The Magician's test, an unripe fruit

The wind through the woods carried a heavy stench of blood, making Hisoka's golden coat flap sharply. His gaze stayed locked on Lin Ye, an almost sickly excitement churning in his narrow eyes, like a beast that had gone hungry for ages and finally spotted its chosen prey. A playing card spun deftly between his fingertips, its edges coated in a layer of Nen almost invisible to the naked eye, sharp enough to slice through steel. "What an unexpected delight." Hisoka's voice held a deliberately drawn-out languor, its rising inflection laced with spine-chilling madness. "I only meant to clear away a few rotten fruits. Who would have thought I'd find such a wonderful unripe one?" His gaze swept over Gon and Killua beside Lin Ye, and his eyes brightened further. "Oh? Two more promising little fellows. My luck today is so good it's positively thrilling~" Gon looked at Hisoka without a trace of fear. Instead, he tilted his head and asked curiously, "Why did you kill those people? They were candidates taking the Hunter Exam too." "Because they weren't qualified." Hisoka smiled and spread his hands, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "They lacked even the most basic courage, not even worthy of facing danger. How could people like that deserve to become Hunters? Rather than let them die painfully in the later tests, isn't it better for me to put them out of their misery early?" "You're just murdering innocent people!" Leorio's face flushed with anger. He clenched the scalpel in his hand and glared at Hisoka. "You killed them just because you thought they weren't qualified? You lunatic!" Kurapika's eyes turned icy as well. He had already unfolded his nunchaku, and his aura began to surge. More than anything, he hated people who treated life as worthless and used their strength to take others' lives at will, just like the Phantom Troupe that had massacred the Kurta Clan. Killua narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his body, ready to strike at any moment. He could sense that the man before him was terrifyingly powerful, far stronger even than his family's bodyguards. This was an extremely dangerous madman. Only Lin Ye remained where he stood, his expression calm and his eyes unwavering. He had already spread his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, tracking Hisoka's every movement and every shift of aura, even predicting the path of his next attack. He knew Hisoka all too well. This man was a born battle addict who spent his life pursuing promising opponents, savoring the pleasure of watching fruit ripen before picking it with his own hands. He would not readily kill promising newcomers. He would keep testing and provoking them, waiting for them to grow strong enough to fight him. Right now, Hisoka had merely taken an interest in him. He would not truly fight him to the death. "Hisoka, right?" Lin Ye spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable force. "The Hunter Exam's examiners haven't declared them unqualified. You have no right to decide whether they live or die." Hearing Lin Ye call him by name, Hisoka's smile deepened. He licked his lips and said excitedly, "Oh~ You know me? This just keeps getting more interesting. Little fellow, what's your name?" "Lin Ye." "Lin Ye~" Hisoka repeated the name several times, as though savoring something delicious. "A lovely name. I'll remember it." As he spoke, he suddenly leaned forward slightly, and his aura erupted. That cold, frenzied Nen swept toward the five of them like a tide, making the loose stones on the ground tremble and lift slightly. Leorio went deathly pale and involuntarily staggered back a step, even breathing becoming difficult. Kurapika and Killua grew solemn and immediately released their own aura to resist Hisoka's Nen pressure. Only Gon remained where he stood, blinking, seemingly without the slightest fear of that terrifying pressure. Lin Ye stood at the front, his body completely still. At that moment, his own aura slowly began to rise. Hard and domineering, like a howling gale, black Armament Haki faintly coated his right arm, steadily holding back Hisoka's Nen pressure and even threatening to push it back. Hisoka's eyes lit up, and an excited murmur escaped his lips. "Wonderful! This aura... it's wonderful! Hard, pure, carrying an unstoppable dominance. It's completely different from all that soft, feeble Nen!" Before he finished speaking, he vanished from where he stood. His instantaneous Shukuchi was blindingly fast. Almost at the same moment, he appeared in front of Lin Ye, lightly sweeping the playing card in his hand toward Lin Ye's throat, vicious Nen clinging to its edge. The strike seemed weightless, but concealed a lethal attack. The Nen on the card was enough to cut through thick steel plating. "Lin Ye! Watch out!" Gon and Killua shouted at once. Yet Lin Ye remained where he stood, without the slightest panic. His Observation Haki had already predicted Hisoka's attack path. He could even perceive the direction of force in his wrist and the flow of Nen over the playing card with perfect clarity. Just as the card was about to touch his throat, Lin Ye moved. "Kami-e: No-Mind." His body instantly shed all tension. Like a fallen leaf carried by the wind, he turned slightly with the force of the approaching card, perfectly evading the fatal strike. The card swept past his neck, its sharp gust stirring the hem of his clothes without even touching his skin. A flicker of surprise crossed Hisoka's eyes. He had not expected Lin Ye's evasive movements to reach this level. The way he moved entirely with the air currents of the attack was extraordinarily uncanny. Hisoka even felt as though his strike had hit empty space. But his assault did not stop. The instant his first strike missed, he flicked the fingers of his left hand. Three playing cards shot toward Lin Ye's chest, lower abdomen, and left shoulder in a triangular formation, whistling sharply through the air and sealing off every escape route. At the same time, he thrust out his right hand again. His Nen erupted, and Bungee Gum activated instantly, invisible Nen gum winding toward Lin Ye's limbs. This was his signature combination. Countless opponents had fallen to this mixture of overt and concealed attacks. But Lin Ye had already anticipated it. "Iron Body: Diamond Body." "Shave!" The instant his low shouts rang out, a layer of black Armament Haki covered Lin Ye's body. His aura solidified throughout his body, forming an impenetrable defense. At the same time, his feet struck the ground repeatedly in an instant, the rapid footfalls blending into a single burst of sound as he vanished. The three playing cards barely grazed past him before embedding themselves deep in the tree trunk behind him. The Nen gum of Bungee Gum caught only an afterimage. When Lin Ye reappeared, he was already at Hisoka's side. His right hand formed a fist, coated in black Armament Haki and carrying Ryuo's penetrating effect, and he sent a light punch toward Hisoka's ribs. The punch made no earthshaking noise, yet carried enough power to pierce through anything. Hisoka's expression finally changed. He could clearly sense the terrifying power hidden in that fist. The uncanny aura, capable of penetrating his Nen defenses and attacking his internal organs directly, made his scalp prickle. Without a second thought, he activated Bungee Gum, attaching the Nen gum to the tree trunk behind him and pulling hard. His body shot backward, narrowly escaping Lin Ye's punch. The wind from the fist swept past his body and struck empty air, but the Ryuo force attached to it still left his ribs tingling. Hisoka landed on a tree trunk several meters away, his body slightly hunched, his eyes practically overflowing with excitement as he stared at Lin Ye. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" He laughed wildly, his body trembling slightly with excitement. "Perfect evasion, an impenetrable defense, incredible speed, and even aura that can pierce through defenses... Lin Ye, you're the finest fruit I've found all year!" Their brief exchange had seemed to consist of only a few moves, yet it had already been a life-and-death contest between elite Nen users. The slightest mistake would have meant death or injury. Lin Ye had not only handled every one of Hisoka's attacks perfectly, but had nearly landed his counterattack as well. Such strength and control of aura hardly seemed possible for a sixteen-year-old boy. Lin Ye looked at Hisoka on the tree, his expression still calm, and slowly withdrew his fist. The Armament Haki covering his body gradually faded as well. He knew Hisoka had not used his full strength in that exchange. It had only been a test. And he had not revealed all his own trump cards either. Tempest Kick, Emperor Pistol, and his nascent Conqueror's Haki had all remained unused. This was not the time to fight Hisoka to the death. His goal was to pass the Hunter Exam and obtain a Hunter License, not fight a death match with Hisoka here. "Hisoka, we're only here to take the Hunter Exam," Lin Ye said calmly, looking at him. "If you're just looking for amusement, find someone who wants to fight you. We don't have time to play with you." At that, Hisoka suddenly laughed. He jumped down from the tree and put away his playing cards, the frenzied air around him gradually subsiding. "Don't be so serious~" He smiled and waved a hand, his flippant expression returning. "I was just saying hello. I couldn't bear to pick such a wonderful fruit just yet." His gaze moved back and forth between Lin Ye, Gon, and Killua, and his smile grew increasingly teasing. "I'm looking forward to seeing how much you grow in the later tests. Don't get eliminated too early, or I'll be very disappointed." With that, he waved to them, turned, and disappeared into the dense forest, leaving only wild laughter echoing through the trees. Only when Hisoka's presence had completely vanished did the group finally breathe a sigh of relief. Leorio's legs weakened, and he leaned against the tree trunk behind him. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he said with lingering fear, "My God... what kind of monster was that guy? When his Nen pressure hit us, I could barely breathe." "His name is Hisoka. He's a well-known bounty hunter and a complete lunatic," Kurapika said gravely, frowning. "I've read about him before. Apparently, he once slaughtered an entire Mafia base just because he was in a bad mood. He's extremely dangerous." Killua nodded as well, looking at Lin Ye with shock and curiosity. "Lin Ye, you're amazing. You actually stopped Hisoka's attacks and nearly hit him. Even my eldest brother might not be able to do what you just did." Gon ran over to Lin Ye too, his face full of excitement. "Lin Ye, you were so cool! You moved so fast, and your punch was amazing!" Lin Ye looked at them, smiled, and shook his head. "I just got lucky. Hisoka was only testing me. He wasn't using his full strength. If we really fought, I might not be a match for him." He was telling the truth. Hisoka was already a master of Nen Abilities with exceptionally rich combat experience. Though Haki and the Six Powers allowed Lin Ye to hold his own against him for a while, in a true fight to the death, his chances of winning were no more than forty percent. Still, that brief exchange had given him a clearer understanding of his own strength. His four years of honing himself had not been wasted after all. He had already earned the right to hold his ground before this world's greatest fighters. "All right, let's not waste any more time here," Lin Ye said, looking at the others. "The exam site is still in the center of the island. We need to hurry. Missing the start of the exam wouldn't be worth it." The others immediately nodded, gathered their things, and continued deeper into the forest. What had just happened deepened the bond between the five of them. Faced with a threat as dangerous as Hisoka, not one of them had backed down. They had all stood beside one another. Trust like that formed most readily in moments of life and death. Along the way, their teamwork became increasingly seamless. With Gon's animal-like instincts, Killua's experience identifying traps from his assassin family, and Lin Ye's all-around perception through Observation Haki, hardly any trap could escape the three of them. Leorio and Kurapika kept watch over their surroundings and handled unexpected situations. The five advanced through the forest without obstruction, moving swiftly and overtaking the vast majority of candidates. After roughly three hours of walking, toward evening, they finally emerged from the primeval forest and reached a broad valley. A cultured-looking man in a green suit and glasses stood at the valley entrance. Quite a few candidates who had arrived ahead of them had already gathered around him, waiting for his instructions. At the sight of the man, something stirred in Lin Ye's mind. Satotz. The examiner for the first phase of the Hunter Exam, and a single-star Ruins Hunter of the Hunter Association. "Looks like we've arrived," Leorio said excitedly as he took in the scene. "That man must be the examiner, right?" "Probably." Kurapika nodded, and they quickly walked over to join the other candidates. Seeing more candidates arrive, Satotz gave a gentle smile, adjusted his glasses, and addressed everyone. "Welcome to the first site of the Hunter Exam. I am Satotz, the examiner for the first phase." "The first test is very simple. Follow me from here to the site of the second test. The total distance is approximately eighty kilometers, with no time limit. As long as you follow me and reach the second site within the allotted time, you will pass the first phase." As soon as he finished, an uproar broke out among the candidates. "Eighty kilometers? Are you kidding? That's way too far!" "No time limit? Doesn't that mean we can just walk there?" "Are you stupid? The examiner's obviously going to move as fast as he can. Anyone who can't keep up will be eliminated!" Satotz watched the noisy candidates, his gentle smile unchanged, without the slightest impatience. Only when they gradually quieted did he continue. "A word of warning: there are countless traps and dangers on the way to the second site. Falling behind means elimination. Likewise, if an accident leaves you unable to continue, you will be eliminated." "Now, is everyone ready?" All the candidates immediately tensed, preparing to run. Gon and Killua looked excited and eager to begin; Kurapika remained calm, tightening his grip on his nunchaku; Leorio warmed up nervously; and Lin Ye stood at the front of their group, watching Satotz calmly, his Observation Haki already locked onto the examiner's presence. Seeing that everyone was ready, Satotz's smile faded slightly, and he announced in a firm voice, "Then the first phase begins now!" Before his words had faded, he shot forward at astonishing speed, covering dozens of meters in almost the blink of an eye. At nearly the same moment, all the candidates surged after Satotz like mad. The eighty-kilometer ultramarathon had officially begun.