After saying goodbye to the kind-hearted Mr. Maldo, Yuu had a brand-new set of gear.
A black hiking backpack, a compass, a sturdy old-fashioned knife, flint stones, and more.
According to Maldo, he had once dreamed of becoming a Hunter when he was young. These were the supplies he had gathered back then, fueled by youthful passion.
Yuu had tried to refuse, insisting he didn't need them. But Maldo's hospitality was overwhelming, and Yuu eventually accepted the gifts.
Reflecting on the kindness he had received in just one afternoon, Yuu silently vowed to repay the old man properly once the Hunter Exam was over.
After all, money was the easiest thing in the world for a Hunter to get.
---
Because of the delay, it was nearly dusk by the time Yuu set out.
Rosy clouds were beginning to fill the sky.
Yuu kept his posture low, sprinting along the path toward the cedar tree at the mountain peak.
"I hope the old lady in the town along the way hasn't clocked out yet," Yuu thought, picking up his pace.
As he ran, he passed quite a few people camping in the forest or resting under tall trees.
"Camping in a forest full of magical beasts... bold choice," Yuu mused. He couldn't find a better word for them than "idiots."
Just as he suspected, as night fell, the beasts in the forest became more active than during the day.
This forced him to keep his Infinity barrier active the entire time.
Ironically, Yuu wasn't afraid of the large predators. He was more worried about venomous snakes dropping from the trees or poisonous bugs.
Toxin was a real threat.
His body wasn't like Killua's or Silva's; he hadn't spent his childhood building up a resistance to poisons.
Even though this forest was close to human settlements and unlikely to harbor anything too exotic, even a mild toxin would be enough to ruin his exam.
---
An hour later.
Yuu finally arrived at the eerie town that guarded the path to the cedar tree.
He had run the whole way at full speed with his Infinity active. He hadn't been attacked, but he was exhausted.
"Thank god, the examiners are still working..."
Panting heavily, Yuu spotted them from a distance. In the center of the only road leading to the cedar tree, an elderly woman stood with a group of strange figures draped in white cloth. They were currently questioning two young men who looked like candidates.
---
The old woman listened to the candidates' answers and waved them through.
Looking up, she noticed a white-haired boy walking toward her at a leisurely pace.
The last candidate of the night, perhaps?
She didn't care about his age or looks. She waited for him to stop in front of her before reciting the same mechanical lines she had been saying all day.
"If you wish to reach the cedar tree, the only path lies behind us."
"To pass, you must answer one question. You have five seconds to think. A wrong answer means disqualification..."
But before she could even finish her speech, the white-haired kid ignored her completely. He walked right past her and started running his hands along the walls of the alleyway.
Using his Six Eyes, Yuu traced the flow of energy behind the brickwork. He quickly found a section where the wall was hollow.
Here it is. The real path.
It wasn't behind the old woman, as she claimed.
Although Yuu had a thousand ways to smash through the wall, he worried about being disqualified for breaking the rules. So, he obediently walked back to the old woman to take the quiz.
His strange behavior had already alerted the examiner.
This kid... he definitely just found the 'real path', she thought.
But she kept her professional demeanor and posed the question.
"Are you ready? I will give you a question. You must choose one of the provided options. Any other answer is incorrect."
Yuu nodded calmly. "Go ahead."
"If your mother and your daughter both fall gravely ill at the same time, and the surgery can only save one of them, who would you choose?"
"One: Your mother. Two: Your daughter."
It was a cruel question. Even knowing the answer was "silence," Yuu found himself pausing to think.
"Countdown start. 5."
"4..."
"..."
Yuu remained silent, waiting for the timer to run out.
He was all alone in this world. He didn't have a mother or a daughter here, so the choice didn't technically apply to him.
But if this situation ever happened in real life... it would test a person's ability to make impossible decisions under pressure.
Like the Trolley Problem, the point wasn't always about weighing the value of life.
It was about the burden of choice.
Specifically, if you had to choose, how could you live with yourself afterward?
---
The silence stretched on. The old woman finished her count and looked at him.
"Young man, why didn't you answer?"
Yuu pulled himself out of his thoughts and spoke slowly.
"For a question like that, there is no right answer for anyone. There is no standard solution."
"Therefore, silence is the only correct response."
The old woman smiled. "Congratulations. You pass."
Yuu didn't feel particularly happy about it.
It felt like cheating since he already knew the answer.
---
"You found the real path beforehand, didn't you?"
As the old woman spoke, the figures in white cloth moved aside, opening the hidden door in the wall.
Yuu looked at her and didn't deny it. He simply nodded.
Hidden passages were useless against the Six Eyes, which could see through surfaces and analyze structures.
The old woman didn't pry further. She gestured to the dark tunnel.
"Go through here. Walking for about two hours will get you to the cedar tree."
"Once there, a young couple will give you the final test. If you pass, they will guide you to the Hunter Exam site."
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
Yuu thanked her briefly and stepped into the tunnel.
However, once he was in the shadows...
He waited until the stone door slid shut behind him before he really started moving.
"Alright. Time for a speedrun."
A smile touched Yuu's lips as he began to channel his Cursed Energy.
This time, he wasn't just going to reinforce his legs and run.
He was going to use a more advanced application.
A derivative of the Limitless Technique.
Teleportation.
---
When Cursed Energy is poured into a technique, the effect is amplified in a specific direction. This is called "Cursed Technique Lapse."
Applying this to the Limitless creates a powerful force of attraction—Blue.
"Teleportation" was essentially using Blue to compress space, pulling the user to a destination at high speed.
He had used a micro-version of this earlier when he punched the thug in the noodle shop.
"The catch is, I can only use it when there are no obstacles in the way. If I hit something, the technique gets interrupted."
"And without the Infinity barrier to protect me, slamming into a wall at that speed would turn me into paste."
In other words, use with caution.
But looking down the long, straight, empty tunnel... it was perfect.
"This is a good chance to practice increasing my 'jump' distance."
Yuu put the thought into action immediately.
Zip.
He teleported about five meters forward.
That was his current limit.
The range was short, but the frequency was insane.
Zip. Zip. Zip.
In the blink of an eye, he covered dozens of meters.
---
Meanwhile, in a wooden cabin at the top of the cedar tree.
A pair of Kiriko (Magical Beasts that look like foxes) had just received a call from the old woman.
They were informed that one more candidate had passed the test.
As soon as they hung up, they started speaking in human tongues, planning how to mess with the newcomer.
"Hurry up and get here. I can't wait to give him a warm welcome."
"I heard he's just a kid... hope he doesn't pee himself when he sees us."
"Hehehehe..."