Truth be told, Satchi didn't actually expect Yuu to understand his hint so quickly.
Judging by the boy's "Ten," Satchi could tell Yuu was a novice. His aura control lacked the polish that came from long-term mental discipline. The flow wasn't natural; it felt like he was forcing the aura around with his brain rather than guiding it with his spirit.
Satchi had noticed this but kept quiet. After all, they had only just met, and he didn't know the boy well.
"Nen" was dangerous. Teaching it to someone without knowing their true nature could lead to disaster.
As for the hint he just dropped... Satchi figured it barely counted as teaching. Focusing aura into specific body parts was extremely difficult. A few vague words wouldn't help much.
Especially since... Satchi had deliberately left out the most crucial step.
---
Meanwhile, Yuu snapped out of his thoughts.
Satchi's hint had opened the door to a whole new world for him.
Thinking about it... it was a simple concept. Even without the hint, Yuu would have figured it out eventually.
It was just a matter of time.
"Focus the Nen into one part... while maintaining 'Ten'."
"Concentrating aura into a specific area... that sounds like a variation of 'Gyo'."
Yuu recalled the mechanics of Gyo (Focus) from the series. It was an advanced technique where the user focused aura into their eyes to see hidden Nen. But it could also be used to strengthen any body part.
Yuu put the exam out of his mind and started experimenting immediately.
He decided to start with something basic: gathering his aura into his palms.
However...
Every time the aura in his hands reached a certain density, the "Ten" covering the rest of his body would thin out and collapse.
"Strange... what am I doing wrong?"
Yuu was confused.
If a normal "Ten" was like an even oval of energy around his body, Satchi's method was asking him to reshape that oval into a hammer or a sickle.
Maintaining that shape required a level of control and understanding he didn't have yet.
Yuu focused harder, trying to be more precise.
He tried a dozen more times.
But every single time, he ran out of aura. When he pulled enough energy to his hands, the shroud around his body became too thin to sustain.
"Running out of aura..."
Yuu frowned, muttering the words to himself.
Then, it clicked.
"The problem is volume. I need to use 'Ren' (Enhance)."
"Without the explosive output of 'Ren', a normal person doesn't have enough aura to maintain 'Ten' while focusing energy elsewhere."
Yuu's brow smoothed out.
"No wonder I kept failing..."
"I forgot the most basic step."
Realizing this, Yuu centered himself. He recalled the description of "Ren" from his memory... the visualization of unleashing all his latent energy at once.
He calmed his restless mind...
And built an image in his head.
A bustling city at night. Rain pouring down in sheets...
The water floods the streets.
It rises higher... swallowing the buildings, reaching for the clouds.
It was an exaggerated visualization, but the effect was immediate.
A few minutes later.
Though his eyes were closed, Yuu could feel his life energy surging like a tidal wave. It poured out of his pores, enveloping him in a massive, dense aura.
He felt power like never before.
"He finally figured it out..." Satchi thought, watching from the side.
"I just gave him a vague hint."
"And he actually grasped the concept of 'Ren' on his own..."
Satchi was shaken to his core, though his face remained impassive. The hand holding his cigarette trembled slightly.
"What a monster."
---
A moment later, Yuu opened his eyes. seeing the massive aura surrounding him, he knew he had succeeded.
This time, when he tried to move the excess aura to his palms, it worked perfectly.
Yuu was thrilled, but then reality set in.
He was still in the middle of an exam.
He checked the time. After all his training, there were only about nine hours left.
"Time to go."
Yuu said a quick goodbye to Satchi, then turned and plunged back into the darkness, sprinting toward the other exit.
---
Two hours later.
About thirty candidates were trudging back the way they came. They were now dozens of kilometers away from the blocked exit.
"How long have we been running?" someone asked.
"Maybe... an hour?"
No one knew for sure.
The endless darkness was mentally crushing. Without visual reference points, time and distance blurred. Fatigue set in faster.
Despair hung over the group like a cloud. Their pace slowed to a crawl.
As Yuu had suspected... this was a test of will, not just endurance.
"We failed the moment we picked the wrong path."
"We walked all the way to the end, and now we have to walk all the way back. That's double the distance."
"With the time limit... there's no way we're making it out of this tunnel!"
Just as the group was spiraling into defeatism...
WHOOSH—
A violent gust of wind tore through the center of the group!
The shockwave made everyone stop and look back.
"Did the exit open behind us?"
"No, that wasn't a draft from a door opening..."
"Did something just run past us?"
Whatever they were guessing, Yuu was long gone.
He was blazing through the dark tunnel, wrapped in the massive aura of "Ren" and with his legs heavily reinforced by Cursed Energy.
"Using 'Ren' alongside Cursed Energy... my speed and power are at their absolute peak!"
"This is easily five, maybe ten times stronger than my previous 'Cursed Ten'!"
"The downside is... it burns through my stamina like crazy!"
Yuu knew he couldn't keep this up forever. He lengthened his stride, trying to cover as much ground as possible before he burned out.
He had to cover double the distance in less than half the time.
It was a tall order.
If he wanted to pass...
He couldn't afford to slow down for a second.
---
Eight hours later.
Examiner Sam stood at the exit, checking his stopwatch.
"Thirty minutes left..."
Sam looked toward the other exit, about a kilometer to his left. A massive avalanche had buried it completely.
His brother's route was dead. Assuming no one could dig through that much snow, everyone who followed Satchi had failed.
Sam sighed.
"Luck is a part of a Hunter's skill set, I suppose..."
As the final minutes ticked away...
Ring ring ring...
Sam's phone buzzed.
He pulled it out and saw his brother's name.
"Hello, Sam..." Satchi's voice came through clearly.
"Did you see a white-haired boy come out yet?"
"Hmm... not yet," Sam replied.
"That kid can use 'Nen'. He's probably the most unique candidate in my group. Unfortunately, my side got blocked by snow, so he had to turn back and head for your exit. If you see him, let me know."
"...He can use Nen?"
Sam paused. "That is unique..."
"I'll keep an eye out."
"But sadly, I haven't seen him yet."
"Based on my calculations... he should be there any second," Satchi said confidently.
Just as Sam was about to reply, a figure burst out of the tunnel mouth.
White hair. Covered in sweat. Bandages over his eyes.
He looked like he had been through hell.
"He's here," Sam said into the phone.
"Oh? Good."
Satchi hung up without another word.
Sam put away his phone and walked over to the boy.
---
Yuu was trembling. His legs were jelly.
The moment he saw Examiner Sam, he let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for hours. He rasped out one sentence.
"Number 672... Yuu."
Then he collapsed face-first into the snow.
Sam checked his watch.
One minute left.
He hadn't timed out.
"You pass."