The Togiri, Fang, and the rest of the group easily breezed through the second test of answering impossible questions.
Gon and Fang pondered the questions deeply. Kurapika figured out the essence of the test, while Togiri already knew the story, and Leorio almost attacked the old woman asking the questions out of frustration.
After walking for half a day, night fell. The group in the dark entered a forest marked with multiple signs stating "Keep out: magical beasts." *Scream~* Suddenly, they heard a woman's scream.
Running towards the sound, they discovered a house. Fang broke down the door, revealing a beast escaping and a man on the floor bleeding.
After a brief exchange, the group split up. Leorio stayed behind to nurse the injured man while the rest chased after the magical beast that had kidnapped the man's wife.
Once they heard the scream, Togiri told Fang that this was all staged as another test. He advised Fang not to catch the magical beast but to pretend to.
Gon quickly climbed a tree and pursued the kidnapped woman by leaping from tree to tree, impressing Kurapika with his physical abilities.
The test ended quickly, revealing that this was another trial leading to the Hunter Exam. The two magical beasts and their two children, who had pretended to be a married couple, would fly them to the exam location.
The magical beasts announced who was worthy to take the Hunter Exam. Leorio passed because of his kindness, nursing the husband's wounds like a real doctor and constantly comforting him about his wife's safety. Although he didn't see through their lies, his compassion earned him a pass.
Kurapika passed due to his extensive knowledge. He realized they weren't spouses as soon as he saw the wife's tattoo, which in that region symbolized a lifelong single status.
Gon passed because of his strong physical abilities and observation skills. Though he didn't see through their scheme, he recognized that the magical beasts had switched during the fight.
"Fang and Togiri, I'm sorry, but you two didn't pass. You showed nothing worthy of taking the Hunter Examination," said one of the magical beasts.
"Yes, I know, and it was on purpose." answered Togiri nonchalant.
"What? Please explain yourself, Togiri," said one of the magical beasts.
"We didn't want to take the opportunity away from the others. To prove my knowledge, here is something about the magical beast species, Kiriko, to which you belong." Togiri turned his back to them.
"The Kiriko's appearance is as follows. In their normal form, the Kiriko are large, bipedal creatures covered in light brown fur, which is thicker on their head, shoulders, chest, stomach, and pubic region." His last words made the young woman blush.
"They have both anthropomorphic and fox-like traits. Three fingers per hand and three toes per foot, all considerably long and ending in sharp claws."
"They have an elongated muzzle, thin eyes, long ears with a darker top half, six whiskers, and a long, thin tail ending in a darker tuft of fur," he then turned around.
"That's impressive" said one of the Kiriko and the other grunted "These are just observation anyone can make"
"Oh, one more thing—they are sensitive to a special herb that produces partial body paralysis. Its name is Kirikan. It has been used to hunt down the Kiriko for a few decades"
The magical beasts stepped back in fear. "How do yo-"
"I'm not finished. Your intelligence is comparable to humans, as demonstrated by the daughter knowing about the ancient tribe's tattoos."
"You have the strength to carry multiple adult men. You can extend your claws and sprout wings from your arms to fly."
Silence followed Togiri's words. Everyone looked dumbfounded at him except Fang, who stood with his arms crossed and nose high, looking proud of his best friend and brother.
"....." The silence was broken by one of the magical beasts. "Okay, but what about Fang?"
Both Togiri and Fang smiled at each other. The next moment, they disappeared and reappeared behind the family of magical beasts.
"BOO!" All four Kiriko were startled.
"We could have finished this test from the start. I instantly recognized the tattoos on the daughter's arm and told Fang not to do anything," said Togiri. They then reappeared next to Gon, displaying their incredible speed.
"Do we need to show more, or are we worthy enough to pass?" said Togiri, raising an eyebrow.
"Sigh~ You pass."
Leorio was shocked, Gon was amazed, and Kurapika was slightly terrified and suspicious of them.
Togiri and Fang celebrated with a cool handshake. "Wow! Fang! Togiri! How did you do that?" asked Gon.
Fang looked cocky. "Hehe. I became super fast after my new special, super secret, superhero training. I guess you can call me Fang 'The Fastest boy alive' or something like that. Hehe."
"Special training?" asked Gon, confused.
"Come on. Don't feed his ego. Gon, I'll tell you, okay?" said Togiri. "Listen, Gon. You have to do it no matter how hard it gets. It took me three years to get this strong."
Leorio swallowed his saliva in excitement.
"Listen closely. It is very simple... you... need to..." Togiri's voice grew quieter with each word. Everyone except Fang leaned in closer, almost glued to Togiri.
"100 PUSH-UPS! 100 SIT-UPS! 100 SQUATS! Then a 10-kilometer run! Every single day!" Togiri yelled, causing Fang to burst out laughing while the rest held their ears in pain.
"And, of course, three meals a day. Hahaha," Togiri added, laughing. This wasn't the first time he had done this, as many people asked for the secret to his strength.
"There is no secret, guys. Wait, the secret is hard work coupled with a plan and consistency." These were wise words, but most already knew this because nothing gained in life is by accident, whether a fit body, money, or knowledge.
Togiri's words deeply resonated with Kurapika, who prided himself on knowledge. Yet Togiri showcased knowledge, strength, and wisdom unbefitting of a small kid.
Kurapika asked straightforwardly, "How many books have you read?"
"I don't know, maybe a couple hundred. I don't think I've reached a thousand yet."
Fang chimed in, "Yeah, after a while, he needed to start selling his books because they took up too much space."
"He started to make a second bed out of them. One time he read over 20 books in a week, each thicker than our arms, while also training simultaneously."
Everyone was deeply shocked by how a kid so young could read so much while also training.
Fang reached into Togiri's backpack and pulled out a thick book. "Here, see! Don't even let me start with his Revie-" Togiri quickly covered Fang's mouth.
Togiri took off his backpack and put his book back. Similar to Gon's green backpack, Leorio's suitcase, and Kurapika's white bag, Togiri also carried a backpack.
His backpack was very plain, almost twice his size, almost reaching Kurapika's height. It fit his appearance and clothing style nicely.
Togiri always wore dark clothes matching his dark brown eyes and hair, which grew darker over the years. His hair color in winter could easily be mistaken for black.
In contrast, Fang wore a regular red backpack with blue stripes that matched his red and green shirt perfectly.
Most of the time, he wore simple black pants and shoes. He already looked very colorful with his red hair and blue eyes, not to mention his clothes and backpack.
Fang's backpack was filled with food, water, snacks, a spare pair of clothes, and other necessities for outdoor survival. Being a city kid, he had never learned anything about outdoor survival, so he prepared quite a bit beforehand.
Togiri, on the other hand, packed beef jerky, water, and over ten books he planned to read. He also packed his most important and prized possessions: three mysterious books he received as a birthday present from his brother.
Everyone was ready, and the Kiriko began flying the five examinees to the Hunter Exam location.
The night ended with the group flying away into the distance.