flying monsters.
• Leo and Netero stepped onto a nearby grassland as Menchi, Bukhara, and Satotz watched, anticipating their spar.

Leo sparred with Chairman Netero and discovered how completely the elder’s speed, perception, and technique outclassed him. After Netero recognized Leo’s immense potential, Leo unleashed his Nen Aura and the two prepared to continue in earnest.

• Leo attacked Netero, but Netero evaded his strikes and precisely disrupted his balance and power.
• Leo launched a rapid barrage, while Netero calmly dodged and countered each attack.
• Menchi, Bukhara, and Satotz watched as Satotz explained how Netero used technique and experience to exploit Leo’s openings.
• Leo paused, then released a powerful surge of golden Nen Aura that pressed down on the surrounding grass and spectators.
• Netero recognized Leo’s potential, revealed his own restrained aura, and beckoned Leo to attack again.

Leo fought Netero on the grassland, enduring his precise counterattacks and impressing him with his instincts. After Leo asked to see Netero’s 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, Netero summoned it, and Leo prepared to face the legendary technique.

• Leo charged Netero with a powerful punch, but Netero caught his wrist and struck his chest, sending him sliding backward.
• Leo attacked with a rapid barrage while Netero dodged and offered advice, then Netero caught his wrist and kicked at his head.
• Leo reinforced his head with Nen and collided with Netero’s kick, surprising the chairman and earning his praise.
• Leo asked Netero to show him the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Netero warned him that he could die.
• Leo refused to back down, declaring that he intended to become the strongest in the world, so Netero summoned the towering golden Guanyin statue.
• Leo’s Nen aura surged as he faced Netero and the Guanyin statue, ready to test the gap between them.

Leo activated Final Moment and challenged Netero, enduring a relentless barrage from the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva while trying to cross the ten-meter gap. After shifting his ability toward agility and continuing to fight, Leo was overwhelmed and lost consciousness, and Netero ordered the others to carry him to the airship.

• Leo activated Final Moment and faced Netero as Menchi, Bukhara, and Satotz watched from a distance.
• Netero struck Leo with the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Leo blocked the first blow before charging into a series of repeated attacks.
• Unable to keep up with Netero's speed, Leo shifted his ability to boost his agility and began dodging some of the palm strikes.
• Leo kept charging but could not cross the ten-meter gap, while damage accumulated and the markings on his body turned red.
• A palm strike hit Leo squarely in the chest, Final Moment deactivated, and he collapsed unconscious.
• Netero told Menchi, Bukhara, and Satotz to carry Leo onto the airship, assuring them he would recover after resting.

After recovering from his first fight with Netero, Leo challenged him again and used the fourth test’s ten days to improve through repeated battles. By the fifth day, Leo had reached seven meters from Netero, but Netero increased his power and defeated him in three minutes.

• Leo woke the morning after his first fight with Netero and recovered enough to eat an enormous breakfast with Menchi and Bukhara.
• Leo told Menchi and Bukhara he would challenge Netero again, then went to the grassland and asked the chairman for another lesson.
• Leo repeatedly fought Netero’s 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, learning to dodge more attacks and lasting four minutes on the first day.
• Over the next three days, Leo lasted five and then six minutes, eventually advancing to within eight meters of Netero.
• On the fifth day, Netero made his attacks faster and stronger, and Leo fell after three minutes despite reaching seven meters.

On the final day of the fourth test, Leo broke through Netero’s defenses and unleashed a devastating attack, but Netero answered with a minute-long barrage that left Leo gravely injured. The ten-day battle ended with both men exhilarated, as the spectators recognized Leo as a monster capable of challenging the summit.

• For ten days, Leo trained against Netero, growing stronger as Netero relished having a worthy opponent again.
• On the final day, Leo dodged the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva’s attacks, switched his abilities to endure a strike, and closed to within five meters of Netero.
• Leo unleashed Final Strike, shattering the Bodhisattva’s golden arms and erasing a mountain behind Netero.
• Netero used the Ninety-Ninth Hand to bombard Leo for a full minute, while Leo concentrated his defenses and endured the assault.
• After the battle, Leo remained kneeling in a crater, bloodied but laughing, while Netero laughed with admiration and Menchi, Bukhara, and Satotz called them monsters.

The fourth Hunter Exam test ended with all examinees returning to Zevil Island, while the examiners gathered aboard the airship and Netero planned an individual meeting with the eleven survivors before the final test. Leo advised Nico and Kastro about the coming duels, then settled in to wait for the exam to conclude.

• Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio reached the starting point just before the deadline, joining the other examinees who had passed the fourth test.
• Leo watched the examinees arrive from the airship and reflected that the final test would begin soon, while his injuries had mostly healed and he remained in Zetsu.
• Netero told the examiners that nine rookies had passed and announced that the final test would be an individual-interview preparation for an interesting duel.
• The examiners discussed Leo's battle with Netero, and Menchi and Buhara described how Leo had recovered from severe injuries remarkably quickly.
• Leo told Nico and Kastro that ten of the eleven examinees would become Hunters and warned them to avoid fighting Hisoka or Illumi Zoldyck if possible.
• After Nico and Kastro left, Leo meditated by the window and waited for the Hunter Exam to end.

After three days of rest, the examinees faced the Hunter Exam’s final test: duels in which one victory meant passing, while killing an opponent would end the exam and eliminate the killer. Killua killed Bodoro, so the exam ended with nine new Hunters, who received their licenses.

• Leo trained after arriving at the hotel, then used Nen Pressure to silence complaints about the final test’s matchups.
• Netero announced the duel rules, and Hanzo defeated Gon by knocking him unconscious while Hisoka conceded to Kurapika and Nico defeated Pokkle.
• Illumi revealed himself to Killua and attacked the referee, but Leo caught the needles; Killua later conceded to Illumi.
• Kastro subdued Hanzo, and Killua ultimately killed Bodoro, triggering his elimination and automatically passing the other remaining examinees.
• Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, Nico, Kastro, Hisoka, Illumi, Hanzo, and Pokkle received their Hunter Licenses.

Leo received Satotz’s decoded map and documents, which concerned the Dark Continent, while the Doctor was ordered to begin combat testing of Test Subject Two. The Doctor arranged to move the subject to a hidden realm in the Republic of Padokea and have the Hunter Association discover it, despite the higher-ups’ surveillance.

• Satotz returned Leo’s decoded map and documents and warned him to destroy them after reading because the Dark Continent was taboo.
• Satotz told Leo about the V5’s prohibition and Hunters who had gone to the Dark Continent and never returned.
• The Doctor’s superiors demanded practical results and ordered her to test Test Subject Two in a hidden realm.
• The Doctor told Layard to notify Victor, seal Test Subject Two, and prepare it for combat testing.
• The Doctor told Layard to meet the higher-ups’ representative and arrange for the Hunter Association to discover the hidden realm in the Republic of Padokea.

After earning their Hunter Licenses, Nico and Kastro discussed their plans with Leo and departed to pursue them. Leo then told Kurapika that he had killed the Phantom Troupe, leaving Kurapika stunned and questioning the purpose of his long-held revenge.

• Nico and Kastro received their Hunter Licenses and told Leo they planned to pursue bounty hunting and becoming a Floor Master, respectively.
• Leo directed Kastro to seek help from Wing and Nico to contact Sophia, then sent them on their way.
• Leo greeted Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio and asked to speak with Kurapika.
• Leo warned Kurapika that his traditional clothing and Scarlet Eyes could expose him to danger, while Gon and Leorio promised to support him.
• Leo told Kurapika that he had killed all thirteen members of the Phantom Troupe and gave him his number.
• Kurapika stood in shock as Gon and Leorio watched over him.

After Leo told Kurapika about the remaining eyes of his clan, Kurapika resolved to recover them all. Gon decided to find Killua at the Zoldyck family home, and Leorio and Kurapika agreed to go with him as the three friends left the hotel.

• Satotz examined Gon's license and revealed that it belonged to Ging, Gon's father.
• Kurapika vowed to find every remaining pair of his clansmen's eyes and return them, whatever the cost.
• Gon announced that he would find Killua and bring him back, despite Leorio warning him that Killua's family were the Zoldyck assassins.
• Leorio and Kurapika agreed to accompany Gon, and the three planned to search for information about the Zoldyck family's home.
• Hanzo and Pokkle exchanged contact information with the three before Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio left the hotel.

Leo learned that the Kukape Civilization had fled the Dark Continent and left its treasure behind, but he postponed exploring it until he grew stronger. A month later, Layard and three men arrived near Mistpine Town and planned to lure its residents into the hidden realm, where something stirred in a cage.

• Leo read that the Kukape Civilization had fled the Dark Continent after a colossal dragon attacked and had hidden the route back to its homeland on the hide map.
• Leo learned that the map needed to be activated at the Eternal Dimension’s palace altar, decided he was not ready to travel to the Dark Continent, and burned the documents.
• Leo returned to Thousand-Needle Forest Valley to hunt and level up, while a month passed.
• Goreinu arrived in Mistpine Town, calling it his last stop.
• Layard led Ian Horritt, Zachary, and Killian through a gateway into a cave near Mistpine Town, then left them to carry out their plan.
• Ian and Killian decided to lure the town’s residents into the hidden realm, where an enormous metal cage trembled and something inside opened its eyes.

A strange ant manipulated Joel into luring Mistpine Town’s residents toward a cave filled with gold, then killed him at the Mistpine Tavern. Goreinu heard about Joel’s death but dismissed the ant bite as a coincidence, unaware of the scheme unfolding in Mistpine Forest.

• Joel entered the Mistpine Tavern and told Milo and the others that he had found gold in a cave near Pinewood Lake.
• Andrew rallied the townsfolk to rush into Mistpine Forest and search for the gold, while Milo joined the crowd and Joel stayed behind.
• A tiny gray-black ant pierced Joel’s neck with a feeler, and Joel convulsed and died.
• Goreinu noticed townsfolk hurrying out of town but went to find a meal instead.
• Goreinu overheard that Joel had died with a strange ant bite on his neck, but he decided it was probably a coincidence.

Andrew and the townsfolk entered a hidden realm through a glowing doorway, lured by gold as Ian Horritt and his allies watched. Inside, a red insect escaped from a runed cage and flew toward the intruders.

• Andrew led three lackeys into a cave, found gold and a glowing doorway, and entered the secret realm with them.
• More than a dozen townsfolk rushed into the cave after seeing the gold and followed Andrew through the doorway.
• Ian Horritt and Killian watched the people take the bait while Zachary left to lure more townsfolk into the realm.
• Layard reported that the entrance would last at least three days, but Ian used his killing intent to make him stay.
• Andrew and the others carried gold ore through the unfamiliar forest as a tiny red insect escaped from an ancient cage and flew toward them.