Ringo quickly recalled the Numere Wetland exam; the long-distance run wasn't over yet, he only needed to reach the second stage venue in time to pass.
The allure of a hunter license flashed through his mind—wealth, privilege, the key to survival in this world! But a more realistic voice immediately emerged: “I must figure out what happened to this body, then get out of this wetland alive.”
I need power! Ringo extended his consciousness to the rune in his mind, but unfortunately, there was no response.
“Hey! Are you okay?” Gon squatted not far away, his clear eyes filled with pure concern.
Ringo’s throat moved, the grotesque scar on his neck pulling a subtle itch. He spoke hoarsely: “Still alive.”
His voice was rough, like sandpaper rubbing.
Kurapika stood a few steps away, his sharp eyes sweeping over Ringo’s blood-stained body and the tragic battlefield around him, finally resting on the shocking wound on his neck. He frowned slightly, with no intention of approaching.
Ringo stood up, using the movement to hide his body’s stiffness and inner turmoil. He naturally recognized the two people in front of him: Gon had left his hometown island to take the exam to find his father, while Kurapika was seeking revenge for his clan. More importantly, they were currently struggling to survive under Hisoka’s shadow, perhaps they could cooperate on this basis...
Looking at the concerned expressions of Gon and Kurapika, Ringo took a deep breath and decided to initiate conversation: “I was attacked by Hisoka, Number 44. Luckily, I survived.”
“We encountered Hisoka too.” Gon looked surprised: “Did he say anything about passing? He beat my friend badly, but then said we passed the test...”
“No,” Ringo shook his head.
A thought suddenly flashed: I survived, which should be related to the unknown Nen on my neck. If it’s a Post-Mortem Nen, I must get rid of it as soon as possible! But what was even more unsettling was—what kind of price would I have to pay to achieve such an effect?
After a brief probe, the idea of cooperation emerged: it was too dangerous to be alone here! And he didn't know the way out. In this situation, sharing a similar experience might bring them closer!
Just as Gon and Kurapika were about to leave, Ringo invited: “Do you want to travel together from now on? If we meet Hisoka again, maybe we can help each other. Oh, by the way, my name is Ringo, and I’m from Yorknew.”
“Okay!” Gon seemed to have no reservations, turning to look at his companion.
Kurapika’s scrutinizing gaze lingered on Ringo for a moment, finally giving his silent approval. He was still puzzled as to why Ringo was still alive with such injuries.
The three quickly moved through the gradually thinning fog.
Ringo’s nerves were taut; anxiety about his own condition overshadowed everything else. He tried to activate the light orb in his mind while observing the two: Gon, sniffing Leorio’s cologne, led the way; Kurapika remained calm and sharp, constantly on guard.
‘Hmm?’
With each breath, an extremely faint, sweet-smelling saliva quietly emerged, contrasting with the faint metallic taste lingering in his mouth.
‘This is... Gokukusenzoku!?’
‘No, that's not right. How could a power akin to the Sage’s Robbery be so insignificant? This is, at most, a severely weakened prototype.’
The true Gokukusenzoku could, through extreme strengthening of the six viscera, transform all pores and even the reach of one's will into vortices that devour everything, directly plundering the essence of all things and converting it into the purest Qi, or rather, aura.
But the feeling he had at this moment was more like an extremely thin, almost nonexistent filter covering the inner walls of his mouth and nasal cavity, only able to extract a tiny, insignificant amount of energy from the air with extreme inefficiency.
The sense of incongruity made Ringo frown. He immediately tried to guide the Qi to other parts—stomach, intestines—but as soon as the thought arose, that faint wisp of Qi dissipated like a candle in the wind, completely uncontrollable.
Ringo wondered, ‘There’s a reaction, but why is it so weak, and why can it only be used through the mouth and nose?’
Several conjectures appeared in his mind:
1. Insufficient Nen: This was the most straightforward possibility. Driving the Eight Wonders would require a significant amount of Nen, and perhaps his newly awakened state was only enough to ignite such a tiny “spark.”
2. Requires self-construction: What he obtained was only knowledge and concepts, like receiving an incredibly complex engine design blueprint but lacking the corresponding materials and tools. At present, he was only barely mimicking a trace of the effect, light-years away from the complete version.
3. Interference from Post-Mortem Nen: This thought was the most unsettling. Was the unknown aura in his neck repelling or contaminating the Eight Wonders, making the ability limited?
‘There are many possibilities, even a combination of these.’ Ringo suppressed the tremor in his heart; a plan quietly formed: once his Nen increased, he must try it as soon as possible.
Lost in thought, they had already arrived at the second stage examination venue—Biscane Park. In the center of the open grassland stood a huge building. Many scarred and varied-looking examinees had already gathered here, and the air was filled with the smell of blood, sweat, and the oppressive feeling of having survived a disaster.
Ringo’s gaze quickly swept over the crowd.
Hisoka!
He stood behind a crowd not far away, casually crossing his arms, seemingly completely unaware of Ringo, the unqualified candidate he should have dealt with.
However, a faint, sticky, snake-like sensation of being watched crawled up Ringo’s spine.
Just then, Gon and Kurapika discovered Leorio, their beaten-unconscious companion, sitting against a tree—he had a thick beard, a bruised and swollen face, and was shirtless, still unaware of what had happened.
“Hi.”
A white-haired, cat-eyed boy appeared beside them at some point, greeting them in a relaxed tone. It was Killua Zoldyck, his gaze carrying a hint of playfulness as it swept over Ringo: “Who’s this guy? He looks miserable, but he’s still alive?”
Killua and Gon had met during the first stage long-distance run. Although not yet very familiar, they had more to talk about than others. They conversed in low voices for a few moments, clearly discussing Ringo's origins and condition. Afterward, Killua marveled at Gon's ability to navigate by scent.
Ringo’s current situation was indeed dire—dark blood stains had soaked from his neck all the way to his abdomen, his upper body was crimson, with only his face still relatively clean.
He couldn't help but scratch his neck.
His gaze turned to the four: ‘Gon’s purity, Kurapika’s intelligence, Killua’s strength, Leorio’s genuine nature and reliability. More importantly, the nascent trust that had formed between them, forged in crisis.’
‘These are what I, isolated and helpless at this moment, need most.’ Thinking of the various gambits in the original plot, Ringo took a deep breath and walked over proactively.
“Everyone, my name is Ringo. I owe it to Gon for leading the way in the wetland. If there are any team-based exams later, how about we work together?”
“Okay!” Gon immediately responded enthusiastically, his intuition telling him that Ringo meant them no harm.
Kurapika, however, directly refused: “Sorry, I don’t trust you, and besides, we are competitors. I have no reason to cooperate with you.”
Killua, with his hands in his pockets: “Exactly. This guy looks even worse than Leorio, and he’s ridiculously weak. Cooperate with him? To be a burden?”
“Ringo, I believe in your strength.” Gon said earnestly: “To survive against Hisoka, you must have something extraordinary.”
“Huh? Him?” Killua pouted: “I thought you were joking just now. You must have been tricked by him, right? Maybe Hisoka thought he was too weak to bother killing.”
This kid, just because he likes to lie, does he think everyone else is the same! Ringo grumbled.
“Why do you want to act with us?” Gon’s eyes were full of curiosity.
“Our ages are the closest among the examinees,” Ringo paused, then added, “And I think you guys are trustworthy.”
“Hahahahaha.” Killua burst out laughing: “I’m an assassin, you know. I might just kill you one day.”
“That’s right, he’s about my age,” Leorio chimed in.
Ringo was speechless.
‘The outcome was as expected, but this probing wasn’t without its rewards. At least I clearly felt Gon’s kindness and Leorio’s straightforwardness, and I got a sense of Kurapika’s and Killua’s attitudes.’
He didn’t say much more. What was important now was to control the Nen on him!
Standing still, the clamor of voices around him seemed to gradually fade. Just at that moment—
“Creak!”
In the center of the open space, the huge building slowly opened upwards, revealing two figures inside.
Behind was an extremely tall and corpulent man with a simple, even somewhat foolish smile. In front, sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed, was a slender and petite woman wearing a hollowed-out crop top and hot pants.
These were the Gourmet Hunters Buhara and Menchi, the examiners for the second stage.
“The second stage exam is... cooking!”
Ringo immediately rushed into the forest with the crowd, catching a wild boar, starting a fire, preparing it, and grilling it—all in one smooth motion.
“Sushi?”
“What’s that?”
“Fish? How do you find fish in this forest?” Sure enough, Leorio’s loud voice inadvertently revealed crucial information, and the crowd stirred again, surging into the forest like a tide.
Ringo was prepared. While hunting the wild boar, he had conveniently caught a few fat fish and hidden them nearby. He took them out and silently prepared them, secretly gathering a few leaves and a bowl of water.
The others weren’t slow. Just as Ringo was slicing the fish, Killua quietly approached.
“Hey,” the silver-haired boy lowered his voice, his cat-like eyes filled with inquiry: “Do you know about this? This thing called sushi.”
Ringo’s knife flashed slightly as he filleted the fish, not looking up: “Vinegared rice, topped with raw fish. Just follow what I do.” he whispered.
Gon also walked over: “I see!”
Fortunately, Gon was simply naive and didn't shout it out loud, unlike the boisterous Leorio. Kurapika also cast a look of attention.
The atmosphere among them subtly softened for a moment.
Inside the building, filled with relevant equipment, the atmosphere was lively. Examinees constantly presented their sushi, only to be rejected repeatedly by Menchi’s cold ‘unqualified’ verdict.
Beside the bustling examinees, Ringo placed the leaves in a bowl full of water. Using the shadow of the wild boar's skeleton, he released his aura into it.
The Water Divination, a method to determine one's Nen type.
“Using a bowl should also work. Next, I need to envelop the container with both hands and activate Nen.”
Slowly, the water began to churn as if boiling. Ringo tried to touch it with his fingertips; the temperature hadn’t changed, but wisps of steam rose from the water’s surface, slowly evaporating.
It was indeed a Specialist type!
Based on its manifestation, the Eight Wonders definitely combined multiple types. In his view, these were eight paths to immortality, but the construction of Nen Abilities still had no clues.
On a nearby treetop, the first stage examiner, Satotz, impeccably dressed in a suit with an unusual mustache, took in Ringo’s actions: “Number 369, did he awaken his Nen Ability during the exam? Since he knows Water Divination, he must have encountered Nen before. I wonder if he can last until the end?”
