An hour later.
Burp~
The group leaned back in their chairs after a satisfying meal.
"The Fierce Raccoon Fox is really a good person, treating us to such a big meal!"
Xiao Jie rubbed his round belly.
"Yeah, once we become professional hunters, we definitely need to repay him!"
Leorio was also content.
Li Ke had thirty clean trays in front of him.
Ding!
After everyone had finished eating and drinking, the barbecue restaurant owner, following the Fierce Raccoon Fox's instructions, pressed the elevator button.
"Honored guests, the examination site is below. I won't accompany you down, but I believe you have a very high chance of passing the exam. Only a small fraction of people make it this far, though most will be eliminated, but I'm sure you all can pass," the owner said.
"Goodbye!"
After sending off the four "plague gods," the Fierce Raccoon Fox sighed in relief, leaning against the wall, gasping for breath.
He glanced at his now-empty wallet, feeling a deep sense of gratitude.
...
The elevator began to descend.
"You guys finally arrived. It seems we're lucky this time! The Fierce Raccoon Fox is so nice!" Xiao Jie said, excited.
"Three years for a normal professional hunter newbie pass rate. He probably meant this because of Li Ke," Kurapika said solemnly.
"Only one in three years?" Xiao Jie was shocked. He hadn't realized how low the pass rate for professional hunters was.
"Indeed, there are many new recruits who mentally collapse because of the tough tests, some suffer heavy injuries from older participants, and others can't even participate," Kurapika explained.
"That sounds a bit exaggerated!"
"But it's true. That's why professional hunters are so rare," Kurapika added.
"Uh... so this exam will be easy for Li Ke, but harder for us?" Leorio asked, crossing his arms hesitantly.
"Pretty much," Kurapika said.
"You don't need to worry too much, though. This year, I believe most of you will pass," Li Ke said with a smile.
"Li Ke, are you going to protect us? But isn't the exam individual, so you can't guarantee anything?" Leorio asked, suddenly interested.
"Or do you know the examiners?" Xiao Jie and Kurapika were both surprised.
Just as the conversation continued...
Ding!
The elevator reached the 100th floor, the examination entrance.
The elevator doors slowly opened.
What appeared in front of them was a dilapidated, wide underground tunnel, brightly lit.
Inside, it was packed with candidates from all over the world.
When the group stepped out of the elevator, many eyes immediately turned toward them.
Seeing their young age, there was a slight sneer from the crowd.
It was common for young newcomers to attempt the exam, but they would inevitably fail, so nobody paid much attention to them.
"These guys are definitely different from the candidates we saw at the port and in towns!" Kurapika said, his expression tense.
"They have much stronger auras, and they all seem pretty tough. Some even brought weapons!" Leorio said, getting serious.
"The pass rate is extremely low, though. Only a small percentage succeed," Li Ke remarked.
At that moment, a short, bald man in a green suit approached, offering them their number tags.
"403, Leorio! 404, Kurapika! 405, Xiao Jie! 406, Li Ke!"
Since Li Ke's team had enjoyed the privilege of the big meal, they were the last to arrive.
The bald man quickly explained the situation and left.
Li Ke scanned the crowd and his eyes landed on the man.
Name: Bean-Faced Man
Attributes: Delicious (Blue), Timid (Green), Focused (Blue)
This man appeared to be an assistant to the association's president, Netero.
Li Ke then looked around.
Most of the crowd had green and white attributes, with some blue here and there. Only a few had purple attributes.
"Haha! You guys are new, huh?" a voice called out.
A short, big-nosed, and chubby man hopped down. He had a friendly but odd expression. "Hi! I'm Dongba. I've participated in the Hunter Exam 35 times. I'm something of an old hand at this! If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me."
Dongba immediately noticed Li Ke's group. Since it was clear that Xiao Jie and the others followed Li Ke, he smiled at him.
Li Ke saw Dongba's information flash before him.
Name: Dongba
Attributes: Disguise (Blue), Kidney Weakness (Blue), Lucky (Blue), Poisoning (Green), Martial Arts (White)
No wonder this guy had a twisted nature.
He probably couldn't become a professional hunter, and his life wasn't going well, so he took pleasure in tormenting newcomers, especially talented ones. He derived satisfaction from crushing their spirits.
"Are you planning to sabotage us, Newcomer Killer Dongba?" Li Ke smiled as he spoke.
"What?" Dongba froze, his face going stiff.
"Using despicable methods, like poisoned drinks, or intentionally sabotaging teammates to eliminate over fifty contestants?" Li Ke continued.
"With your façade of kindness, you make it your goal to break the spirits of talented newcomers. 35 failed attempts. Am I right?" Li Ke said, gripping his hand, showing his white teeth as he smiled.
"I... I haven't... I'm a good guy...!" Dongba shouted.
His hand bones almost shattered as Li Ke squeezed.
Suddenly, Dongba's bag dropped to the ground, spilling some mysterious drinks, pills, and white powder.
Everyone around them watched in surprise.
Boom—
Li Ke landed a knee strike that knocked Dongba down. He threw up bile and was instantly rendered unable to fight.
Ding! You have entered a battle stance with Dongba, and have defeated him. 10% chance to randomly replicate…
Ding! You defeated Contestant 016 Dongba!
Ding! Replication successful!
Congratulations! You've obtained Lucky (Blue) attribute!
A melodious voice rang out.
BINGO!
A perfect hit!
Comfortable!