"Who are you?!" Kurapika demanded, shielding Gon behind him.
Seeing how wary Kurapika was of him,
Cordis resignedly brushed the dust off his legs and said,
"My name is Cordis Paipai."
"Don't worry. I mean you no harm."
"Cordis Paipai? What a strange name," Leorio remarked.
The surname Pai Pai sounded slapdash, as though it had been chosen on the spot.
Cordis clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. "Really? I like this name, though saying it always brings back a rather unpleasant memory."
"But I still like it."
Gon tugged on the hem of Kurapika's shirt. "Kurapika, I don't think he's a bad person."
"Are you stupid, Gon?" Kurapika snapped. "This guy clearly looks like trouble!"
Even Leorio nodded in agreement beside him. "Exactly, Gon. Kurapika might be unreliable sometimes, but I agree with him this time."
Kurapika glared furiously at Leorio.
Leorio glared right back, refusing to back down.
"Um... do you have any more of that candy?"
At some point, while Kurapika and Leorio were arguing, Gon had slipped over to Cordis.
He tugged on Cordis's shirt, gazing longingly at the two neatly wrapped candies in his hand.
Cordis disliked looking down at people, so he knelt on one knee to meet Gon's eyes and asked,
"Kurapika and the others say I don't look like a good person. Why do you think I am?"
Gon furrowed his brow, looking as serious as a little adult.
"Because you said you meant us no harm."
Then he added solemnly,
"I trust you."
Cordis chuckled, ruffled Gon's slightly prickly hair, and held out the candies he had hidden in his hand.
"Thank you for trusting me. Here's your reward."
He leaned closer to Gon and whispered, "These are just for you. Don't give them to anyone else."
Then he pinched Gon's cheek again.
It was still soft and squishy.
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled twice.
Everyone there immediately went on guard, ready to fight.
The smooth wall at the very front slowly began to rise.
A tall man in a suit with a parted mustache appeared before them, his little mustache twitching.
"I am the examiner for the first phase of the 287th official Hunter Exam."
"Satotz."
"The first phase is very simple. All you have to do is run after me. As long as you can keep following me, you pass."
"Now, let the exam begin."
With that, he turned and strode off toward the back.
Satotz was taller than most people, and his legs were considerably longer. One of his long strides was equal to more than a dozen of anyone else's.
No one dared linger. They grabbed their belongings and ran after Satotz.
At first, everyone could keep up.
After nearly half an hour of running without slowing down, some began struggling to keep pace and fell behind.
"Wh... what's happening?! My stomach hurts!"
Quite a few people suddenly developed stomach pains as they ran.
They clutched their bellies and rolled on the ground in agony.
Cordis had also taken a small sip before the start. Watching those people writhing on the ground, he felt as though his own stomach was beginning to sting.
He rubbed his flat belly.
Fortunately, it was only a brief twinge and had no real effect.
Cordis breathed a sigh of relief.
More time passed, and quite a few others collapsed from exhaustion.
Even Cordis was beginning to pant lightly.
"Leorio! Keep going!"
Gon's voice reached him.
Cordis instinctively looked back and saw Gon carrying his fishing rod, cheering Leorio on.
Leorio's suit jacket had disappeared somewhere along the way. Drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, he struggled along at the rear.
Cordis gradually slowed until he reached Gon.
"Gon."
Gon smiled excitedly when Cordis came up beside him. "Cordis! Weren't you up ahead? Why did you come back?"
Cordis thought for a moment. "Maybe I missed you."
"What about you? You should be able to run faster than this, right?"
Gon glanced worriedly at Leorio, who was trailing behind.
"Leorio looks like he can't keep running. I can't abandon him."
Just then, a white-haired boy riding a skateboard came into Cordis's view.
Gon spotted him and introduced him to Cordis.
"Cordis, this is Killua. I just met him."
Then he introduced Cordis to Killua. "Killua, this is Cordis."
Killua gave Cordis a disdainful glance and offered no greeting.
Cordis, meanwhile, blushed all over, gazing at Killua with little pink hearts in his eyes.
"So cute!!"
Had they not still been taking the exam, Cordis would definitely have groped Killua's chest.
Seeing Cordis's lecherous expression, Killua warily ducked behind Gon.
Gon gave Killua an apologetic smile. "Don't be scared, Killua. Cordis is just like that."
Leorio angrily pointed at Killua's skateboard.
"Hey! Isn't that cheating?! Is nobody going to do anything about it?!"
Killua remained unfazed, keeping his hands in his pockets. "The examiner only said to follow him. He never said we couldn't use tools."
Leorio was furious enough to retort, but in his current state, he no longer had the energy to speak.
He gradually slowed, his vision beginning to blur.
In the end, he could hold out no longer and collapsed onto all fours, gasping for breath.
Gon stopped a short distance away and shouted at Leorio, who lay on the ground.
"Leorio! Keep going! Let's become Hunters together! Didn't you want to earn lots of money?"
Cordis patted Gon's shoulder and pointed at Killua.
"Gon, leave Leorio to me. Hurry and catch up with the others with Killua."
"But..."
"Gon, you said you trusted me."
Seeing Cordis's serious expression, Gon hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded firmly.
He turned to Killua beside him. "Killua, let's go."
The two turned to leave. Gon waved to Cordis as he went. "Cordis! See you at the finish!"
Cordis gave them an okay sign.
Then he walked over to Leorio, who lay on the ground.
"Can you still run?" Cordis asked.
Leorio was too exhausted to speak. Still sprawled on the ground, he shook his head with difficulty.
Cordis sighed helplessly and held out a hand to Leorio.
"Come on. Hold on to me, and I'll help you run."
"We're going to become Hunters together."
Looking at the hand held out before him, Leorio did not reach for it.
He struggled to his feet, dropped his briefcase where he stood, and let out a furious roar.
"I'm going to be a Hunter!"
He ran toward the distant crowd, picking up speed as he went.
Watching Leorio run off, Cordis resigned himself to his bad luck and picked up the abandoned briefcase.
After another stretch of running, a distant light illuminated the entire dim tunnel.
Everyone cried out at the sight, and some even shed tears.
"We're finally at the finish!"
Before you continue