The tunnel finally opened up to reveal a vast, primordial landscape.
The Numere Wetlands.
A thick, milky fog clung to the ground, obscuring the twisted trees and murky waters. The air smelled of damp earth and rot.
"Welcome to the Numere Wetlands," Satotz announced, his voice echoing in the mist. "Also known as the Swindler's Swamp. This is the only route to the Phase Two site."
"The creatures here are unique. They will use every trick in the book—deception, mimicry, hypnosis—to lure you to your deaths. They feed on lies. If you lose sight of me, you will die. Stay close."
Satotz scanned the group of exhausted runners.
"If anyone wishes to withdraw, the elevator is behind you. Once we step into the fog, your safety is your own responsibility."
Withdraw? Impossible.
After running 80 kilometers? After surviving the tunnel?
The 300+ remaining applicants stared ahead with grim determination. They hadn't come this far to quit.
"HE'S A LIAR!!"
A ragged scream shattered the silence.
From behind a cluster of rocks, a man stumbled out. He was battered, bleeding, and dragging something behind him—a creature that looked like a cross between a monkey and a human.
"Don't listen to him!" the injured man yelled, pointing a trembling finger at Satotz. "He's a fake! An impostor! I am the real examiner!"
Confusion rippled through the crowd.
"What?" Leorio blinked. "A fake?"
"But... he looks just like the examiner..." Gon muttered.
Even Hisoka and Hanzo paused, their eyes darting between the two figures.
"Look at this!" The injured man held up the creature he was dragging. "This is a Man-Faced Ape! They inhabit these wetlands. They love the taste of human flesh, but their limbs are weak, so they disguise themselves as humans to lure prey into the swamp! He's trying to lead you all into a trap!"
The man's performance was Oscar-worthy. His indignation, his wounds, the "evidence"—it all seemed plausible. Satotz did look weird, and his walking style was inhuman.
"So that's it..." Hanzo murmured, hand on his sword. "He does look suspicious..."
But before the crowd could debate any further—
Schwing.
A figure blurred past the injured man.
A silver arc flashed.
Splat.
A thin red line appeared on the man's forehead.
His eyes widened in shock. A second later, his head split open like a ripe melon.
As the body hit the ground, the illusion shattered. The "injured man" dissolved, revealing the twisted, hairy form of a Man-Faced Ape.
[You have killed a Man-Faced Ape. Plunder Successful.]
[Acquired: [Mimicry] (Blue), [Man-Eater] (Green).]
[System Note: Converting [Mimicry] (Blue) into XP for existing Trait [Shapeshifting] (Purple)... Upgrade Progress Increased.]
[System Note: [Man-Eater] (Green) rejected and converted to XP.]
Ryker stood over the corpse, flicking the blood off his fillet knife.
"Kyaaa?!"
The other ape—the one being "dragged"—shrieked in terror, realizing the gig was up. It tried to scramble away.
Slash.
Ryker didn't even look. A backhanded strike severed its spine.
[You have killed a Man-Faced Ape. Plunder Successful.]
[Acquired: [Mimicry] (Blue).]
[Auto-Fused.]
"Nice," Ryker thought, suppressing a grin.
[Mimicry] (Blue).
It was a sub-skill of Shapeshifting, focusing on voice and behavioral copying. With enough of these, maybe he could upgrade his [Shapeshifting] to Gold or even Red.
Could I become the Kakashi of this world? The Copy Hunter?
The thought was amusing.
The crowd stared at Ryker in stunned silence.
Hisoka, who had been holding a playing card ready to throw, slowly lowered his hand. His eyebrows arched in genuine surprise.
"Amazing... Ryker-aniki is amazing!!" Gon cheered, breaking the tension.
"He saw through the disguise instantly?" Killua murmured, eyes wide. "That's... high-level."
"How did he know?!" Leorio gaped. "I totally thought that guy was the real examiner!"
"The scary part isn't that he knew," Kurapika analyzed, his voice low. "It's his decisiveness. If he had been wrong—if that was a real human—attacking an examiner is immediate disqualification. To strike with lethal force without hesitation... his confidence is terrifying."
Not just Kurapika. Even the monsters of the exam—Illumi, Hanzo, Hisoka—were impressed.
Hisoka had planned to attack both targets with cards to see who reacted. The Man-Faced Ape was too weak to block, while the real Examiner would catch them. It was a simple test.
But Ryker? Ryker didn't test. He just executed.
He had identified the fake instantly and purged it.
"Excellent," Satotz said, clapping his hands slowly. "You are the most decisive candidate I have seen in years. Your judgment is impeccable."
"Thank you," Ryker smiled, wiping his blade. "Can we continue?"
Already, vultures were circling the dead apes. The brutal reality of nature was on full display.
"Of course," Satotz nodded. "As I said, deception is the currency of this swamp. Do not be fooled again."
Satotz turned and began to run into the fog.
"Follow me."
This time, the run was different.
The mist thickened until visibility dropped to zero. Shadows danced in the periphery. Strange cries echoed from the gloom.
The group began to fragment. People lost sight of the runner in front of them and vanished into the white void, their screams cut short by unseen predators.
For most, it was a nightmare.
For Ryker?
It was an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet.
He grinned and sprinted into the fog, abandoning the safety of the group.
Time to farm.