Only looks good by comparison

The thick fog had no end.

The marathon was still going, too.

The team of five ran across the slick mud, the splashes beneath their feet quickly swallowed by the fog.

The mood was a little odd.

Leorio had stopped complaining at the top of his lungs. He simply kept his head down and stuck close to Luo Ye, like a lackey who had found someone to back him up.

Kurapika's gaze kept drifting toward Luo Ye, with more wariness than scrutiny in his eyes.

Only Killua looked as though he had discovered a whole new world.

He rode his skateboard effortlessly up beside Luo Ye, his alluring eyes blinking with catlike curiosity.

"Hey, Luo Ye."

He lowered his voice as though sharing a secret.

"Is your body made of iron or something?"

"Hisoka kicked you, and you can still run this fast?"

Luo Ye glanced at him and drawled lazily.

"Standard stuff. Hold your applause."

Killua curled his lip.

Yeah, like I'd believe that.

This guy had more secrets than Kukuroo Mountain had traps.

But that was what made it fun.

Just as Killua was about to ask something else, the air around them seemed to change slightly.

A faint, sweet fragrance drifted through the thick fog.

It smelled like honey, or perhaps some kind of flower in bloom.

"What's that smell? It's so nice!"

Leorio, running at the front, sniffed and perked up.

"Feels like all my fatigue's gone."

"Be careful, everyone. This wetland is full of traps."

Kurapika immediately grew alert. He slowed down and carefully examined their surroundings.

The fog was too thick to make anything out.

But the sweet fragrance grew stronger and stronger.

"Whoa! Look! What's that?"

Leorio suddenly pointed ahead and to the left, crying out in surprise.

His eyes went round, his face alight with wild delight.

"A gold coin! A huge gold coin! I'm rich!"

As though pumped full of adrenaline, he broke away from the group and charged madly in that direction.

"Leorio! Come back!"

Kurapika shouted and moved to chase him.

But he had barely taken a step when his body froze.

His pupils instantly turned a terrifying crimson.

He saw countless hideous spiders crawling out of the fog from every direction, each bearing a twelve-legged emblem.

The Phantom Troupe!

"You bastards..."

He forced the words through clenched teeth, his killing intent erupting.

"This time, I won't let you escape!"

He took a fighting stance, locked in a standoff with phantoms.

"Kurapika? Leorio?"

Gon noticed something was wrong, too.

He looked back, but could see nothing.

Just as anxiety set in, a familiar yet distant figure flashed through the fog ahead.

The man wore a strange hat, his silhouette carefree and unrestrained.

"Is that... Dad?"

Gon's eyes instantly reddened.

Without a second thought, he chased after him with all his strength.

"Dad! Wait for me!"

In the blink of an eye, the team of five fell apart.

Only Killua and Luo Ye remained where they were.

"Tch. This is bad."

Killua's expression was grim.

He had undergone poison-resistance training since childhood and was highly resistant to fragrances that affected the nervous system.

But waves of dizziness still washed over him.

He turned to Luo Ye, ready to tell him to hold his breath.

Then he froze.

Luo Ye stood there and took a deep breath of the sickly-sweet air, a look of bliss spreading over his face.

"Mmm~"

"Smells like cheap saccharin."

He smacked his lips and delivered his verdict.

"This illusion isn't even as realistic as a VR game."

Killua: "..."

How on earth was this guy's brain wired?

"Well, well. Everyone's disconnected."

Luo Ye surveyed their surroundings, watching his three teammates run toward their own wonderful "futures," unable to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting.

"Isn't this more hype than Boruto?"

He was even in the mood to pull out his phone and take a photo to post on his social feed.

Unfortunately, there was no signal.

"Hey! Is this really the time to enjoy the show?"

Killua felt as though this unreliable idiot was going to drive him mad.

"If we don't bring them back, we'll actually get eliminated!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Luo Ye put away his phone, looking as though he still hadn't had his fill.

"Show's over. Time to get to work."

He sighed.

"We agreed I was only here to watch. Why am I doing manual labor now? That'll cost extra."

Before his words had faded, he vanished from the spot.

Killua saw only an afterimage flash past.

The next instant, Luo Ye stood behind the frenzied Kurapika.

Thump.

A clean, crisp knife-hand strike landed precisely on the back of Kurapika's neck.

Kurapika's eyes rolled back, his Scarlet Eyes instantly fading as he collapsed limply.

Luo Ye caught him and tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

Then he used the same method to knock out Leorio, who was frantically digging for gold coins.

"Two down."

He hoisted Leorio up as well, carrying one securely on each shoulder.

Killua watched from beside him, dumbfounded.

That... wasn't that a bit too brutal?

"One left."

Luo Ye looked in the direction Gon had vanished and accelerated again.

He soon caught up with the boy, who was still chasing a phantom.

"Gon, wake up."

He called out.

Gon didn't react at all, stubbornly running onward.

"Tch. What a pain."

Luo Ye sighed.

He lowered the two men from his shoulders and propped them against each other.

Then he burst forward, darting in front of Gon and blocking his path.

"Hey."

He looked into Gon's eyes, unfocused from the illusion, and raised his fist.

"Wake up. Your dad isn't in this godforsaken place."

Thump!

A punch, neither too hard nor too soft, struck Gon squarely in the stomach.

Gon grunted and doubled over like a shrimp.

The illusion before his eyes shattered instantly.

He stared blankly at Luo Ye, then down at his stomach, looking deeply aggrieved.

"L-Luo Ye? Why'd you hit me?"

"Wake-up service."

Luo Ye withdrew his fist and spoke without expression.

"Free of charge. No need to thank me."

He hoisted Kurapika and Leorio back onto his shoulders and tipped his chin at Gon and Killua.

"Let's go. If we don't catch up with the examiner, we'll really end up feeding the mosquitoes here."

The four of them-two unconscious-set off once again.

Killua followed beside Luo Ye, watching him carry two grown men with ease while still running at incredible speed. His astonishment could scarcely have been greater.

"Why... weren't you affected?"

He couldn't help asking after all.

Luo Ye thought for a moment and offered an answer.

"Maybe I only look good by comparison."

Killua: "..."

He decided he wouldn't speak to this monster again until they reached the finish line.

Once they passed through the area filled with that sweet fragrance, the fog ahead finally seemed to begin thinning.

The outline of an enormous, fortress-like building gradually came into focus.

They had finally reached the venue for the second test.