The closing gate

Once his eyes adjusted, he could make out the scene before him.

It was an open clearing, with firm earth underfoot and patches of low weeds.

A vast marsh lay a short distance ahead, and visibility seemed fairly good.

Farther away, he could see the outline of a forest, its trees tall and dense.

The sky was gray, thick with clouds, and sunlight barely filtered through the gaps.

The air was damp, carrying a mingled smell of rotting vegetation and moisture.

The examinees who had arrived first stood or sat around. Most were panting, their faces showing exhaustion and the relief of finally being done.

Some had collapsed onto the ground, while others braced their hands on their knees and gulped for air, their clothes soaked with sweat.

Hisoka and Gittarackur stood a little farther away, both looking as relaxed as if they had just finished a stroll.

Hisoka was still playing with his cards, while Gittarackur stood quietly, the expression on his nail-studded face-if it could even be called an expression-unchanged.

Hanzo stood with his hands on his hips, casually surveying his surroundings.

Bodoro sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Ponzu fanned herself with one hand, her small face flushed red.

Gon looked around excitedly. "Wow! Is this where the second test takes place?"

Killua yawned. "Finally. That was so boring."

Kurapika and Leorio arrived with the last group.

The moment Leorio arrived, he plopped down on the ground, not even bothering with his briefcase. He tipped his head back and gasped for air, sweat dripping down his cheeks.

"I'm... I'm dead..." he managed between breaths.

Kurapika stood beside him. Though he was panting too, he could at least remain on his feet.

He surveyed their surroundings warily, his brow slightly furrowed.

Odin also found a spot to stand and catch his breath.

He was in better shape than most. His breathing was only slightly uneven, and a light sheen of sweat covered his forehead, but he was nowhere near a sorry sight.

His training these past few days had paid off. Even without using the Rabbit Talisman's speed, he could complete a test at this level.

He studied the marsh ahead.

"Demin Swamp..." Odin murmured the name.

He remembered this place.

In the original story, it was an unavoidable stretch between the first and second tests, also known as the "Swindler's Swamp."

A place filled with mimicking plants and animals, poisonous gas, bogs, and all kinds of deadly traps.

There was a problem!

He was no survival expert.

In his previous life, he had been an ordinary college student who had barely even gone camping.

He couldn't read maps, had an average sense of direction, and knew only what his textbooks had taught him about plants and animals, along with the theory he had read over the past few months.

With just that, he was supposed to cross this danger-ridden marsh alone?

That was asking too much.

Odin frowned at the swamp.

He remembered that Satotz led the examinees through the marsh in the original story. As long as he stayed close behind the examiner, he could get through safely.

That's what I'll do, Odin decided. I'll stick right behind the examiner and never fall a step behind.

Although he had an advantage in speed, being fast wasn't necessarily useful in this environment.

No matter how fast you ran, you would still sink if you fell into a bog and didn't know how to escape. A blast of poisonous gas would still knock you down, and an ambush by a mimicking creature would still leave you dazed.

Best to leave specialized work to the specialists.

Odin looked around. Several hundred examinees had arrived, so clearly, running alone wasn't enough to eliminate very many people.

Satotz stood at the edge of the marsh with his back to the examinees, seemingly waiting for something.

Time ticked by.

A few more examinees emerged from the tunnel one after another, all of them stragglers.

Most collapsed as soon as they rushed out, without even the strength to speak.

At last, the heavy rumble of machinery came from deep inside the tunnel.

The enormous metal gate began to close slowly.

"Wait! Wait for me!" a desperate voice cried from inside the tunnel.

A young examinee ran with everything he had, his face contorted with effort.

He could already see the light at the exit, could see the figures of the examinees outside, could see...

The final moment as the gate shut.

Bang.

The dull crash of metal rang out.

The gate closed completely, cutting the examinee off from the outside. Faint pounding and sobbing could be heard from behind it, but the sounds soon faded.

Silence fell over the edge of the marsh.

Every examinee stared at the closed gate, their expressions varied.

Some couldn't bear it, some were indifferent, and some were glad they had run fast enough.

Satotz finally turned around.

His expression remained solemn, the line of his lips almost invisible in the dim light.

He swept his gaze over the remaining examinees and spoke slowly.

"Time is up. Let us continue."

"This area is called 'Demin Swamp,' also known as the 'Swindler's Swamp.'

"As you can see, fog blankets the area, visibility is low, and the terrain is complex. Hidden within it are numerous bogs, poisonous gas traps, and plants and animals capable of mimicry."

His tone was like someone reading an instruction manual, but his words made quite a few examinees turn pale.

As Satotz finished speaking, mist suddenly spread across the marsh, which had still offered some visibility moments earlier. Never mind the distance-even trees ten meters away became hazy shapes.

This is bad!!

Odin stared at the marsh before him with a headache.

"What does... 'swindler' mean?" an examinee asked quietly.

"Don't believe him! He's a fake!!"

Just then, an angry shout came from beside the tunnel entrance. The examinees looked over to see an injured man emerge, dragging a magical beast.

The examinees remained silent, watching warily.

"I'm the real examiner! He's a Man-Faced Ape in disguise! He ambushed me and injured me. Don't let him fool you!"

Odin was speechless. If he hadn't known something like Nen existed, he might have believed it.

But knowing about Nen, he couldn't possibly believe that a Hunter chosen by the Hunter Association to serve as an examiner would be injured by a magical beast. How pathetic would he have to be?

Yet clearly, some examinees had fallen for it, and Leorio was one of them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

While the examinees debated uncertainly and Satotz did nothing, several playing cards flew toward Satotz and the fake examiner.

Three sounds of blades striking flesh rang out. The crowd saw the cards embedded deep in the fake examiner's head, killing him outright.

Satotz, meanwhile, caught the cards with a steady hand.

"Hehehe. Clearly, this one is the real examiner," Hisoka said with a chuckle, pleased to have found himself a little amusement.

Satotz was unharmed. He merely said calmly, "Do that again, and you will be disqualified immediately."

That sounded a little different. Odin watched their exchange with inward resignation.

He had thought as much. This was a real world, after all. How could the dialogue be exactly the same as in the story? Even if the meaning remained the same, there were bound to be some changes.