[21]: Range

"Let's go," Cyr said, turning back toward the caravan without sparing another glance.

"What about the girl?" one of the three guards asked, hesitation and pity evident in his tone.

"If she truly needs help, she'll follow us, even if it kills her," the white-haired boy replied without stopping or looking back, his words dripping with an ambiguous undertone.

The three men exchanged glances with a mix of uncertainty, but in the end, they followed Cyr.

Behind them, the girl who had introduced herself as "Lucy"—but was in reality Biscuit—could no longer force out any more tears. She stood still for a moment, took a deep breath to steady herself, and ignored the missing braid of her hair. Adopting a helpless and fragile demeanor, she stumbled after them.

"Wait for me... Please, don't leave me behind," she called out weakly.

You little white-haired brat, just you wait.

Though her face remained pitiful and teary, inwardly she seethed with anger.

I'll make sure the rest of this exam won't be easy for you!

When the caravan saw the girl trailing behind Cyr and the guards, they were surprised. After hearing the guards explain how this "Lucy" had been abandoned in the desert, the caravan leader fell silent for a moment.

"Let her come with us," the leader eventually said. "When we reach a safe city, we'll see if we can find someone willing to take her in."

Cyr couldn't help but suspect that the leader was already familiar with this so-called girl, who was clearly much older than she looked.

"My leg hurts... I want to ride with him," the girl said softly, lifting the hem of her skirt and gazing pitifully at Cyr.

The target of her request was obvious—she wanted to share a camel with him.

The other men in the caravan all turned to Cyr, thinking the two kids were closer in age and might have more to talk about.

But the white-haired, blue-eyed boy's expression remained impassive as he coldly asked, "Are you sure you don't want to lose your other braid too?"

Biscuit's face twitched in frustration. How dare he bring that up again!

What an insufferable little boy! No wonder boys this age are universally despised by both cats and dogs!

In the end, she rode alone on a separate camel, quietly abandoning her earlier attempts to attract attention. She remained unusually quiet, which only made Cyr more suspicious.

If she really was tied to the Hunter Exam, she should be finding ways to create obstacles and challenges for the candidates.

This sudden silence could only mean one thing—she was already planning her next move.

As the day wore on and the sun dipped closer to the horizon, casting long shadows across the desert, the girl calling herself "Lucy" still hadn't caused any trouble.

When the caravan finally stopped to make camp for the night, they pitched their tents and lit fires. The guards split into teams for the night watch, and Cyr, being younger, was assigned the later shift.

"There are plenty of beasts in the desert," one of the guards explained, stirring the fire with a stick. "During the day, they hide beneath the sand to escape the heat. But when the temperature drops at night, they come out to hunt."

"Normally, we don't have to worry. We've got numbers on our side, and most beasts won't risk attacking us unless they've completely lost their minds."

"But if we run into a crazed one... well, that's rare, but it happens."

Night had fully fallen, and the desert's temperature had plummeted. The difference from the blistering daytime heat was staggering.

Everyone huddled around the campfires, which provided warmth and cooked the stew bubbling in the large iron pots. The rich aroma of the meal wafted through the air, making mouths water as the steam curled into the night sky.

The caravan leader, an experienced desert traveler, enthusiastically shared his insights with the group.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone returned to their tents to rest. The night guards stationed themselves outside, watching over the camp.

Cyr, however, didn't return to the tent. He had no intention of sleeping alongside the others, nor did he believe anyone would get a good night's sleep tonight.

Sitting alone some distance from the camp, he continued to explore his Nen ability.

The 24-hour cooldown had passed, allowing him to draw cards again. With so many people in the caravan, it was the perfect opportunity to test his abilities. He already knew who his first target would be: the golden-haired girl whose braid he had cut.

"Wheel of Law," he muttered to himself. A glowing wheel, surrounded by an eerie blue hue, appeared in the air before him.

The cards, their faces still obscured, rotated within the wheel, waiting to be drawn. Without hesitation, Cyr reached out and selected three cards. The wheel vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

[Reversed Devil] – Debuff Card.

[Upright Moon] – Buff Card.

[Reversed Hanged Man] – Debuff Card.

He flipped the cards over to reveal their backs. No countdown timer appeared yet, indicating he had time before he needed to use them.

Now, he just needed a subject for testing...

Cyr turned his gaze toward the camp, curious whether his ability could affect someone from a distance.

His first attempt failed at 300 meters.

Closing the gap, he tried again at 200 meters, but still no success.

At 100 meters, the result was the same.

Finally, Cyr extended his aura outward, forming a "Circle" about 20 meters in radius, encompassing the nearest tents. This was the maximum range he could currently manage.

The primary function of Circle is to sense threats within its radius. Even in the depths of the Meteor City catacombs, most users could only extend their Circle a few meters.

Thanks to his extraordinary life energy and physical strength, Cyr's nen was naturally far more potent than most.

Inside one of the tents, Biscuit immediately sensed the Circle. She opened her eyes, grabbed the hem of her dress, and pulled aside the tent flap.

She wanted to see which troublemaker was using their Circle to envelop the tents in the middle of the night.

The flap revealed the white-haired, blue-eyed boy, his face marked with mysterious patterns, sitting under the moonlight. His eyes sparkled in the dim light.

Between his fingers, he held two cards, their faces visible to the two guards stationed outside.

"Would you mind helping me with a magic trick? No matter what happens, please stay silent," he said with a smile, though it was clear this was less a request and more an order.

The two guards nodded quickly, not daring to refuse.

Cyr then flicked the cards toward them. The moment the cards touched their bodies, they seemed to merge, vanishing into their targets.

"Successful." He whispered, watching the result unfold.

It seemed the range of his ability was limited to the area covered by his Circle.

One of the guards suddenly found himself bound by thick chains, which coiled around his body. The other ends of the chains disappeared into the air.

The second guard, however, remained frozen in place, his previous posture unchanged as though he had been petrified.

"What's going on?" The bound guard struggled against the chains, but they only tightened with each attempt.

"It's just a little game. It'll wear off by tomorrow," Cyr replied nonchalantly, his attention already shifting to the other guard.

The frozen man showed no signs of movement, as if paralyzed or turned to stone.

[Reversed Devil] Effect 1: Binding Chains.

[Reversed Hanged Man] Effect 1: Immobilization.

Both were cards that could be devastating when used against enemies in battle.

Biscuit, intrigued, approached the bound guard, her eyes studying the chains closely.

°°°

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