Chapter 274 The End of First Phase

Examinees continued to reach the peak, which inevitably drew Moses's attention.

And Tonpa's success in reaching the summit was within Moses's expectation.

After all, this guy managed to survive over thirty Hunter Exams without a scratch.

But it's hard to say whether his survival skills were higher than his luck, or vice versa, or a bit of both.

In short, the world is huge and full of wonders.

Perhaps, some people are born with extraordinary luck and have a smooth journey throughout their life.

And some are so unlucky that they get struck by lightning multiple times while alive, and even in death, their graves continue to be struck.

If Tonpa's luck was higher than his survival skills, maybe he could awaken a Nen Ability related to "luck" after being exposed to Nen.

'How can I benefit from this situation...'

Moses's gaze swept over Tonpa, like assessing what seemed to be a plump prey.

The ways to gain rewards from Perception can be roughly classified into three categories at present.

The first is to 'defeat powerful enemies in life-and-death battles', with the highest reward limit.

The second is 'to establish a certain relationship or bond', with the middle reward limit.

And the last one is 'when you make a decision or have some awareness when encountering something', with the lowest reward limit.

For someone like Tonpa, who's essentially a weakling...

If Moses wanted to get something from him, the only viable option might be the second method of forming some kind of relationship.

The problem is—

What kind of relationship should be formed?

Friends? Companions? Master and disciple?

Moses directly eliminated these relationships without even thinking about it.

As far as his own perception is concerned, he doesn't like this guy. It can even be said that he hates him.

Moses gradually slowed down his sword's movements, his eyes showing a pensive look.

While he was contemplating how to pluck the wool, Tonpa was having his own doubts.

'What happened…'

'Does he know me?! Does he know that I am the 'Rookie Crusher Tonpa'?!'

'So... did he notice my actions just now?!'

'But I didn't do anything!!'

Tonpa was terrified by Moses's gaze, and he dared not stay within Moses's line of sight. He hurriedly lowered his head and retreated into the crowd, his face filled with fear and panic.

Being targeted by someone who seems dangerous is just terrible to even think about.

In any case, Tonpa made up his mind to stay as far away from Moses as possible.

He even considered giving up on the second-phase of the exam altogether.

Moses saw Tonpa hiding away, but didn't pay much attention.

There are so many examinees present. And in addition to Dongba, Moses is also concerned about the other Nen Users.

Of them, what caught his attention the most was the blond baby-faced man who reached the summit after him and Menchi.

It's not because the other party is also a Nen User.

Instead, it's because he saw the blond baby-faced man holding a phone with the appearance of a red bat.

Judging from all aspects of characteristics, Moses basically confirmed that he is Shalnark of the Phantom Troupe.

It might be possible that he is someone else, but the possibility is very small.

'Shalnark of the Phantom Troupe... I remember that he did use a Hunter License in the 'Yorknew City Arc'. So he got it this year?'

Moses would openly jest with Tonpa through his gaze, but he wouldn't recklessly scrutinize Shalnark.

He knows the other party's capabilities…

Putting aside his combat prowess, Shalnark is the intelligence officer of the Phantom Troupe. He is usually responsible for processing and analyzing intelligence. He has a high IQ and well-versed in various knowledge domains.

If someone like him caught even a hint of something, there's a high chance he would follow the thread and potentially expose some information.

'Let's finish today's task first.'

Moses stopped thinking about it and continued to concentrate on swinging the sword.

With ten minutes left before the end of the first phase of the exam, Moses swung his final slash.

[10000/10000]

After completing his daily training, Moses slowly exhaled a breath of white air, paying no mind to the gazes from the numerous examinees around him. He sheathed his ordinary long sword into the black scabbard.

By the fire.

Harriman, who was dozing off, suddenly jolted awake and slowly opened his eyes, still looking sleepy.

"Only ten minutes left."

He yawned loudly first, and then stretched lazily.

He didn't need to check the time with any tools, as his internal sleep clock allowed him to know the time at any moment.

'Hmm, the fire is still burning? No wonder I could sleep so comfortably.'

Harriman looked at the still burning fire, feeling surprised in his heart, and then looked at Menchi without leaving any trace.

'This girl—'

'From the time I reached the peak to when I woke up, has she been releasing her Aura to cover the fire and the soup pot?'

'Was that why the fire could burn for so long?'

And from such a close distance, he could already smell the invigorating aroma from the pot and see the swirling heat in the Aura.

This scene, which was unlikely to happen at the peak of Aragas Mountain, became a reality because of Nen.

'That Aura... Does it have the ability to enhance substances? Is this No. 1788 also an Emitter like me? Or does she have Enhancement Ability as well?'

Harriman pondered with astonishment in his heart.

The ability characteristics of Emission are not limited to simply releasing Nen projectiles.

Similarly, the ability characteristics of Enhancement are not limited to simply increasing physical strength.

In view of the Nen User's own experiences, preferences, and opinions…

Whether it is Emission or the Enhancement Category, they will develop relatively novel abilities under the seemingly 'mainstream' development direction.

For example, the girl in front of him can actually use the Aura released from her body to form some kind of Enhancement-related ability.

Another example is Harriman himself, who can use the Aura released from his body to induce targets into unconsciousness.

Perhaps because of the similarity in style, Harriman began to pay attention to Menchi's existence seriously.

Because it is very common to have Emitter who are good at attacking and fighting, but Emitter who can use the Emission characteristics to develop novel abilities are very rare.

'Whether it is No. 1789 or this No. 1788, they are not simple.'

Harriman thought to himself, then slowly stood up, and prepared to perform his duties as an examiner and oversee the progress of the first phase of the exam.

But before that, he couldn't help but glance at Moses, who had just finished his training.

'One wielded a sword for more than five hours, and the other unleashed an unknown ability for more than five hours.'

'These two youngsters are really...'

'Should I say they're too diligent?'

Harriman, who just wanted to sleep most of the time, shook his head with some sighs of admiration, then walked straight towards the numerous examinees not far away.

There are still about seven minutes left before the end of the first phase of the exam.

And the number of examinees who successfully reached the summit had already exceeded two hundred.

'The passing rate of 10%? It's as expected.'

Harriman stood silently in place.

There are too many candidates who have qualified for the first phase of the exam, so he needs to do this.

Now.

He just needed to wait for the test time to end, and then he could directly enter the second phase of the exam.

After a while…

The first phase of the exam is coming to the last second.

"Time's up."

Harriman announced at the right time. His weak voice, overwhelmed by the mountain wind, entered the ears of every examinee with the help of his Aura.

"Congratulations on passing the first test."

Harriman's gaze swept across the 231 examinees present.

Six hours of climbing.

Nearly two thousand examinees took the exam, and in the end, only 231 candidates successfully reached the summit.