Chapter 49: Osren's New Technique (Part I)
"Hey… look up ahead!" one of the examinees running in front shouted, pointing through the fog.
A cluster of green, shimmering lights glowed faintly in the mist, swaying like lanterns in the dark.
"Finally! Someone's come to pick us up!" another examinee exclaimed, his voice full of relief. Without a second thought, he bolted forward like an arrow loosed from a bow — eager to be first, terrified of missing salvation.
"Wait—!" Kurapika's voice rang out from behind. His sharp eyes had caught something the others missed — within that emerald glow were two red orbs, like bloodshot eyes watching from within.
An uneasy chill ran down his spine. "Don't go near—!"
But it was too late.
A thunderous ROAR ripped through the fog.
The lights — those welcoming, gentle glows — suddenly surged forward, revealing monstrous shapes beneath them.
They weren't rescuers.
They were Noggin Lugging Turtles — gargantuan, moss-covered beasts with shells the size of hills and bioluminescent slime that lured prey close before they struck.
By the time the examinees realized, it was already over.
The nearest turtle opened its gaping jaws, its slimy tongue snapping out like a whip, and in an instant, three people vanished into its maw.
No chewing. No hesitation. Just swallowed whole.
Screams erupted from those who'd been a step too slow — trembling, paralyzed by terror as they watched their companions disappear into the monsters' throats.
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
"Wh-what was that sound?!" Gon stopped mid-stride, turning sharply. The shrill wails from behind echoed faintly through the mist, sending a shiver down his spine.
He couldn't see a thing — just swirling white and shadow. But the panic was unmistakable.
He bit his lip. "Kurapika… Leorio…"
As for Osren, Gon wasn't too worried.
He'd seen enough to know that if Osren wanted to, he could appear at the next testing site long before anyone else.
Killua, running beside him, frowned. "Someone probably fell for a trap," he said flatly. "There are tons of them in this swamp."
Ironically, just then, the Amori Brothers appeared a few meters behind Gon and Killua.
Osren, somewhere unseen, couldn't help but smirk. So fate still lines up, huh? Even in this chaos.
"Hey, wait—what about the people behind us?" the middle Amori brother asked nervously. "They were right there a minute ago!"
The youngest turned, squinting into the fog. "That can't be… there were like a hundred people back there!"
But there was nothing.
No shapes. No voices. Only fog — thick, soundless, swallowing everything.
If not for the faint, distant screams, they might've thought the entire world behind them had vanished.
The hunt had begun.
From deep within the Numere Wetlands, unseen creatures stirred.
To them, this exam wasn't a challenge — it was feeding time.
The humans had come right to their table.
Several examinees stumbled onto what looked like a small patch of grass and broken stone — safe ground, or so they thought.
They didn't even have time to breathe before the ground moved.
With a deafening CRUNCH, a massive green, shark-like creature burst from the mud, its maw snapping shut around the terrified runners.
The ground swallowed them whole, leaving nothing but a ripple in the swamp water.
"God… damn…" Leorio's face went pale. He'd expected danger, but not this. Watching people die so casually — devoured like insects — was another matter entirely.
"It seems," Kurapika said quietly, "that the examinees who were behind us… have all fallen into traps."
"Us too!" Leorio snapped. "You think we're any safer?! Because I sure don't!" His voice cracked slightly, betraying the panic behind his anger.
Kurapika stayed calm. "For now, we're fine. But Osren…" He frowned. "I can't sense him anywhere."
Leorio exhaled, forcing a shaky laugh. "He's probably fine. That kid's not normal anyway."
They didn't get the chance to discuss further.
BOOM.
A sharp explosion split the air.
Not far ahead, a group of examinees had stepped onto a patch of small, brightly colored mushrooms — and in the next instant, they detonated like grenades, hurling bodies high into the air.
When the smoke cleared, nothing remained but scorched ground and the faint smell of burnt flesh.
"Exploding mushrooms… seriously?" Leorio muttered, horrified. "There's danger in every direction."
Kurapika nodded grimly. "This swamp tests more than stamina. It tests judgment."
The two exchanged a look, then carefully picked a direction and began to move again — slow, measured steps, avoiding anything that looked even remotely suspicious.
Hidden farther away, Osren watched the two safely pass through the deadly zone.
He silently dropped the small stone he'd been holding — the one he'd used to trigger the explosion early, saving them from walking straight into it.
His expression didn't change. Everything was going according to plan.
And now… he had a target.
A lone examinee, isolated from the others, was moving cautiously through the mist — unaware that Osren's gaze had already locked onto him.
"Perfect," Osren murmured, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. "Right on time."
He stepped forward, vanishing into the fog.
---
In the middle of the chaotic group of examinees, Gon and Killua were still running through the thick fog, their silhouettes darting between the ghostly white curtains.
So far, they had been lucky — or rather, skilled enough to sense danger before stepping into it. Any lurking traps or beasts that crossed their path had been deftly avoided.
"Osren… Kurapika… Leorio…" Gon murmured between breaths, his eyes scanning the haze ahead. He couldn't help but worry about them, even as he ran.
"Gon, you're still thinking about them now?" Killua said with a wry smirk, keeping pace beside him. "With the fog this thick, if we get separated, that's it — we're done. Disqualified."
"I know," Gon admitted softly, his tone wavering. He understood Killua was right, but that didn't make it easier to stop worrying. Friendship, after all, wasn't something he could just turn off.
Killua sighed and glanced forward. "Then all we can do is pray they're still okay."
Gon nodded. "Yeah… pray."
There wasn't much else they could do.
---
Meanwhile, Osren moved alone — silent, cautious, and utterly composed.
His footsteps barely made a sound as he padded across the soft, damp forest path. Every few seconds, his head would turn left or right, pretending to check for danger, his movements exaggerated just enough to look believable.
To anyone watching, he looked like a scared rookie — lost, nervous, and painfully unaware of the predators lurking in the fog.
"Not bad," Osren mused inwardly, lips curling into a faint grin. "My acting's solid today. If this Hunter thing doesn't work out, I could easily make a living in theater."
Despite the light tone in his thoughts, his eyes were sharp — constantly scanning his surroundings, attuned to the faintest shift in sound or scent.
He wasn't wandering aimlessly.
He was baiting.
In the original timeline, he remembered clearly — there had been a Human-Faced Ape that shadowed the examinees through this part of the exam, deceiving and devouring anyone careless enough to trust it.
That same creature had followed the group all the way to the second testing site, lingering outside for days, unwilling to abandon such a plentiful food source.
"Typical glutton," Osren thought dryly. "Give them a crowd of easy prey, and they'll never leave the buffet."
To draw it out, Osren had to play dumb — an easy mark wandering off alone, stumbling through the mist like a frightened rabbit.
"Time to look delicious," he muttered.
No matter how much the Human-Faced Ape resembled a man, at its core it was still an animal — a cunning scavenger that preyed on weakness.
And weakness… was something Osren could fake perfectly.
"Shhh… rustle, rustle…"
The faintest whisper of movement reached his ears. Grass bending. Leaves trembling.
In a place this still, even the smallest sound was amplified.
Osren's eyes narrowed. His senses sharpened instantly, though his posture remained loose and unguarded — the picture of oblivious innocence.
There you are.
From the corner of his eye, he caught the faint flicker of motion — a shadow slipping between the trees, almost invisible against the fog.
A slow grin spread across his face. "Finally. Took you long enough."
He straightened slightly, adjusted his expression, and let a flicker of nervousness flash across his face.
The stage was set.
"Let's put on a show," he whispered under his breath.
The Human-Faced Ape crept closer, unaware that it wasn't the hunter this time — it was the hunted.