"Leorio! Hey, are you all right?!"
Gon rushed over first and, together with Kurapika, clumsily hauled the unconscious Leorio off the ground.
Killua strolled over with his hands in his pockets. He lightly nudged Leorio's calf with the toe of his shoe, then crouched down, lifted his eyelids, and checked his breathing.
As he stood, Killua said nonchalantly, "He won't die. He just inhaled too much anesthetic dust and passed out."
"He really does make us worry," Kurapika said helplessly as he brushed the dirt off Leorio, though a trace of concern colored his voice.
He turned to Lin Yan and bowed solemnly. "Lin Yan, thank you so much for this. If it hadn't been for you, the two of us would have been in real danger."
Kurapika was entirely sincere.
He was a rigorous thinker, and he had watched every instruction Lin Yan gave.
From reminding him to use a wet cloth, to pointing out the upwind direction, to using Gon's fishing rod to drive the swarm away, and finally taking advantage of the wind to deal with all the butterflies.
Each step led seamlessly into the next, following a frighteningly clear line of reasoning. This was no mere quick thinking under pressure, but a command of the situation born of seeing through it completely.
"Don't be so formal. We're companions, aren't we?" Lin Yan waved a hand. "Let's find a way to wake him up. We're running out of time."
As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily flicked toward Leorio's disheveled suit.
In the original story, Leorio carried all sorts of miscellaneous things. Maybe he had something that could counter the anesthetic.
"Let me see." Kurapika had clearly thought of that too, and began searching Leorio's pockets.
"Found it!"
Kurapika pulled a tiny spray bottle from the inner pocket of Leorio's jacket.
Killua took it and sniffed it, frowning at the pungent smell. "It's a powerful stimulant. This stuff packs a punch. Just spray it at his nose."
Kurapika took the bottle back and gave Leorio's nostrils a quick spritz.
"Achoo!"
Leorio jolted awake, sprang up from the ground, and shouted:
"My medium-rare steak!!"
Everyone was left a little stunned by his utterly random outburst.
"Huh?" Gon blinked his big eyes. "Steak?"
Leorio panted heavily, looking blankly around him, then at Gon, Kurapika, and Lin Yan and Killua beside them.
His brain stalled for several seconds before he finally caught up.
"I... wasn't I just in a fancy restaurant, about to eat a medium-rare sirloin? They'd already brought the plate out, but then a bunch of butterflies flew over and stole my steak..."
"Pfft-"
Killua was the first to lose it and burst out laughing. "Idiot, that was a hallucination from inhaling the dust!"
Leorio's face instantly turned red.
He scratched the back of his head and said awkwardly, "W-was it? No wonder... it felt so real..."
Then he remembered what had happened before he passed out and immediately grasped Lin Yan's hand, his face full of gratitude. "Right! Lin Yan! And the rest of you! Thanks for coming to save me! I was scared to death back there!"
Just then, a faint ringing drifted out of the depths of the mist.
It came from the examiner, Satotz!
"Oh no! We're almost out of time!" Kurapika's expression changed.
"Move!"
The team of five dared not waste another moment. Though Leorio was still a little woozy, he gritted his teeth and kept up.
The final sprint began.
Everyone mustered the last of their strength and raced through the slick, muddy jungle.
Lin Yan trailed at the back.
He had reached his limit.
His earlier burst had drained too much of his stamina. Now his legs felt filled with lead, and lifting them for each step took every ounce of his willpower.
His lungs no longer felt like organs for breathing, but a mass of burning coals.
His throat tasted of blood.
No. At this rate, I'll definitely fall behind.
His vision began to blur, and Kurapika's back ahead of him doubled.
Lin Yan bit hard into the tip of his tongue, the taste of rust jolting his nerves.
I can't stop. If I stop, I die.
His gaze involuntarily settled on Kurapika at the front of the group.
No, not Kurapika.
It was the examiner with long purple hair-Satotz.
That man had been running for so long, yet his breathing remained steady, his steps light. Even his footsteps were so faint they were almost inaudible.
It was an extraordinarily efficient way of moving, one that made the utmost use of energy.
Lin Yan began forcing himself to recall every detail of Satotz's movements.
The way his feet touched the ground-not heel first, nor on the balls of his feet, but with almost the entire sole landing at once.
Like a cat, instantly dispersing the impact.
His center of gravity stayed on a straight line. His upper body barely swayed, and all his strength went into propelling him forward.
His breathing synchronized perfectly with the frequency of his steps, creating a distinctive rhythm.
Lin Yan began trying to imitate him.
He slowed his breathing and adjusted his stride.
Thud.
The first step.
He copied Satotz, landing on his entire sole, but failed to control the force. A sharp pain shot through his ankle, and he nearly twisted it.
This is too hard.
Knowing the theory was one thing; whether his body could do it was another. His physical conditioning simply couldn't support such a demanding technique.
But he didn't give up.
He slowly guided the now-docile Qi within him into the meridians of his legs.
Rather than forcing another burst of power, he used Qi to feel.
To "see" clearly how his leg muscles exerted force and where his bones bore the load.
Then, following Satotz's posture, he made tiny adjustments.
Left foot. My balance is off. Bring it back a little.
Right foot. Landing too hard. Lighter.
My breathing's out of rhythm. Match it to my steps.
One exhale, one inhale, two steps.
His movements looked clumsy and ridiculous, like a duck learning to walk, prompting Leorio to glance back several times.
"Hey, Lin Yan, are you all right? Got a leg cramp?"
"I'm fine. Just trying a different way of running to save some energy," Lin Yan answered vaguely.
He was completely immersed in his own world.
Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...
Gradually, the pain in his ankles vanished, replaced by a strange sense of smoothness.
He felt as though his legs were no longer two heavy lumps of lead, but a pair of precision springs.
With every step, he could feel just the right amount of reactive force from the ground, pushing him effortlessly forward.
Even more delightfully, as he grew increasingly adept at imitating this "silent step," the circulation of Qi within him became smoother than ever.
It no longer needed Lin Yan to guide it consciously.
Instead, in time with his breathing and steps, it spontaneously formed a small cycle through his meridians, continually washing through his weary muscles and bringing faint traces of cool relief.
Though the effect was minuscule, it did give his sputtering "engine" a little more fuel.
It works!
This path really is viable!
Whether in combat techniques or methods of traveling, this world's Nen users had already reached an extraordinarily high level in their use of energy.
And right now, he was an imitator and a student standing on the shoulders of giants.
At last, light appeared at the edge of the jungle.
Before you continue