Chapter 50: Osren's New Technique (Part II)
Osren adjusted his stance — feet apart, weight balanced, face angled just right. His expression settled perfectly into the role: nervous, confused, just the right touch of helplessness.
Then he slowly turned his head.
From between the thick trees, a shadow emerged — tall, broad-shouldered, and moving with uneven urgency.
The branches in front of the figure swayed and snapped as it forced its way through. Whoever it was didn't care about the twigs slapping across their face or arms — just kept pushing forward, as if in a hurry to reach him.
Osren's heart didn't race, but his acting said otherwise. His brows furrowed tightly, lips quivering ever so slightly, as he stepped back like a startled child.
"Wh-who's there?!" he called out, his voice trembling just enough to sound genuine.
He gave himself a silent nod of approval. Nice delivery. A solid eight out of ten — room for refinement, but still Oscar-worthy.
In the Hunter world, survival wasn't just about strength. You needed to perform.
And Osren had long since realized that being a convincing actor could save your life far more often than a flashy technique could.
"Hey! It's you!" The figure stepped into view — bare-chested, wearing only a tattered pair of pants and a tie hanging loosely around his neck. "Thank God, I finally found someone!"
The voice — the build — even the grin — it was Leorio.
Or at least… something that looked a lot like him.
He was covered in mud and scratches, his hair matted, his arms bruised. From a distance, it was almost perfect — a man who'd just barely survived a trap.
But Osren's senses picked up something off the moment the wind shifted.
A faint, animal scent — musky, earthy, sour.
Underneath the smell of swamp and sweat, it was undeniably simian.
A monkey trying too hard to play a man.
"So that's your game, huh?" Osren thought, suppressing a grin. "The technique's clumsy, but at least you came to me yourself. It'd be rude not to use you properly."
Outwardly, he brightened, plastering a relieved smile across his face — his whole demeanor flipping in an instant from fearful to warmly familiar.
"Leorio! What are you doing here? Weren't you with Kurapika? Did something happen?" His tone was all concern and friendly urgency, as if he hadn't just smelled deception wafting off his "friend."
The fake Leorio hesitated for half a heartbeat — clearly caught off guard by the question. His eyes darted briefly, then he quickly slipped into character again.
"Ah, right… yeah, we got separated!" he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "There were traps everywhere. I lost sight of Kurapika and the others, and I've been trying to find them since."
To sell the story, he even let his shoulders droop and sighed heavily, the picture of a man weighed down by worry for his lost companions.
Osren almost applauded.
If he hadn't known better — if he hadn't already smelled the lie — he might've believed it.
"Decent acting," he mused silently. "But your eyes tell the truth — too still, too calculating. You're no Leorio."
The Human-Faced Ape took another cautious step forward, waiting to see how his prey would respond.
Osren smiled gently, eyes wide with innocent trust.
"Don't worry," he said softly. "We'll find them together."
But behind that calm, friendly smile… his fingers twitched.
The trap wasn't for him.
It was for the predator that thought it was hunting him.
The play had begun — and Osren never left the stage until the audience stopped breathing.
It was said that survival in the Hunter Exam was thirty percent intelligence and seventy percent acting.
And looking at the "Leorio" before him, Osren had to admit — the Human-Faced Ape's performance, while crude, was at least passable.
If I didn't already know the real Leorio's currently crossing blades with Hisoka right now, Osren mused, I might've believed this knockoff for a moment.
He studied the creature's mimicry with genuine appreciation. The mannerisms were decent — the grin forced but serviceable — though that faint animal stench still betrayed it.
Osren smiled warmly. "Leorio! You were saying earlier you were hungry, right? Luckily, I brought extra food for you."
He knelt and began rummaging through the small leather pouch he'd borrowed from Gon earlier — one he'd intentionally kept quiet about. From inside, he produced a neat little pile of bright green fruits and a few soft white buns.
"These are all yours. Eat up — you'll need your strength. If that's not enough, there's more once we reach the next site. Gon's got plenty too."
His tone was full of friendly sincerity, every word dripping with the natural kindness of a trusted friend.
The Human-Faced Ape froze for a moment. Its fake smile stiffened as it stared at the small mountain of food placed before it.
…Problem.
It was omnivorous, yes — but its main diet was meat, preferably fresh and human.
The fruits and buns before it smelled like disappointment.
"What's wrong?" Osren tilted his head, his innocent curiosity flawless. "Aren't these your favorite snacks?"
The creature's jaw twitched. For a brief second, it regretted choosing Leorio's face at all.
If I'd known, I'd have copied someone else…
But outwardly, it chuckled awkwardly. "Ah— no, no! I'm just… overwhelmed. So much food all at once — I'm… thrilled!"
Osren nodded sympathetically. "Of course. Take your time."
Inside, the Human-Faced Ape wanted to cry. It couldn't eat this junk, but it couldn't break character either.
Patience, it told itself. A few more bites and the human will drop his guard. Then I can have the real meal.
"Thank you, Osren," it said in Leorio's voice, forcing a grin as it grabbed one of the green fruits.
It took two quick bites — sour and bitter — and swallowed without chewing, suppressing the urge to gag.
Then it picked up a bun, nibbling cautiously.
Osren's gaze softened. "You're eating too fast. You must really be starving. Don't worry — I've got plenty more."
He reached into the pouch again and handed over a second pile of fruit and bread.
"…Cough."
The Human-Faced Ape's eye twitched. It took the food, muttering silent curses in its mind.
Human food is disgusting. Humans themselves taste better.
But he had to maintain the illusion — and so, miserably, he kept eating.
By the third round, even his monstrous stomach began to rebel.
I'm a Human-Faced Ape, not a Human-Faced Pig! it screamed internally, staring at the endless food with hollow eyes.
Osren, meanwhile, smiled brightly — a picture of hospitality — while subtly watching the creature's every twitch, cataloging its tells, its breathing, its fake movements.
Each bite was a data point. Each reaction, a weakness.
Soon, he would make his move.
---
Elsewhere in the swamp, the real Leorio and Kurapika had stumbled into the middle of a different nightmare — the infamous "Hisoka plays Exam Proctor" scene.
After narrowly escaping the blast zone of exploding mushrooms, they found themselves in a small clearing with a few other examinees.
The fog had thinned slightly, and for a moment, it felt almost peaceful.
Until it wasn't.
Shhhhfft!
Dozens — no, hundreds — of playing cards sliced through the air from every direction.
A deadly storm of crimson and silver.
Kurapika reacted instantly. In one smooth motion, he unsheathed his twin tonfas, spinning them to deflect the incoming cards — metal clashing with paper that cut like blades.
Leorio managed to dodge most of them, his reflexes surprisingly sharp, but one card still caught him off guard, slicing into his arm. Blood splattered against the grass.
He gritted his teeth. "Tch— damn it!"
He was lucky.
Others weren't.
Several examinees didn't even have time to scream — cards embedded in their throats, chests, and skulls before they realized what was happening. They dropped wordlessly to the ground.
And then came the laugh.
"Heh… heh heh heh…"
That chilling, distorted chuckle that only one man could make.
Hisoka.
The survivors instinctively gathered together, forming a defensive line. Kurapika stepped in front of the injured Leorio, gripping his weapons tightly.
From the fog, slow footsteps echoed.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hisoka emerged — smiling, languid, eyes gleaming with predatory amusement.
"Damn it!" Leorio growled, his temper flaring. "What the hell are you trying to pull, you freak?!"
Hisoka tilted his head lazily, drawing a single Joker card between his fingers.
"Oh, nothing much. I was simply playing Examiner," he said in that smooth, mocking tone. "Originally, I planned to wait for the Second Phase to stretch a little… but the First Phase was so dreadfully boring."
He flicked the card into the air, catching it again with a flourish.
"So I decided to help out — to evaluate a few of you myself. A little screening process, if you will. To see who's truly fit… to be a Hunter."
If there was ever such a thing as a polite psychopath, Hisoka embodied it perfectly.
"Evaluate?!" Leorio barked. "You lunatic! Can't you see— the fog's so thick we can't even find the real examiner! You'll get disqualified just like us if you—"
Fffshht!
A single card zipped through the air, silencing him.
The man in the blue sweater beside him froze mid-sentence — eyes wide — before his head tilted forward, a clean red line across his neck.
He dropped wordlessly.
Kurapika's jaw tightened.
Hisoka smiled wider. "Oh, don't worry. I don't need to pass the exam."
The clearing fell silent except for the soft patter of blood dripping onto grass.
And somewhere else, miles away, Osren fed a trembling monster another bun and smiled.
"Eat up," he whispered. "You'll need your strength."
Because soon…
he'd take it all away.