Somewhere in the Aragas Mountain.
Tonpa is descending along a mountain path.
He was the only one in the entire area, with no other examinees in sight.
Because the direction he chose to go down the mountain was not the route Harriman had designated from the top of the mountain.
The reason Tonpa avoided the route of the second-phase of the exam was because he chose to give up this Hunter Exam.
There was no other way-
After all, the look Moses gave him from the top of the mountain scared him.
In order to nip the danger in the bud, Tonpa chose to retreat without hesitation.
So what if he was cowardly?
Being safe was the most important thing!
"There is no chance this year."
Tonpa walked on the slope, shook his head and sighed: "I can only come again next year."
As he said that, he looked down.
There is still a long stretch of mountain path to walk, but since he had already distanced himself from the source of unease, at this point, he felt no pressure.
"That guy should be able to get his license..."
"When I come back next year, I don't want to see him again!"
Tonpa muttered to himself.
For him, this test didn't matter anymore, as staying away from the 'source of danger' is the most important thing.
"Hmm?"
While walking, Tonpa saw three figures.
'Why are there still people climbing this path?'
Tonpa was slightly surprised and stopped to look at the three people climbing up.
One is a tall, stubbled man, the other is a tall and slender man, and the last one had a big flat head with scars all over his face.
Moreover, these three people all wear number plates, which shows that they are all examinees.
But in this direction…
It's neither the route taken when climbing up nor the route taken when climbing down.
'Why would these three examinees appear here?'
Tonpa was a little confused, but didn't think much about it.
He had already given up on the test, so he just needed to head down nonchalantly.
Since Tonpa saw the three people, the three people naturally saw Tonpa too.
"Why are there people everywhere we go?!"
The stubble-faced man felt numb all over when he saw Tonpa inexplicably appearing on this route.
'This damned Hunter Exam brought two thousand people here.'
'Along the way, we managed to avoid half-dead examinees one after another, and then came to this route that I thought no one had ever traveled.'
'In the end, we still meet another examinee taking the Hunter Exam.'
The stubble-faced man, who had always had a bad temper, suddenly cursed in his heart.
"There's no one around, should we take him out?"
The flat-top scarred man suggested in a low voice.
As an A-Class criminal group, killing someone was as easy as squashing a fly, and they didn't think much of it.
"I don't care."
The cold-looking man said indifferently.
The stubble-faced man narrowed his eyes.
"Kill him."
He was very unhappy right now, so he didn't mind using the short fat man in front of him to vent his anger.
'Seeing blood might bring some luck.'
Thinking of this, the stubble-faced man exuded a cold murderous aura.
On the slope above.
Tonpa's expression changed slightly.
He noticed the unfriendly expression on the stubble-faced man's face and the chilling intent that made his back cold.
'Damn... Does he want to kill me?!'
Tonpa, who sensed the danger, had no time to think about the other party's motives, and immediately turned around to climb up without hesitation.
Seeing Tonpa turn around and run away very vigilantly, the stubble-faced man raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Meeting us in such a remote place, it's your bad luck."
The stubble-faced man sneered, stepped on the ground and quickly dashed along the slope.
In less than ten seconds…
The stubble-faced man arrived behind Tonpa.
The dangerous feeling coming from behind him instantly sent a chill down Tonpa's spine.
'Dammit!'
'I have never provoked you guys!!'
In addition to cursing inwardly, Tonpa hurriedly fled from the stubble-faced man who was chasing after him.
At this critical moment of life and death, a black circle suddenly appeared under Tonpa's feet.
As he ran, the black circle also moved with him.
"What's this?"
Even as he fled for his life, Tonpa could still notice the strange black circle that suddenly appeared.
But before he could figure out what was going on, a black curtain suddenly rose in front of him, completely blocking his vision.
"!!!"
"Am I dead?!"
The blackness that suddenly invaded his field of vision made Tonpa's heart feel cold.
The same black circle appeared under the feet of the stubble-faced man and his companions.
"Post-Mortem Nen?"
Different from Tonpa's shallow knowledge, the stubble-faced man and his companions noticed something akin to Post-Mortem Nen when they saw the black circle that suddenly appeared.
It's just that, like Tonpa, they hadn't figured out what was going on when the curtain suddenly rose along the black circle, enveloping them in an instant.
Aragas Mountain.
The descent route of the second test.
Shalnark took the lead, leaving behind the other two hundred examinees.
Being able to maintain a good condition in the first test made the descent in this second test incredibly easy.
The advantage of being in the lead is evident here.
Shalnark remained calm and thought in his mind: 'Securing the first place in the second test and maintaining the lead afterward will ensure that the license is almost in the bag.'
Seeing the ground getting closer and closer, Shalnark's heart remained calm. He just wanted to reach the finish line quickly.
At this time-
A black circle appeared under his feet.
At the foot of Aragas Mountain.
There was still an hour and a half left before the end of the second test, and Harriman was already waiting at the foot of the mountain.
"Haven't they come down yet…"
Harriman looked up at the slope above.
It had been over an hour, and not only the Nen Users among the examinees hadn't come down yet, but even those two youngsters hadn't shown up.
"Forget it, I'll just take another nap."
Harriman closed his eyelids.
'The time waiting for the test to end was too painful. God knows why I took on the job of being an examiner.'
'Sure enough—'
'Sleeping is still the most comfortable.'
Harriman hesitated for only a second or two before deciding to continue sleeping at the foot of the mountain.
He did it as soon as he thought of it. He went to the nearby forest and found a low tree stump. He immediately sat on the tree stump and slowly closed his eyes.
In less than three seconds, he fell asleep peacefully in this cold winter.
But this time—
Harriman only slept for a minute or so.
"This presence?!"
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the slope above.
What caught his eye was Shalnark descending along the slope.
Then—
He saw a cylindrical curtain-like unknown object suddenly rise from under Shalnark's feet, enveloping him in the blink of an eye.
At the next moment.
The curtain-like unknown object disappeared into thin air.
And Shalnark, who wrapped within it, was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing this scene with his own eyes, Harriman's heart trembled, and the drowsiness that lingered in his head vanished instantly.
"Something's wrong."
He quickly took out his phone.
Although he didn't know what the black curtain-like object was…
He can be sure that the presence is the Post-Mortem Nen!
—
In a vast interior space that resemble a cave.
Tonpa's figure suddenly fell out of nowhere, landing on the damp ground and tumbling over.
At the next moment…
Driven by the intense sense of danger that seemed to be always present, Tonpa quickly got up.
"Where is this...?!"
Tonpa looked around blankly.
Having just escaped danger, he had no idea what had happened.
Or whether he should be grateful or curse his luck.
And the pervasive greenish glow coming from all directions, seemingly emanating from nowhere, barely dispelled the darkness around Tonpa.
But-
Tonpa just wanted to go home now.