Asked a critical question that could potentially land Auren in serious trouble, he decides to feign disinterest.
Can't reveal my connection to Hollow Blade.
"Mind your own business, old man," Auren replies, acting like the topic is too benign, cutting off any discussion about it.
"Brat, you should be more polite to me," Netero says with a grin, his expression not matching his words in the slightest.
In the end, only 22 examinees pass. Every single one of the 17 examinees who failed didn't possess even a single amethyst. Because of the unusually high number of 'missing' examinees, Biscuit ends up judging the remaining candidates rather leniently.
Back on the airship, Auren approaches Neffi, not hiding his concern. "Are you alright?"
"Sure," Neffi replies, looking a little surprised by the question. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"It looked like a lot of people were targeting you. In an abandoned mine at that. You know, most young women would be at least a little scared," Auren explains.
"Though I guess... for a competent Nen user, that wasn't much of a threat," he quickly adds.
"See, you already know the answer," Neffi says, looking genuinely unbothered. "Don't worry about me. You know I can take care of myself." She pauses briefly before adding, "I could have returned earlier, but I wanted to mine a few amethysts myself instead of just taking them from others. This is probably the only time in my life I'll ever end up in a place like that, so I might as well make the most of it. New experiences are nice, even if they're tedious."
"Indeed," Auren agrees. "Stay focused, it's almost over."
Only Knov's and Netero's exams are left. What exactly does Knov do again? He mentioned testing combat strength... wasn't that supposed to be one-on-one fights? There has to be a twist. What else is he testing?
Could it be tied to his profession? I'm drawing a complete blank. I didn't bother looking into him.
Well... I'll find out soon enough.
As soon as the examinees step onto the airship, Knov's voice echoes through the halls.
"The fifth exam will begin momentarily. Every remaining candidate has five minutes to arrive at the second deck."
Really!? Right now?!
Joining the other examiners in the lounge, Auren watches the fifth phase exam through a monitor.
All remaining 22 candidates are led into a room that resembles a standard exam hall.
Twenty-two desks, chairs, envelopes, and pens are neatly arranged, each set waiting for its respective examinee.
"Sit down," Knov orders calmly, his voice quiet, yet carrying a natural authority that makes it difficult to ignore.
"Are you serious?!"
"No way... a written exam?"
"Hehe, this is a nice surprise."
"Silence," Knov cuts them off. "The next person who speaks without permission will be disqualified."
The room instantly falls quiet as everyone hurriedly takes their seats.
Satisfied, Knov begins explaining the rules. "You have exactly ten minutes to answer the questions in front of you. Once I end the exam, you will flip your answer sheets immediately. Trust me, even a single second of delay will result in failure and thus, disqualification."
"Starting... now. The time is ticking," Knov announces.
With just a tiny delay, the examinees quickly rip open the envelopes, grab their pens, and read as fast as they can.
Staring at the monitor, Auren can't help but wonder about the questions.
What is Knov thinking? And only ten minutes?
Watching the candidates, Auren quickly notes a couple of things.
"These questions... either the examinees know, or they don't. They seem to be quite simple and straightforward," Auren points out after seeing the candidates fill out the sheet.
"Indeed," Biscuit says. "I believe I know what little Knov is aiming for."
Little Knov?
"Then say it, and don't just brag," Auren retorts.
"No, I won't!" Biscuit says, sticking out her tongue at Auren.
What a petty liar... also so childish.
"Knov is a very meticulous person," Morel interjects, grabbing the room's attention. "He values people who pay attention. These questions won't be about knowledge, but about the examinees' observational skills. Most likely, they will ask questions about the other examinees and the previous exams."
"Oh! You are quite smart!" Cutie says, looking impressed.
"Hoho, or he asked Knov about his exam," Netero says, causing Morel to smile awkwardly.
"There is that as well," he shamelessly admits.
"..."
After just 10 minutes, all candidates follow the rules and flip over their sheets, most of their faces filled with doubt.
"Leave the room and re-enter when I call you in. Stay close by. If you miss my call, you'll regret it," Knov says, collecting the sheets.
On the camera, Auren sees Knov go through the results at record speed.
He watches him write the results down on a piece of paper, and then, after just twenty minutes, he calls in a Hunter waiting outside with the candidates.
One by one, starting with Shalnark, the Hunter leads the candidates back into the room, where they are asked a simple question: "Who do you want to fight?"
However, that process, of course, only lasts until ten have entered, Neffi noticeably not among them, meaning she was amongst the worst in the exam.
This means that the other twelve examinees don't get the opportunity to enter at all and just have to pray that their enemies are not insurmountable for them.
Finally, Knov calls in all of the candidates at once.
"The first part of the fifth phase of the Hunter Exam is over," Knov announces.
"What follows are eleven 1-on-1 fights. I'll be the judge, but I advise you to surrender on your own. I'll only end fights if I see no hope of a turnaround. Killing your opponents is not against the rules either, so I advise you to surrender early, before it's too late. You might have noticed that the airship hasn't lifted off, as we'll hold the fights outside in the abandoned mining camp. The matchups depend on your results. The one who answered the most questions correctly got to choose his opponent first, and so on. In the end, 10 people chose their matchups. One interesting piece of information is that the second-ranked examinee didn't get to choose, as he was chosen by the first-ranked examinee."
The man in question, a tall but relatively slim man, looks like he is about to explode as he clenches his lean hands tightly, his veins bulging unnaturally.
Shalnark is quite mean... the second place will have to drop out just like that... that's bitter.
Knov then reads out the remaining matchups.
Auren briefly glances at Neffi's opponent, one of average stature and, judging by the previous tasks, one of the physically weaker examinees, who also doesn't appear to be particularly bright.
So after her little show of force, she was probably chosen last... or her opponent didn't get to choose, as only she and her opponent were left.
Outside, before the battles take place, Knov reveals that everyone left automatically qualifies for next year's exam and will be led straight to wherever it takes place, without requiring the help of navigators. Then, without any delay, the battles begin.
Barely paying attention, Auren sees Shalnark and Neffi win effortlessly, both sparing their opponents and not causing lethal or even serious injuries, as both of them quickly surrender after almost fainting during the very first attack.
Most other fights are pretty even.
To his disappointment, Auren spots almost no truly outstanding examinees among them. All are competent, but nobody has any kind of special ability or uniqueness that Auren is looking for.
Still, he notices a few genuinely competent fighters barely lose, fighting to the brink of consciousness.
Not bad....
When the eleven passing examinees are announced, Auren makes sure to hand out a few of his cards to the losers who caught his eye.
More competent foot soldiers. Maybe I'm actually a competent vice-leader after all....
With only Netero's exam left, Auren wonders what the exam will be about.
As usual... the crazy old man didn't say a thing about his own exam, yet he wanted to judge others.
The airship, carrying a lot of failed examinees from the previous two exams, once again flies back to Yorknew.
He vaguely hears a Hunter in charge of supporting the exam announce, "The sixth phase of the exam will take place tomorrow at 2 AM. Until then, you are free to rest."
So they can get a few hours of sleep in, interesting.
Auren himself, who doesn't feel even the least bit tired, focuses on his Aura, training his En. The airship, filled with people, is a suitable place to train not only his range, but also his senses, as he trains to focus on multiple points within his En radius at the same time.
With a few hours left, Auren switches to Zetsu and sleeps for a while, making sure he is at his best to properly pay attention to whatever task Netero has chosen for the examinees.
Finally, at 1:51 AM, the airship lands in the backyard of the Hunter Association building in Yorknew, barely fitting inside.
At exactly 2 AM, everyone gathers outside, with Netero leading them toward the roof, an awkward scene taking place as 11 examinees and almost 20 Hunters, who supported the exam as helpers, walk up the stairs of the eerily silent Hunter building.
Enjoying the cold night air, Auren looks out over Yorknew. Despite the late hour, the city is still alive, many people are going about their business, and cars are still driving around, still not able to move undisturbed, as there are still some minor traffic jams occurring in the center of the city.
What a hellish city. The roads are just terribly designed... if there is congestion at 2 AM, this city has no hope of ever functioning properly.
Auren, the other examiners, and the Hunters who have been helping out gather on one side of the roof, behind Netero, who is standing in front of the eleven examinees.
I wonder what he'll test.
"Hoho, first of all, congratulations!" Netero says, smiling widely. "All eleven of you are indeed strong candidates. You've been tested in various things. Physical strength, mental strength, survival skills, dexterity, combat ability, decision-making, strategy, comprehension, powers of observation, and even social skills."
"For those of you who don't know, I am Netero, chairman of the Hunter Association. There is only one thing I truly want to test..." Netero begins, his smile fading a little.
"Willpower," he states calmly, yet his voice echoes through the city, as if amplified by a megaphone.
He added Nen to his voice...
"Not just the willpower to keep going and endure as you did during the other exams, but the power to fight against your very instincts," Netero clarifies.
"To truly test that, I've designed a test that is so simple, it will end in just twenty seconds," Netero says, taking a piece of chalk from his robe. "In twenty seconds, you'll know if you've passed or failed this year's exam."
He then draws a small, thin zone, like an angle right in front of where he is standing, and another thin, but much longer zone, a little farther back.
What's that supposed to be?
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