I arrived at a location that seemed to be the exam venue. Deep underground—so deep I began to feel uneasy about how far down we were going—there was a vast space enclosed by bare concrete. It lacked any interior decoration, possessing a rugged construction that looked as if an entire floor of a building had been hollowed out.
A large number of people had already gathered. Were all of these people examinees for this year's Hunter Exam? Immediately after stepping off the elevator, I flinched slightly at the wave of gazes rushing toward me. I felt like I was being stared at quite intently, but I suppose that was only natural. They were likely observing their rivals who had come to take the same exam.
From what I could see at a glance, most of the examinees were adult men. It was clear they were approaching the exam in a state of full readiness, equipped with the weapons and gear they specialized in. They, too, must have broken through several trials to reach this place. Unlike the examinees I had encountered in the city, I felt something sharp in the atmosphere here.
"The reception desk is over here."
I was spoken to by a small man standing near the elevator entrance. He wore a badge indicating he was a member of the Hunter Association. I provided the confirmation examinee number given to me when I applied for the exam.
"That number... You are Chocorobov, yes? Right, here is your number plate. You will be managed by the number on this plate during the main exam. Please do not lose it."
Just by hearing the examinee number I stated, the man at the reception immediately guessed my name. Could he have memorized the information of every single examinee who applied?
The name Chocorobov was, of course, a pseudonym. I refrained from using the name Six. I coined this alias by play-on-words from 'Choco-robo-kun,' a snack I bought back when I was an iTuber trying to make food review videos.
One is permitted to use a pseudonym in the Hunter Exam. However, this also meant that proof of being a Hunter was independent of one's biological personal information. Therefore, even if one passed the exam, if they lost their Hunter License, there would be no way to prove they were a professional.
According to what I heard from Blade, there are powerhouses among those who have established a firm position as Professional Hunters who consider things like licenses unnecessary. However, if a rookie with no track record did the same, they would lose their credibility as a Hunter in an instant.
The reason pseudonyms are allowed is that the privileges of a Professional Hunter belong solely to the license itself, and personal circumstances are not considered at all. That is precisely why an existence like me can take the exam.
I checked the distributed number plate. The number written there was '1212.' Apparently, this number was assigned in the order of arrival at the venue. In other words, there are currently over 1,200 examinees gathered in this main exam venue. I wasn't sure if that was many or few.
I was told to wait until the exam start time. I looked around, but no one else was dressed like me. Was that a mistake on the shop's part? Or was it some special measure as a handicap for a Nen user?
"Hi! I'm Tonpa. Are you a rookie, by any chance?"
While I was lost in thought, someone spoke to me frankly. He was a fellow examinee and apparently a veteran who had taken the exam many times. He told me to ask him anything if I didn't understand something.
Although the exam venue had a somewhat strained atmosphere, it seemed there were friendly people like this too. Even if we were rivals, not everyone took a hostile attitude. Tonpa even offered me some juice to show his appreciation.
"As a token of our friendship! Drink up! Huff... huff...!"
Six doesn't get thirsty, but since he went to the trouble of preparing it, I felt bad turning it down and decided to drink it. Just then, another examinee who had newly arrived at the venue approached us.
"Are you still doing that? The poisoned juice."
"You!? Wh-what a terrible thing to say...!"
Hearing the words spoken by the boy who seemed to be an acquaintance of Tonpa, my hand stopped just as I was about to drink the juice. I was just a moment away from swallowing. Depending on the strength of the poison, I'm already tired of having my internal organs ripped out. I hurriedly spat out the juice in my mouth.
Judging by Tonpa's reaction as he scurried away, the boy's accusation probably wasn't a lie. It meant he had used traps like this before. I reflected on my lack of caution. Then, I thanked the boy.
"That's fine, but you're a person who can 'use' it, right?"
Being told that, I noticed for the first time. The film of aura enveloping the boy's body was clearly different from that of an ordinary person. He was a Nen user. He had also seen through the fact that I could use Nen.
"You don't have to be that scared. I don't really feel like fighting, or rather, do you want to team up? The content of the Hunter Exam changes completely depending on the examiner in charge, so I can't say for sure yet, but there are types of exams where you cooperate with a few people to complete missions."
It wasn't as if everyone had to kill each other. I also thought it would be best if we could avoid fighting each other. However, I couldn't rule out the possibility that he was actually full of intent to attack after making me think that.
Just a moment ago, I had almost fallen for Tonpa's trap. It was likely that conflicts and deception between examinees were a matter of course. It was difficult to decide immediately whether I should easily accept the boy's proposal.
"Oh, did I make you wary? Well, if you don't want to, that's fine. Let's meet up again if you feel like teaming up."
Saying that, the boy walked away. For the time being, it settled into a form of being put on hold.
From the flow of his aura, I could catch a glimpse of a portion of his strength. I don't yet have eyes capable of accurately gauging an enemy's combat power, but even so, I could tell he was quite capable.
Since he was acquainted with Tonpa, it probably wasn't the first time he had come to take the Hunter Exam. Was it an exam where even someone with that much power couldn't pass? It seemed necessary to stay sharp.
"Welcome, everyone."
A buzzer sounded, announcing the end of registration for the main exam. Having hidden behind a pillar to avoid standing out too much, I moved along with the other examinees. After a while, an examiner entered from behind a door. He was a man with glasses wearing funky coveralls.
"I heard 1,489 people reached the venue this year... but actually, the second phase examiner told me to narrow it down to about 300 at most."
He suddenly said something harsh. 300 people meant that only about one-fifth of the examinees could break through the first phase.
The man serving as the examiner began to think about what the exam content should be. Was he going to think of it right here? Was it okay to decide so casually? Anxiety mounted as I wondered what kind of content would pop out.
"Hmmmm, do you guys want to punch each other?"
The examiner told us to knock down five people. He said to collect five number plates by then, as there were two hours left until lunch. In other words, he was telling us to defeat examinees and steal their plates.
"Once you've collected five plates, come to me. I'll be waiting at the emergency stairs over there."
The moment the examiner went inside the emergency exit and closed the door, the exam would begin. All the examinees entered a combat-ready state. Each readied their weapons and glared at one other. Amidst the eerie silence, the sound of the door announcing the start of the battle was clearly audible.
The first phase began. The rowdy war cries and the noise of clashing weapons echoed against the bare concrete walls, ringing out loudly.
"Hehehe, girlie, if you don't want to get hurt, just quietly hand over your plate!"
Being in the midst of it, I was naturally no exception. A man nearby threatened me while pointing a dagger. It was quite a violent development from the first phase. Now, what should I do?
"...Tch, a troublesome bunch has arrived."
However, the man who had been threatening me shifted his attention to other examinees. A trio of men wearing hats was approaching.
"The Amori Brothers... they're veterans who specialize in exquisite combinations, but their individual strength isn't that high. In this chaotic melee, they shouldn't be able to use their specialty coordination! Die!"
The man with the dagger charged. In response, one of the three brothers dealt with him barehanded. Without flinching at the weapon, he accurately struck with a hand-chop and knocked the opponent's weapon away.
"Like we'd use a formation against a weakling like you."
"Guh...!?"
The man who had dropped the dagger must have realized the difference in strength in that instant, as he immediately retreated without any further resistance. He vanished, blending in with the examinees engaged in the brawl.
"Tch, he's fast at running away, at least. I missed out on stealing his plate."
"Amo-bro, there's an easy target left over there!"
And this time, they set their sights on me. I took a stance accordingly, but having to hold a plushie in one hand made it look somewhat unconvincing.
"There's no need to trouble you brothers. Leave this to me."
"Seriously, you're only aggressive toward opponents who look weaker than you."
"Well, whatever. Dropping out of the fourth phase last year... with that humiliation in our hearts, we've repeated blood-soaked training until today. It's no exaggeration to say we've evolved as if reborn; it's the first battle for the 'New Amori Brothers.' Let's let our cute little brother have the first spear. Go get 'em, Imori!"
One of the three brothers walked toward me slowly. He had a relaxed attitude, keeping his hands in his pockets. The other examinees didn't seem inclined to interfere with us. Did it mean these three brothers were people to be wary of?
"Listen, I don't have as much patience as my brothers, so I'll only say this once. Hand over your plate."
Of course, I had no intention of complying. I shook my head and refused. Immediately after, the man called Imori raised the hand he had held out and launched a slap, as if saying talk was useless. I evaded it and struck back.
"S-So fa—!?"
Puni
"Guaaaaaaah!! I'm hit!! It hur—... wait, it doesn't!?"
Imori was screaming exaggeratedly, but there shouldn't have been any damage at all. I hadn't felt any feedback from my own attack either. Mmm, this is quite difficult.
"Ha, haha! You just tried to scare me! You've got some speed, but you're overwhelmingly lacking in power! With a punch like that, I'd take zero damage even if you hit me a hundred times!"
I wasn't joking around. I had a reason for having to fight while holding back.
It would be easy to defeat Imori if I attacked while reinforced with aura, but the opponent was an ordinary person, not a Nen user. If I did that, I would inflict a major injury. In the worst case, he could even die, and if he didn't die, there was a risk that the attack would awaken his Nen.
Therefore, I had to fight without increasing my attack power with aura, and only by strengthening my physical abilities. Adjusting that level of force was difficult. I had trained, but this was my first actual battle against a living human being.
It would be bad if I accidentally put in too much power and caused a problem. I was being forced to be tense in a different sense.
"Ah-ha, now I'm completely ticked off... I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl anymore. I'll show you... the 'Imori Special'...!"
The enemy showed signs of using some technique. Should I take the initiative and shut him down? The enemy began a mysterious movement, as if swaying in the wind, but because of that, his attention to his lower body became a bit distracted. I decided to lightly sweep his leg first to break his posture.
Bakyo!
"Ah... GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
Crap. That was a bit too strong. The leg I kicked snapped and bent in a bad direction.
"Imori!?"
"This girl... she's no ordinary kid! Formation! We're going for real!"
The other two attacked simultaneously. This was bad. Being subjected to a simultaneous attack, I might get caught up in responding and cause a deviation in my precise adjustment of force. I approached one of the enemies myself and launched an attack first.
The previous leg sweep was a failure, but thanks to that, I got a feel for it. The enemy couldn't react to me as I rapidly shifted to the attack. Seizing that opening, I dove into his personal space and thrust my fist.
Bogoo!
"Kaha—!!"
Great, it worked this time... I think? It might have still been a bit strong, but could I say it was a success by a hair's breadth? The enemy was unconscious with his eyes rolled back.
"U-Umori-iiiii!? Damn youuuu!!"
The last one came. Against the enemy charging in a low posture as if to tackle, I tucked the plushie under my arm, grabbed his arm, and twisted it up. An armlock. The punches and kicks didn't work well, but with a grappling technique, it should be easier to adjust the force.
Meshi-meshi-meshi, paki!
"Gaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Was that a no-go? I snapped it like a dry branch without even giving him time to tap. I'm glad I didn't go for a headlock.
"Those Amori Brothers were taken out in an instant...!?"
"This kid is a monster!"
Thanks to Thought Acceleration, it felt like quite a lot of time had passed in my subjective experience, but in reality, I had dealt with two enemies in less than a second. The surrounding examinees moved away, letting out voices of dread.
"Hiii! S-Stop! Don't come any closer!"
I just need your plates, so it's fine. It's a pity, but for the sake of the exam, I must get what I need to get. The brothers tried to run away from me, but due to their injuries, they could only move as if crawling on the floor.
The Amori Brothers were exposing their terror so much I wanted to ask where their earlier bravado had gone. I felt bad, as if I were cornering them unnecessarily. It was just when I thought I should quickly collect the plates and leave this place.
A sensation shivered across my skin. The moment I sensed a presence, a shock ran through the back of my neck. The consciousness link connecting Six and the main body inside the plushie was severed.
It seemed I had been subjected to some kind of attack and knocked unconscious. I immediately diverted aura to repairs. When Six regained consciousness and looked around, the examinees who had been in a melee just a moment ago were all down. Everyone was unconscious.
"Oh, was that too shallow? As expected, Nen users are tough."
I looked in the direction the voice came from. A boy was sitting on a large pipe running along the wall. The boy, dressed casually in a tank top and shorts, had a silver hair color similar to Six's. It was the boy who had approached me about teaming up.
Having jumped down from the pipe, he was fiddling with a round plate in his hand. The number written on that number plate was '1212.' Six immediately checked her chest, but my plate was not there.
"I have a bit of a proposal; will you listen?"
Apparently, I didn't have the right to refuse.
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