Choose One

The ship docked at Dolle Harbor.

Gon was the first to jump ashore. He took a deep breath. "We're here!"

Kurapika followed him, looking around. Leorio came down last and stretched.

"Finally off that boat. All that rocking made me dizzy."

The captain stood on deck with a pipe in his mouth. He stepped ashore and patted Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio on the shoulder.

"You passed."

Then he glanced at Saitama, who stood at the back. He didn't pat his shoulder, only gave him a nod. Saitama didn't react.

The captain pointed toward the distant mountains. "See that huge cedar tree on the mountaintop? Head that way. There's a shortcut to the exam site."

Gon followed his finger. At the summit, an enormous cedar tree rose straight into the clouds.

"Captain," Gon said suddenly. "Do you know my dad?"

The captain fell silent for a moment. Ash dropped from his pipe, but he didn't notice.

"Kid, you've got one exceptional father."

He turned and went back into the cabin without looking back.

Leorio scratched his head. "Come on. What are we waiting for?"

The four set off in the direction the captain had indicated. Gon led the way, with Kurapika and Leorio side by side in the middle. Saitama brought up the rear. He walked as though he were out for a stroll, falling farther and farther behind the other three.

Leorio turned and shouted, "Saitama, hurry up!"

Saitama didn't speed up.

Leorio called out again, but Saitama kept the same pace. Leorio gave up and slowed down to wait for him. Kurapika slowed down too. Gon ran back and fell into step beside Saitama.

"Saitama, aren't you in a hurry?"

"What for?"

"The exam!"

"It's not going anywhere."

Gon thought about it and decided he had a point. He stopped urging him on, and the four walked slowly in a row.

A village at the foot of the mountain came into view.

It was deserted. Every door and window was shut, and there wasn't even a dog in the street. The wind swept a few fallen leaves along the ground.

Leorio looked around. "What's going on here? Where is everybody?"

Kurapika's hand had already gone to his waist. "Be careful."

Gon's nose twitched. "There are people here. Lots of them."

No sooner had he spoken than a wooden door slowly opened. A group of masked people in white emerged and formed two rows. Between them sat an elderly woman in a wicker chair, her hands folded in her lap. Her hair was white and her face lined with wrinkles, but her eyes were startlingly bright.

"I know you're headed for the cedar tree," the old woman said, her voice raspy but clear. "This is the only way through. I'm the examiner waiting here. To pass, you must answer my question."

At some point, other applicants had gathered around them. They had arrived by different routes and stood scattered nearby.

"I'm going to ask a question," the old woman said, looking over the crowd. "You must answer within five seconds. Choose one or two. Say nothing else."

She paused.

"Your mother and your lover have both been captured by villains and are in mortal danger. You can save only one. Who do you save? One, your mother. Two, your lover."

The moment she finished, an applicant who had been hiding nearby rushed out. Tall and thin, his face full of urgency, he had been secretly following them since Dolle Harbor and wanted to answer first to win the examiner's favor.

"I choose one! My mother, of course! She gave birth to me and raised me. She can't be replaced, but I can always find another lover!"

The old woman's expression didn't change.

"Wrong answer. You're eliminated."

The floor suddenly gave way beneath him. A trapdoor opened, and he fell through. His scream rose from underground, growing fainter until it vanished. The floor closed again as though nothing had happened.

The other applicants drew sharp breaths. Some took a step back; others began to tremble.

Leorio exploded. He clenched his fists, veins bulging along his arms. "What kind of bullshit question is that? There's no right answer! It depends on the situation! How can you make someone choose one or the other?"

He raised a fist and started forward, but Kurapika held him back with all his strength.

"Leorio! Calm down!"

"Let go of me!"

The old woman made no move to dodge. She didn't even look at Leorio. She turned to the others. "Who's next?"

No one dared step forward.

Gon stood where he was, his brow slightly furrowed. He said nothing.

The five seconds ran out.

The old woman looked at him. "What's your answer?"

Gon didn't speak.

The old woman looked past Gon to Saitama at the back.

"What about you, bald boy? Villains have captured your mother and your lover. Who do you save?"

Saitama tilted his head.

"I don't have a lover. My mom's gone too."

The old woman was silent for a moment.

"So?"

"So the question doesn't apply to me."

The applicants looked at one another. Someone whispered, "You can do that?" while others stifled laughter. Leorio put a hand to his forehead, and the corner of Kurapika's mouth twitched.

The old woman stared at Saitama for a long while.

She sent out her Nen: a thread so fine and subtle it was like a breeze brushing someone's hair. An ordinary person would never have felt it. The instant it touched Saitama, it vanished. It hadn't been repelled or blocked. It had simply disappeared, like a drop of water falling into the sea without leaving a ripple.

The old woman's fingers trembled inside her sleeves. Her expression remained unchanged.

Then she smiled. The wrinkles on her face bunched together. It was an ugly smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Correct. You lot have all passed."

Leorio froze. "Passed? We didn't say anything!"

The old woman's smile faded. She explained slowly, "There is no correct answer to that question. When disaster truly strikes, it never gives you a choice or time to weigh the consequences. Passing was never about picking a supposed right answer. It was about staying calm in the face of an impossible dilemma, without letting your emotions drive you into a hasty decision. I sent every applicant who rushed to choose one or two down a dead-end path crawling with Magic Beasts. They'll never reach the exam site."

Leorio opened his mouth, then slowly lowered his fist. Kurapika released him and let out a long breath. Gon grinned.

Behind the old woman, the masked people stepped aside. A man of average build emerged from the house. A faint glow spread over him, and in an instant, he transformed into a fox with fluffy fur.

Leorio's eyes widened. "A fox?! He just transformed?"

The man in fox form swept his gaze over them, pausing for an instant on Saitama. He had been behind the old woman when she sent out her Nen. He'd felt it extend outward, and then—nothing. There was no trace of Nen on this bald man. Yet he had passed.

"I'm your guide, Fox Bear," the fox said gently. "Congratulations on passing the first trial. I'll lead you through Cedar Mountain to the official Hunter Exam site. Stay close behind me, and don't leave the group."

He turned and went through the wooden door. Gon followed first, with Kurapika close behind. Leorio swallowed and followed too. Saitama came last, yawning.

The wooden door slowly closed behind them.

Beyond it stretched a long passage. Oil lamps burned along the walls, casting a dim light. Fox Bear's footsteps were so light he might have been walking on cotton; they were almost impossible to hear.

Leorio couldn't help asking, "Are you really a fox?"

Fox Bear didn't answer.

Gon hurried a few steps to walk beside Fox Bear. "Mr. Guide, how much farther is the exam site?"

"Just beyond Cedar Mountain."

Kurapika asked, "Are there other routes besides ours?"

"Yes. They all meet at the same place."

Light appeared at the end of the passage. Fox Bear pushed open a door, revealing a wetland shrouded in thick fog. The fog was as dense as milk; nothing was visible beyond three meters.

Fox Bear stopped.

"Ahead lies Visca Swamp, also known as the Swindler's Nest. Many Magic Beasts here can mimic human voices, and there are traps of every kind. Stay close. Don't trust any voice you hear."

Leorio tensed. "Mimic human voices? What do you mean?"

Fox Bear didn't answer. He stepped into the fog.

In front of the television, Genos held half a plain potato chip. On the screen, Saitama was walking toward the village with Gon and the other two.

A voice suddenly came through the communicator in his ear. "Mr. Genos, three Tiger-level slug monsters have appeared in Z District. Hellish Blizzard, the top-ranked B-Class hero, can't defeat them. Emergency support requested."

Genos: "Understood. My teacher is away. I'll handle it myself."

He leaped through the window. Two pale-blue Incineration Cannon blasts flashed.

Two minutes and seventeen seconds later, Genos sat down again, spotless.

Genos, into the communicator: "Targets eliminated. No casualties."

He looked up to see Fox Bear leading the others into the thick fog.

Genos, his electronic eyes flickering: "I missed it."

He left the remote untouched and kept watching the screen.

Potato chips remaining: two-thirds of the plain flavor.

Note: Next time, fight monsters during the commercials.