Expertise and the Warehouse

As the first vine moved, the ground around the flowers split open in succession. Seven or eight identical vines emerged from underground, swaying slowly in the air as though sensing the location of their prey.

Odin took a few steps back, his mind racing.

The vines attacked quickly, but their range was limited to roughly three meters around the flowers.

And judging by their earlier reaction, they sensed their prey through vibrations.

He needed to pick the flowers under these conditions. For anyone else, that would have been tricky.

But for Odin, it was manageable.

He activated the Rabbit Talisman.

The world slowed down.

The paths of the swaying vines became clearly visible. Each vine's rhythm, the extent of its movements, even the trembling of the barbs along its surface-all unfolded before his eyes in slow motion.

Odin seized his chance and darted straight over.

One second later, the vines sensed the vibrations and lashed out!

The vines reacted quickly, but they were already too late.

Odin looked down at the flower in his hand.

Its petals were intact, and the fluorescent glow at its center still flickered. Pollen coated his hand, its sweet, rank smell pungent enough to sting his nose.

He turned and ran back the way he had come.

Soon, he was back beside Ponzu.

The bees swarmed closer, their buzzing seemingly full of excitement.

Ponzu was still standing where he had left her. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the flower in his hand.

"You got it!"

"Here." Odin handed her the flower. "Be careful. The pollen smells pretty strong."

Ponzu accepted the flower, cradling it carefully in her hands.

She plucked off a petal, held it beneath her nose to sniff it, then made a few gestures to the bees.

The swarm immediately settled down, circling the petal without trying to fly away again.

A few bees even landed on the petal and began collecting pollen.

"Wonderful." Ponzu sighed in relief, a smile spreading across her face.

She carefully placed the flower in a specially made transparent container and tucked it into her waist pouch, then looked up at Odin. "Thank you. We should get going."

Ponzu raised her hand and gave the swarm a command.

Some of the bees flew to her side, while the rest flew ahead to guide them through the fog.

"Follow my bees," Ponzu said. "They can avoid most of the dangerous areas.

"I've studied this wetland. The plants in some places release pheromones that serve as warnings to insects.

"Following the bees is the safest option."

Odin nodded, thinking, Specialized work really is best left to the specialists.

The two set off.

Ponzu walked in front, with Odin half a step behind her, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.

With the bees guiding them, their pace picked up noticeably.

The swarm circled in front of dangerous areas to warn them.

These included an ordinary-looking patch of mud that was actually a bog, or a cluster of carnivorous plants disguised as shrubs.

They were also attacked once along the way.

Several fist-sized Hypnotic Discs drifted out of the fog and flew straight at Ponzu and Odin.

But her bees immediately intercepted them. The two sides clashed in midair, and the Hypnotic Discs were soon driven off.

"Those are Hypnotic Discs, but their hypnotic chemicals have no effect on insects," Ponzu explained.

Watching her deftly command the swarm, Odin suddenly asked, "Why do you want to become a Hunter?"

Ponzu paused and turned to him. "Why ask that all of a sudden?"

"Just curious," Odin said. "You don't look like you're here for money or power."

The story hadn't said much about any of this, so Odin really was curious.

Ponzu was silent for a few seconds, her gaze resting on the bees flying ahead.

"I want to become an Insect Hunter," she said, her voice soft but clear. "To specialize in studying rare insects and protecting endangered species.

"There are so many unusual insects in this world. Some even have special abilities, but humans know far too little about them."

She paused, then added, "Besides, insects are much more honest than humans.

"They don't lie or betray you. As long as you treat them well, they'll respond in kind."

Odin nodded. "That's a good goal."

"What about you?" Ponzu asked in return. "Why are you doing this?"

Odin thought for a moment.

Of course, he couldn't tell her the truth-that he had come from another world, that he knew the plot, and that he wanted to survive and grow stronger in this dangerous world.

So he chose an answer that was half true and half false.

"I want to become a Curio Hunter," he said. "To specialize in finding and studying all sorts of strange objects, energies, and phenomena.

"There are so many incredible things in this world. I want to see them with my own eyes and touch them with my own hands."

Ponzu glanced at him but showed no suspicion.

The two continued onward.

With the bees guiding them, the rest of the journey went much more smoothly.

They avoided three bogs, skirted a patch of landmine mushrooms, and even spotted a lurking killer beetle ahead of time.

The swarm grew unusually agitated above the water where the killer beetle lay hidden, and Ponzu immediately led Odin along a different route.

Time slipped by in the thick fog, and neither knew how long had passed.

Suddenly, the bees leading the way picked up speed, their buzzing growing urgent.

"We're almost there!" Ponzu perked up. "My bees have picked up the scent of a lot of humans, just ahead!"

Odin saw it too.

The fog ahead was thinning, revealing what seemed to be a relatively open area.

Farther away, he could just make out the outline of a building.

They quickened their pace.

The fog grew thinner and thinner, and visibility increased to a dozen or so meters.

The muddy ground beneath their feet gradually became firm, and the weeds grew sparse.

At last, they emerged from the thick fog.

Before them lay a stretch of solid ground, with a dilapidated warehouse at its center.

Many people had already gathered at the warehouse entrance.

Examiner Satotz stood out front with his hands behind his back, still wearing his suit, his expression stern.

Dozens of applicants were scattered around him.

Some sat resting, some tended to their wounds, and others warily eyed the newly arrived Odin and Ponzu.

Odin glanced around and spotted quite a few familiar faces.

Hisoka leaned against a tree, toying with playing cards. When he saw them emerge, an inscrutable smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

Gittarackur stood in the shadows, the needles covering his body reflecting a faint light.

Hanzo sat cross-legged on the ground, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes closed as he rested.

Bodoro was checking his leg wraps.

Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio were gathered together. Leorio lay on the ground, panting heavily, while Gon handed him some water.

Satotz's gaze settled on them for two seconds before shifting back toward the fog as he waited for the next applicant to arrive.

Ponzu breathed a sigh of relief, her whole body relaxing.

She recalled the bees, letting them crawl into the specially made hive in her hat, then turned to Odin. "We made it. It was a pleasure working with you."

"Likewise." Odin nodded. "Thanks."

"We both got what we needed." Ponzu waved a hand, then went off to find a clean spot to sit and began checking her gear.

Odin also found a quiet corner and sat with his back against a large tree.

He took off his backpack, pulled out his water flask, and drank a few mouthfuls.

He surveyed his surroundings and made a rough count.

There were several hundred applicants in front of the warehouse, somewhat fewer than when they had first entered the wetland.

Some were wounded, their clothes torn and their faces weary.

But they had all made it.