Although the first round of the Hunter Exam had just ended, all the examinees present knew how powerful Law was.
Not to mention how Law had dealt with the candidates who attempted to snatch the wild boar the night before. Without lifting a finger, he made them pass out, and those who didn't faint were left paralyzed with fear.
On top of that, his heroic acts of saving others at the base of the mountain cemented his reputation.
Catching someone falling from hundreds of meters isn't something one can do on a whim. Yet, Law managed it hundreds of times without showing the slightest sign of fatigue. His arms remained unstrained and he could still climb the mountain on his own.
From this point of view, Law seems even more unfathomable.
Because of this, the buzz-cut man who reached the summit first knew his chances of beating Law were very slim. However, he had never imagined that Law would simply forfeit so decisively.
This unexpected move left everyone stunned. Not only Dafifi and the other examinees, but even Buhara was puzzled. To him, Law was undoubtedly the strongest among the examinees.
As the examiner of the second test, Tansen wasn't interested in figuring out Law's motives. All he had to do was to eliminate half of the examinees on the spot before it got dark.
"Next pair." Tansen looked around and saw that the examinees around him had not yet recovered from their shock. His brows were slightly furrowed, so he raised his voice and repeated the command.
After hearing Tansen's obviously displeased voice, the second examinee to reach the top and the second to last examinee to reach the top quickly stepped out, while Law and the buzz-cut man moved to the side.
The buzz-cut man wanted to ask Law why he had forfeited, but hesitated and ultimately chose silence.
Whether he passed the Hunter Exam or not, he would never forget Law.
The only person who wanted to get the clarification was Dafifi. However, he had to assist Tansen with the second test, so he couldn't leave for the time being and could only watch as Law walked away.
The airship was capable of returning eliminated examinees to the ground or even dropping them off at the nearest city. However, Dafifi suspected that Law would go down the mountain directly and will not wait for the end of the second test.
And he was right. Law had no intention of staying here any longer. He turned and walked to the edge of the rocky mountain. Although the second test was still going on, there were still many examinees paying attention to his movements.
Buhara ran out from the crowd and followed Law. The two stood side by side on the edge of the rocky mountain, looking at the forest that stretched far into the distance below.
"Aren't you curious?" Law asked, surprised that Buhara didn't say a word.
Buhara shook his head, then paused, and nodded hesitantly.
Seeing Buhara's reaction, Law chuckled lightly and didn't offer an explanation. Instead, he reached out and patted his arm, saying lightly: "Go back, it will be your turn soon."
"I want to follow you." Buhara replied resolutely.
His words implied that passing the Hunter Exam didn't matter to him anymore.
Buhara had entered the Hunter Exam with the goal of pursuing culinary delights. Since he met Law, he had eaten a lot of delicious food, so compared to the Hunter Exam, he now valued staying with Law more.
Hearing this, Law was taken aback. From his perspective, since Buhara was a future Hunter Exam's examiner, it means he had the potential to pass. But now, he was willing to give up the exam just to follow him.
Clearly, Law's presence had influenced Buhara.
In fact, even if Law had not participated in this year's Hunter Exam, Buhara, who had been busy catching drift clams every day to eat, wouldn't have even made it onto the ship, let alone reached the Amaromi Forest.
Law didn't want Buhara to give up the Hunter Exam, so he raised his hand and slapped Buhara firmly on the back, causing him to stagger.
"It hurts." Buhara winced, rubbing the spot where he was hit, looking aggrieved.
"Don't be silly. You are so weak and yet you still want to follow me." Law withdrew his hand.
Upon hearing this, Buhara's expression grew even more aggrieved, and he thought to himself, 'It's not that I'm weak, you're just ridiculously strong. I've been trying to show my worth this whole time, but you never even gave me a chance.'
"Come here."
Law suddenly said, beckoning with his hand.
Buhara thought Law had changed his mind, and his face lit up with joy as he eagerly stepped closer.
Law lowered his voice and whispered a few words in Buhara's ear.
After listening to this, Buhara hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded in agreement. At this point, it seemed like he had no other choice but to follow Law's instructions.
"If you can't manage it, don't bother coming to find me."
Law waved his hand and asked Buhara to go back to the group of examinees to prepare for the second test.
"Got it!" Buhara nodded heavily and retreated reluctantly. He always felt that if he didn't follow Law shamelessly now, he might miss out on something amazing.
It has to be said that the intuition of a natural-born foodie can be very terrifying sometimes. If he knew that Law was heading out to look for B-level ingredients next, he would've turned into a persistent shadow.
After wrapping things up, Law saw no reason to linger here any longer. He suddenly took a step forward and leaped off calmly.
The examinees who were paying attention to the situation here gasped in unison when they saw Law jump directly, causing quite a commotion, which made Tansen look unhappy, as he did not see Law jump down from the summit.
But Dafifi had seen everything. Rubbing his temples, he felt a pang of regret for calling Netero. He had been so confident that Law would pass the exam, but who knew that this guy would give up for no reason.
'Should I... call Chairman Netero again to explain?' Dafifi thought to himself, feeling utterly drained.
Meanwhile, after seeing Law jump down, Buhara was not worried at all, but he still stood on the edge and watched Law falling down.
As the cold wind rushed past his face, Law adjusted his posture mid-air as he approached the ground. Just before impact, he extended his hand and drove it into the rocky cliffside, halting his momentum and landing smoothly.
This method of descending was faster than taking an elevator or parachuting. Anyway, Law had no intention of wasting time climbing down.
After returning to the ground, Law dismissed the Aura enveloping his hand, then shook his slightly numb arms and walked into the forest.
When Buhara saw that Law had landed safely, he quietly returned to the group.
He had to pass the Hunter Exam, then wait for the Hunter Association to send someone to teach him Nen and train systematically, and then go find Law after he had fully learned it.
Although it was unclear whether what Law said was accurate, Buhara trusted him deeply.
The Hunter Exam continued... On average, a candidate was eliminated every 15 seconds, and before long, it was Buhara's turn.
The result was decided in just a second.
With a single palm strike, Buhara sent his opponent flying out of the circle.
…
Law, who left the red land, dug up a few red stones and put them in his pocket before walking into the dense forest.
There were no plants or insects to be seen on this red land, and there are so many examinees here last night, which is a considerable amount of prey for the wild beasts in the forest. However, no wild beasts appeared until dawn.
Law had noticed this anomaly, which is why he dug a few stones and put them in his pocket. Although the white smoke font did not give any hint, he felt it was better to carry a few stones with him in case of emergency.
"In another hour or two, it will be dark."
Law walked in the dense forest, wondering whether he should travel at night.
His target was the only lake in the Amaromi Forest.
When he was still on the summit, Law had already determined the direction.
His reason for heading to the lake wasn't the legend of the Golden Lake, but the prospect of obtaining B-level ingredients.