The thick fog hadn't lifted.
Hisoka and his nauseating sense of menace had both vanished into the white expanse of the wetlands.
The danger had passed.
Thud.
Leorio's legs went weak, and he dropped into the muddy water.
He gasped for breath, his whole body drenched in cold sweat.
It was over.
He'd survived.
Relief at surviving and the terror he'd just felt tangled together in his head.
"Luo Ye! Are you okay?"
Gon and Kurapika had already rushed to Luo Ye's side.
Gon's face was full of worry. He wanted to help him up, but was afraid of touching his wounds.
"I'm fine."
Luo Ye waved them off and got up on his own.
He moved his body a little. His stomach still hurt, but most of that tearing sensation had disappeared.
He could feel it clearly.
A warm current was racing through his body, repairing his damaged muscles and internal organs.
The cut a playing card had left on his cheek was healing rapidly, leaving only a faint red mark.
Nen.
His Nen had grown stronger.
The energy inside him had become abundant and restless.
"You call this fine?"
Kurapika pointed at the blood at the corner of his mouth and the fading red mark on his face, his brows tightly knotted.
"Did you do that on purpose?"
He'd seen through it.
With Luo Ye's abilities, he could have dodged Hisoka's first strike.
But he hadn't.
"Of course I did."
Luo Ye admitted it without a shred of shame.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned. The satisfaction in that smile completely baffled Kurapika.
"A free sparring partner, and a top-tier one at that. Where else would I find a deal like that?"
"It just ended a little too soon. Otherwise, I could've leveled up again."
Kurapika's face froze.
He looked at Luo Ye as though he were looking at a lunatic.
The guy in front of him apparently wasn't wired like a normal person.
"You guys sure are taking it easy."
Killua's voice drifted out of the fog beside them.
He rolled over on his skateboard, an amused look on his face.
"You actually dared to take Hisoka head-on. I thought you were a goner."
He looked Luo Ye over with an appraising gaze.
"You recover pretty fast. You don't look seriously injured."
As a member of the Zoldyck Family, he knew far more about the human body than most people did.
That kick from Hisoka was definitely not something an ordinary person could withstand.
Even if it didn't kill them, it would break a few bones.
Yet now, aside from looking a little worse for wear, Luo Ye's breathing was actually steadier than before.
Something was off.
There was definitely something off about this guy.
"Tch. That was nothing."
Luo Ye curled his lip.
"Too bad you guys interrupted. Otherwise, I could've gotten my fill of today's windfall."
Gon couldn't listen to any more of this.
"What windfall? You were coughing up blood!"
He walked over and looked Luo Ye straight in the eye.
"Luo Ye, don't ever do that again. It's too dangerous!"
"Oh."
Luo Ye answered absently.
"Got it, got it. I'm all about taking advice."
Watching his dismissive attitude, Kurapika could practically feel his blood pressure rising.
"Luo Ye, I'm not joking."
His voice turned cold.
"Someone like Hisoka is a monster who takes pure pleasure in killing. You got lucky this time. You might not be so lucky next time."
"Your mental state really worries me."
Luo Ye laughed at that.
He raised a finger and wagged it.
"No, no, no, my friend."
He pointed at himself, then at Leorio, who was still sprawled on the ground and hadn't recovered.
"You've got it wrong."
"My mental state isn't miles ahead."
"It's miles ahead."
Gon: "?"
Kurapika: "?"
Even Killua's face twitched.
All right, then.
This guy wasn't just messed up in the head.
His mental state really was a whole version ahead of normal people's.
"All right, all right, enough chatting."
Luo Ye clapped his hands, breaking the strange silence.
"If we don't get moving, the examiner will be having afternoon tea at the finish line."
He walked up to Leorio and nudged his leg with his foot.
"Hey, old guy in the suit. Come back to us."
"If you don't get up, the weird things in these wetlands will come over and give you mouth-to-mouth."
Leorio jolted and sprang up from the ground.
He shuddered in fright and whipped his head around. Only after finding no one but their group did he breathe a sigh of relief.
The look he gave Luo Ye was complicated.
Gratitude, lingering fear.
But mostly, he looked as though he were staring at a monster.
"L-Luo Ye..."
He opened his mouth, unable to get a complete sentence out for a long while.
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me. Just remember to pay my appearance fee."
Luo Ye tossed out the reply and broke into a run in the direction the examiner had disappeared.
"Let's go, let's go! The second half of the marathon starts now!"
Gon hurried after him.
Kurapika and Killua exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's helpless resignation, then followed too.
Leorio stood rooted to the spot. In the end, he gritted his teeth, grabbed his precious briefcase, and chased after the group.
The five-man team assembled once more.
They moved through the thick fog, danger lurking on every side.
The mood in the group had changed a little.
Leorio was no longer making a fuss. He ran beside Luo Ye with a slightly ingratiating look in his eyes.
Kurapika glanced at Luo Ye from time to time, his gaze full of wariness.
Killua, on the other hand, looked openly curious. He wanted to get closer but didn't know what to say.
Only Gon remained the same as before.
In his eyes, Luo Ye was still the same Luo Ye who would go on adventures with him.
That was enough.
Luo Ye ran at the front, feeling the Nen surging through his body.
Coming to this Hunter Exam had definitely been the right choice.
Not only was there plenty of fun, but the experience packs packed a punch too.
He just wondered when the next "helpful examiner" would show up.
He was already looking forward to it.
Before you continue