The two hit it off immediately and chatted away.
Kaya tactfully slowed his pace and returned to Leorio and Kurapika's side.
"If you really can't keep going, I can carry you."
Kaya raised an eyebrow as he watched Leorio gasp for breath.
Though he usually had a sharp tongue when it came to Leorio, Kaya was happy to help him when he genuinely ran into trouble.
"I'm not that far gone yet! Just you watch!"
Kaya's concern warmed Leorio's heart, as though it had given him fresh motivation to keep going.
Worried that Leorio was forcing himself, Kurapika looked concerned as well.
"Don't push yourself too hard. If you're having trouble, we'll help you."
Though Tonpa privately scoffed at this friendship, he stopped trying to trip them up.
Just then, Killua suddenly turned around up ahead and asked, "Uncle Leorio, how old are you?"
Apparently, that blabbermouth Gon had already introduced Leorio and Kurapika to Killua.
"I'm a teenager, just like you guys."
"Liar." Even Tonpa joined the others in saying it in unison.
Though they had known each other for some time, none of them had cared much about age, so they had never asked.
Still, Kaya was shocked to hear Leorio claim he was a teenager. That "slightly mature" face of his looked at least twenty-five.
"Little Kura, how old are you?"
Kurapika was a little surprised by Kaya's sudden nickname for him, but he didn't mind.
"I'm seventeen."
Kaya asked again, "What about Leo the idiot?"
"Why does Kurapika get to be Little Kura while I'm the idiot? You little brat, that's blatant favoritism! I'm nineteen."
Despite being only two years older than Kurapika, Leorio looked like his uncle.
"Your face sure grew up in a hurry," Kaya remarked.
With Kaya's sharp tongue spurring him on, Leorio's attention gradually shifted elsewhere, and naturally, he felt less tired.
Sure enough, what limited human potential wasn't the body, but the brain and the will.
The six of them soon caught up with the main group. As more and more people around them dropped out, they couldn't help growing tense again.
After pressing on a while longer, they finally saw the bright exit ahead. As though he had spotted a light of hope, Leorio found a little more strength in his legs.
Satotz maintained his unhurried pace, while the stronger candidates in the leading group behind him gradually overtook him after seeing the exit and arrived first.
Gon and Killua started racing each other, picking up their pace.
Kaya's group, by contrast, looked like the seniors' division of a race as he accompanied Leorio out of the tunnel at last.
Compared with the lifeless atmosphere inside the tunnel, the outside seemed like another world. The air carried the fresh scent of grass and trees, and everything brimmed with life and vitality.
"Kaya!"
Someone called to him from nearby, and Kaya instinctively looked toward the voice.
A floppy hat, pinkish-orange hair, and a red vest.
Though he looked a little more mature than he had three years ago, Kaya recognized him at once.
"Pokkle!" Kaya looked at him excitedly. "I thought you hadn't come to take the exam!"
Meeting a friend he hadn't seen in three years in this world filled Kaya with excitement, even though they had only met once.
Pokkle was as easygoing as ever, replying with a goofy grin, "I thought you'd stood me up, too. It's great to see you."
Pokkle wasn't good at socializing. He had spent most of the past three years training alone in the wilderness.
Seeing a relatively familiar friend brought him an indescribable joy as well.
"I met that guy you told me about."
"Who?"
"Tonpa, the guy you said had failed thirty-two times."
"You actually remembered that?"
"Hahaha, something like that is pretty hard to forget."
Watching Kaya and Pokkle chat happily, Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio looked completely bewildered.
"We have now arrived at the Numere Wetlands, also known as the Swindlers' Nest. These wetlands are full of danger and home to many rare and unusual beasts. Most of them are carnivorous, with a particular taste for human flesh."
Seeing that the countdown in his hand was nearly over, Examiner Satotz began his explanation.
"And we must pass through these wetlands to reach Biscane Forest Park, the venue for the second phase of the exam."
"You can only reach it by following me closely. Do not let the plants and beasts here deceive you, or death will await you."
Satotz's face was utterly expressionless, and his tone didn't waver.
"Indeed, you mustn't be deceived."
A trembling figure appeared around the corner, drawing the attention of most of the candidates.
A man covered in blood emerged, gasping for breath as he supported himself against the wall beside the tunnel.
"Because this man isn't an examiner at all. I'm the real examiner."
With that, the man pointed at the calm-faced Satotz.
"What's going on?"
"Could this be part of the exam, too?"
The scene set all the candidates whispering among themselves.
Leorio poked Kurapika beside him and asked, "How do you see this?"
"Standing up," Kurapika replied irritably.
Kaya asked unhurriedly, "You say you're the real examiner. What proof do you have?"
"What I'm holding is the proof."
The man tossed a creature that closely resembled Satotz onto the ground.
"This is a creature found only in the Numere Wetlands-the Man-Faced Ape. It can take on a human appearance to deceive people, leading them into traps in the wetlands before brutally tearing them apart and devouring them."
The onlookers turned toward the Man-Faced Ape on the ground. Sure enough, it looked remarkably like Satotz.
Yet Satotz remained completely unruffled, as though this had nothing to do with him. It was as if he were saying, I'll just stand here and watch your little performance.
The Man-Faced Ape's appearance made many candidates waver.
"Look, they really do look exactly alike."
"I thought there was something off about that Satotz from the start."
"Exactly. The way he runs doesn't look human at all."
Some of the suspicious candidates unconsciously moved toward the man and away from Satotz.
Killua and Gon didn't seem to care. Neither of them was paying any attention to the matter.
Leorio wavered a little, but Kurapika held him back, signaling that they should wait and see.
Pokkle was also growing suspicious and instinctively wanted to follow the crowd toward the supposed examiner.
Kaya grabbed him. "Are you stupid?"
"Why? I think something's off, too," Pokkle asked in confusion.
Kaya looked at him as though he were an idiot. "Tonpa just told us that the chief examiner for every phase is sent by the Hunter Association."
"In other words, every examiner is a licensed Hunter. Use that pig brain of yours and think. Would a licensed Hunter get hurt in a sneak attack by a magical beast this pathetic?"
Kaya had fought Kitsunori before, so he had some understanding of how strong magical beasts were.
He could easily defeat even Kitsunori, let alone this feeble-looking Man-Faced Ape.
Pokkle nodded in sudden understanding.
After explaining, Kaya saw Leorio itching to act, with Hanzo constantly whispering in his ear. Resigned, he brought Pokkle over to the others.
"Leorio, don't do anything rash. That man's obviously a fake."
Kaya explained his reasoning to them again.
Kurapika nodded approvingly and added, "The Man-Faced Ape beside that man isn't dead at all. Those two are probably the ones working together."
"I didn't notice that," Kaya said, looking thoughtfully at the Man-Faced Ape.
Meanwhile, Hanzo's face alternated between red and pale. He wanted the ground to swallow him up.
"Pfft, and you call yourself a ninja! Aren't you embarrassed?" Kaya mocked him mercilessly.
"A mistake! It was just a mistake, hahahaha."
Hanzo didn't get angry. He rubbed his bald head and used laughter to cover his embarrassment.
Leorio coughed a few times to hide his own embarrassment. "Actually, I figured it out ages ago. I was just testing you on purpose. Not bad. You're improving."
Kaya didn't expose his lie and simply introduced Pokkle beside him.
For Kaya's sake, Kurapika and Leorio offered Pokkle lukewarm greetings.
Gon was much more enthusiastic and even introduced Killua to Pokkle.
But Killua didn't want anything to do with someone as relatively weak as Pokkle.
In his eyes, Pokkle fell far short of both Kaya and Gon in talent, strength, and fighting spirit, so he merely gave a cold nod.
It seemed that in this world, strength was the only ticket to friendship with the strong.
Before you continue