Bungee jumping

Everyone's eyes fixed on the bottomless ravine.

A fierce wind howled up from the abyss, carrying a wailing sound that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

Huge spiderwebs hung haphazardly across the ravine like layers of tattered white gauze, shaking violently in the wind.

The Spider Vultures circling overhead were enormous, with astonishing wingspans.

Their shrill, piercing cries seemed to proclaim their absolute dominion over the abyss.

The examinees' faces grew increasingly grim.

"You've got to be kidding..."

"H-how are we supposed to get down there?"

"We'll die! We'll definitely die if we fall!"

Fear spread through the crowd like a plague.

Even Takuto, who had been so arrogant just moments earlier, went deathly pale at the sight after being dragged back from beyond the wall. He didn't dare say another word.

Menchi watched the terrified examinees coldly, a mocking smile curling her lips.

She wasted no words.

Under everyone's horrified gaze, she walked to the edge of the cliff.

Then she jumped.

Her body plunged straight toward the abyss like a weightless feather.

There were no screams, no struggles.

Only her skirt snapped in the fierce wind.

The examinees' hearts leaped into their throats.

Just as everyone thought she would be smashed to a pulp, Menchi's descent abruptly stopped.

She landed precisely on a strand of spider silk, her body gently bobbing with its elasticity.

She didn't even look down.

With a casual sweep of her hand, she scooped several enormous Spider Vulture eggs out of a huge nest beside her.

The next instant, she bent her knees and kicked off hard.

Using the spider silk's tremendous rebound, she shot skyward like a cannonball.

She landed steadily back at the cliff's edge.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, all in one smooth motion.

Everyone fell silent.

The examinees stared at her as though she were a god.

Leaning against a tree, Luo Ye rubbed his chin and offered his own mental appraisal.

Tsk. Elegant. Absolutely elegant.

Menchi tossed the eggs in her hands into a pot of boiling water that had already been prepared nearby.

Meanwhile, Buhara eagerly picked up a cooked egg, peeled it, and swallowed it in one bite.

"Mmm~ Delicious!"

He let out a satisfied exclamation.

His praise seemed to mercilessly mock the examinees trembling at the cliff's edge.

"Did you get a good look?"

Menchi crossed her arms and spoke coldly.

"This is what it means to be a Gourmet Hunter."

"If you don't even have this much courage, get lost now!"

With that, she ignored the crowd and began eating her boiled eggs.

Time ticked by, second after second.

Not a single examinee dared to move.

"Damn it!"

Leorio was sweating profusely with anxiety.

"At this rate, we'll all be eliminated!"

"Calm down, Leorio."

Kurapika kept his eyes fixed on the webs and the fierce wind below.

"Timing is crucial. We have to catch the moment when the wind dies down and accurately judge the elasticity of the spider silk."

"Why overthink it?"

Killua flexed his wrists, looking perfectly relaxed.

"Just jump."

"Yeah! I'll go first!"

Gon had always been one to act.

He took a deep breath and, copying Menchi, leaped into the abyss.

"Hey! Gon!"

Leorio cried out in alarm.

"Follow him!"

Killua jumped after him, moving with easy agility.

"Honestly, you're all so reckless!"

Kurapika sighed and jumped after them.

"Wait for me!"

Leorio gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and jumped too.

In the blink of an eye, Luo Ye was the only one left at the cliff's edge.

He watched the four figures struggling among the webs below and yawned.

"Bungee jumping where you have to jump yourself? Boring."

He strolled to the cliff's edge and stretched.

Then, under the slightly surprised gazes of Menchi and Chairman Netero, he turned his back to the cliff and tipped backward.

His body fell straight down, rigid as a board.

"That idiot!"

Menchi's brows immediately drew together.

Luo Ye found the weightlessness of free fall quite comfortable.

He was even in the mood to adjust his posture in midair.

"Skraa!"

A piercing cry came from below.

Several disturbed Spider Vultures had spotted the intruders.

They opened their sharp beaks and shot like arrows toward the four people climbing through the webs.

"Watch out!"

Kurapika shouted.

Gon and Killua each used their skills to dodge nimbly.

Only Leorio flailed helplessly, about to be struck by a Spider Vulture's beak.

Just then, a figure dropped from the sky.

Thud!

Luo Ye landed firmly on the strand of spider silk in front of Leorio, the tremendous impact making the entire web shake violently.

The Spider Vulture charging at Leorio slammed straight into Luo Ye's back.

There was a clang, as though it had pecked a steel plate.

The Spider Vulture was stunned.

It shook its head and, refusing to believe it, pecked him again.

Clang!

Still hard.

Luo Ye rubbed the spot on his back where it had struck, then turned to look at the bewildered Spider Vulture.

"Oh-ho. A new kind of attack."

He grinned.

"Not bad strength. Barely tickles, though."

He grabbed the Spider Vulture by the neck, casually scooped several eggs from the nest beneath it, and tucked them into his clothes.

Then, holding the still-flapping Spider Vulture, he called to the others.

"Has everyone got their eggs?"

"If you have, get ready to head back!"

He picked out a strand of spider silk above him and swung hard, using the momentum to launch himself upward.

The others followed suit.

Soon, all five returned to the top of the cliff, shaken but unharmed.

Each carried their spoils.

Menchi looked at the five panting examinees, then at the utterly defeated Spider Vulture dangling from Luo Ye's hand. For once, she had nothing cutting to say.

"High-altitude bungee jumping and bird petting. Worth the admission."

Luo Ye tossed his eggs into the pot, casually threw the now-unconscious Spider Vulture aside, and stretched in satisfaction.

The second test was finally about to end.