Visca Swamp

At the foot of Cedar Mountain, a narrow entrance was hidden among the rock walls. Bushes grew all around, and if not for the Fox Bear leading the way, it would have been impossible to find.

The Fox Bear stopped and turned around. His fox face looked somewhat blurred in the tree shadows.

"Ahead is the entrance leading to the Hunter Exam venue. My task ends here."

His gaze swept over Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, pausing briefly on Saitama.

Then he turned and vanished into the shadows of the trees.

Leorio looked at that narrow entrance and swallowed hard. "This place... why is it so eerie?"

Gon had already squeezed inside. Kurapika followed closely behind. Leorio took a deep breath and kept up. Saitama walked at the very back, letting out a yawn.

Inside was a long underground tunnel. Oil lamps were lit on both sides, the light dim, and the stone walls rough, carrying a damp smell of earth. Footsteps echoed in the tunnel.

After walking for about twenty minutes, light appeared at the end of the tunnel. The four quickened their pace and walked out.

Before them lay a massive underground space. The dome was so high the ceiling could not be seen, and countless passage exits were embedded in the surrounding walls, densely packed like a Hive. Hundreds of examinees had already gathered on the ground—various body shapes, various outfits, various weapons.

Gon's eyes lit up. "So many people!"

Leorio pushed up his sunglasses. "They must have all come from different routes."

Saitama stood at the edge of the crowd, looking down at his T-shirt. He had brushed against the wall in the tunnel just now, and a bit of dust was clinging to the sleeve. He patted it with his hand.

Then he raised his head and looked at these hundreds of odd-looking people.

Ever since crossing over, he had just been walking. Following Gon, following the ship, following the fox.

What was he supposed to do again?

Clear the plot.

And then?

He did not know.

He looked ahead. Gon was excitedly looking around everywhere, his spiky hair bobbing up and down in the crowd.

Whatever. Following him would do. He had no idea where to go anyway.

Saitama stopped patting. That gray spot on his sleeve was still there.

The sound of wooden clogs rang out. Clack, clack, clack. The rhythm was steady, like the second hand of a clock moving.

A tall, thin man walked out from the crowd. A black suit, lacking lips, revealing a full mouth of teeth, with no expression whatsoever on his face. He held a timer in his hand.

"I am the examiner for the first test, Satotz."

He pressed the timer.

"From now on, stay close to me. Those who fall behind are eliminated."

With that, he turned around and walked toward a wide passage. He did not run; he walked. But his pace was extremely fast.

The examinees looked at each other in dismay, then followed after him.

Satotz walked at the very front, his pace constant. The examinees trailed behind him in a sparse, ragged line. Gon followed closely behind Satotz, Kurapika was by his side, and Leorio panted, "This isn't running... why is it so tiring..."

Saitama walked in the middle of the group. His speed was neither fast nor slow, much like a stroll.

Not long after they started walking, a dull thud came from the rear of the line.

Followed by a scream.

Saitama did not look back. The surrounding examinees turned their heads one after another, then turned pale and quickened their pace.

Gon glanced back, his expression changing.

Leorio asked, "What's wrong?"

"Someone... has a broken hand."

At the rear of the line, an examinee collapsed on the ground, his hands twisted and deformed from the wrists. Hisoka walked past him, holding a playing card, a smile on his face. That examinee had bumped into him and not apologized.

Leorio widened his eyes. "That guy—"

Kurapika grabbed his sleeve. "Never mind. Keep moving forward."

The sound of a skateboard grinding against the ground came from behind. A silver-haired boy rode a skateboard past the crowd, overtook everyone, and stopped beside Gon. He tucked the skateboard under his arm with an irreverent smile on the corners of his lips.

"Hey, spiky head."

Gon looked left and right, pointing at himself. "Are you calling me?"

"Duh, is there a second spiky head here."

Gon touched his hair and grinned. "My name is Gon, not spiky head."

"Killua." The silver-haired boy glanced at Hisoka in the rear and clicked his tongue. "That clown is here again."

Gon asked, "Do you know him?"

"Saw him at last year's exam. That guy is a lunatic who kills people on sight. Stay away from him."

Leorio swallowed hard.

Tonpa shrank back into the crowd, sweat beading on his forehead.

The slope of the passage began to slant upward. After walking for about half an hour, the air grew humid, carrying the scent of mud and rotting leaves. At the end of the passage was a rusted iron door; Satotz pushed it open, and a thick fog rushed over them.

The fog was as thick as milk, and nothing could be seen beyond three meters. The ground was soft, mushy mud that made squishing noises when stepped upon. Puddles and withered trees were everywhere, with grayish-white moss hanging from the branches.

Satotz did not stop his pace, walking straight into the thick fog.

"This is Visca Swamp, commonly known as the 'Swindler's Nest'. Stay close to me. Do not believe any sound you hear."

The examinees poured into the thick fog. Satotz's wooden clogs sounded steadily ahead, and the examinees relied on that sound to tell direction. Shifting figures began to appear in the thick fog—examinees arriving from other routes had converged onto the same path.

The fog grew thicker and thicker. Visibility was under three meters.

A plump, middle-aged man smiling all over his face squeezed to the front, pulling several cans of juice out of his bag.

"Newbies, huh? Newbies, huh? I'm Tonpa, a veteran who has taken the exam thirty-five times. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

As he spoke, he had already handed a can of juice out in front of Gon.

Killua sneered. "Don't trust him. This guy pretends to be a newbie every year and specifically screws over people taking the exam for the first time."

Tonpa's smile stiffened slightly. His peripheral vision swept toward the back—Saitama was leisurely walking at the very end of the line, letting out a yawn.

That bald guy. He had seen him at Dolle Harbor. A big guy had punched him in the face, and the big guy's hand had shattered.

Tonpa's smile froze instantly. He quickly withdrew the juice, pretended to wipe his sweat, and secretly poured the entire can of juice into the muddy ground beside his feet.

Then he sheepishly retreated to the side.

Cries for help came from afar. A woman's voice, piercing enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"Help—save me—is anyone there—I've fallen into the swamp—"