078: Now That I’ve Arrived in This World, I’m the Protagonist!
Kurapika and Leorio both stared at Ronnel with deadpan eyes, prompting him to laugh awkwardly and whistle towards the sky.
The candidates taking the Hunter Exam may come from all walks of life, but they weren't stupid. After piecing things together, they watched the man in green like it was some kind of circus act.
"Isn't life good enough? Why come out here just to die? Don't man-faced apes have any instinct to avoid danger?"
Ronnel shook his head, picking up a few small stones from the ground.
With so many examinees around, these two monkeys really had some nerve trying to scam people. Who exactly were they looking down on?
And with Satotz leading the group, plus Hisoka—an absolute wildcard—hanging around, these two really didn't know fear.
But no matter how bold they were, they didn't have a future ahead of them.
Thinking this, Ronnel flicked one of the small stones.
Not at the man-faced apes, but at a certain twisted magician.
"Hmm?"
Hisoka had already shot six of his cards—three aimed at the monkey in green and three at the examiner, Satotz. He was preparing to throw three more at Ronnel when he noticed something odd.
It seemed the other party had taken the initiative.
"Interesting~!"
Hisoka chuckled, throwing the three cards in his hand to meet the flying stone head-on.
Both the cards and the stone were infused with Nen, and when they collided, the cards were sent flying while the stone shattered.
"Whoa!"
The nearby candidates immediately backed away, creating a large gap between Ronnel and Hisoka. Their expressions screamed, "Oh no, it's starting again!"
Satotz, having caught the three cards Hisoka had thrown earlier, wanted to warn him. But when he saw the two of them facing off again, he sighed and muttered under his breath.
There were just too many troublesome applicants this year.
"If you provoke me again, it won't just be a stone next time."
Ronnel weighed the stone in his hand, his tone flat as he addressed Hisoka.
Hearing this, Hisoka shrugged, giving a strange smile but not saying anything more.
"Alright, everyone, stick close to me. Stay alert and don't fall behind," Satotz called out, more tired than anything, as he led the group onward.
Ronnel followed closely, with Hisoka just behind him, and the rest of the candidates trailing them.
No one even spared a glance at the fallen man-faced apes.
As the group entered the fog-laden Milsy Wetlands, a thick mist descended, shrouding them all.
"Oh ho ho ho..."
This was the perfect time for some unexplained actions—their visibility was low, and the environment was disorienting.
Hisoka, his bloodlust piqued by Ronnel twice now, had only sated a bit of it on the two monkeys. That was just the appetizer.
"There are too many candidates here. Time to trim the numbers."
With a flick of his wrist, playing cards slipped from Hisoka's hands.
"Ahhhh!" A scream marked the beginning of the massacre.
Ronnel, still following Satotz, showed no reaction.
The other applicants, however, were trembling with fear, their heads lowered, trying to avoid drawing attention.
"Seriously, Hisoka the murderer is right behind us, and yet we still have to go back?" Killua, walking next to Ronnel, muttered, looking behind him in confusion.
Gon, who had just joined them, mentioned that his companions were left behind, and now he wanted to go back for them.
To Killua, it seemed like a death sentence. If Gon's companions ran into Hisoka, they'd be as good as dead.
Going back now was like serving themselves up on a platter.
Since Killua hadn't become close friends with Gon yet, he didn't think too deeply about it. He just complained a little before continuing to follow Satotz.
Ronnel felt the same way.
With Gon and his protagonist aura, they'd probably survive Hisoka's encounter like in the original story—barely escaping and getting pegged as "young, valuable fruit" by him.
At least it would draw Hisoka's attention away from Ronnel, allowing him to focus on the next phase of the exam in peace.
As for what might happen if Gon actually got killed...
Well, that was Gon's choice. He'd have to bear the consequences.
If Gon really did die, Ronnel wouldn't step in just because Gon was supposed to be the protagonist. There was no such thing as divine intervention in the real world.
Here, everyone was the protagonist of their own life.
After living on the streets of Meteor City, climbing in Heavens Arena, and all his travels over the past six months, Ronnel had witnessed too much death to care about the so-called "main character."
Now that he had come to this world, he was the protagonist.
Ronnel and Killua followed Satotz without any further trouble and eventually arrived at the second phase of the exam's destination.
Visca Forest Preserve.
Seeing the stone slabs engraved with the names of the buildings around them, the applicants breathed a collective sigh of relief.
First, the dark underground tunnel, then the plain of deception—it had kept them all on edge the entire time.
But the Hunter Association wouldn't keep their nerves wound up forever. Before the second phase of the exam began, they were given some time to relax.
Visca Forest Preserve was the site for the second phase.
In the middle of a flat area stood a factory building that looked like it had just been thrown together. The construction was obviously hasty, made from leftover materials.
A large clock hung above the main entrance.
Satotz glanced at it the moment they arrived.
There was still time before the first phase would end.
As the minutes ticked by and the applicants started to relax, Ronnel noticed movement out of the corner of his eye.
Not far ahead, through the mist, Hisoka approached with an unconscious Leorio slung over his shoulder, a pleased grin on his face as though something had amused him.
He dropped Leorio unceremoniously beneath a tree and gave Ronnel a cryptic smile before leaning against the wall.
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