Following the map on their credentials, Lin Yan and Kurapika took a long-distance bus bound for the outskirts, finally stopping before a dense primeval forest.
This was the Nostrade family's second testing site, a luxurious villa hidden deep in the forest.
When they reached the villa, they found quite a few people already gathered in its spacious courtyard.
These people were entirely different from the burly men who had lined up outside the employment agency.
Their appearances varied widely: there was a short woman who looked remarkably like a groundhog;
a wary hunter holding the leashes of several well-trained hounds;
and others who looked unremarkable but had exceptionally sharp eyes.
Without exception, however, each of them radiated the presence of Nen, something only their own kind could sense.
Clearly, everyone who had passed the first test and made it here was a genuine Nen user.
Lin Yan's arrival drew little attention. He still concealed every trace of his presence, keeping his true qi hidden deep within his dantian as he practiced Fetal Breathing.
At that moment, he looked like an ordinary scholar who had wandered into the wrong place-frail and harmless.
Kurapika, on the other hand, was his complete opposite.
After the transformation in his mindset the previous night, his entire presence had become razor-sharp. His eyes were like an unsheathed sword as he openly scrutinized everyone present.
He was like a lone wolf that had strayed into a flock of sheep, wary yet dangerous.
The pair made a somewhat odd combination, but that was all.
Everyone present was a proud Nen user with absolute confidence in their own strength. Naturally, they thought little of these two seemingly unremarkable newcomers.
One person, however, was an exception.
It was the short woman who resembled a groundhog.
Her name was Melody, and