A dull boom came from the wall.
At the end of the tunnel, an enormous stone door slowly rose.
Beyond it lay even deeper darkness.
A damp breeze carrying the earthy smell of soil blew out.
"All right, applicants."
The examiner, Satotz, had no lips, and his face betrayed no expression.
"The first phase begins now."
"Your task is to follow me to the site of the second phase."
He paused, then added in a flat voice.
"One warning: if you lose me along the way, you're eliminated."
With that, he turned around.
He strode forward with an extremely peculiar gait.
He moved incredibly fast.
The length and rhythm of every step were exactly the same.
His movements were so precise that he hardly seemed human.
The crowd fell silent for only an instant before erupting into commotion.
"Keep up!"
"Out of the way!"
Hundreds of applicants surged out in a swarm.
The run had begun.
"Tch. A marathon, huh?"
Luo Ye ran steadily amid the crowd.
This little endurance test was no different from a stroll to him.
After his grueling struggle with the King of the Swamp, his physical abilities had surpassed those of any normal person.
Running now only left him feeling refreshed.
His gaze wandered through the crowd, his leisurely manner making it seem as though he were visiting a zoo.
"Well, look at that. Someone even brought a skateboard."
Luo Ye spotted a silver-haired kid.
The kid rode his skateboard, weaving lazily through the crowd.
His relaxed expression made him look like he was just playing in a park.
Killua of the Zoldyck Family, no question.
Then he spotted Leorio.
Wearing a suit and carrying his precious briefcase, he ran with sweat pouring down his face, which had turned bright red from exertion.
This guy really didn't bring a single brain cell with him.
Luo Ye grumbled inwardly.
Who ran a marathon wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase?
Gon, on the other hand, looked excited as he followed the examiner with light steps.
He seemed to have an endless supply of energy.
Kurapika maintained a steady pace, his breathing even, showing no sign of fatigue.
Luo Ye was thoroughly enjoying the show.
Killua rolled up beside Leorio on his skateboard.
"Hey, old man."
Killua's voice held the mischievousness typical of a child.
"Doesn't running like that tire you out?"
"Who are you calling an old man?!"
Leorio was already exhausted, and those words instantly set off his temper.
"I only just turned eighteen!" (Just a joke; he's actually nineteen.)
"You're kidding, right?"
Killua pulled a face.
"Your face sure got a head start on aging."
"You little brat!"
Leorio yelled furiously and sped up to chase Killua.
But after only a few steps, he got a stitch in his side.
"Huff... huff... I can't..."
He bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
Sweat dripped from his chin.
"I... I can't do this... Go on without me."
He waved a hand.
Then he plopped down on the ground, tossed his lousy briefcase aside, and gave up completely.
"Leorio!"
Gon stopped, worried.
Luo Ye clicked his tongue.
"What a pain."
Despite his complaint, he stopped too.
If this guy got eliminated here, half the fun later would be gone.
He sauntered over.
Without even looking at Leorio, he kicked the briefcase.
It slid a long way across the ground.
"Hey, suit guy."
Luo Ye's voice was lazy.
"That precious briefcase of yours just ran off on its own."
Leorio snapped his head up.
He looked at the briefcase a short distance away, then at Luo Ye's face, which was practically begging to be punched.
Fury surged from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
"You bastard!"
He sprang up from the ground, snatched up his briefcase, and charged ahead.
"I'm going to pass every one of you!"
Seeing Leorio's fighting spirit rekindled, Gon smiled happily.
"Luo Ye, you're amazing."
"Tch."
Luo Ye curled his lip.
"With a simple-minded guy like him, all you need is a little provocation."
Killua had watched the whole thing from the sidelines, and a new glint appeared in his eyes.
He rolled over beside Gon and Luo Ye.
"You guys are pretty interesting."
He looked at Gon.
"I'm Killua."
"I'm Gon! This is Luo Ye!"
Gon introduced them enthusiastically.
The four regrouped and continued running deeper into the tunnel.
Luo Ye looked at the silver-haired boy beside him, then at the energetic simpleton.
A thought popped into his head.
Now this is getting even more fun.
Before you continue