"Gon, take this one to the man with nails all over his face. Kurapika, this one goes to the silver-haired guy."
Lu Ou's sharp eyes kept locking onto his targets as he sent specially prepared steaks to specific individuals, spinning around the shop like a top from how busy he was.
When everyone in the shop had entered private rooms and none came back out, the crowd gradually thinned. Eventually, no one entered at all.
Lu Ou checked the time—this was roughly when the testing phase was about to begin in the original storyline.
"Ou, it's time for you to go take the test. Good luck to all of you."
The chubby owner smiled warmly as he sent Lu Ou and the others off.
"Got it. Gon, Kurapika, Leorio—let's go."
Lu Ou changed out of his clothes, and together with the three who were already prepared, entered an empty room.
There was no decoration inside—no tables, no chairs, nothing at all. Just a bare, empty space.
As soon as the owner ushered them in, he closed the door.
Clang.
The moment the door shut, the floor began to descend, and the surrounding walls started to rise.
"So this room is actually an elevator,"
Leorio said in amazement.
"I see now,"
Kurapika nodded in realization.
"That's awesome!"
Gon exclaimed.
They'd originally been confused—was the Hunter Exam really going to take place inside a room? That would've been absurd.
Turns out, the venue was underground.
"Put on your number tags—we're almost there."
Hearing the sound of the descent change, becoming heavier, Lu Ou knew they were about to arrive and immediately reminded the overly excited trio.
"Okay."
They took out the number tags given by Mr. Fox the day before and pinned them to their chests.
Thunk—!
"Ah—!"
The elevator doors opened.
Lu Ou stepped out first.
They had already seen many of the other examinees while in the shop, but since everyone had arrived individually or in small groups, nothing compared to the oppressive presence of seeing them all gathered together.
A mass of people stared at the four newcomers with unfriendly eyes. The pressure was immense.
Anyone who had made it this far was a skilled individual—standing together, their collective aura was something ordinary people couldn't withstand.
Gulp.
Leorio swallowed hard, instinctively trying to ease his nerves.
"So many people,"
Gon said in awe.
No matter the situation, Gon was always brimming with energy.
"Of course there are. People who passed the preliminary tests from all over the world—it adds up,"
Lu Ou replied.
"You're number 405. There's also a 406—you should be the last ones."
A man in a green vest with a yellow undershirt jumped down from a raised platform and greeted them.
"Hello, my name's Tonpa."
As expected, the Rookie Crusher Tonpa had immediately set his sights on them—just like in the original plot.
"This is my sixteenth year. Please take care of me."
"Sixteenth year?"
Kurapika frowned slightly, finding that odd.
"Hi! I'm Gon. These are Ou, Kurapika, and Leorio."
Gon greeted him enthusiastically and reached out to shake hands.
Only Kurapika followed suit.
Leorio waved dismissively and ignored him—possibly still affected by what had happened with Majitani earlier.
As for Lu Ou—there was no chance he'd shake hands with someone hiding malicious intent.
"Looks like you're all rookies."
Tonpa withdrew his hand without the slightest awkwardness, smiling cheerfully.
"I saw you handing out steaks back at the shop earlier—I thought you were exam staff."
"Is it that obvious we're rookies?"
Gon asked curiously, then explained,
"The owner was really busy, so we just helped out."
That was how Lu Ou had explained it afterward, so Gon repeated it to Tonpa.
"I've already participated thirty-five times,"
Tonpa said proudly.
"Five times?"
Gon asked, confused.
"I'm a veteran of the exam. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
Tonpa crossed his arms, wearing the air of a seasoned senior.
Setting aside his identity as a rookie crusher, the fact that he'd participated in so many Hunter Exams meant he really did know a lot. And since Lu Ou had plans involving him, Tonpa became increasingly smug—completely unchecked.
"Thank you!"
Gon said happily.
"Five times? That's amazing."
Leorio's glasses slid down his nose. That number was a bit much.
"Are you the famous Mr. Tonpa I've heard about?"
A sudden voice interrupted.
White shirt, suspenders, a round chubby face, carrying a palm-sized laptop—and a short, stocky build.
"You are…?"
Tonpa looked puzzled. He didn't recognize him—so probably not an enemy.
"I'm sure you don't know me. I'm a rookie—number 187. My name is Nickes."
"Hi, I'm Gon."
Unfortunately, Nickes didn't pay Gon any attention. He was busy typing on his computer, searching for something.
"So that's how it is, Tonpa-san."
Nickes spoke slowly and casually, analyzing as he went.
"You've challenged the exam five times—second in history. But as for consecutive appearances in the official exam without ever passing… you're number one. That's truly impressive."
"I've only ever participated—never once passed. A lifelong failure."
Tonpa shrugged helplessly, his tone full of resignation.
"'Lifelong failure'… that really suits you."
Nickes closed his computer and turned to leave, his reason for initiating the conversation entirely unclear.
Lu Ou didn't understand it either. He hadn't when watching the anime, and he still didn't now that he was here in person.
But recalling how, in the original story, Tonpa later dragged Leorio into the Bewitching Cedar Forest—and along the way also pulled Nickes in, utterly crushing his will and leaving him unable to ever muster the resolve to take the Hunter Exam again—
Could it be that Nickes's appearance here was meant to provoke Tonpa, giving him a "justified" reason to retaliate later?
Still… that guy really was asking for a beating,
Lu Ou muttered inwardly.
"That kid's pretty scary,"
Leorio commented.
"That was rude of him… but he wasn't wrong."
Tonpa scratched his head, looking a little dejected, playing the role of the good-natured man to perfection.
Lu Ou felt that if Tonpa were in the real world, he'd at least win an Oscar.
If Lu Ou didn't know his true nature for certain, even he would've been fooled. The acting was flawless.
From his honest appearance, to his sincere tone, to his completely non-threatening body language—
"This year's participants are really young. Take a look over there."
To further gain their trust, Tonpa casually offered more information.
Following his gesture, a shining bald head entered their field of view—
a man dressed in armor-like clothing, with a smooth scalp and wide eyes.
Lu Ou immediately recognized the standard look of Ninja Hanzo—and the next moment confirmed it.
"Just between us—I'm actually a ninja."
Hanzo said enthusiastically while chatting with another examinee.
"I go through rigorous training every single day."