[Hunter x Hunter] Scamming My Way to the Top

[Boumargood]

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter × Hunter or any of its original characters. They belong to Yoshihiro Togashi and their respective rights holders. This is a non-commercial fan work.



Chapter 1: A Bad Deal


The first thing that alarmed him was his hand.

It remained raised before his face for several seconds, plump and short-fingered, with faint wrinkles crossing the knuckles—wrinkles that did not exist in his memory. He slowly turned it over, then moved each finger one at a time, as though expecting an exquisitely crafted glove to slip off and reveal his real hand underneath.

Nothing happened.

A broad-shouldered man bumped into his back as he passed, then turned with an irritated glare.

"If you're going to sleep standing up, do it somewhere out of the way."

He opened his mouth, but the man had already disappeared into the crowd before he could respond. He remained where he was as his awareness finally began taking in his surroundings.

He was standing inside a long tunnel whose walls were washed in pale white light. Hundreds of people crowded the place. Some were stretching in preparation for whatever lay ahead, others exchanged nervous glances, and a few stood in silence as though the sight of a man carrying an axe or a child riding a skateboard through an underground tunnel was perfectly normal.

His unfamiliar hand dropped to his chest, then descended to his stomach.

It stopped there.

He pressed his fingers into the soft mass bulging beneath his shirt, and his face gradually tightened. He had not been thin in his previous life, but he certainly had not possessed a belly like this. He felt his face next, discovering a broader nose, fuller cheeks, and an entirely different jaw.

His breathing quickened.

'Calm down.'

It was good advice—simple, rational, and precisely the kind he used to offer people before convincing them to transfer their savings into a bank account that did not exist.

His body, however, did not seem interested in rational advice.

'Calm down? I'm wearing someone else's body, and the first thing you suggest is calming down?'

His name was Asnos. Or at least that was the name people knew him by; the truth had never mattered much in his line of work. He had spent years behind computer screens creating fraudulent stores, investment opportunities that possessed everything except actual investments, and online personas more convincing than most real people. He had deceived thousands and learned long ago that fear made people stupid.

He was now discovering that the rule applied to con artists as well.

He tried to retrieve his final memory, but found only scattered images: the glow of a screen, a furious message from a victim who had realized the truth far too late, and then a black void without beginning or end.

He remembered no accident, no illness—not even falling asleep.

'I must be dreaming... right?'

He pinched his forearm hard.

Pain immediately pierced his skin, sharp and distinct enough to make him curse under his breath. He tried again, this time digging his nails into the back of his hand, then closed his eyes and counted to five before opening them.

The tunnel remained.

So did the unfamiliar body.

'Either this isn't a dream, or my mind has finally decided to punish its owner.'

He retreated toward the wall, searching for somewhere that would give him a little space. The smell of sweat, metal, and damp stone was far too real, as was the wall's rough surface beneath his fingers. The sounds were neither distant nor dreamlike. He heard shoes scraping across the ground, someone cracking their knuckles, and a man boasting that he would finish the exam before noon.

Exam?

Asnos slowly raised his head.

Until that moment, his preoccupation with his new body had prevented him from considering how strange the people around him looked. Their clothing did not belong to the same country—or even the same period. A man in leather armor stood beside a young man wearing a formal suit, while a woman carrying a staff taller than herself spoke to someone whose face was concealed behind a metal mask.

'Have I been abducted into some second-rate television show?'

The thought almost brought him comfort, until a loud voice reached him from the other side of the tunnel.

"I'm not shouting! This is how I talk!"

He turned toward it instinctively.

The speaker was a tall man wearing a suit and carrying a small briefcase. Beside him stood a blond youth in traditional blue clothing, watching him with a calm expression that barely concealed his impatience. A few steps ahead of them was a young boy wearing a green jacket, a fishing rod strapped across his back.

Asnos's heart stopped for a beat.

He stared at the boy's black hair with its green-tinted tips, then shifted his gaze to the blond youth and the man in the suit.

'No.'

A silver-haired boy rode a skateboard between the applicants, weaving effortlessly around them before stopping a short distance away.

Asnos's mouth went dry.

'Don't tell me they're...'

Gon.

Kurapika.

Leorio.

Killua.

He did not need a fifth piece of evidence, but the world was generous enough to provide one anyway. On the other side of the tunnel, a tall red-haired man leaned against the wall, turning a playing card between his fingers. His faint smile alone was enough to send a slow chill crawling down Asnos's spine.

Hisoka.

Asnos immediately looked away.

The place was no longer merely strange.

It was something far worse.

He was inside the world of Hunter × Hunter.

His mind tried to reject the conclusion, but the characters stood before him in every recognizable detail. They were not drawings or actors wearing cheap costumes. They were living, breathing people—and the real Hisoka was not someone any sane person wanted to catch them staring.

That realization left him with an even more disturbing question.

If he was here... then who was he?

His eyes dropped to a small bag hanging at his side. He reached inside and pulled out a plastic bottle filled with orange liquid, followed by a second and then a third. They were all identical, and their presence stirred an old scene from the anime in his memory.

The juice.

The rookies.

The laxatives.

Something cold settled in his stomach.

"What's wrong with you, Tonpa?"

The question came from a thin man passing nearby. He glanced at the bottle in Asnos's hand, then smiled contemptuously.

"Couldn't find a new rookie to poison yet?"

The man walked away laughing, leaving Asnos frozen in place.

Tonpa.

He lowered his gaze to his stomach, then to his short fingers and the bottles of orange liquid. His faint reflection stared back at him from a metal panel fixed to the wall: a round face, broad nose, and coarse dark hair.

There was no longer any room for denial.

He had become Tonpa, the Rookie Crusher—the man who had spent dozens of Hunter Exams sabotaging other applicants because he could never become a Hunter himself.

He stared at his reflection for several seconds before the corner of his mouth twitched.

'Wonderful... It seems the entity that dragged me here read my résumé very carefully.'

At least he could not accuse the mysterious entity of miscasting him.

His smile quickly vanished. In the novels he had read, transmigration was never free. There was always a reason, some mysterious power, or an absurd mission demanding that the protagonist kill a god within a week using a wooden spoon.

Considering his current luck, the spoon probably would not be included.

A clear sound suddenly rang inside his head.

[Ding!]

Tonpa flinched so violently that he nearly dropped the bottle. He quickly looked around, but no one reacted. The applicants continued talking as they waited for the exam to begin.

A line of glowing text appeared before his eyes.

[...Synchronization between soul and body completed successfully.]

A second line followed.

[Compatible host detected.]

[Welcome to the Con Artist System.]

He read the name twice, then closed his eyes for a moment.

'Even the system decided to insult me immediately. No introduction, no "Supreme Ruler System" or "Heir of Legends." Just Con Artist.'

A new window appeared.

[Do you agree to activate the system?]

[Yes/No]

Tonpa hesitated. He had built a considerable portion of his former wealth from people who agreed to terms they had never read. Pressing "Yes" without knowing the details was precisely the kind of stupidity he had spent years exploiting.

However, refusing the only thing that might explain why he was here seemed even more foolish.

He focused on Yes and selected it.

[Consent confirmed.]

[Activation initiated.]

A translucent panel appeared before him.

[Host: Tonpa]

[Level: 1]

[Experience: 0/100]

[Strength: F]

[Speed: F]

[Endurance: E]

[Talent: E]

[Nen Points: 0]

[Nen Status: Unawakened]

[Locked Features: ???]

He inspected the numbers, then glanced down at his stomach again.

'Strength: F? That isn't a stat. It's a condolence message.'

'At least they aren't all F... Apparently, carrying this belly around raised my endurance to E.'

He dismissed the panel and surveyed the tunnel again. He spotted a bald man dressed like a ninja, a tall figure with pins driven through his face, and several applicants he remembered would die before the exam ended.

He was no longer watching an anime from behind a screen. The pain here was real, and death was probably permanent.

The thought of returning to his own world suddenly struck him.

His old world had not been good, but at least it had made sense. Its dangers came in the form of police officers, furious victims, or frozen bank accounts—things he could escape with a new identity. Here, people like Hisoka could kill him simply because the way he walked annoyed them.

'How do I return?'

The system did not answer.

'Open the return option. Log out. Cancel synchronization.'

Silence persisted.

Then another notification rang.

[Main Quest generated.]

Tonpa felt his chest tighten before he even read it.

[Time Limit: Five years.]

[Objective One: Become the strongest Hunter in the world.]

He stopped breathing for a moment.

[Objective Two: Conquer the Dark Continent and bring it under your control.]

He stared at the words, waiting for them to change or for another line to appear and inform him that this was merely a terrible welcoming joke.

Instead, the final line appeared.

[Failure Penalty: Death.]

Immediately afterward, a red countdown began ticking.

Tonpa slowly raised his eyes toward Hisoka, then returned his gaze to the m
ission.

For the first time since awakening inside the tunnel, the card-wielding magician was no longer the most terrifying thing in the room.

'Five years?'

His lips trembled, but no sound emerged.

'This system is joking with me... right?'

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 2: Capital Built on Lies

Tonpa received no answer.

The red countdown continued ticking before his eyes, indifferent to his stare and to the last shred of hope he had placed in the possibility that the mission was merely a bad joke. Five years to become the strongest Hunter in the world, then conquer and rule the Dark Continent—two feats that had eluded people capable of killing him with a single move.

Meanwhile, his greatest qualifications were a large belly, a bag full of poisoned juice, and a criminal record that had unfortunately failed to make the trip with him.

He closed his eyes, drew in a slow breath, and released it just as carefully. The mission did not disappear, but the trembling in his fingers eased.

'Panicking won't send me back, and it won't make this body any thinner. Think now. Fall apart when the schedule allows it.'

He dismissed the mission timer and summoned his status panel. The translucent interface reappeared, displaying the same information as before.

[Host: Tonpa]

[Level: 1] [Experience: 0/100]

[Talent: E]

[Stats:]

[Strength: F] [Upgrade Cost: 10 Nen]

[Speed: F] [Upgrade Cost: 10 Nen]

[Flexibility: F] [Upgrade Cost: 10 Nen]

[Endurance: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen]

[Intelligence: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen]

[Nen Points: 0]

[Nen Status: Unawakened]

[Additional Features:]

[???: Locked]

[???: Locked]

[???: Locked]

Tonpa stared at Strength, Speed, and Flexibility. Ten points were enough to raise any one of them to the next rank. The problem was that he did not possess a single point, nor did he know how to earn one.

The three F grades stood beside one another like a collective assessment of his new life.

Talent, meanwhile, was separate from the rest of his stats, with no upgrade option beside it. Whatever an E-ranked talent meant, it appeared he would simply have to live with it.

'So all I've received so far is neatly organized ignorance inside an elegant panel.'

He studied the interface for another moment.

'Even my victims used to hesitate longer than I did.'

Then he remembered that he had already selected "Yes."

He decided not to pursue that line of thought.

Instead, he focused on the Nen Points entry.

'How do I obtain them?'

The system remained silent for a moment, long enough for him to wonder whether he was expected to discover the answer himself. Then a new notification appeared.

[Nen Points can be acquired by deceiving or persuading others.]

Tonpa's eyebrows rose.

A second notification followed.

[Rewards increase according to the target's strength, intelligence, and resistance to influence.]

He stared at the words, then slowly turned his gaze toward the surrounding crowd. For the first time since his arrival, it seemed that life had not abandoned him entirely.

He had spent years doing precisely this. He could not shatter a wall with his fist or outrun a car, but he had once convinced a rational man that an investment company registered three days earlier would double his savings within a week.

'Finally, an ability based on my actual qualifications.'

He could not decide whether to thank the system or feel insulted that it had assessed his character so accurately.

Before he could investigate further, a sudden disturbance spread through the applicants. Conversations died away one after another as every face turned toward the front of the tunnel.

A tall, slender man had appeared, dressed in an unusual purple suit, with a thin mustache extending along both sides of his face. Tonpa had not heard his footsteps or noticed the moment he arrived, but he recognized him immediately.

Satotz.

The man stood before the crowd and calmly swept his gaze over the applicants. He did not raise his voice by much, yet his words reached all the way to the back of the tunnel.

He introduced himself as the examiner for the First Phase, then told them that their only task was to follow him to the site of the Second Phase. He gave them neither a distance nor an estimated arrival time. He merely warned that anyone unable to keep up would be eliminated from the exam.

Uneasy murmurs spread through the crowd.

"That's all? We only have to follow him?" asked a man near Tonpa.

Another tightened the belt around his waist. "It can't possibly be that easy."

'For the first time today, someone said something that justified keeping his head attached.'

Satotz turned and began walking without another word. His calm steps gradually became a steady jog, and after a brief hesitation, the applicants surged after him.

The entire crowd moved at once.

Tonpa found himself running with them before consciously deciding to do so. The body seemed to understand what it was doing better than he did. His feet settled into a stable rhythm, and his breathing became controlled in a way that contradicted his heavy appearance.

Perhaps his E-ranked Endurance was not merely the result of carrying that belly around for years.

The original Tonpa had participated in more than thirty Hunter Exams. Even if he had never passed, repeatedly fleeing dangerous phases still counted as physical training.

'Apparently, regular retreat is a certified fitness program.'

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio moved through the middle of the group, while Killua glided between the applicants on his skateboard as though he were out for a leisurely ride. At the front, Satotz maintained his pace without showing the slightest effort.

Tonpa chose a position near the center of the crowd. Staying close to the front would waste his energy, while falling behind would make him one of the first to be eliminated if the pace increased. The middle was safer, and it placed a comforting number of bodies between him and Hisoka.

Using strangers as human shields was not particularly noble, but he could not recall the system asking him to be noble.

A notification chimed inside his head as he ran.

[Side Quest Generated.]

Tonpa's expression tightened.

'Of course. The first mission left far too much room for hope in my life.'

He opened the notification.

[Side Quest: Pass the Hunter Exam.]

[Reward: Determined according to performance.]

[Penalty for Failure: Forced transfer to the Dark Continent.]

His stride faltered, and he nearly collided with the applicant ahead of him. He recovered his balance with difficulty, then stared at the message, hoping he had somehow misread it.

The penalty was not death this time.

It was death after a very long journey.

Blurred images of the Dark Continent surfaced in his memory: colossal creatures, unnatural diseases, and calamities that had wiped out entire expeditions. Even the finest fighters currently inside the tunnel were not prepared to enter it yet.

So what chance did Tonpa have when his Strength was ranked F and his finest weapon was a bottle of laxatives?

'The main mission pretended to be merciful and gave me five years. This one didn't even give me five minutes.'

He cursed his luck, the system, and whatever entity had sent him here before forcing himself to focus on his breathing. He had no choice but to pass the Hunter Exam—something the original Tonpa had failed to accomplish after dozens of attempts.

But the original Tonpa had not possessed a system.

Nor had he been Asnos.

Several minutes passed, and some applicants' breathing began to grow heavier. The pace was not particularly fast yet, but anxiety was already causing many of them to waste their energy.

Tonpa approached a thin young man running with both hands clenched around the straps of his bag. The youth kept staring at Satotz's back as if expecting the examiner to vanish and abandon them inside the tunnel.

Frightened, nervous, and unfamiliar with Tonpa.

A suitable beginning.

Tonpa slowed slightly until he was running beside him.

"This is your first attempt, isn't it?"

The young man gave him a wary look, then nodded.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You're watching the examiner more than the road. Every rookie does that."

The young man's expression shifted. His suspicion did not disappear entirely, but interest entered his eyes.

"Have you taken the exam before?"

Tonpa offered a small smile, careful not to make it look condescending.

"More times than I care to admit."

That was true, even if the experiences did not personally belong to him. Truth was the best wrapping for a lie. It saved a con artist the trouble of inventing everything from nothing and gave him something solid to stand on when the rest began to collapse.

The young man swallowed.

"Do you know how long this phase is?"

Tonpa could have told him the truth: the phase was absurdly long and could continue for hours. But aside from being discouraging, the truth would earn him nothing.

He pointed toward a distant bend in the tunnel.

"This section is shorter than it looks. We'll reach a rest point after a few kilometers, so maintain this pace and you'll be fine."

Relief immediately appeared on the young man's face. His shoulders loosened, and his breathing became steadier.

"Really? Thank you. I thought we might be running for hours."

"Don't worry. The examiners are harsh, but they're not insane."

Tonpa nearly choked on the sheer audacity of the lie. He knew perfectly well that the examiners were insane, and some of them carried sharpened playing cards to prove it.

A notification appeared before him.

[Deception registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience +1]

Tonpa blinked, then stopped his smile from widening.

It had worked.

This was no theory or vague promise from the system. One simple deception had earned him a real point, and ten similar lies could raise his Strength, Speed, or Flexibility to the next rank.

He looked at the young man beside him and felt something close to professional gratitude.

'My first customer in this world. He'll only lose some stamina and hope, so this is still the most ethical transaction I've ever conducted.'

Tonpa gradually fell back, then summoned the system interface while continuing to run. His first point had appeared in the deception record, and the experience counter had changed as well.

[Nen Points: 1]

[Experience: 1/100]

The additional features, however, remained concealed behind gray question marks.

[???: Locked]

[???: Locked]

[???: Locked]

He focused on one of them, but all he received was a brief notification.

[Unlock conditions have not been met.]

'Wonderful. Even the system meant to save my life hides its conditions in the fine print.'

He closed the interface and began searching for another target.

He avoided anyone who recognized Tonpa or openly stared at the number sixteen on his chest with disgust. His body's old reputation would make deceiving veterans difficult, but most rookies had never heard of him—and there were plenty of them nearby.

He told two applicants that Satotz was watching anyone who moved too close to the front and that crossing a certain point would be considered a challenge to the examiner. The pair exchanged nervous glances before dropping behind Tonpa.

[Deception registered.]

[Target Count: 2]

[Nen Points +2]

[Experience +2]

Both of his balances rose to three.

'Even lies come with bulk discounts.'

Next, he approached a muscular applicant who was forcing his way toward the front by shoving aside anyone in his path. Tonpa told him that Satotz might suddenly reverse direction to test their reaction speed, and that conserving his strength was more important than gaining ground now.

The man was not easily convinced.

He looked at Tonpa's belly, then at his face, as though Tonpa's physique alone were reason enough to reject any advice he offered about running. Tonpa had to mention how many times he had participated in the exam, describe several previous trials, and add small, useless details whose only purpose was to make the rest of his story sound true.

The man finally hesitated, then reduced his pace.

[Deception registered.]

[Target Difficulty: Moderate.]

[Nen Points +3]

[Experience +3]

Both totals reached six.

'So the system doesn't care only about the number of lies. The quality of the victim matters more than the quantity of words.'

That made sense. Deceiving someone frightened was not equal to deceiving someone strong or intelligent, just as persuading an old man to transfer ten dollars was not the same as convincing a company to hand over its entire budget.

Tonpa continued running as pain gradually began to spread through his legs. He did not allow it to interrupt his work. Poverty was an excellent motivator, and the threat of forced transfer to the Dark Continent was even better.

He selected four rookies running near one another, then approached them in a confidential tone that suggested he was sharing information no one else was meant to hear.

He told them that this phase secretly evaluated teamwork and that applicants who maintained a stable formation would receive an advantage in the next stage.

They did not believe him immediately.

Tonpa had to cite the number of exams he had taken, describe several previous trials, and point toward other small groups while claiming they had already discovered the hidden rule.

The four rookies looked toward the groups he had indicated.

Those applicants had no idea they had just become supporting evidence in an unrelated scam, but the fact that they happened to be standing close together was enough.

After a brief discussion, the four rookies were convinced and fell into formation behind Tonpa.

A new window appeared.

[Group deception registered.]

[Target Count: 4]

[Nen Points +4]

[Experience +4]

[Total Nen Points: 10]

[Experience: 10/100]

A small thrill ran through Tonpa, reminiscent of the feeling he used to get whenever a successful bank transfer notification appeared on his screen.

Ten points, gathered near the beginning of the First Phase alone.

If he maintained this pace, he might be able to improve his body before they reached the end of the tunnel. In a world where a child could tear a man's heart out with his bare hand, advancing from "humiliatingly weak" to "acceptably weak" was no minor achievement.

'The first round of capital has been raised.'

He glanced back at the four applicants behind him and found them working hard to maintain their imaginary formation.

'And no successful enterprise can exist without investors.'

Before he could open the Stats section, the system interface suddenly trembled. The first unknown slot lit up, and its question marks slowly began to fade.

[Unlock condition for the first feature fulfilled.]

[Unlocking new feature...]

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 3: The Pauper's Lottery



[Total Nen Points: 10]

[Condition for revealing the first feature has been met.]

[Revealing new feature...]

Tonpa watched the final line flicker before his eyes. His irritation with the endless running quickly gave way to curiosity. Ten points was hardly a fortune, but it was the first thing he had earned since arriving in this world—and the first proof that the system might offer him a genuine means of survival.

A new window appeared.

[New Feature Revealed: Hunter Lottery.]

[Feature Locked.]

[Unlock Cost: 10 Nen Points.]

[Would you like to unlock this feature?]

[Yes/No]

Tonpa nearly stopped running from sheer indignation.

'You're making me pay after announcing that I met the requirement?'

His objection received no response, naturally.

Satotz continued running at the front of the crowd without changing his steady pace. The gaps between the applicants were gradually widening. Some still spoke with confidence, but others had already begun panting heavily. Tonpa did not have the luxury of standing around and arguing with a window no one else could see.

He looked at the two options again.

His ten points were enough to raise his Strength, Speed, or Flexibility from Rank F, but he had no idea how significant the improvement would be. The new feature, on the other hand, might offer him something mere statistics could not.

It could also be a trap designed by a system bearing the name "Scammer."

That particular detail made the offer feel strangely familiar.

'The worst purchase is the one that leaves you wondering what you might have received if you had paid.'

He selected Yes.

[10 Nen Points deducted.]

[Current Balance: 0]

Seeing the zero caused him genuine pain, even though he had possessed those points for only a few minutes.

[Feature Unlocked: Hunter Lottery.]

A dark wheel appeared before him, surrounded by small silver symbols. Blurred images were scattered across its surface: a sword, a book, a mask, a bottle, and several shapes he could not identify. A golden pointer rested at the center, with a single button beneath it.

[Spin]

The corner of Tonpa's mouth rose.

Skills, techniques, weapons, and strange items... If he obtained something powerful from the beginning, his chances could change completely. Perhaps he would not have to spend the next five years fleeing from monsters and Nen users. One fortunate result might give him exactly what he needed to turn everything around.

Then he read the line beneath the button.

[Cost per Spin: 100 Nen Points.]

His smile disappeared.

'One hundred?'

He had deceived seven people, pushed his lungs to the brink of collapse, and earned only ten points. Now the system had calmly informed him that all of that was not enough to purchase even a single spin.

He opened the feature description, hoping the rewards would justify the cost.

[The Hunter Lottery grants the host a chance to obtain random rewards, including skills, techniques, weapons, tools, materials, and items of unknown origin.]

His hope began to return.

[Rewards vary in value and rarity.]

[Probability of receiving a high-value reward: Extremely low.]

[Results may include common items or items of limited utility.]

Tonpa stared at the final line.

'So I pay one hundred points and might end up with a spoon.'

The system did not deny the possibility.

He closed the lottery interface in annoyance, causing the abbreviated feature panel to reappear.

[Nen Points: 0]

[Additional Features:]

[Hunter Lottery: Unlocked]

[???: Locked]

[???: Locked]

Tonpa dismissed the panel and focused on the tunnel. The question was no longer whether he would try the lottery, but how he was supposed to collect one hundred points without dropping dead before the exam ended.

The method was obvious.

Deception and persuasion.

He scanned the applicants around him, searching for a suitable target. Exhausted faces were not difficult to find, and fear had begun showing even among those attempting to conceal it. This should have been easy. All he needed was someone who did not recognize Tonpa and a lie they wanted to believe.

He approached a young man wearing a red headband and noticed that his breathing was becoming irregular.

"Don't exhaust yourself this early," Tonpa said in a friendly tone as he matched the young man's pace. "Satotz will give us a break at the first gate."

The young man turned toward him, then looked at the orange bottles hanging from Tonpa's bag.

"And will you be serving us juice during the break?"

A mocking smile appeared on his face before he accelerated and pulled away.

No notification appeared.

Tonpa watched him for a moment, then slowly exhaled.

'All right... perhaps he wasn't as new as he looked.'

He did not give up. He spotted two young applicants running beside each other and approached them.

"A word of advice from a veteran applicant: the running isn't the real test. There's a side passage after several kilometers, and anyone who misses it—"

"Don't listen to him."

The voice came from behind them.

Its owner was a short-bearded man who ran alongside the pair before pointing at Tonpa with contempt.

"That's Tonpa. He comes here every year to ruin the rookies' chances. If he offers you food or a drink, throw it in his face."

The two young men immediately moved away, whispering to each other as they glanced back at Tonpa suspiciously.

Tonpa pressed his lips together.

He was beginning to understand the real problem.

Asnos had not created this reputation, but he had inherited its full cost. The original Tonpa had spent years deceiving applicants, poisoning them, and sabotaging their chances until his face became well known among the veterans. Worse, they did not merely avoid him—they warned the newcomers as well.

In his previous life, Asnos had changed his name, picture, and accent whenever one of his identities became compromised. Now he was trapped inside a face whose reputation had been ruined before he ever arrived.

'I inherited a weak body, a heavy stomach, and the reputation of a low-rent criminal... What a generous welcome package.'

He tried a third time.

He chose a large man who appeared preoccupied with watching Satotz and told him that the examiner was deliberately keeping the pace low to lure the applicants into relaxing. The man gave him nothing more than a sideways glance.

"Get away from me."

His tone was enough to convince Tonpa that insisting might cost him several teeth.

He immediately retreated.

Nearly ten minutes passed before he found another target. It was a young applicant running on the far side of the crowd, away from most of the veterans.

Tonpa approached him carefully.

"Conserve your strength. There's a short rest stop after the next three turns."

The young man looked at him doubtfully.

"Are you sure?"

"I reached it during a previous exam."

The young man hesitated, then slowed slightly and began regulating his breathing.

A notification appeared.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

Tonpa felt a measure of relief.

'One.'

Before he could move away, a voice called out from behind them.

"Don't believe him! That's Tonpa!"

The young man turned sharply, but Tonpa had already slipped into the crowd.

Finding his second victim took more than ten minutes. She was a woman who kept looking around anxiously while panting. Tonpa approached and told her that several assistants to the examiner were running among the applicants in disguise, recording the names of anyone who complained or asked to stop.

She immediately closed her mouth and straightened her back despite her exhaustion.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

'At this rate, I'll afford a spin after the exam is over.'

After that, he could not approach anyone without attracting suspicious looks. His movements had become obvious. He would slow down beside an unfamiliar face, speak with them for a few minutes, and then move on to someone else. It did not take the veterans long to understand what he was doing.

"Watch out for number sixteen!"

"Don't take anything from him!"

"And don't believe his advice!"

The warnings spread through the crowd faster than Tonpa could move through it.

He hid the juice bottles inside his bag and crossed to the other side of the tunnel. Instead of approaching the first unfamiliar face he saw, he waited. After roughly fifteen minutes, he found a short man who seemed more focused on his feet than on the people around him.

Tonpa told him that Satotz would change their route at the next gate and that remaining near the left side would grant him an advantage.

The man studied the other applicants, then gradually moved toward the left.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

Tonpa's satisfaction did not last long.

A veteran applicant approached the man and whispered something to him. Both of them turned toward Tonpa, so he moved away before their stares could develop into a direct confrontation.

His next four attempts failed.

The first person ignored him. The second laughed in his face. The third threatened to break his nose, while the fourth merely pointed at Tonpa's stomach and asked whether he truly looked like someone qualified to offer advice about passing a physical examination.

Tonpa had no suitable response to the last one.

It took even longer to obtain his fourth point. He selected an exhausted applicant who had fallen behind his group and told him that the numbers pinned to their chests recorded their running pace, and that changing speed too often could result in disqualification.

The man looked at his number nervously, then forced himself to maintain a steady pace.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

'Four.'

The fifth was the most difficult.

By then, most of the rookies knew his face. Some moved away before he could even open his mouth. He had to keep running for nearly twenty more minutes before finding someone who had worked his way up from the rear of the crowd and had not heard the warnings.

Tonpa told him that the first one hundred applicants to reach the end of the tunnel would receive an advantage in the next phase.

The man's eyes widened.

"Really?"

Tonpa nodded confidently.

"Satotz didn't announce it because it's part of the test."

The man gritted his teeth and surged forward, spending what remained of his strength.

The notification rang for the fifth time.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

Tonpa quickly opened his status.

[Nen Points: 5]

[Experience: 15/100]

Nearly an hour had passed since he unlocked the lottery.

An entire hour of searching, maneuvering, and enduring insults had earned him only five points. Worse, the situation grew more difficult with every attempt. Each person he deceived became another source of warning, while every veteran applicant spread his reputation among the rookies faster than he could reach them.

He dismissed the interface irritably.

'This method isn't practical.'

The situation was becoming clear, and he did not like it.

Weak targets were easy to deceive, but they offered very little. Stronger and more intelligent targets could provide more points, yet deceiving them was far more difficult—and the consequences of failure could be painful. If he relied on deceiving one person for every point, he would need one hundred victims for a single spin that might reward him with nothing more than an "item of limited utility."

This was not a plan.

It was a full-time job where the employee paid the employer.

'Collecting points this way will take forever. With Tonpa's reputation, the exam might end before I even reach twenty.'

He needed a better method—either a deception that did not target only one person at a time or a high-value target from whom he could extract a large number of points in one go. However, executing a larger deception in the middle of the Hunter Exam would require preparation, information, and the right opportunity.

More importantly, it required him to stay alive.

Tonpa forced his body to keep running as some of the applicants at the rear began slowing down. Ahead of him, Satotz continued moving as if the distance meant nothing, while Gon and Killua ran with an ease that was frankly irritating.

Tonpa was considering alternative targets when a sharp sound rang inside his head.

[Warning!]

His carefully maintained smile froze.

[Potential Hostile Interest Detected.]

[A high-threat individual is observing the host.]

Cold sweat gathered at the back of his neck.

He did not turn immediately. He continued running, maintaining his pace and expression as best he could while his eyes slowly moved toward the edge of his vision.

Someone really was watching him.

And before Tonpa even knew who it was, he felt certain that the worst thing he could do now was let them notice his fear.

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 4 : Four Impossible Targets

Someone really was watching him.

Tonpa didn't need to turn around to know where the gaze was coming from. He could feel it over his left shoulder, steady amid the movement of hundreds of applicants, as though its owner wasn't watching him so much as waiting for him to do something interesting.

He maintained his pace and kept his breathing as steady as he could. Ahead of him, part of the crowd was reflected in a metal panel bolted to the tunnel wall. Scratches warped the image, but it revealed enough.

Red hair.

A pale face.

And a playing card spinning between long fingers.

Tonpa's stomach clenched.

'Hisoka.'

The magician ran effortlessly, completely unaffected by the distance the group had covered. His usual wide grin was absent, replaced by a slight curl at the corner of his lips. His eyes, however, were fixed directly on Tonpa.

For a moment, their gazes met through the reflection.

Hisoka's smile widened slightly.

Tonpa looked away at once, but he neither accelerated nor slowed down. Any sudden change might confirm that he had noticed the scrutiny, and showing fear in front of a predator wasn't much different from bleeding in the middle of the ocean.

'Why is he looking at me?'

He reviewed everything he had done over the past few minutes. He had approached several applicants, moved between groups, and whispered different pieces of advice until people either drove him away or warned others about him. Perhaps his movements had looked suspicious, or perhaps Hisoka had sensed that something about Tonpa had changed.

The worst possibility was that the magician hadn't needed a reason at all.

Hisoka was the kind of person who might kill you because he found you interesting—and might kill you because he decided you weren't interesting enough. There was no correct answer when dealing with him. The game was already lost from the moment he chose to look at you.

Tonpa gradually drifted toward the right side of the tunnel, using the jostling applicants as cover. He didn't immediately plunge into the thick of the crowd. Instead, he moved from one opening to another until two burly men and a cluster of runners stood between him and Hisoka.

Nearly a minute passed before he dared to check the next metal panel.

He could no longer see the magician.

That offered little comfort. Hisoka disappearing from view didn't mean he had stopped watching. It only meant Tonpa no longer knew where he was.

'Wonderful. Out of hundreds of applicants, I've managed to catch the attention of the one man who can turn boredom into a funeral.'

Tonpa continued running within the crowd, keeping his head slightly lowered. He had to stop behaving as though he were searching for victims. Nen points wouldn't help him if his head ended up separated from his body before he had the chance to spend them.

Easy targets had become scarce, and Tonpa's reputation was spreading among the applicants faster than he could run. Persisting with the same tricks wouldn't be ambition. It would be stupidity.

And a con man who reused an exposed trick didn't even deserve to be caught.

'I need to watch more and move less. No random lies, and no drawing attention I don't need.'

A familiar chime rang inside his head.

[Ding!]

Tonpa nearly cursed aloud, but settled for clenching his jaw.

'What now? Has Hisoka decided to kill me, and the system is giving me three minutes to write my will?'

A blue window appeared at the edge of his vision.

[A new side quest has been generated.]

The system's timing did not bode well. So far, it had never sent him a notification that ended with good news.

He opened the quest cautiously.

[Side Quest: The Protagonists' Trust.]

[Description: Earn the trust of the main characters during the Hunter Exam.]

[Required Objectives:]

[Gon Freecss: Required Trust Level — 20%]

[Killua Zoldyck: Required Trust Level — 20%]

[Kurapika: Required Trust Level — 20%]

[Leorio: Required Trust Level — 20%]

[Time Limit: Before the end of the Hunter Exam.]

[Penalty for Failure: Forced transportation to the Dark Continent.]

Tonpa lost his rhythm for a moment, and his foot nearly clipped the heel of the man ahead of him. He quickly regained his balance, then read the quest again, hoping that oxygen deprivation had somehow tampered with his eyesight.

The words remained unchanged.

He raised his gaze toward the front of the crowd. The four of them weren't difficult to find. Gon and Killua ran lightly, as though they were out for a casual stroll, while Kurapika maintained a steady pace beside them. Leorio, meanwhile, was putting far more effort into concealing his exhaustion.

Four targets.

And he had to make every one of them trust him.

'This isn't a test. It's a demand to rebuild a house after its owner burned it down and handed the ashes out to the neighbors.'

Asnos had arrived in Tonpa's body immediately after the juice incident. The Rookie Crusher had offered the group cans of juice laced with laxatives, only for Killua to see through the trick effortlessly.

So Tonpa wasn't starting from zero with them.

He was starting below zero, with the rest of the evidence still sitting inside his bag.

His gaze settled on Gon's name.

The boy was friendly by nature, but he possessed an irritatingly sharp instinct when it came to other people's intentions. He might be the most willing of the four to forgive a former enemy, but gaining his trust through deception would not be simple.

Then his eyes moved to Killua.

A child of the Zoldyck family. A trained assassin who had identified the laxatives by taste and remained completely unaffected by them.

Trying to deceive him directly would be like attempting to steal someone's wallet while they held a knife against your wrist.

Kurapika was calm, highly observant, and unwilling to give his trust easily. He would analyze any sudden change in Tonpa's behavior and likely conclude that there was an ulterior motive behind it—even if he couldn't determine what that motive was.

As for Leorio...

Tonpa remembered his short temper and the look he had given him after the juice trick was exposed.

'At least I won't have to guess whether he hates me. He'll tell the entire tunnel.'

Another window appeared.

[Current Trust Levels:]

[Gon Freecss: 0%]

[Killua Zoldyck: 0%]

[Kurapika: 0%]

[Leorio: 0%]

Tonpa stared at the four zeros.

The result wasn't surprising, but seeing the system display it so bluntly still felt insulting. Surely, by sheer accident, at least one random lunatic should have trusted him by one percent.

He tried to dismiss the window, but it remained in front of him.

'And what exactly counts as trust? Is it enough that they don't expect me to poison them?'

[Trust reflects the extent to which the target relies upon the host and believes the host's intentions to be genuine.]

It was the first direct answer the system had given him, and it only made him hate the quest even more.

Believing his intentions?

Even Tonpa didn't trust his own intentions until he knew what he stood to gain from them.

'And why these four specifically?'

The system offered no answer.

'What happens if one of them dies before I reach twenty percent?'

Silence persisted.

The question probably didn't matter. His knowledge of the original events told him that all four would survive, but his presence here could change the details. Simply being forced to approach them might create consequences that had never occurred in the anime.

And being forcibly transported to the Dark Continent wasn't some vague threat he could afford to ignore. He knew enough about that place to understand that appearing there in his current condition wouldn't be called transportation.

It would be food delivery.

Frustration began building behind Tonpa's eyes. A short while ago, his greatest problem had been gathering one hundred Nen points for a single draw. Before that, he had needed to pass the Hunter Exam to avoid being thrown into the Dark Continent. Above all of that, the main countdown still demanded that he become the strongest Hunter and conquer the continent itself within five years.

Every time he began to understand one of his problems, the system dropped another on top of it.

Even so, he didn't allow his frustration to turn into panic. The quest didn't demand genuine friendship. It only required twenty percent.

That was a relatively low number, and it could be manufactured if he chose the right moment. Trust wasn't some sacred emotion. It was an impression shaped by carefully chosen words, assistance offered at the perfect time, and danger that appeared to be shared.

He didn't need to become a better person.

He only needed to convince them that he had.

But first, he needed to understand what each of them wanted, what they feared, and what kind of image of Tonpa they might be willing to accept. Apologizing now would appear cheap, while approaching them immediately after his other scams had failed would only make them more suspicious.

He needed a crisis.

Something that would allow him to offer help they couldn't ignore, then convert that usefulness into trust.

Tonpa moved slightly farther ahead among the runners, making sure several bodies remained between him and Hisoka. In the distance, he saw Gon laughing at something Killua had said while Leorio protested loudly.

Four targets who already knew he was a con man.

A mysterious predator watching him from behind.

And a system that threatened him with the Dark Continent whenever it decided his life wasn't miserable enough.

Tonpa's old, friendly smile spread across his face, while his eyes remained cold.

'This system isn't trying to help me survive.'

He watched the group ahead and began searching for the first opening he could exploit.

'It's trying to find the most entertaining way to kill me.'

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 5 : Zero Percent


Tonpa watched the group ahead of him and began considering the first opening he could exploit.

He did not expect his first attempt to succeed. In fact, he was certain that a sudden apology after trying to poison them would look like yet another trick. But keeping his distance would teach him nothing. He needed to find out just how bad his position was and how each of them responded to words they did not trust.

A failed attempt was not a loss if he learned something from it.

'Let's start with the easiest one.'

He chose Gon.

Of the four, the boy was the most willing to speak with strangers and probably the most likely to give someone a second chance. The problem was that his simplicity was not stupidity. Gon possessed an almost animalistic instinct for malicious intent, and it was difficult to deceive someone who did not need to understand a lie to sense that something about it was wrong.

Tonpa gradually increased his pace until he caught up with the group. He did not approach Gon directly. Instead, he ran beside them for several seconds, pretending that his presence nearby was nothing more than a coincidence.

Killua was the first to notice him. His blue eyes moved to the bag of juice, then to Tonpa's face, before a faint smile appeared on his lips.

It was not a welcoming smile.

Gon turned next and said, "Hello, Tonpa."

Tonpa heard no hostility in his voice, but the small window that appeared before his eyes ruined any optimism he might have felt.

[Gon Freecss — Trust: 0%]

He maintained his friendly smile.

"About what happened at the beginning of the exam... I think you misunderstood the situation."

Killua fell silent, and his smile widened.

Tonpa recognized his mistake the moment the words left his mouth. It was a terrible opening. An apology that began by accusing the other person of misunderstanding was not an apology. It was merely a polite attempt to sell the same lie again.

Still, he continued the performance.

"I admit the joke went a little too far. I've spent years testing new applicants, and sometimes I forget that it can look worse than I intend. In any case, I've decided to stop doing it."

Gon looked at him as they ran, his expression free of anger. That was better than Tonpa had expected—until the boy tilted his head and asked, "Are you really sorry?"

"Of course."

A short chime rang out.

[Persuasion Failed.]

[Gon Freecss does not believe you.]

Another notification followed, this one more specific.

[Gon Freecss knows you are lying about your remorse.]

Tonpa's smile nearly stiffened.

Gon could not have produced any proof that he was lying, but he did not need any. The boy stared at him for a few moments before speaking with an honesty devoid of accusation.

"I don't know... Your words sound right, but you don't look sorry."

'What an irritating talent.'

Tonpa could imitate a remorseful expression and use the proper tone, but Gon did not judge the performance the way an adult would. He seemed to sense the contradiction between the words and what lay behind them directly.

Tonpa offered him a regretful smile.

"I understand your doubts. I only wanted to clear things up."

He dropped back slightly, committing the result to memory. Gon was not hostile, but he had not accepted the claim. Pressing him any further would make him wary rather than earn Tonpa any trust.

He moved on to the second target.

Killua was still watching him with open amusement, as though he were waiting for his turn in the show.

Tonpa said, "I have to admit, you surprised me. No one has ever drunk that juice without being affected."

"I drank five bottles."

"That's exactly what I mean. You figured out the trick quickly and ruined it before the others could drink too much. I didn't expect that."

The compliment was genuine. Killua was strong and intelligent, and acknowledging his ability might make him more willing to listen.

The window appeared.

[Persuasion Attempt in Progress...]

Killua raised an eyebrow, then pointed at the bag hanging from Tonpa's side.

"You said you'd turned over a new leaf, right?"

"That's right."

"Then why are you still carrying the juice?"

Gon's gaze shifted to the bag as well.

Tonpa suddenly felt the bottles grow heavier. He could throw them away, but discarding a useful tool merely to improve a performance that had already failed would be wasteful. He might need the liquid later, whether to use against another applicant or for some purpose that had yet to present itself.

After a moment, he answered, "Littering inside the tunnel would be irresponsible."

Killua burst out laughing.

"You were ready to make hundreds of people take turns in the bathroom, but littering is where you draw the line?"

[Persuasion Failed.]

[Killua Zoldyck does not believe you.]

[Killua Zoldyck believes you are choosing your words to conceal your true objective.]

'At least it didn't say I'm bad at lying.'

Another message appeared.

[Killua Zoldyck finds your attempt amusing.]

[Trust Level: 0%]

Any small comfort the report might have offered vanished. Killua was enjoying his failure, not him.

Tonpa turned toward Kurapika. He needed to change his approach. Pretending to be remorseful had failed, and his attempt at flattery had been recognized immediately. So he chose partial honesty instead.

"I'm not asking you to forget about the juice. I only want us to put it behind us. This exam will be long, and having an experienced applicant on your side could prove useful."

Kurapika regarded him calmly. There was none of Killua's mockery on his face, which did little to reassure Tonpa. Quiet people forced you to keep talking, and every additional sentence gave them something else to analyze.

Tonpa continued, "I've taken the Hunter Exam many times, and I'm familiar with all kinds of examiners and applicants. I can warn you about certain dangers in exchange for a fresh start."

"Then your apology wasn't an apology."

Kurapika maintained his pace as he spoke, never raising his voice.

"You approached Gon first because you believed he would be the most receptive. Then you tried to win Killua over with praise. When that failed, you offered us information in exchange for overlooking your actions. You're not trying to make amends. You're testing which approach might work on us."

Tonpa's expression did not change, but something inside him shrank.

[Purpose of the Conversation Detected.]

[Persuasion Failed.]

[Kurapika does not trust you.]

[Kurapika has become more wary of your motives.]

The third attempt was worse than a failure. Kurapika had not merely remained at zero; he had become more alert to Tonpa's actions.

'Wonderful. A few more sentences and he'll write a complete psychological profile on me.'

Tonpa did not argue. Arguing with an accurate conclusion would only confirm it. He nodded as though he respected Kurapika's opinion, then turned his attention to the final person.

Leorio was running a few steps away and had heard the entire conversation. Fatigue showed on his face, but it did not stop him from directing a sharp glare at Tonpa when he approached.

Tonpa opened his mouth.

"Listen, Leorio—"

"No."

Tonpa waited a moment.

"I haven't said anything yet."

"And I'm saving you the effort."

Leorio pointed at the bag while panting.

"Stay away from me—and keep your juice with you. If you try to trick us again, I'll make you drink every last bottle."

[Persuasion Failed.]

[Leorio does not trust you.]

Tonpa did not need the System to interpret that one. Leorio had made sure half the tunnel heard his opinion.

Tonpa dropped back from the group, ignoring Killua's quiet laughter. None of them followed or tried to continue the conversation, allowing him to return to his previous position between them and the rest of the crowd.

He summoned the quest interface.

[Gon Freecss: 0%/20%]

[Killua Zoldyck: 0%/20%]

[Kurapika: 0%/20%]

[Leorio: 0%/20%]

Four perfect zeroes.

'If these were exam scores, I'd at least earn full marks for consistency.'

The result was not unexpected, but it proved that the quest was harder than it had appeared. He did not merely need to accumulate eighty percent trust. He had to build it on top of a reputation that had been cultivated for years specifically to prevent that from happening.

He looked toward the distant end of the tunnel, but saw nothing except more pale light and moving backs. Somewhere beyond that path, the rest of the Hunter Exam awaited him. If he reached its end without completing the quest, the System would transport him to the Dark Continent.

A body with F- and E-rank stats, unawakened Nen, and a destination whose outskirts were filled with creatures that treated even the strongest Hunters as prey.

'I wouldn't survive long enough to regret it.'

He dismissed the quest interface and forced himself to think calmly. His failed apology was not the problem; he had expected it to fail. What mattered was why.

They did not believe him because his words cost him nothing. Apologies were free. Promises were free. Even the information he had offered could have been false. No matter how convincing his performance became, every sentence that left Tonpa's mouth would remain suspect.

Trust was not built through what a con artist said about himself.

It was built through what the target witnessed and concluded on their own.

He needed an action that benefited them, appeared costly to him, and left no simple explanation for his motives. If that action occurred amid genuine danger, it would carry more weight than dozens of apologies.

A faint smile began to form on his face.

He did not need to wait for danger to appear at random. He knew the events of the Hunter Exam—or at least the important ones. He remembered some of its traps, creatures, and the situations the main characters would encounter.

All he needed was to choose the right moment and place himself where it would look as though he had risked himself for them.

'I won't convince them that I've changed.'

He raised his eyes toward the four figures ahead and began rearranging everything he remembered about the exam.

'I'll give them evidence that makes doubting me harder than believing me.'

He did not need to create the danger.

It was already coming for them.

All he had to do was receive it the right way.

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 6: A Calculated Sacrifice


He did not need to create the danger.

It was already coming for them.

All he had to do was receive it the right way.

Tonpa went over everything he remembered about the Hunter Exam, trying to arrange the events he had watched years ago. His memory was far from perfect, but he knew the major developments, the characters who would appear, and several of the traps awaiting them.

He possessed advance knowledge of the future, yet he had spent the first few hours after his transmigration handing out lies to random applicants in exchange for one or two points at a time.

'I had been holding a treasure map and using it as a fan.'

He did not need to deceive people stronger than him directly. He could choose the place, the timing, and the danger involved, then arrange his actions so that the others reached the conclusion he wanted on their own.

Trust did not require honesty.

It only required convincing evidence.

He continued running as he rebuilt his plan, but the growing pain in his legs forced him to postpone the details. His chest rose and fell violently, and beads of sweat ran from his temples down his neck. Despite that, his body maintained a steady rhythm that surprised him.

He was far from comfortable, but he was not on the verge of collapse either.

Tonpa glanced down at his stomach as it bounced with every step, then called up the relevant stat in his mind.

[Endurance: E]

He had mocked the rank at first, but he was beginning to reconsider its value. The original Tonpa had attempted the Hunter Exam more than thirty times and reached the later phases during several of those attempts. He had never passed, but repeating the exam for so many years had clearly left its mark on his body.

'He never learned how to win, but he mastered surviving long enough to ruin everyone else's victory.'

It was a strange kind of competence, but it was still more than Asnos had possessed in his previous life. Years spent working behind a screen had not prepared him to run dozens of kilometers, while Tonpa had devoted his life to chasing rookies through exams designed to break ordinary humans.

Time crawled inside the tunnel, and the thunder of footsteps gradually thinned. Some applicants slowed until they disappeared behind the group. Others sat against the walls after losing the strength to continue. Satotz never looked back or adjusted his pace for anyone.

Gon and Killua remained near the front as though the distance meant nothing to them. Kurapika and Leorio had fallen back slightly, though they had not become completely separated from the others.

Tonpa made sure to remain in the middle of the pack. He did not approach the group again, nor did he attempt to deceive anyone else. After his previous failure and Hisoka's attention, pretending to be an ordinary applicant seemed like the safest investment available.

After an amount of time he could no longer estimate, a faint change appeared at the end of the tunnel.

Several applicants raised their heads as a thin gray strip stretched out before them. The light gradually widened until it revealed a massive exit, prompting cries of relief from the runners. Their footsteps quickened, as if merely seeing the end had breathed life back into their exhausted bodies.

Tonpa did not share their enthusiasm.

He knew the tunnel had only been the safe part.

He passed through the exit with the remaining applicants, and damp air struck his face. A vast expanse of shallow water and dense grass stretched out before him, broken by twisted trees and exposed roots. White fog covered the edges of the wetlands, hiding everything beyond the first few layers of vegetation.

Satotz finally stopped.

The applicants spread out behind him. Some bent over with their hands on their knees, while others dropped into the mud without caring where they landed. Tonpa remained standing despite his legs' strong desire to join the second group.

Satotz turned toward them and spoke in his usual calm voice.

"The region ahead is known as the Numere Wetlands. Veteran applicants often call it the Swindlers' Swamp."

Uneasy murmurs passed through the crowd.

Satotz gestured toward the fog behind him.

"The creatures living here rely on deception to hunt. Some imitate human voices, while others mislead their prey about their appearance or location. If you become separated from me and blindly trust what you see or hear, you will not leave these wetlands alive."

Tonpa felt several people glance in his direction at the mention of swindlers.

He ignored them.

'Finally, a place with a respectable name.'

Satotz continued his warning, instructing them to remain close and not allow themselves to be lured away by any voices they heard. He was about to resume moving when a rough voice came from the rear of the crowd.

"Don't believe him!"

Everyone turned.

An injured man forced his way between the applicants, dragging the body of a long-limbed black creature behind him. Scratches covered his face and arms, and his breathing came in ragged gasps. Nevertheless, he pointed at Satotz with absolute confidence.

"That man isn't the real examiner. He's one of the creatures from the wetlands!"

Whispers spread rapidly. The man lifted the creature's corpse for everyone to see, revealing a distorted face that looked like a grotesque mixture of ape and human.

"This is a Man-Faced Ape. They can imitate human appearances and voices, then lure applicants into the wetlands so the other creatures can devour them. This one attacked me when I discovered their plan."

Several applicants' eyes widened, while others began backing away from Satotz.

"If he's telling the truth, where's the real examiner?" someone asked.

The injured man answered immediately.

"I'm the examiner assigned to the first phase."

Doubt stirred throughout the crowd. Satotz made no attempt to defend himself and merely regarded the man in silence.

Tonpa, however, was watching neither of them.

He was searching for Hisoka.

Tonpa found him a short distance to the right, standing among the applicants with an uninterested expression. Several playing cards had appeared between his fingers, though Tonpa had not seen him draw them.

'Here we go.'

Hisoka flicked his wrist.

Almost no one noticed the motion before the cards sliced through the air with a sharp whistle. Half flew toward Satotz, while the others shot toward the injured man.

Satotz raised his hands and caught the cards between his fingers before they touched his face.

The other man failed to do the same.

The cards pierced his neck and face. His voice died in his throat, turning into a strangled gasp. He stumbled backward two steps before collapsing onto his back as terrified cries erupted from the applicants around him.

A moment later, the corpse he had been dragging twitched.

The black creature sprang to its feet and rushed toward its fallen companion. As the deception faded, the dead man's features began to distort, revealing another face similar to those of the apes inhabiting the wetlands.

The surviving creature released a shrill cry, lifted its companion, and disappeared into the fog.

A heavy silence followed.

Hisoka turned toward Satotz, ignoring the fear surrounding him.

"It seems you're the real examiner after all."

Satotz held up one of the cards he had caught.

"And what led you to that conclusion?"

A faint smile touched Hisoka's lips.

"The examiners are Hunters chosen by the Association. It would be difficult to believe that a real Hunter couldn't stop a simple attack like that."

His voice remained calm, as if he had not killed a creature disguised as a human only moments earlier.

Satotz studied him for a long moment before allowing the cards to fall from his hands.

"I'll regard what you did as a method of verification this time. But if you direct another attack at me, I'll consider it an assault on an examiner, and you'll be disqualified immediately."

Hisoka raised his hands in lazy surrender.

"Understood."

Tonpa watched the body disappear into the fog and felt a sense of relief he had not expected. In any sane world, watching someone get killed with playing cards should have made him more anxious.

Here, it served as reassuring proof that events were still following the course he remembered.

'Wonderful. The murder happened right on schedule.'

It did not guarantee that the future would remain unchanged, but it meant his presence had not destroyed the sequence yet. As long as the major events stayed the same, his knowledge would retain its value.

Satotz turned toward the wetlands.

"We will now resume the first phase. Stay close to me."

He set off once more, and the remaining applicants followed him into the dense vegetation.

The fog did not take long to swallow them. The distant trees vanished first, followed by the edges of the crowd. The sound of footsteps became distorted, seeming to come from several directions at once, while the cries of unseen creatures rose from among the branches.

Tonpa accelerated until he caught up with Gon and Killua.

Killua noticed him immediately and glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"You're following us."

Tonpa tried to steady his breathing before answering.

"The examiner told us not to get separated. You two happen to be the fastest people ahead of me."

"You could run beside someone else."

"I could, but most of them don't know where they're going."

Gon looked at the surrounding fog, then back at Tonpa.

"Do you know?"

"No. That's why I'm following you."

The answer was honest enough that Gon did not object, while Killua made a quiet sound that still carried plenty of suspicion.

"Keep the juice inside your bag."

"I wasn't planning to offer you any."

'Not in the usual way, at least.'

The three continued running. Every so often, Gon guided them using Satotz's voice or scent, while Tonpa made sure to remain close. The sounds of the other applicants gradually scattered, and he could no longer see Kurapika or Leorio behind them.

Then he noticed the sign he had been waiting for.

A circular patch of ground lay slightly lower than its surroundings, covered by a thin layer of mud and grass. It was not an actual pit. It was the mouth of a massive creature that had buried itself beneath the wetlands and left its jaws open while waiting for prey.

Gon and Killua were heading directly toward it.

Tonpa slipped one hand into his bag and closed his fingers around one of the orange bottles.

'There you are.'

His timing needed to be precise. If he warned them too early, they would simply leap over the trap, and his actions would look like nothing more than another piece of advice. If he moved too late, all three of them would end up inside the creature's stomach without anyone witnessing him save them.

Gon stepped onto the edge of the circular patch.

The ground trembled beneath him.

Killua's eyes widened as he recognized the danger at the same moment, but the buried jaws had already begun to close. The mud split apart, revealing a dark maw beneath it and a broad tongue surging toward them.

Tonpa moved.

He could have pushed them away in silence, but what was the value of a sacrifice if the people involved did not hear about it?

"Waaatch ooout!"

His shout came out louder and more terrified than the situation strictly required. It was hardly the right moment for a polished performance, but volume was free, and good impressions were rare.

Tonpa drove his exhausted body forward with everything he had left. His shoulder slammed into Gon's back while his other arm reached for Killua. The two boys were knocked away from the trap's edge, one to the right and the other to the left.

Tonpa's momentum carried him forward.

Gon twisted around in midair, shock written across his face.

"Tonpa!"

Tonpa watched the jaws rise around him and smelled the foul, damp odor pouring from the creature's throat. For one brief moment, he wondered whether he had placed too much faith in his memory.

'Trust needed a price.'

His fingers tightened around the bottle of juice.

'Fortunately, I intend to get it back.'

The frog closed its mouth around him, and Tonpa vanished between its jaws before the creature sank beneath the mud once more.

He slid down a slimy throat before dropping into a warm, foul-smelling darkness that made his eyes water. The muscular walls shifted around him, and burning liquid began gathering beneath his feet.

Tonpa raised the orange bottle he had managed to bring with him and felt for its cap with his thumb.

'All right...'

He began unscrewing it as the frog's stomach contracted around him.

'Let's see how well you handle laxatives.'

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 7: Heroism for Hire

The walls of the stomach convulsed around Tonpa, and the burning fluid rose until it covered the soles of his shoes. He was about to open the bottle when a blue light appeared before his eyes.

[A change has been detected in the emotions of a quest target.]

[Gon Freecss is worried about the host.]

A second notification followed.

[Killua Zoldyck is confused by the host's actions.]

Tonpa tucked the bottle beneath his arm and wiped the slime from his eyes. The word "worried" sounded far better than he had expected, especially after the four perfect zeroes the system had given him following his previous attempts.

The corner of his mouth rose.

'The plan is starting to work.'

The stomach suddenly contracted, slamming a mass of wet flesh into his back and nearly knocking him into the fluid.

His smile vanished.

'We can celebrate after I leave the digestive system.'

A muffled voice reached him from outside, barely recognizable.

"Tonpa!"

It was Gon calling him.

Another disturbance followed, along with a few broken words from Killua that Tonpa couldn't make out. Perhaps Killua was stopping Gon from approaching the trap, or trying to figure out how to get him out. Either way, they needed to remain outside and witness what happened next.

Tonpa twisted the cap open with his teeth, then poured the orange liquid into the stomach. He didn't stop with one bottle. He pulled out a second and emptied that as well.

The amount had been prepared to ruin the day of an entire group of applicants.

It was time to find out what it would do to one very large digestive system.

Nothing happened during the first few seconds.

Tonpa stared at the two empty bottles while the burning fluid began seeping through his trousers and biting into his skin.

'Don't tell me I threw myself into a frog that's immune to laxatives.'

A deep rumble came from somewhere beneath him.

The floor of the stomach spasmed, then contracted so violently that the walls pressed against his body. Tonpa lost his balance and dropped to his knees before a powerful muscular convulsion hurled him backward.

The rumbling grew louder, turning into a violent roar. The frog's entire body shook, and the fluid around Tonpa rushed in a single direction. He felt himself being lifted and dragged back through the narrow passage he had fallen through.

His shoulder struck the wall of its throat.

Then he shot outside in a wave of slime and orange digestive fluid.

He saw nothing but fog before hitting the ground and rolling across the mud. He came to a stop on his back, coughing violently as his lungs tried to remember that air was not supposed to smell like the inside of a frog's stomach.

Violent retching erupted behind him. The enormous creature leaped out of its hiding place, its swollen body convulsing before it vomited out everything left in its stomach. It then bounded away through the grass in a panic, as though it had decided that certain prey simply wasn't worth the trouble.

Rapid footsteps approached.

"Tonpa!"

Gon appeared above him, then dropped to one knee and reached for his shoulder. The concern in his eyes was obvious, and he looked ready to carry Tonpa himself if he couldn't stand.

Killua remained a short distance behind him. His concern wasn't as visible as Gon's, but his narrowed blue eyes moved between Tonpa and the empty bottles scattered nearby.

Tonpa remained on the ground and made no immediate attempt to rise.

His shoulder genuinely hurt, his skin burned, and his breathing was still uneven. The injury he intended to show them wasn't entirely fabricated. He only needed to give the right parts a little more attention.

He slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm... fine."

His voice came out hoarse from the digestive fluid that had entered his throat, sparing him the effort of acting out that part.

Gon spoke quickly.

"You don't look fine. Can you move?"

Tonpa tried to push himself up on one elbow. He allowed his arm to tremble before collapsing again.

He could probably stand, but succeeding now would be terrible stage management.

"I'll need a minute."

Gon looked toward the place where the frog had disappeared, then turned back to him.

"Why did you do that? You could've died!"

Tonpa didn't answer immediately. He lowered his eyes as though he found it difficult to face the boy, then spoke.

"After what I did to you at the beginning of the exam... I couldn't just stand there and watch the two of you fall."

Gon watched him silently, so Tonpa continued in a halting voice.

"I know my apology wasn't convincing. Maybe because words don't mean much after everything I've done over the years. I just thought... this might be my chance to atone for some of it."

The performance was carefully measured. He didn't exaggerate his remorse or claim to have become a completely different person overnight. Gon had rejected his previous apology because he hadn't sensed any sincerity behind it, so this time Tonpa gave him something stronger than words: real danger, visible pain, and a simple explanation the boy could believe.

A chime rang inside his head.

[Deception Registered.]

[Gon Freecss believed that the host risked his life out of remorse.]

[Gon Freecss — Trust Level increased from 0% to 3%.]

Tonpa nearly let his expression betray him.

'Only three percent?'

He had entered the stomach of a giant frog, covered himself in its digestive fluids, and sacrificed two bottles from his supply—all for three points out of twenty.

'At this rate, I'll need to be digested twice.'

He concealed his dissatisfaction behind a violent coughing fit, but Killua never took his eyes off him.

"You already had the juice in your hand before it swallowed you," the white-haired boy said.

Gon paused, then looked at the empty bottles.

Killua continued.

"You didn't jump in without a plan. You knew the laxative would make the frog throw you up, didn't you?"

Tonpa didn't deny it. Denying a detail Killua had clearly noticed would only turn suspicion into certainty.

"I noticed the trap a moment before it closed and remembered the juice. I wasn't sure it would work, but it was the only chance I had."

"And you still decided to be the one who got swallowed?"

Tonpa looked up at him. Killua's tone wasn't mocking this time. It was cautious, as though he were trying to fit together two pieces that didn't belong in the same picture.

"One of us was going to end up in its mouth. I preferred it to be the person who had a way out."

The window flashed again.

[Killua Zoldyck did not fully believe the host's explanation.]

[Trust Level unchanged.]

[Killua Zoldyck — Trust Level: 0%.]

An additional line appeared a moment later.

[Target State: Confusion.]

'That's fine.'

Confusion wasn't trust, but it was better than certainty that Tonpa was nothing more than a con artist. He had forced Killua to reconsider his previous judgment, and the first step in any successful con was making the mark question what he thought he knew.

Another notification appeared.

[A main character has been successfully deceived.]

[The target's strength, importance, and the difficulty of the deception have been factored in.]

[Reward: 30 Nen Points.]

[30 Experience Points gained.]

Tonpa felt his pulse quicken.

Thirty points from a single deception.

Previously, he had needed an entire group of rookies just to gather ten points. Convincing Gon of one false motive had earned him three times that amount, along with an equal amount of experience.

[Nen Points: 35]

[Experience: 45/100]

'Finally, a payout worth the smell.'

He didn't allow his delight to show. He tightened his expression as though the pain had worsened, then sat up with Gon's help.

"You should come with us," Gon said. "We can help you until we catch up with Satotz."

Tonpa slowly shook his head.

"You'll only slow down because of me."

"That's fine. We're not leaving you here."

Gon's insistence was useful, but staying with them now might weaken the impression he had created. Tonpa needed to cement the image of a man who had risked his life and then refused to become a burden. He also needed a few moments away from them so he could spend his points without being watched.

He looked into the fog behind them.

"Kurapika and Leorio were behind us when we entered the swamp. They may have become separated from the group."

Gon's expression changed immediately.

Tonpa seized the opportunity.

"Go and look for them. I know which direction Satotz went, and I'll catch up after I've caught my breath."

Killua cut in.

"A moment ago, you said you didn't know the way. That was why you were following us."

The boy caught contradictions the way other people picked up stones.

Tonpa answered without hesitation.

"I couldn't see anything earlier because of the crowd. But Satotz is leaving clear tracks in the mud now, and most of the applicants went in the same direction."

Killua glanced down. The dense trail of footprints was indeed visible, even if the fog concealed where it led.

The suspicion remained on his face, but he didn't object.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Gon asked.

Tonpa pushed himself to his feet, deliberately staggering on his first step before regaining his balance.

"I've faced worse in previous exams. Go before they get any farther away."

Gon hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"All right. I'll look for Leorio, and Killua will search for Kurapika. If we can't find them, we'll head to the site of the Second Phase. They may have already reached it before us. Don't be late."

Gon and Killua moved into the fog. After several steps, they split up and headed in different directions. Killua glanced back once before disappearing and found Tonpa still standing where they had left him, one hand pressed against his shoulder.

Tonpa waited until the sound of their footsteps had completely faded.

Only then did he straighten and wipe the exhausted expression from his face. The pain wasn't fake, but it became far more tolerable once there was no longer an audience to convince.

He opened his status window.

[Strength: F] [Upgrade Cost: 10 Nen Points]

[Speed: F] [Upgrade Cost: 10 Nen Points]

[Flexibility: F] [Upgrade Cost: 10 Nen Points]

[Endurance: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Intelligence: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

He couldn't raise his Endurance or Intelligence, and he didn't have enough points for a draw from the Hunter Lottery. The three weaker stats would cost thirty of his thirty-five Nen Points.

'Upgrade three weaknesses to an acceptable level, or save the money until something faster than me kills me.'

The decision didn't take long.

He selected Strength, Speed, and Flexibility.

[Would you like to spend 30 Nen Points to upgrade the selected stats?]

[Yes/No]

He selected Yes.

[30 Nen Points deducted.]

[Strength: F → E]

[Speed: F → E]

[Flexibility: F → E]

A sudden heat swept through his muscles. Pain tightened around his arms and legs before spreading through his joints and spine. Tonpa bent forward, gritting his teeth, only for the sensation to vanish as quickly as it had appeared.

He cautiously moved his injured shoulder. The pain remained, but his body responded more easily. He bent his knees, then dashed two steps through the mud. He hadn't transformed into a superhuman fighter, but his movements were lighter, his balance had improved, and the strength in his legs was noticeably greater.

He summoned his updated stats.

[Strength: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Speed: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Flexibility: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Endurance: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Intelligence: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Nen Points: 0]

[Experience: 30/100]

For the first time, none of his physical stats were ranked F.

'Wonderful. I've advanced from a walking funeral to an average man.'

Even so, the improvement was real. A single deception had raised three stats and given him nearly a third of the experience needed for his next level. If deceiving the main characters was this valuable, gathering a hundred points for the Hunter Lottery no longer seemed impossible.

He closed the window, then looked at the footprints Gon and Killua had left in the mud. He could follow Satotz directly as he had promised, but that would waste a far more valuable opportunity.

Gon had given him his first three percent.

Killua had begun to question his earlier judgment.

And the plan wasn't finished yet.

He waited a few more seconds, then set off after their tracks from a safe distance. His newly enhanced steps were quicker and lighter, while the fog helped conceal his presence.

A devious smile spread across his face as he disappeared between the trees.

'I bought the first three percent with my body.'

He secured his bag and continued following Gon's trail.

'Now it's time to make the others pay for the rest.'

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 8: Right on Schedule

Tonpa's smile did not fade as he followed the path Gon had taken.

The boy's footsteps had disappeared into the fog long ago, but that did not worry him much. He did not need to see Gon when he already knew where the boy was headed, and Gon did not need to see Leorio to find him.

'With that nose, the kid could find a needle in a haystack... provided the needle had sweated a little.'

Tonpa moved cautiously between the trees, benefiting from the upgrades to his Strength, Speed, and Flexibility. He had not suddenly transformed into a superhuman fighter, but his legs felt lighter, and his body responded to sharp turns more smoothly. Even his belly seemed less determined to arrive everywhere before the rest of him.

The improvement was noticeable enough to please him, yet modest enough to remind him that he was still Tonpa.

Out of the hundreds of bodies available in this world, he had somehow started with this one.

Several minutes later, he caught sight of Gon's small figure between the trees. The boy moved quickly, occasionally stopping to inspect the ground or sniff the air before changing direction.

Tonpa watched him from a safe distance.

'He's really doing it.'

He could not decide whether he should admire Gon's sense of smell or be deeply concerned by its existence. In his previous world, the police had needed bank records and surveillance footage to track him down. This child might only need to smell his shirt once.

'Better not make an enemy of him. A fake identity won't fool a nose like that.'

Gon continued forward while Tonpa maintained the distance between them. He did not want the boy to see him yet. Arriving at the wrong moment might ruin the scene he was waiting for—and worse, his presence could attract the attention of the other person at the end of this trail.

Hisoka.

The moment sounds of fighting began drifting through the trees, Tonpa slowed down. He ducked behind a thick trunk, then crept through the undergrowth until he could see part of a small clearing whose edges were swallowed by fog.

Leorio stood there, gripping his wooden staff with both hands, his face tight with anger. Hisoka stood across from him with perfect calm, as though the man waving a weapon in his face were merely demanding repayment for an overdue loan.

Gon was approaching from the opposite side, unnoticed by either of them.

Tonpa retreated farther behind the tree.

He did not know whether Hisoka was using En at that moment or simply possessed some sixth sense unique to psychopaths. He had no intention of getting closer to discover the difference.

'My plan is to earn the main characters' trust, not attend my own funeral.'

He peered around the trunk with half his face.

Hisoka was speaking calmly to the survivors, as though the bodies scattered around him had nothing to do with him. He told them he would give them a chance to escape. Once he gave the signal, they were to run in different directions.

Leorio kept a tight grip on his staff, anger clear across his features, while Kurapika silently studied their opponent. He appeared to understand the difference between their strength and Hisoka's, which was why he made no attempt at pointless heroics.

When the signal came, the applicants scattered in different directions.

Kurapika fled into the trees without hesitation.

Leorio initially ran with him, but he did not get far. His pace slowed before he came to a complete stop.

Tonpa closed his eyes for a moment.

'And there goes his survival instinct.'

Leorio turned back toward Hisoka and tightened his grip on his staff before marching back with furious steps.

He could have escaped and survived, but his pride would not allow him to leave the man who had humiliated them standing behind him. Or perhaps he simply could not resist the urge to strike that smiling face.

Tonpa could not entirely blame him.

Hisoka's face possessed a rare talent for inviting punches. Being capable of accepting that invitation was another matter entirely.

Gon noticed Leorio turning back and shifted inside his hiding place, but he did not reveal himself yet.

Leorio stopped in front of Hisoka and raised his staff, declaring that he had returned to finish their fight. The magician greeted him with a slightly wider smile, as though he had been waiting for someone to make precisely that terrible decision.

Leorio charged and swung his staff with all his strength.

Hisoka leaned aside and avoided the blow with ease, then slipped past him before Leorio could recover his balance.

At that exact moment, Gon emerged from hiding.

He planted his feet firmly against the ground and swung his fishing rod with all his strength. The line shot across the clearing, its weighted lure tearing through the fog at high speed.

It did not wrap around Hisoka's hand.

It struck him directly in the face.

A dull impact rang out, and the magician's head snapped sideways from the force of the blow. Leorio's eyes widened while the lure rebounded and dropped to the ground.

Tonpa's mouth fell slightly open despite knowing exactly what would happen.

'He actually caught Hisoka's face.'

Hisoka slowly raised his head. A mark from the impact had appeared on his cheek, but his smile had not disappeared.

If anything, it had become more pronounced, as though being unexpectedly struck in the face had delighted him.

He looked at Gon and praised his accuracy before turning his attention back to Leorio.

Leorio seized the opportunity and rushed at him again, raising his staff. Hisoka, however, closed the distance between them in a flash and struck him with tremendous force.

Tonpa could not even follow the movement of his fist.

He only saw Leorio's body lift off the ground before being thrown backward and crashing into the grass. He rolled once, then lay motionless, completely unconscious.

"Leorio!"

Gon tightened his grip on his fishing rod and charged toward him.

But Hisoka was faster.

He appeared in front of Gon in an instant, circled behind him, and closed one hand around his throat. Gon's feet rose slightly off the ground, and his fishing rod slipped from his grasp.

Tonpa's fingers dug into the tree bark.

He knew Hisoka would not kill Gon. He had watched this scene before and remembered how it ended, but that knowledge did little to make the sight of the magician's fingers around the boy's throat less terrifying.

On a screen, Hisoka had been an interesting character.

From this distance, he was a compelling reason to choose a profession that did not involve meeting other human beings.

Hisoka studied the boy for several moments before asking whether he had come to save his friend. Gon did not answer, but his defiant stare remained firm despite the obvious difference between them.

Hisoka told him that he would not kill Leorio because the man had proven himself worthy of further observation. He added that Gon had passed as well, then loosened his grip.

Gon dropped to the ground and rubbed his throat while catching his breath.

Hisoka walked over to Leorio and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder. He pulled out a small communication device, listened to the directions leading to the site of the Second Phase, then told Gon they would meet again there.

After that, he disappeared among the trees with Leorio over his shoulder.

Tonpa remained inside his hiding place.

He waited ten seconds after Hisoka vanished.

Then another ten.

He added five more out of respect for his survival instinct.

Once he could no longer hear the magician's footsteps, a slow breath escaped his chest. Everything had happened exactly as he remembered. Kurapika had escaped, Leorio had returned, Gon had struck Hisoka, and the magician had carried Leorio toward the site of the Second Phase.

His earlier interference had not altered the course of the story.

His knowledge of the future remained useful.

'Excellent. The script hasn't caught fire yet.'

Tonpa stepped out from behind the tree and began adjusting his expression as he ran. He relaxed his eyebrows, widened his eyes, and forced his breathing to emerge in broken gasps.

The scene required visible concern.

"Gooon!"

His voice echoed between the trees.

Gon turned toward him in surprise.

Tonpa charged through the bushes and nearly tripped over an exposed root, but he recovered his balance and turned the awkward step into a convincing part of his performance.

"Gon! Are you all right?!"

He stopped in front of the boy and bent over with both hands on his knees, pretending to struggle for breath. Not all of the panting was fake, which granted his performance some free credibility.

Gon blinked several times.

"Tonpa? What are you doing here?"

Tonpa raised his head and examined him from top to bottom, then looked around at the traces of battle.

"I was searching for all of you. I heard fighting coming from this direction." He swept his worried gaze across the clearing. "Where's Leorio? And what happened to Kurapika?"

"I'm fine," Gon said. "Hisoka took Leorio with him to the site of the Second Phase."

Tonpa's eyes widened as though he were hearing the news for the first time.

"Hisoka took him?"

Gon nodded, then began explaining what had happened. He told Tonpa how Hisoka had allowed Kurapika and Leorio to escape, how Leorio had returned to confront him, and how Gon had intervened and struck Hisoka with his fishing rod.

Tonpa maintained his astonishment throughout the explanation.

"Is Leorio alive?"

"Yes. Hisoka said he wouldn't kill him and that we passed."

Tonpa looked toward the path where the magician had disappeared, then released a relieved sigh.

"That's good... or at least as good as being carried around unconscious by Hisoka can possibly be."

That was not entirely an act.

His expression changed a moment later, as though he had suddenly remembered something important.

"What about Kurapika? You said he escaped, but where is he now? Did you make sure he was safe?"

Gon shook his head.

"I don't know. He ran in a different direction and hasn't come back yet."

Tonpa furrowed his brow and stared into the trees. His concern appeared genuine, but the truth was that he knew exactly what would happen.

Kurapika would return to Gon.

He had escaped from Hisoka, but concern for his companions would compel him to turn back. The question was not whether he would return, but how much longer it would take him to arrive.

'Probably a few seconds.'

A faint chime sounded inside Tonpa's head.

[Deception Registered.]

[Gon Freecss has been convinced that the Host's concern for him and his companions is genuine.]

[Nen Points +10]

[Experience Points +10]

A smile nearly appeared on Tonpa's face, but he concealed it behind a worried look toward the fog.

'Only ten points?'

Last time, he had received thirty Nen Points and thirty Experience Points. This time, he had run, shouted, and produced the most concerned expression Tonpa's face was capable of, yet he had earned only a third as much.

The reason was not difficult to understand.

Previously, he had allowed himself to be swallowed and deceived both Gon and Killua. This time, he had waited until the danger was over before appearing to play the concerned friend.

'Thirty points for entering a frog's stomach, and ten for a bit of shouting.'

The pricing seemed fair in a way that irritated him.

Another window appeared.

[Gon Freecss's Trust Level has increased.]

[3% → 5%]

Tonpa's thoughts froze on the final number.

Five percent.

He had not even reached half the amount required from Gon, while the Trust Levels of the other three main characters remained close to nothing. Even so, genuine satisfaction spread through his chest.

Only a few hours ago, Gon had viewed him as the man who had tried to poison him with laxatives. Now, the boy trusted him by a full five percent.

For an ordinary person, that would hardly qualify as an achievement.

But a good con artist never underestimated the first crack in his target's defenses.

The sound of branches shifting came from behind him.

Tonpa knew who the footsteps belonged to before their owner appeared, but he spun around and pretended to brace himself. Gon grabbed his fishing rod and watched the fog cautiously.

A human figure emerged between the trees.

Kurapika stepped out of the mist, dirt staining the edge of his clothes, but otherwise unharmed. The moment he saw Gon, the tension on his face gave way to relief.

"Gon!"

The boy's face lit up.

"Kurapika!"

Tonpa concealed a small smile as he watched him approach.

He had returned right on schedule.

'Good... It seems the world is still following the script.'

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 9: The Scent of Regret

Kurapika approached them at a brisk pace, only to slow when his eyes landed on Tonpa. His gaze shifted between him and Gon as though he were trying to understand why the Rookie Crusher was standing beside the boy—and why Gon seemed perfectly comfortable with his presence.

It was the perfect moment for another performance.

Tonpa lowered his head, then slowly clenched his fist.

"I'm sorry."

Kurapika's expression stalled somewhere between surprise and confusion.

Tonpa raised his eyes to Gon, making certain that the regret in them was impossible to miss.

"If I'd arrived even a little earlier, maybe I could have helped. I heard the sounds of fighting and ran as fast as I could, but it was already over by the time I got there. I found Gon alone, and Hisoka was nowhere in sight."

It was a good story because it mixed the lie with a little truth. Tonpa really had heard the fighting, and he had eventually found Gon.

He simply left out the time he had spent hiding behind a tree, waiting for Hisoka to leave.

Gon spoke immediately.

"Don't blame yourself. There was nothing you could've done. Hisoka is incredibly strong."

"But I left you alone against him."

"You saved Killua and me from that frog. You can't save everyone every time."

Tonpa's mouth trembled slightly, as though the words had moved him.

Inside, he was struggling to keep himself from smiling.

'Keep going, Gon. If you continue defending me like this, I might soon be able to save money on acting lessons.'

A soft chime sounded inside his head.

[Gon Freecss: Believes your regret is sincere.]

[Kurapika: Stunned by your behavior.]

Tonpa glanced at Kurapika from the corner of his eye.

The blond youth was staring at him in silence. Judging by his expression, the possibility that Tonpa had suffered a blow to the head seemed far more reasonable than the idea that he had suddenly developed a conscience.

Another message appeared.

[Kurapika: Is not convinced you have changed.]

'Well, you can't please everyone.'

Tonpa sighed, then forced a trace of resolve back onto his face.

"We need to hurry. Hisoka took Leorio to the location of the Second Phase, but…" He looked between the trees, feigning uncertainty. "Do either of you know the way? I lost my sense of direction in the fog."

"I don't know the way," Gon said simply, "but I can follow Leorio's scent."

Kurapika turned toward him.

"His scent?"

Gon nodded as though he had just offered the most natural solution in the world.

"I memorized it while we were together. I can still smell him."

Tonpa widened his eyes and played his part.

"You can track him by scent across the entire swamp?"

"Yeah."

Tonpa stared at him for two seconds before muttering, "That is an extremely… useful talent."

'And an extremely terrifying one.'

Kurapika appeared unable to decide which was stranger: Gon's ability to track people with his nose, or Tonpa behaving like a human being who cared about other people's safety.

Gon inhaled several times, then pointed in one direction.

"This way."

He set off between the trees, and Kurapika and Tonpa followed.

The fog had begun to thin, but the ground remained damp and tangled with roots. Gon moved confidently ahead of them, adjusting his direction whenever he caught a stronger trace of Leorio's scent, while Tonpa maintained a steady pace beside the others.

After a while, Tonpa moved a few steps ahead, leaving Gon and Kurapika behind him.

Kurapika lowered his voice, though not enough to escape the System's notice.

"Gon, don't you think Tonpa is acting strangely?"

Gon looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard about him before the exam started. He has participated many times, and he's infamous for deceiving newcomers and ruining their chances. Someone like that doesn't change this easily or this suddenly."

Gon glanced at Tonpa's back.

"But he helped Killua and me. He let the frog swallow him instead of us. He could have died."

"I'm not denying that, but he may want something from you."

Gon thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I think he really regrets what he did. He said he wanted to make up for all the bad things he's done."

Tonpa continued walking without turning around. He couldn't hear every word clearly, but the windows appearing before his eyes filled in everything he missed.

[Kurapika: Is warning Gon Freecss about you.]

[Gon Freecss: Is defending you.]

[Kurapika: Still doubts your motives.]

[Kurapika's Trust Level: 0%]

Tonpa felt a small sting to his pride.

'There was no need to show me the zero again.'

Even so, things were going better than he had expected. Kurapika's suspicion was natural. It would have been stranger if he had believed Tonpa so easily.

What mattered was that Gon had begun defending him without being prompted.

Tonpa was no longer the only person selling the lie.

He now had his first victim helping him market it.

After some time, light began filtering through the trees. The fog receded, and the ground gradually became drier until the three of them finally emerged from Swindlers' Swamp.

A large building with a high roof stood before them, with dozens of applicants gathered outside. Some sat on the ground recovering their breath, while others stood in silence and watched the latest arrivals.

Kurapika looked up at the building.

"We made it in time."

Tonpa swept his gaze across the crowd. He spotted Hanzo, the needle-covered man, and several other familiar faces that had survived the swamp.

Then he saw Killua.

The white-haired boy was standing beside Leorio, a dark bruise clearly visible on the older man's face. The moment Gon saw his friend, his expression brightened.

"Killua!"

Killua turned toward them. His gaze moved from Gon to Kurapika before lingering briefly on Tonpa.

"So you found him."

Gon nodded.

"Kurapika came back to us. What about you? Did you find Leorio?"

Killua shook his head and gestured toward the man beside him.

"Not inside the swamp. I searched the direction I took and couldn't find anyone, so I decided to keep going toward the Second Phase. Leorio was already here when I arrived."

Gon looked at the bruise on Leorio's face.

"Hisoka brought him?"

"Yeah." Killua cast a sideways glance toward the edge of the crowd. "Looks like he decided to start a delivery service for injured applicants."

'Excellent service, assuming one ignored the fact that the courier caused the injury himself.'

Gon approached Killua.

"I managed to follow Leorio's scent all the way here."

Killua blinked, then looked at Gon's nose.

"Of course you did."

He didn't look nearly as surprised as Kurapika had. Apparently, Gon possessing the nose of a hunting dog had already become just another fact for him to accept.

"Sorry we were separated for so long," Gon said.

Killua turned his face slightly away.

"It's fine. I didn't find anything anyway."

Kurapika joined them, and Killua quickly looked him over before speaking again.

"At least our search wasn't completely useless."

Tonpa concealed his relief. Killua had returned from a separate route, Leorio had reached the Second Phase, and Kurapika had arrived with Gon.

Every piece had returned to its proper place without Tonpa needing to invent another explanation.

Then he saw Hisoka.

The magician stood calmly at the edge of the crowd as though he hadn't killed several applicants only a short while ago. When his eyes passed over Tonpa, the latter immediately looked away.

'I don't know you, you don't know me, and let's keep our beautiful relationship that way.'

Tonpa turned his attention back to Leorio.

His expression transformed at once.

"Leorio!"

He rushed toward him.

Leorio turned at the sound of his voice, then took half a step back when he saw Tonpa approaching.

"You?"

Tonpa reached him and gripped him by the upper arms, examining the bruise on his face with obvious concern.

"Are you all right? Did Hisoka hit you anywhere else?"

Leorio stared at him as though the man who had tried to slip him laxatives a few hours earlier had suddenly decided to become his personal physician.

"What happened to you?"

"I was worried about you."

"You were what?"

Gon, Kurapika, and Killua reached them. Gon smiled when he saw Leorio standing.

"Tonpa helped Killua and me inside the swamp. Then he came looking for us when he heard the fighting."

Leorio slowly turned toward Gon.

Then back to Tonpa.

Then to Gon again.

"He helped you? Tonpa?"

Gon nodded eagerly.

Killua folded his arms and added, "If letting a giant frog swallow him instead of us counts as helping, then he really did help."

Leorio whipped his head toward Tonpa so sharply that his bruise probably protested.

"A frog swallowed you?"

Tonpa released his arms and sighed.

"I had a plan."

"You poured juice into its stomach until it vomited you back out," Killua said.

"I said I had a plan. I never said it was elegant."

Leorio stared at him for several seconds, his confusion only deepening instead of producing a useful answer.

Tonpa released a convincingly relieved sigh.

"The important thing is that you're all right. I thought I'd lost my chance to apologize to you."

The suspicion on Leorio's face was even more prominent than his bruise.

[Leorio: Confused.]

[Leorio: Suspects a trick.]

[Leorio's Trust Level: 0%]

'Yes, I understand. Everyone has a beautiful zero except Gon.'

Before Tonpa could continue his attempt, Satotz approached the applicants. He stopped in front of the building and waited until the voices died down before announcing the conclusion of the First Phase of the Hunter Exam.

He informed the successful applicants that his role had ended and wished them luck in the Second Phase. Then he bowed his head and left with his usual calm stride.

As soon as Satotz moved away, Leorio grabbed Gon by the arm.

"Come with me for a moment."

He dragged him several steps away, apparently convinced that such a short distance would prevent Tonpa from hearing him.

Unfortunately, Leorio possessed no genuine talent for whispering.

"Listen carefully," he said, lowering his voice. "That man is a con artist. I don't know why he did what he did in the swamp, but he definitely wants something from you."

Gon glanced at Tonpa and found him standing beside Kurapika and Killua with a perfectly innocent expression.

"Don't worry. He really did save us."

"That's exactly what worries me! That Tonpa guy doesn't look like the type who'd risk his lunch to save someone, let alone his life!"

"Maybe he changed."

Leorio stared at Gon as though the boy had just claimed that Hisoka had abandoned the Hunter Exam to open an orphanage.

"People don't change that quickly."

Gon smiled.

"I'll be careful, but I don't think he wants to hurt us."

A soft chime sounded inside Tonpa's head.

[Leorio: Is warning Gon Freecss about you.]

[Gon Freecss: Partially rejected the warning.]

[Gon Freecss's Trust Level remains at 5%.]

The number hadn't increased, but Tonpa wasn't disappointed.

Gon was now defending him to someone else. That development was worth far more than two temporary percentage points.

'Five percent has already started working on my behalf.'

Before the two of them returned, a deep sound came from inside the building. Its enormous doors slowly began to open, silencing every conversation as all eyes turned toward them.

Killua returned to Gon's side while Leorio and Kurapika moved closer. Tonpa joined them, carefully choosing a position that didn't place him too close to Hisoka.

When the doors opened, they revealed a vast hall.

At the far end, a young woman sat on a sofa with one leg crossed over the other. Her hair had been tied into several stiff, jutting tufts, and a confident smile rested on her face.

Behind the sofa sat an enormous man whose body resembled a wall of flesh. The moment the applicants entered, a long growl rumbled from his stomach and echoed through the hall.

The young woman raised a hand beside her face.

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving," the enormous man answered without hesitation.

The applicants waited for an explanation, but what followed left several of them staring at the examiners in disbelief.

The pair announced that they were Gourmet Hunters—and that the theme of the Second Phase was cooking.

The applicants would be required to prepare dishes chosen by the examiners, and no one would pass until they were satisfied with the taste.

Voices of protest immediately rose throughout the hall.

Tonpa, meanwhile, stared at the young woman sitting on the sofa as his happiness gradually disappeared.

He remembered this phase.

More importantly, he remembered Menchi's temper.

'Wonderful… I survived Hisoka, only to have my future decided by a plate of food.'

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 10: Human Bait

Menchi did not give the applicants much time to object.

She gestured toward the enormous man seated behind her, then explained that they were both Gourmet Hunters and that the Second Phase would be divided into two parts. Each of them would request a specific dish, and only those who satisfied the first examiner's palate would be allowed to attempt the other's test. Passing the phase as a whole required earning both examiners' approval.

The giant patted his stomach, producing a deep sound that resembled the growl of a caged beast.

"I'm Buhara," he said with a smile. "And the dish I want is roast pig."

A brief silence followed before the tension on many faces began to ease. After a tunnel stretching for dozens of kilometers and a swamp that had tried to kill them with everything it contained, cooking a pig sounded almost merciful.

But Menchi's smile made it clear that mercy was not on the menu.

She told them that they would have to hunt the pigs themselves inside the Biska Forest Preserve, and that only one species lived in the surrounding forest. Each applicant would roast their catch and serve it to Buhara. The first part would end once his stomach was full—or once the remaining applicants proved incapable of presenting anything that satisfied him.

Tonpa heard Leorio mutter that they had come to earn Hunter Licenses, not to work in a restaurant. Kurapika replied that finding and preparing food could be essential when exploring unknown regions, while Killua seemed interested only in whether they would be allowed to eat the leftovers.

Killua tilted his head toward Tonpa.

"Do you know how to cook?"

Tonpa did not hesitate.

"Of course."

It was a confident lie. His actual culinary expertise began and ended with boiling water, and even that required someone to remind him to turn off the stove.

Killua studied him for a moment longer than necessary, then gave him a faint smile.

"Then I'll stay away from your dish."

'Annoying brat. I lied with one word, and he still managed to uncover half of it.'

One of the men raised his hand and protested that cooking had nothing to do with being a Hunter. Menchi looked at him as though he had just volunteered to become the next dish.

"Catch your food first. Then you can complain about how you're supposed to prepare it."

No one else raised a hand.

Buhara announced the start of the test, and the entire area exploded into motion. The applicants surged toward the doors at once, and the forest quickly swallowed them.

Tonpa moved with them, but the confidence that had carried him through the swamp vanished after only a few steps.

He tried to recover the details of this phase from memory. He remembered Buhara devouring pig after pig. He remembered the chaos, followed by a hazy image of bodies flying through the air. The scene had passed quickly when he watched the anime, and he had never imagined that his life would one day depend on the details he had ignored.

'I should have taken notes instead of skipping through every scene that didn't feature Hisoka.'

He knew they were supposed to hunt enormous pigs, but he could not remember how they were defeated. Worse, he had never hunted anything in his life. The closest he had ever come was chasing a mouse that had invaded his kitchen.

The mouse had won.

He had moved to another apartment several months later for reasons he continued to insist were unrelated.

Tonpa searched among the applicants until he spotted a green jacket moving farther into the forest.

Gon.

Tonpa might not know how to hunt, but a child who had grown up on an island surrounded by wild animals certainly would.

He changed direction and followed Gon through the trees, maintaining enough distance to avoid looking as though he were deliberately trailing him. Once the other applicants disappeared behind them, Tonpa quickened his pace and deliberately stepped on a dry branch.

Gon turned around immediately.

Tonpa raised his eyebrows as if surprised to see him.

"Gon? What a coincidence."

The boy looked toward the path Tonpa had come from, then back at him.

"You've been walking behind me since we left the building."

Tonpa's smile froze for a fraction of a second.

"Then it was a very long coincidence."

Gon did not look entirely convinced, but he did not object when Tonpa suggested that they hunt together.

They had barely ventured any deeper when the ground began to tremble beneath their feet.

Shouts came from ahead, followed by several applicants bursting through the trees. Some were running.

Others were flying after being launched by an unseen force.

The pigs appeared behind them.

They were enormous, with broad bodies and massive snouts that looked as though nature had designed them specifically for demolishing walls. One of them smashed through an entire bush without slowing down, while another rammed a man and sent him crashing into a distant tree trunk.

Gon watched their movements carefully. He noticed one of the pigs stagger after slamming its head into a tree and focused on the narrow area just above its snout.

"I think its head is its weak point."

Tonpa stared at the pig, whose head appeared nearly as large as the rest of its body.

"Bold choice for a weak point."

Gon quickly explained his plan. He would climb one of the trees and wait while Tonpa lured a pig toward him. Once it passed underneath, Gon would strike its forehead with the weighted lure attached to his fishing rod.

Tonpa looked at the tree.

Then at the pig.

Then back at Gon.

"And why am I the bait?"

"Because I need to be in the tree to hit it."

The answer was logical enough to leave him with no room to argue.

A minute later, Tonpa stood some distance away from the pig with a stone in his hand. He threw it, striking the animal in the side, then waved both arms.

"Come here, you—"

The pig turned toward him.

The rest of the insult vanished from Tonpa's mouth.

The animal scraped one hoof against the ground and charged.

Tonpa spun around and ran as fast as he could.

The trees shook around him, and the pounding of hooves drew closer until every impact seemed to travel directly up his spine. His Speed had risen to E, but Tonpa discovered that the letter offered very little emotional comfort when a pig the size of a car was chasing him.

'I spent ten Nen Points on this Speed. If I die now, I want a refund.'

"Gon!"

"Closer!"

"If it gets any closer, the two of us are going to end up in a long-term relationship!"

Tonpa passed beneath the chosen branch and threw himself to the side.

At that exact moment, Gon swung his fishing rod from above. The weighted lure shot through the air and struck the pig squarely in the forehead.

Its legs buckled instantly. Its enormous body flipped forward before crashing into the ground with enough force to shake the dirt beneath them.

Tonpa remained sprawled on the ground for two seconds before cautiously raising his head.

"Is it dead?"

Gon jumped down from the tree and examined it.

"It's only unconscious. But that's enough."

Tonpa stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes, then stared at the spot where the lure had struck.

"How did you know to hit it there?"

Gon pointed toward a nearby tree trunk with a broken section.

"Its forehead is strong, but when it hits something solid, the shock travels back into its head. I thought a concentrated strike would affect it more."

Tonpa nodded slowly, pretending the explanation was perfectly ordinary.

'Of course. He watched a pig for a few seconds and figured out exactly how to knock it out. My entire plan was to follow him around and hope for the best.'

That was Tonpa's pig.

To catch Gon's, they repeated the same plan.

Tonpa discovered that succeeding once did not make his role as human bait any less humiliating. The second pig was faster, and its massive snout nearly touched his back before Gon's strike landed. When the animal finally collapsed, Tonpa silently vowed to learn a long-range attack before agreeing to another partnership with a child carrying a fishing rod.

They tied the pigs' legs with ropes they found among the cooking equipment and began making their way back.

Gon hoisted his pig over his shoulders and walked at a perfectly normal pace, as though he were carrying nothing more than an oversized travel bag.

Tonpa, meanwhile, gripped his rope with both hands and dragged his pig behind him. Its massive body scraped across the dirt, its legs caught on every exposed root, and Tonpa's breathing gradually turned into a public argument with life itself.

After a while, Gon glanced back at him.

"Do you need help?"

Tonpa tightened his grip on the rope and smiled through his ragged breaths.

"No... I just wanted to give you time to appreciate the view."

Gon resumed walking, while Tonpa stared at the pig resting effortlessly across the boy's shoulders.

'What kind of monster carries a monster that size without getting tired?'

For a moment, he wondered what Gon's actual Stats looked like. If the boy's Strength was anything below C, then the System did not measure strength.

It merely distributed insults in an official capacity.

The examination building finally appeared between the trees.

Gon walked ahead with his catch resting easily on his shoulders, while Tonpa arrived behind him, dragging his pig and leaving a long trail through the dirt.

His return had not been heroic.

But it had been successful.

And in the Hunter Exam, Tonpa had decided, he could worry about the distinction later.

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 11: Bigger Game


The first thing Tonpa did upon reaching the examination grounds was let go of the rope.

It dropped beside the pig as he braced both hands on his knees and struggled to catch his breath. His arms ached from all the pulling, and his back had long since stopped trying to conceal its objections to the abuse he had put it through.

Beside him, Gon lowered his own pig from his shoulders and set it on the ground with ease.

Tonpa looked at him, then back at the distance he had covered while dragging his catch.

'No. I am not asking about his Stats. What remains of my self-respect is not worth the risk.'

The applicants returned from the forest one after another. Some carried their pigs, others dragged them as Tonpa had, while quite a few came back empty-handed, their clothes bearing the marks of pursuits that had not ended in their favor.

Once the last applicant returned from the hunt, Menchi stood before them and pointed toward a row of rotisserie spits prepared on the other side of the grounds. She explained that each applicant had to clean and cook the pig they had caught themselves, and that the decision on whether they passed would rest with her and Buhara.

A wave of relief quickly swept through the applicants.

"Roast pig? That's all?"

"This is easier than I expected."

"So catching it was the hardest part."

Tonpa said nothing.

His memory of this phase was incomplete. He remembered Menchi, the cooking, the applicants' outrage, and then Netero's arrival. Many of the details had blurred together between the anime adaptation and the manga chapters he had read years ago, but he was certain of one thing.

In the end, everyone would fail.

He looked down at the pig that had nearly trampled him twice.

'Wonderful. I almost died for a dish they are going to reject.'

The examination grounds quickly transformed into an open-air kitchen. Fires were lit, and the applicants began cutting and preparing their catches. Most of them worked with a strange degree of confidence, even though some kept sneaking glances at the people beside them before every step to make sure they were doing it correctly.

Tonpa sat in front of his pig and picked up a knife.

He had no idea how to clean an animal this large. His previous cooking experience had never gone beyond instant meals that required nothing more complicated than a pot and hot water. He watched the man beside him cut open his pig, then carefully imitated his movements.

He could have made a more serious effort, but he already knew the outcome. He saw no reason to waste his energy trying to impress an examiner who had already decided that no one deserved to pass.

'Laziness is bad. Laziness when you know the future is called planning.'

At least, that was what he chose to call it.

He secured the pig over the fire and sat back to watch it roast. Before long, the smell of burning meat caught his attention. One side had already blackened while the other remained too far from the flames.

He turned the spit far too late.

Gon approached and stared at the meat.

"I think the fire is too strong."

"I know."

"Then why haven't you moved it farther away?"

Tonpa examined the charred side before replying with complete seriousness.

"I'm testing a different method."

Gon waited for an explanation.

"I'm searing the outside to lock the flavor inside."

Gon looked back at the pig.

"Does that work?"

"We'll find out soon."

It sounded better than admitting that he had forgotten to turn it.

Tonpa waited for a System notification, but nothing appeared. Either Gon had not believed him, or the lie had been so poor that even the System refused to register it.

'Fair.'

Gon returned to his own fire. He took the test completely seriously, watching the meat the entire time. Kurapika helped him choose a few herbs, while Leorio entered into a lengthy argument with the two of them over the proper cooking time. None of them knew the answer, but that did not stop Leorio from defending his opinion.

Killua, meanwhile, sat alone beside his fire, turning the spit with little apparent interest. He looked confident that he could deal with the result no matter what it was.

Tonpa considered warning Gon that all his effort would be wasted, but quickly dismissed the idea. If he predicted that everyone would fail and it happened exactly as he said, he would attract attention he did not need. If his presence had somehow changed the course of events, he would merely look like a pessimistic idiot.

'Let them cook. Netero will arrive eventually.'

His knowledge of the future was limited. He could not afford to waste it merely to spare Gon the trouble of roasting a pig.

When the allotted time ended, the applicants began presenting their dishes. Buhara welcomed the first pig with enthusiasm and immediately started eating. He did not stop after a single bite to judge the flavor. He continued until a large portion of the dish had disappeared, then asked for the next one.

Tonpa watched him in silence.

'Right... I am not going to make fun of his stomach.'

It was a useful rule: never mock a man capable of eating you and then asking for another serving.

Menchi, unlike Buhara, rejected the dishes one after another. One was burned, another was raw, and a third lacked seasoning. Every applicant who approached her returned moments later with a face darker than their pig.

Eventually, Tonpa's turn arrived.

He pushed his dish in front of the two examiners and waited. Menchi picked up her knife, tapped its tip against the burned crust, then cut through it. The outside was hard, while part of the inside remained pink in a way that inspired very little confidence.

She stared at him.

"Did you actually cook this?"

"I did what was required. I put it over the fire."

"You put one side of it over the fire. What did you do with the rest?"

"I gave it more time to cook."

"It's raw."

"Apparently, it failed to make good use of the extra time."

She continued staring at him for two seconds, then pointed toward the group of failed applicants.

Tonpa did not argue. He took his dish and returned to the crowd before she decided that failing him was not punishment enough.

The applicants continued presenting their dishes, but the outcome never changed. Even those that looked better than the rest failed to satisfy Menchi. The earlier calm gradually vanished from the examination grounds, replaced by angry murmurs.

At last, Menchi rose and announced,

"No one has passed the Second Phase."

Silence fell for a moment, as though everyone needed time to understand what she had just said.

Then the objections erupted.

Leorio shouted that the decision was unfair, and dozens of applicants quickly agreed with him. Kurapika tried to calm him down, though he did not appear convinced by the result either. Gon stood in silence, staring at his dish, while Killua simply watched the chaos unfold.

Tonpa was not angry. He had been expecting this from the beginning.

Yet as he looked at the faces surrounding him, he noticed something he had never considered before. Dozens of people were angry for the same reason. They all wanted the same outcome, and they were ready to listen to anyone who offered them hope.

Ever since entering the tunnel, he had been deceiving one person and then moving on to the next. One Nen Point from this person, three from another—and each time, he had to construct an entirely new lie.

'Why am I doing this to myself?'

He did not have to deceive them one at a time. If an entire crowd believed a single lie, he would receive a reward from every one of them. More importantly, he would not have to repeat the same work dozens of times.

For a moment, Tonpa felt as though he had been behaving like an amateur.

'I was looking for victims when I should have been looking for an audience.'

There was only one problem. Most of the applicants knew Tonpa's reputation and would never give him a chance to speak.

Before he could find a solution, a heavy roar sounded from the sky. The applicants raised their heads as a massive airship descended toward the examination grounds. Its propellers sent dust billowing in every direction, and the protests gradually died down as it approached.

The airship landed, its door opened, and an elderly man with a long beard stepped out.

Tonpa recognized him immediately.

Netero, Chairman of the Hunter Association.

Every eye in the crowd turned toward him, and the objections fell silent without him needing to ask.

Tonpa studied the old man, then glanced back at the applicants.

They might not be willing to listen to the Rookie Crusher, but they would listen to a man speaking before the Chairman of the Hunter Association.

A small smile spread across his face.

'That will be enough.'

He broke away from the crowd and hurried toward Netero, raising one hand before the old man could speak.

"Chairmaaan!"

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 12: For the Sake of Justice

Netero stopped before moving away from the airship's door and turned his gaze toward Tonpa.

Tonpa's feet stopped as well.

The distance between them was not great, but it was more than enough to remind him that the old man standing before him was not merely the Chairman of the Hunter Association. He was one of the strongest people in this world—and could probably tell Tonpa was lying before he even opened his mouth.

'Too late to back out now.'

He continued forward until he stood before the crowd, then bowed respectfully.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Chairman, but this test was not fair."

The voices behind him fell silent for a moment. Of all the applicants present, no one had expected Tonpa to be the first to speak on their behalf.

Netero raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Not fair?"

"No."

The word came out far steadier than Tonpa felt. He turned halfway around, keeping himself facing Netero while making sure the rest of the applicants could see his face and hear him clearly.

That part mattered. A speech the audience could not see was little more than wasted conversation.

"Some of the people here traveled from distant cities. Others spent everything they had just to reach this place. We risked our lives in the tunnel and the wetlands, then hunted pigs capable of killing a man with a single charge."

'Minor detail: Gon caught my pig.'

He gestured toward the marks left on the applicants' clothing and the dishes scattered across the examination grounds.

"I am not saying we deserve to pass simply because we struggled. This is the Hunter Exam, and failure is part of it. But we should at least be given a genuine chance to succeed. When everyone fails because no one can satisfy a single examiner's palate, perhaps the problem does not lie with every applicant."

'What I actually want is to pass without another test.'

Tonpa paused long enough for his words to settle over the crowd, then continued in a quieter voice.

"Some of us were injured before reaching this place. Some may not have enough left to try again next year. If we do not deserve to become Hunters, then let the test prove it. Ending everyone's attempt this way does not measure our abilities. It only proves that we do not know how to cook."

'As for my cooking, it received exactly the verdict it deserved.'

A murmur of agreement spread behind him.

Tonpa studied the surrounding faces with a quick glance. Some were genuinely listening, and others had begun nodding before he even finished. He had no need to invent a tragedy. Everything he said was either true or likely enough to be true in a crowd this large. The real deception lay in the reason he had chosen to say it.

He had deliberately said "we," and just as deliberately avoided asking for anything that would benefit him alone. People distrusted a man who argued for his own interests, but they loved a man who gave voice to their anger—even if that voice belonged to a known con artist.

And motives, fortunately, only showed on a man's face when he was bad at his job.

"What kind of nonsense is this?"

The voice came from the middle of the crowd. Its owner was one of the applicants who knew Tonpa from previous Hunter Exams.

"Since when have you cared about anyone else's chances? You've spent years trying to crush rookies!"

A few mocking smiles appeared, and the expressions of some who had begun to believe him shifted. Tonpa felt his plan tilting in the wrong direction, but he had expected the attack.

Denying his past would end everything.

He lowered his head slightly.

"You're right."

Some of the smiles disappeared.

Tonpa raised his eyes again, keeping his voice calm.

"I've done things I am not proud of, and you have every right not to trust me. But being a bad person does not make what happened here fair. If I am wrong, then tell me what is wrong with my argument—not what is wrong with my life."

A brief silence followed.

Admitting to wrongdoing was not a bad way to earn trust, especially when you chose which part of the wrongdoing to confess.

The man looked around, but no answer came readily to him. Nearby, a young applicant spoke up.

"He's right about the test."

Another agreed. Then scattered voices began demanding that they be given a second chance. Not everyone believed Tonpa had changed; he could see open contempt on several faces. Others, however, stared at him in surprise, as though standing before the Chairman of the Hunter Association was proof enough that his remorse was genuine.

It was proof of nothing, of course, except that Tonpa knew where to stand when he wanted everyone to see him.

The chime he had been waiting for finally sounded.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

Tonpa nearly smiled, but a second notification appeared before the first had vanished.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +2]

[Experience Points +2]

Then came a third.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

A fourth and fifth followed. The windows began appearing one after another before his eyes, some granting a single point and others two or more depending on how difficult the target had been to deceive. At first, Tonpa tried to keep a running total, but he lost count when each new notification appeared before he could finish reading the previous one.

He did not know how many people had believed him or how many points he had earned. He only knew that the chiming had not stopped.

Throughout the tunnel, he had been forced to chase down rookies and speak to them one at a time. Now he was simply standing in place and watching the points come to him.

'All this from one speech?'

The plan's success surpassed even his expectations. He had hoped to deceive a handful of people, not turn his speech into a continuous stream of notifications. For a moment, he almost forgot that Netero was still standing in front of him and that he needed to maintain the expression of a remorseful man concerned about everyone's future.

'Do not smile, you idiot.'

He kept his face serious with some difficulty. This was not the time to open his Status; he could count his profits later, when the Chairman of the Hunter Association was no longer standing in front of him.

Behind him, Gon was watching him with visible relief. Kurapika remained more guarded, while Leorio leaned toward him and whispered something Tonpa could not hear. Killua, however, did not appear moved by the speech. He stared at Tonpa through narrowed eyes until a small smile appeared on his face.

Tonpa did not like that smile.

'I do not need everyone.'

Especially not the child who had been trained from birth to notice when a person's actions did not match their intentions.

Netero waited for the demands to subside, then clasped his hands behind his back.

"I understand your objection. What do you propose?"

The question came exactly as Tonpa had expected, yet tension returned to his stomach all the same.

Netero had not defended Menchi, dismissed the complaint, or shown the slightest sign that the speech had moved him. He merely asked the question as though he wanted to see the next step in the con. Tonpa could not tell whether it was curiosity or a test, but he disliked both possibilities.

This was the true turning point of his plan. Complaining was easy; any angry person could do it. Offering a solution he had known about before the problem even arose was what would make him look prepared—and perhaps raise his value in the eyes of the main characters.

He pointed toward the distant mountains.

This was one of the few details from the original test that his memory had preserved clearly. Whether the mountain was truly as close as the anime had made it seem was another matter, but hesitating now would only invite questions.

"There is a split mountain nearby, with a deep chasm dividing its two halves. Spider Eagles live in the crevices beneath it, hanging their nests far beyond the reach of predators."

Menchi's expression changed for the first time. She turned fully toward him and studied him with sudden focus.

Tonpa noticed, but continued before she could interrupt.

"Their eggs are edible, but retrieving one requires courage, balance, and the ability to judge danger. A Hunter needs those qualities far more than knowing how much salt belongs on roast pork."

A new murmur rose from the applicants, different from the last. Most of them had no idea what a Spider Eagle was, but the promise of a test they might actually pass was enough to capture their interest.

"I propose that each applicant retrieve an egg personally, then boil it and serve it to the examiners. Anyone who succeeds in bringing one back should advance to the next phase."

Netero remained silent as he watched him.

Tonpa could read nothing in his eyes. The old man appeared perfectly calm, but calm from someone like him was hardly reassuring. He had probably understood that justice was not Tonpa's true motive before the airship had even touched the ground.

Netero shifted his gaze toward Menchi. Her attention remained fixed on Tonpa, but she offered no objection.

"Spider Eagle eggs..."

Netero repeated the words slowly. Then a faint smile appeared beneath his mustache.

Tonpa could not tell whether it was a smile of approval or whether the old man had simply found something amusing in his plan.

'That means he agrees... right?'

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 13: A Small Divergence

Netero's smile remained in place as he turned toward Menchi.

"What do you think?"

She did not answer immediately. She was still staring at Tonpa, but the irritation she had shown during the applicants' protests had been replaced by interest.

"It's an excellent proposal."

Expressions shifted throughout the crowd. Even Tonpa needed a moment to make sure he had heard her correctly.

Menchi continued, "Spider Eagle eggs are among the finest ingredients found in this region, and obtaining them requires more than brute strength. In fact, I was planning to propose the exact same test if the applicants were granted another chance."

She looked directly at him.

"I didn't expect any of you to know about them. You have a good understanding of ingredients, and you chose a suitable test."

'Of course I did. It was your idea in the first place.'

From where he stood, Buhara added that boiled eggs would be easier on his stomach after all the pork he had eaten. Tonpa had no idea how a man who had devoured dozens of pigs could use the phrase "easier on my stomach" with a straight face, but he kept the question to himself.

Tonpa maintained a modest expression and lowered his head slightly as notifications began appearing before him again.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +2]

[Experience Points +2]

Menchi's praise made his speech sound more sincere than it had any right to. Applicants who had remained hesitant only moments earlier now began looking at him differently. Gratitude alone meant nothing to the System, but whenever hesitation gave way to belief in Tonpa's supposed sincerity, another notification appeared.

Netero nodded slowly.

"You didn't merely object. You offered an alternative the examiners could accept. Well done."

Several applicants behind Tonpa nodded after hearing the Chairman's judgment. Their remaining doubts began to fade.

Another chime sounded, followed by one more.

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +3]

[Experience Points +3]

[Deception Registered.]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

Tonpa could no longer keep track of the windows. They overlapped in front of his eyes until he was forced to dismiss them just so he could see Netero.

'Even the Chairman is helping me.'

Nothing in Netero's expression suggested that he had believed a single word of Tonpa's supposed concern for the other applicants. That no longer mattered. The Chairman's praise alone was enough to make the others believe.

Menchi stood and announced that Tonpa's proposal would become the replacement test for her portion of the Second Phase, provided the Chairman approved. Netero agreed, and cries of relief rose from the applicants. Some looked at Tonpa with gratitude, while those familiar with his past remained considerably less enthusiastic.

He was preparing to retreat into the crowd before he attracted any more attention when a different window appeared.

[Warning.]

[The main events have diverged from their original course by 0.1%.]

Tonpa stopped where he was.

His gaze remained fixed on the decimal point. The number was small enough to look harmless, which only made the warning above it more unsettling.

'Zero point one percent?'

Until now, events had unfolded almost exactly as he remembered them. Hisoka had appeared in Swindlers' Swamp, Gon had saved Leorio, and everyone had failed Menchi's test. Tonpa's interference had changed how a few people viewed him, not the course of the story itself.

But now, he had proposed a test Menchi was supposed to suggest.

He dismissed the window and tried to steady his breathing. The future had not collapsed because of a single sentence. The outcome remained the same as he remembered it: they would travel to the mountain, retrieve the eggs, and continue with the Hunter Exam.

But the System would not have warned him if the difference were meaningless.

'Wonderful. The future has started moving.'

A divergence of 0.1% was insignificant for now. But only one day of the Hunter Exam had passed, and Tonpa had barely begun forcing himself into major events for the System's rewards. If every intervention added another small fraction, the path he knew would not remain recognizable for long.

'What will be left after five years?'

He had no answer, nor did he want to hear one from the System if it involved the Dark Continent.

He cursed himself for stepping out of the crowd, then cursed the System for rewarding him for doing it. His knowledge of future events was the best tool he possessed for staying alive, yet every successful intervention could make that knowledge less useful.

On the other hand, if he stayed away from important events, he would gain points far too slowly and earn none of the main characters' trust. He would remain weak until he encountered an exam his memories could not save him from.

'Interfere, and I ruin everything. Stay out of it, and I die.'

There did not seem to be a third option.

Before Menchi could lead them away, the airship pilot approached Netero and whispered something to him. The Chairman listened, then motioned for the man to address everyone.

The pilot raised his voice.

"We apologize, but the airship requires brief maintenance before it can take off safely. It should take approximately thirty minutes. Please wait here until the work is complete."

Low murmurs of protest spread among the applicants, but Tonpa barely heard them.

'I don't remember this.'

He looked toward the airship. Several crew members moved along its side, and two of them opened a metal access panel near the engine. The problem appeared genuine rather than another trick arranged by the examiners.

Perhaps it had happened in the original story and he had simply forgotten. His memory was incomplete, and he had admitted that to himself more than once. Still, the malfunction occurring immediately after the divergence warning made it difficult to dismiss.

'Did I somehow break the engine too?'

It made no sense, but fear did not require logic to get started.

He watched Netero and Menchi for any indication that something was wrong, but both received the news calmly. Perhaps it truly was routine maintenance. Or perhaps the System had placed a frightening number in front of him, and now he was seeing the consequences of his actions in everything around him.

Tonpa decided to put the percentage out of his mind for the time being. He could not repair the airship, reverse what had happened, or lower the number by worrying about it.

The examination hall was reopened, and the applicants settled around the tables to wait for the maintenance to finish. Tonpa initially chose a distant seat, only to notice Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio sitting together at one of the tables.

There was an empty chair.

Sitting alone immediately after delivering a speech about solidarity would look suspicious.

'Doing good deeds is exhausting.'

He walked over and pulled out the chair without asking permission.

Leorio looked at him immediately.

"Aren't there any other tables?"

"There are, but this chair is empty."

"It was empty for a reason."

Before the argument could continue, Gon spoke.

"It's fine. Tonpa is the one who gave us another chance."

"He hasn't given us anything yet," Leorio said. "All he did was make a speech."

Tonpa sat down and rested his forearms on the table.

"Then there's no need to thank me."

Leorio opened his mouth, then closed it again when he failed to find anything in the response worth arguing with. Kurapika watched Tonpa for a moment longer than necessary, while Gon smiled as though the matter had been resolved satisfactorily.

Leorio leaned back in his chair, muttering under his breath, while Kurapika remained silent. Killua, meanwhile, rested his cheek against his palm and stared at Tonpa as if waiting for him to do something suspicious.

Tonpa did not entirely disappoint him.

He wanted to know whether he had collected ten points or fifty. If he had reached one hundred, he could upgrade one of his Stats to D-rank—or make a draw from the Hunter's Lottery.

The second option was obviously worse, which made it far more tempting than it had any right to be.

He closed his eyes for a moment and summoned his Status panel. It appeared before him alone, while to everyone else, he merely looked as though he were resting.

His gaze moved across the lines.

Then stopped.

His breath caught, and his fingers tightened around the edge of the table without him realizing it. He blinked once, then leaned slightly closer to the panel as though distance were responsible for what he had seen.

"What's wrong?" Killua asked.

Tonpa did not answer.

He read the panel again from the beginning, more slowly this time.

Then he read it a third time.

The number was still there.

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 14: A Con Artist's Luck


His eyes had not deceived him.

The number remained exactly where it was, no matter how many times he reread the panel.

[Host: Tonpa]

[Level: 1]

[Experience Points: 345/100]

[Level Up]

[Talent: E]

[Strength: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Speed: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Flexibility: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Endurance: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Intelligence: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Nen Points: 305]

[Nen Status: Unawakened]

Three hundred and five Nen Points.

Three hundred and forty-five Experience Points.

The forty-point difference was not a mistake. Ten Nen Points had gone into unlocking the Hunter's Lottery, and another thirty into raising his first three stats. Experience, unlike Nen Points, had remained untouched.

Only a few hours ago, he had been chasing rookies through the tunnel for a single point, often needing several attempts to find someone Tonpa's reputation had not reached before him. Now, he had enough Nen Points to raise three entire stats to D—or waste it all on three draws from the lottery.

The second option was worryingly tempting.

"Tonpa?"

He raised his eyes and found Killua still watching him.

"I asked what's wrong with you."

Tonpa loosened his grip on the edge of the table and restored a normal expression to his face.

"Nothing. I just remembered that I'm rich."

Killua looked at his clothes, then at the cheap bag lying beside his feet.

"You don't look rich."

"That's why I said remembered, not noticed."

Killua narrowed his eyes but did not press the question. Tonpa returned his attention to the panel and opened the point log. A long list of notifications appeared before him, arranged according to when he had received them.

Most of the entries were clustered around a single moment.

His speech.

He scrolled through them quickly, then slowed when he realized just how many there were. One point from an applicant convinced by his remorse, two from another who believed his protest, and three from someone who knew his reputation but had begun questioning their previous judgment. The entries continued until he lost count and had to rely on the difference between his old and current balance.

Two hundred and ninety Nen Points—and the same amount of Experience—had come from that lie alone.

More than ninety-five percent of the Nen Points he currently possessed.

'Hours of scraping together points left me with fifteen. One minute of talking gave me two hundred and ninety.'

He had been trying to deceive people one at a time when the answer had been in front of him all along. He did not need to search for a hundred separate victims if he could make a hundred people listen to the same lie.

'I should have lied to everyone from the beginning.'

He closed the log before anyone noticed his smile.

Now he had to decide what to do with his balance. Three guaranteed upgrades were the sensible choice. The Hunter's Lottery, on the other hand, cost one hundred Nen Points per draw, with a high chance of giving him something he did not need.

He knew how systems like this worked. The hope of winning the grand prize was what kept people paying after every loss. In his previous life, he had been the one profiting from that hope—not the one handing over his money because of it.

Even so, the image of the wheel returned to his mind.

'Just one draw.'

He did not believe the words even as he thought them.

Still, he made his decision. He would reserve one hundred points for the lottery and spend two hundred on guaranteed upgrades. Even if the draw gave him something completely useless, he would not lose everything he had earned.

As for the Level Up button, he left it alone for now. He did not know what the upgrade would do, and he wanted to test the changes one at a time. Pressing options without thinking was what had left him with a lottery he could no longer resist.

He rose from his seat.

Gon looked at him. "Where are you going?"

"To stretch my legs."

Leorio glanced at his stomach. "You're starting to care about your fitness now?"

"Regret changes a man."

Tonpa did not give them time to respond. He walked away from the tables and rounded the side of the building until the walls concealed him from the other applicants. Several crew members were working near the airship on the opposite side, and no one paid any attention to a man standing alone near the trees.

He summoned his stats again.

Endurance would be useful, and Flexibility might save him in confined spaces. Even Intelligence tempted him for a moment, for reasons he refused to examine too closely. But right now, he needed two clear advantages.

Speed, so he could run away from a fight.

Strength, for when running away failed.

He focused on Speed.

[Would you like to upgrade Speed from E to D?]

[Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Yes/No]

He selected Yes.

[Upgrade Successful.]

[Speed: D]

[Remaining Nen Points: 205]

A sudden warmth spread through his legs before climbing through his back and arms. His muscles contracted so sharply that he had to brace one hand against the wall, but it was not painful. The sensation was closer to parts of his body waking up—parts he had never known were asleep.

He waited until his breathing steadied, then selected Strength.

[Would you like to upgrade Strength from E to D?]

[Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

He confirmed the choice.

The warmth returned, heavier this time. He felt his shoulders and arms tighten, and his fists clenched with a force he had not intended. His muscles did not visibly grow, but the body itself was no longer the same one he had possessed moments ago.

[Upgrade Successful.]

[Strength: D]

[Remaining Nen Points: 105]

Tonpa moved his fingers, then stepped forward.

His foot carried him farther than expected, forcing him to correct his balance at once. His body felt lighter and responded to his commands before his mind could prepare for the result. For a moment, it felt as though he had been transported into another body for the second time.

This body, however, was considerably better.

He bent down and picked up a small stone. Placing it in his palm, he squeezed, expecting the pressure to hurt his fingertips.

A faint crack sounded.

Fractures spread across the stone before it split into several pieces between his fingers.

Tonpa opened his hand and stared at them.

'This is only D-rank?'

He raised his fist and threw an experimental punch into the air. His arm shot forward faster than expected, vanishing from his field of vision for an instant before stopping in front of him. He quickly pulled it back and glanced around to make sure no one had noticed.

The strength was real.

So was the speed.

He still did not know how to fight, but that had become a problem he could solve later instead of a death sentence decided in advance.

He had one hundred and five Nen Points remaining.

Tonpa opened the Hunter's Lottery.

The silver wheel appeared before him, surrounded by indistinct symbols and images. A golden pointer rested above it, while the Draw button appeared at its center.

[Draw Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Would you like to proceed?]

[Yes/No]

Tonpa hesitated. This was his last chance to return to the tables with one hundred points still in his possession—points he could spend on Endurance or Flexibility instead. Nothing guaranteed that the wheel would give him anything better.

'Anything useful. A skill, a weapon, even a decent pair of shoes.'

He remembered the description mentioning items of limited usefulness.

'Just don't give me a spoon.'

He selected Yes.

[100 Nen Points deducted.]

[Remaining Nen Points: 5]

The wheel began to spin.

The images blurred together, transforming into continuous silver streaks. The pointer passed over a sword, then a book, then a blue vial as the wheel accelerated. Tonpa watched in silence, holding his breath despite knowing that staring would not change the result.

The wheel began to slow.

The pointer passed over a black mask and continued onward. It approached an image resembling a scroll, only to slip past it at the last moment. The wheel completed another half turn at an agonizing pace before finally stopping over a strange silhouette whose shape Tonpa could not identify.

The pointer remained still.

Nothing happened for two seconds.

Then a chime rang inside his head.

[Result Confirmed.]

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained—]

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 15: The Grand Prize


[You have obtained—]

[A Special Skill!]

Tonpa kept staring at the two lines, waiting for a third to appear and inform him that there had been some mistake.

Nothing appeared.

He had actually obtained a skill on his very first draw.

It wasn't an ordinary item, an unknown material, or one of those prizes of "limited usefulness" the description had warned him about. Skills were among the best rewards the Hunter's Lottery could grant, and he had landed one after approaching the wheel with no ambition beyond avoiding a spoon.

He glanced at his remaining balance, then back at the result.

'Maybe being transferred into Tonpa's body used up my entire allotment of bad luck.'

He refused to trust that thought for long. Luck willing to hand him something this easily might simply be planning a more creative way to humiliate him.

A new window appeared.

[Would you like to acquire this skill?]

[Yes/No]

There was no reason to refuse. He had already paid a hundred Nen Points, and the skill was theoretically his. Even if it turned out to be useless, leaving it suspended inside the system wouldn't improve the result.

He selected Yes.

[Skill successfully acquired.]

A strange sensation seeped into his mind, far gentler than the heat that had accompanied his stat upgrades. No new information entered his memory, yet he instinctively understood how to select a target and activate the skill. It felt like recalling a movement he had practiced for years, despite being certain he had never performed it once.

Tonpa waited for the name of the ability luck had finally seen fit to grant him.

[Skill Name: Is That Your Mother?]

The smile froze on his face.

He blinked slowly, then read the name again. His gaze lingered on the final word, expecting the rest of the sentence to appear once the window made room for it.

Nothing appeared.

"Shit."

The word escaped before he could stop it. He stared at the wheel as it vanished, then returned his attention to the name as though objecting hard enough might force the system to reconsider.

'Is That Your Mother? That's the skill I spent a hundred Nen Points on?'

For a moment, he suspected the prize itself was a scam—something he might have respected if he weren't the victim.

He opened the description, most of his earlier excitement already gone.

[Type: Mental Distraction Skill]

[Cost: None]

[Uses: Unlimited]

[Activation Condition: Ask the designated target, "Is that your mother?" aloud.]

[Effect: Upon successful activation, the target will instinctively turn and search their surroundings for their mother.]

[The target's resistance increases according to their strength and willpower relative to the Host.]

[The effect may partially or completely fail against targets with high resistance.]

Tonpa reread the description, hoping he had somehow misunderstood it.

He hadn't. Again.

His grand prize was the power to make someone look for their mother.

'Who designed this system? A seven-year-old?'

The Con Artist System, the Hunter's Lottery, and now "Is That Your Mother?" He was supposed to become the strongest Hunter in the world and conquer the Dark Continent, while his secret weapon sounded like something children shouted before stealing one another's seats.

Still, he didn't close the description.

The skill cost no Nen, had no daily limit, and came with no cooldown. The only problem was that stronger targets could resist it, but he had no idea what "high resistance" meant in practice. Perhaps the target would ignore the question entirely. Perhaps they would turn for only a fraction of a second.

He needed to test it.

Tonpa stepped away from the wall and headed back toward the front of the building, but he didn't approach the table where Gon and the others were sitting. Instead, he stopped at the corner and studied the applicants, searching for someone weak enough for the skill to work and unimportant enough not to remember him afterward.

He found a thin young man sitting alone on a low stone, rubbing his exhausted leg while drinking water. He looked younger than most of the applicants and carried no visible weapon.

More importantly, he wasn't watching Tonpa with suspicion.

'The perfect candidate for an involuntary search for his mother.'

Tonpa approached at an easy pace.

The young man looked up.

"Do you want something?"

Tonpa stopped a short distance away and selected him as the target, just as the system had taught him.

"Is that your mother?"

The young man turned immediately.

He didn't merely glance over his shoulder. He raised his head and searched between the tables, then swept his gaze across the applicants standing near the building. It lasted less than two seconds, but the effect was unmistakable.

His body had moved before his mind could question the command.

"Where?" he asked, still searching.

Tonpa watched him closely.

"I thought I saw her."

The young man looked back at him, confusion seeping into his expression.

"Wait... Why did I turn around in the first place?"

He glanced once more toward the place he had searched, then frowned.

"My mother isn't here. I know she isn't here, so why did I believe that nonsense?"

Tonpa raised an eyebrow.

"Good question."

He walked away before the young man could come up with a response and returned behind the corner. He had to admit the skill had worked better than expected. The target hadn't hesitated when it activated. He had turned first, and only after the effect ended had his mind begun objecting and asking questions.

Tonpa waited for the familiar notification.

Nothing came.

He opened the system log. His balance remained at five Nen Points, and no Experience had been added.

'He believed his mother was there. Where are my points?'

As if responding to his objection, a message appeared.

[No qualifying deception detected.]

[A response produced by the coercive effect of a System Skill does not qualify as deception or persuasion.]

A small hope he had refused to admit existed quietly withered away. For a moment, he had imagined asking every applicant the same question until the points piled up without end.

Apparently, the system had found the loophole and closed it before he could exploit it.

After reconsidering the scene, Tonpa understood why. The young man had never truly believed his mother was among the applicants. The confusion had remained in his eyes even while he turned. The skill had forced his body to respond before his mind could judge the question.

The system rewarded Tonpa for changing what a target believed, not for forcibly rotating their neck.

'At least it knows how to protect itself from con artists.'

He dismissed the log and peered at the young man from behind the wall. The applicant was still staring at him strangely, but after a few moments, he returned to drinking his water.

The experiment hadn't earned Tonpa any points, but it had changed his opinion of the skill. Forcing someone to turn wasn't impressive during an ordinary conversation, but in a fight, it could make a very real difference.

One second was enough to escape, land a blow, or tear something from an opponent's hand.

And in the Fourth Phase of the exam, when badges became targets, a single moment of distraction might be worth the entire phase.

The name was ridiculous.

The effect wasn't.

The real problem remained the target's resistance. Success against one exhausted applicant didn't mean it would work against someone with powerful will or someone capable of using Nen. Tonpa needed to test it gradually against stronger targets until he understood its limits.

He considered trying it on Gon, then discarded the idea. He had spent far too long raising Gon's Trust Level by five miserable percentage points. He had no desire to waste that progress by suddenly asking the boy about his mother.

Killua would notice that something unnatural had happened. Kurapika would add it to his growing list of reasons to remain suspicious. As for Leorio, he might turn around and then come back swinging.

Tonpa needed someone strong whose reaction he didn't fear.

Unfortunately, that condition disqualified nearly every strong person present.

His gaze drifted toward the crowd on its own.

He didn't have to search for long. Hisoka sat apart from the others, idly turning a playing card between his fingers as he waited for the maintenance work to end without showing the slightest sign of boredom.

The thought entered Tonpa's mind before he could stop it.

'Is that your mother?'

He imagined himself saying it and waiting for the result. If it worked, he would know the skill could affect even someone powerful. If it failed, he would learn where its limits began.

A single test could give him an important answer.

Then he pictured Hisoka turning toward him instead of searching for anyone else.

Tonpa slowly retreated behind the wall.

'Excellent idea—if I was looking for a faster way to die.'

He wasn't in that much of a hurry to discover the skill's limits. He would begin with people who could turn around without removing his head afterward.

As for Hisoka, he could continue searching for his mother on his own.

 

[Boumargood]

Chapter 16: The Red Ceiling

Tonpa waited until Hisoka had disappeared from sight before stepping out from behind the wall and heading back toward the tables.

He didn't hurry.

Running immediately after hiding was an excellent way to announce that he had been doing something suspicious, and Tonpa had spent enough effort over the past several hours presenting himself as a decent man. He wasn't about to ruin that work because of a skill named after a ridiculous family-related question.

He found Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio where he had left them. Killua looked up as Tonpa approached, then glanced toward the direction he had come from.

"Where did you go?"

"To take a walk."

"Behind the building?"

"Walking doesn't become a crime just because you dislike the location."

Killua watched him for another moment, then gave him a small smile that did absolutely nothing to reassure Tonpa.

Tonpa sat down and moved the bag of juice away from his feet. The man he had tested the skill on was still at the other end of the hall, occasionally glancing around with an irritated expression, as though expecting his mother to actually appear and explain why he had obeyed a complete stranger.

Tonpa suppressed a smile.

'At least the hundred Nen Points weren't completely wasted.'

He summoned the Status Window to check his balance. The translucent panel appeared before him, and his eyes settled on the five Nen Points he had left.

The number hurt, but he didn't regret his purchases yet. He now possessed Rank D Strength and Speed, along with a skill that might create one opportunity in a situation where he would otherwise have none.

He was about to close the window when he noticed a small button flashing beneath the Experience field.

[Level Up]

Tonpa stared at it.

Then he closed his eyes for a moment.

'I almost forgot.'

He had spent three hundred Nen Points, tested his new strength, tried the Hunter's Lottery, and then wandered off to ask a stranger whether his mother was standing behind him. Somewhere in the middle of all that, he had forgotten the only reward that hadn't demanded payment.

He focused on the button.

[Experience: 345/100]

[Level-up requirements met.]

[Would you like to level up?]

[Level 1 → Level 2]

[Yes/No]

Tonpa read the message twice, searching for a hidden fee or a penalty written in smaller letters.

He found nothing.

'That alone makes it suspicious.'

Still, he had no reason to refuse.

He selected Yes.

A soft chime rang inside his head.

[Level Up successful.]

[Current Level: 2]

[Experience: 345/600]

Tonpa waited for something to change.

His muscles didn't suddenly grow, nor did a new power surge through his body. He remained seated on the same bench, with the same stomach and the same Leorio staring at him as though his prolonged silence was further proof that he was planning something unpleasant.

Then another message appeared.

[Nen Path unlock condition met.]

Tonpa stopped breathing.

[The Host's body is now capable of learning Nen.]

[Nen Stats unlocked.]

For a moment, every other sound around him disappeared.

Nen.

This wasn't a minor increase in strength or a skill that made someone turn their head. Nen was the true divide between those who could survive in this world and those who died without ever understanding what had killed them.

Every dangerous person Tonpa remembered possessed it. Every objective the system had placed before him was impossible without it.

The corner of his mouth lifted before he could stop it.

'Finally.'

He no longer had to wait for a teacher simply to discover whether Tonpa's body was capable of learning Nen at all. Reaching Level 2 had opened the path for him.

Five years was still an insane deadline, but it no longer felt like a death sentence passed on a man who couldn't even see his opponent's weapon.

Tonpa opened the new section immediately.

Four fields appeared beneath a single heading.

[Nen Stats:]

[Ten: 0%] [10%]

[Zetsu: 0%] [10%]

[Ren: 0%] [10%]

[Hatsu: 0%] [10%]

[Hatsu Type: Undetermined]

His smile faded slightly.

The first values made sense. He had never trained in Nen, so he hadn't expected the level increase to hand him mastery for free.

What caught his attention was the second number repeated beside every field.

Ten percent.

All four numbers were red, unlike the rest of the white text on the interface.

Tonpa focused on Ten.

[Technique not acquired.]

[Development option unavailable.]

He tried Ren.

[Technique not acquired.]

[Development option unavailable.]

He moved on to Zetsu and then Hatsu, only to receive the same answer. No cost appeared, no learning button became available, and there were no instructions explaining what he needed to do.

'So it unlocked the Stats just so I could monitor my zeroes professionally.'

He tried selecting the red number beside Ten.

[No additional information available.]

He did the same with the others.

[No additional information available.]

His brows drew together.

He knew the four basic principles from the anime. Ten kept the aura surrounding the body. Zetsu shut it off. Ren released a greater quantity of aura, while Hatsu expressed the user's individual nature and ability.

Knowing their names didn't mean he knew how to perform any of them.

Watching someone swim didn't teach a drowning man how to breathe underwater.

He needed to open his aura nodes and train under someone who understood Nen. Trying to force them open by himself could injure him, and if his memory was accurate, it might even kill him.

That explained the zeroes.

It did not explain the red tens.

Tonpa reopened his full Status Window and compared the lines one by one. There was no development option beside the Nen techniques. The same percentage appeared four times. The number was red, and the system refused to explain it.

Then his gaze stopped on a line that had bothered him ever since he woke up in this world.

[Talent: E]

He remained perfectly still for several seconds.

A cold sensation began to spread through his stomach.

'No.'

He returned to the Nen Stats.

[Ten: 0%] [10%]

[Zetsu: 0%] [10%]

[Ren: 0%] [10%]

[Hatsu: 0%] [10%]

The system had never said the red number represented a maximum. It hadn't provided a single word explaining what the percentage meant.

But placing the same fixed number in red beside every technique, while his Talent remained at Rank E with no development option, did not leave him many comforting interpretations.

What if ten percent was the highest this body could ever reach?

The elation of leveling up vanished completely.

Tonpa was supposed to become the strongest Hunter in the world. The system hadn't merely demanded that he pass the Hunter Exam or learn Nen. It expected him to surpass monsters like Netero, then conquer the Dark Continent and bring it under his control.

With ten percent.

Even Gon and Killua, with their terrifying potential, needed teachers, training, and time. Tonpa might have started the race with a ceiling that didn't even reach one-tenth of the path.

He focused on the Talent field, trying to summon some option the system might have hidden from him.

[Talent: E]

[Talent cannot be developed through the Status Window.]

Tonpa felt his chest tighten.

'It allowed me to learn Nen, then told me I was destined to fail at it.'

"Tonpa?"

Gon's voice came from the other side of the table.

Tonpa looked up and found all four of them watching him. His expression must have changed more than he had realized.

"Are you all right?" Gon asked.

Tonpa forced his fingers to release the edge of the bench.

"I'm fine. I just remembered something unpleasant."

Leorio frowned. "You've been staring into empty space ever since you sat down."

"Thinking is a useful habit. You should try it sometime."

Leorio straightened, but Kurapika caught his arm before another argument could begin.

Tonpa didn't care.

His attention returned to the numbers no one else could see.

Perhaps his conclusion was wrong. The percentage might represent his current compatibility, or an initial value that would rise after he acquired each technique.

The system had offered no conclusive evidence.

But fear didn't need conclusive evidence.

It needed only one reasonable possibility, and that possibility hung before him four times in red.

Tonpa cursed the system in silence.

Then he cursed the body he had inherited, the mission that had never suited him, and the entity that had combined all three and decided to call it an opportunity.

'How am I supposed to become the strongest Hunter with ten percent?'

The system gave him no answer.

In the corner of the interface, the five-year countdown continued to fall.

And before his eyes, the red numbers remained unchanged.

Ten percent.

 

[Boumargood]

━━━━━━━《 ◇ 》━━━━━━━



Chapter 17: The Right Bait



━━━━━━━《 ◇ 》━━━━━━━


​

The four red ten-percent figures remained suspended before Tonpa until he closed the Nen Stats section.

The unease did not disappear with them, but there was little point in staring at a problem whose meaning he did not understand and for which he had no solution. Perhaps his conclusion was wrong. Perhaps it was not. Either way, neither the table nor Leorio's vigilant glances would tell him how to raise his Talent.

'I'll worry about my future after I survive today.'

He filed the problem under Later, where he had already placed most of the troubles he had accumulated since arriving in this world. The list was becoming crowded, but it was still preferable to the Dark Continent.

Before closing the interface completely, Tonpa shifted his attention to his physical Stats.

[Strength: D] [Upgrade: 1,000 Nen]

[Speed: D] [Upgrade: 1,000 Nen]

[Flexibility: E] [Upgrade: 100 Nen]

[Endurance: E] [Upgrade: 100 Nen]

[Intelligence: E] [Upgrade: 100 Nen]

[Nen Points: 5]

He could not learn Nen by himself, but that did not mean he had to wait for a teacher while walking around with a half-finished body. The coming phases of the Hunter Exam would demand more than running or cooking. There would be direct confrontations, the Trick Tower, and Zevil Island, where every applicant would become both hunter and prey.

With his new Strength and Speed, Tonpa was no longer completely helpless. But his Flexibility, Endurance, and Intelligence remained at E, and the five Nen Points he possessed were not enough to improve so much as a finger.

He needed another two hundred and ninety-five points to raise all three remaining Stats to D.

'So I need one more successful con—preferably one believed by a large number of idiots.'

The speech before the crowd had been an exceptional opportunity. He could not deliver an impassioned address about justice every time he needed points. If he tried it again tomorrow, the applicants would probably tell him to shut up before he reached his second sentence.

The main characters, however, had already proven more valuable to deceive than ordinary applicants. Earning their trust would also advance his Side Quest.

Two profits from a single lie.

Tonpa considered targeting Gon first, then discarded the idea. The boy's Trust Level had already risen slightly, and one poorly judged move might erase everything he had gained. Killua examined details for his own amusement and would notice the line before Tonpa brought the bait anywhere near him. Kurapika had taken apart Tonpa's previous attempt within minutes.

That left the person who announced his suspicions aloud before he had even finished examining them.

Tonpa's gaze moved across the four people seated with him and settled on Leorio.

The man still glanced at him every so often, as though expecting Tonpa to pull another bottle of juice from his bag and finish what he had started in the tunnel. The speech about justice had not changed Leorio's judgment of him, nor had it made him forget the juice. Even helping Gon had not been enough to earn Tonpa a chance.

On the other hand, Leorio was direct, quick to anger, and the easiest among them to push into action whenever he believed someone was in danger.

'Not the easiest to deceive... but the easiest to steer toward the reaction I want.'

Tonpa did not need to convince him face-to-face. He had already tried that, and the result had been a threat to force every last bottle in his bag down his throat.

What he needed was for Leorio to hear something he had never been meant to hear.

Words spoken directly to you could be lies.

Words you believed you had stolen were much harder to question.

The idea formed gradually, its details settling into place one after another. Tonpa needed people who knew the old Tonpa, a place secluded enough to appear private, and a reason for Leorio to follow him of his own accord.

He rose from the table.

Leorio immediately looked up.

"Where are you going?"

Tonpa gave him a look of feigned surprise.

"Do I need to submit a written request?"

"I don't care where you go."

"Then this has been a productive conversation."

Tonpa walked away before Leorio could answer. He heard the man mutter something behind him while Killua laughed quietly. Tonpa did not turn around. Leorio's irritation was even better than he had expected.

An angry person watched you more closely than a calm one.

He wandered between the tables, allowing the body's memories to guide him. The old Tonpa's memories were neither complete nor orderly. Sometimes they surfaced as a sense of familiarity, a name that entered his mind when he saw a particular face, or a sudden dislike whose cause he could not immediately recall.

He found the men he was looking for near the rear wall.

They were three veteran applicants who had participated in previous Hunter Exams alongside Tonpa. He remembered that one of them had spent an entire night playing cards with him, another had once helped him switch road signs, and the third had lent him money before spending the next two years trying to get it back.

Friends, by the flexible standards the original Tonpa had lived by.

Tonpa stopped before them.

The man with the hooked nose looked at him and gave a short laugh.

"Here comes the champion of justice."

The man beside him added, "Are you going to give us a speech too?"

Their mockery did not disturb Tonpa. He placed both hands on the table and leaned slightly toward them.

"I have something important to tell you, but not here."

The three exchanged glances.

The hooked-nosed man asked, "What kind of something?"

"The kind I don't want half the applicants to hear."

Their mockery gave way to interest. A terrible reputation was not entirely useless. Whenever Tonpa told men like these that he had a secret, they naturally assumed it was profitable or illegal.

Usually both.

He gestured toward a small table on the far side of the hall, partially concealed from the rest of the room by several pillars.

"Wait for me over there. I'll join you in a minute."

The third man—the one whose missing money still lingered in the body's memories—frowned.

"Why don't you tell us now?"

"Because I'm getting the juice first."

All three pairs of eyes dropped toward the bag hanging at his side.

The hooked-nosed man smiled.

"So you're finally back to normal. I was beginning to think you really had hit your head."

"Just sit down and wait for me."

Tonpa left before they could ask more questions. He did not need to convince them of anything yet. Curiosity and their memories of the old Tonpa would keep them at the table.

Now he needed a witness.

He headed back toward Gon and the others, but did not approach their table directly. Instead, he stopped beside one of the nearby tables and began studying the surrounding faces. He looked behind a pillar, then toward the passage leading to the rear of the building, behaving like someone searching for a person while trying not to attract attention.

He deliberately avoided looking at Leorio.

Tonpa passed their table a second time, now carrying three bottles of juice. As he drew close, he slipped them into his bag with a motion obvious enough for someone watching him to notice, yet casual enough to make that person believe they had spotted it by accident.

"What is he doing?" Leorio's voice came from behind him.

Tonpa slowed slightly, pretending to examine one of the nearby tables.

Gon answered, "Maybe he's looking for someone."

"He has passed us twice," Kurapika said quietly. "And he hid those bottles as soon as he came near. That did not look accidental."

"Maybe he found a new group to test the juice on," Killua suggested.

"That's what I'm worried about," Leorio said. "Or maybe he's planning something against us. Every attempt he's made to get close to us since the tunnel could have been a way to lure us somewhere or make us lower our guard."

"But he saved me and Killua," Gon objected.

"That's the part I don't understand. Tonpa doesn't risk himself without a reason. Maybe he wants us to trust him now so he can trick us with something worse later."

"That is possible," Kurapika said. "But following him alone may be exactly what he wants."

A chair scraped against the floor.

"I'm not going to confront him. I'll only watch," Leorio said. "Stay here. If he is trying to lure us into something, I'm not letting him drag all of you into the trap."

"I'll come with you," Gon said.

"I said stay here. I'll be back in a minute."

Tonpa continued toward the distant table without changing his pace. Part of the hall was reflected in the glass of a window near the wall, allowing him to observe the group without turning his head.

Gon remained seated reluctantly, with Kurapika beside him. Killua's eyes stayed fixed on Tonpa's back, a faint smile resting on his lips. Tonpa could not tell whether the boy was simply not curious enough to follow or whether he had already noticed more than he should have.

Leorio rose and moved after him, leaving what he believed was enough distance to avoid being noticed.

Tonpa's steps did not change, and he never looked back.

But once he passed beyond the group's line of sight, a small smile appeared on his face.

'The fish swallowed the bait.'


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Want to keep reading?

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━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

 

[Boumargood]

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •



Chapter 18: Stolen Confession



• ────────── ◆ ────────── •


​

Tonpa did not look back.

He maintained the same pace, the bag at his side swaying lightly with every step. The same window he had used moments earlier caught enough of the hall behind him for Tonpa to see Leorio emerge from behind a pillar—then stop abruptly when Tonpa slowed.

Tonpa waited for a heartbeat before resuming his walk.

Leorio was trying to be stealthy, and that alone made the effort worth watching. A man of his height, wearing a suit and displaying every thought that passed through his mind on his face, was not ideally suited for covert surveillance.

But he was the right target.

Tonpa moved between the tables until he reached the far side of the hall. The three veteran applicants he had recognized through the body's memories were already waiting for him: the hooked-nosed man who had once spent an entire night playing cards with him, the man who had helped him switch road signs during a previous exam, and the third man, who had lent Tonpa money and spent the following two years trying to get it back.

The hooked-nosed man raised a hand when he saw him.

"Finally. You said you had something important."

Tonpa sat down, pulled the three juice bottles from his bag, and placed them on the table.

The third man glanced at the bottles.

"If you brought my money with those, I might forgive you for taking so long."

"I brought something more important than money."

"So you didn't bring my money."

Tonpa did not answer. He cast a brief glance toward the passage he had come from, as though checking that no one had followed him, then leaned forward and lowered his voice.

In the curved, polished side of a metal pitcher, he caught a warped reflection of Leorio stopping behind a nearby pillar.

The performance began.

"We need to stop."

The three men looked at one another.

The hooked-nosed man frowned.

"Stop what?"

"All of it. The juice, deceiving rookies, sabotaging their exams. We need to leave this behind and find another way to live."

A brief silence followed.

Then the man who had helped switch the road signs burst out laughing.

"Did you finally drink your own juice?"

Tonpa did not smile. He kept his eyes lowered and tightened his jaw by exactly the right amount—not enough to make it look like a performance, but not so little that the words appeared meaningless to him.

"How many times have we done this?" he asked. "How many applicants have we driven out of the Hunter Exam? And how many times has doing that helped any of us pass?"

The man's laughter gradually faded.

No one answered.

Tonpa continued.

"I started taking the Hunter Exam because I needed money. My mother was sick, and I couldn't afford the treatment she needed. I thought a Hunter License would solve everything."

He paused as if the next words were harder to say.

'A sick mother. Old, but still reliable.'

He had not chosen the story at random. Tonpa knew why Leorio wanted to become a Hunter. He knew that illness and money formed the shortest path to the part of the man hidden beneath his loud voice and quick temper.

"I failed the first time, then the second. After a while, every rookie who succeeded started to look like someone stealing my chance. I convinced myself that reducing the number of applicants would improve my odds. It began with the juice. Then I started enjoying the sight of other people failing, until I forgot why I had entered the exam in the first place."

The third man raised an eyebrow.

"You never mentioned your mother during all those years."

Tonpa looked at him, letting the weariness enter his eyes before it reached his voice.

"Because I didn't want to turn her into a story you could laugh about."

The man's eyebrow lowered slightly, though he still did not look convinced. The mockery, however, had disappeared from the other two men's faces.

Tonpa might have believed himself if he had not been present when the story was invented.

His voice grew firmer.

"Today, I risked my life for a child I tried to trick with laxative-laced juice only hours earlier. When I saw him worried about me, I realized I had become worse than the people I blamed for my failures. If we cannot become Hunters, then the least we can do is stop making certain that everyone else fails with us."

A window appeared before his eyes.

[Group Deception Registered.]

[Targets Affected: 2]

[Nen Points +4]

[Experience Points +4]

Tonpa's expression did not change. He continued watching the two men as though their answer mattered more than anything else in the hall, while the faint scrape of a shoe reached him from behind the pillar.

Then came the second chime.

[Deception Registered.]

[Target Difficulty: High]

[Nen Points +15]

[Experience Points +15]

[Leorio's Trust Level: 0% → 3%]

Tonpa needed every year of experience he possessed to keep himself from smiling.

The important part had worked. Leorio had not heard an apology intended for him. He believed he had stolen a truth Tonpa had never wanted him to know.

After a moment of hesitation, the hooked-nosed man asked, "What do you want us to do?"

"Start by leaving the applicants alone during this exam. Afterward... find another way to live."

The man who had switched the road signs nodded slowly. The third man reached across the table, picked up one of the juice bottles, and turned it between his fingers.

"Beautiful story," he said. "I'll believe you've changed when you return my money and throw these away."

'One of them still has a functioning brain. Unfortunate.'

Tonpa took the bottle back from him.

"I said I had changed. I didn't say I had become wasteful."

A quick footstep reached him, followed by another.

Leorio was leaving.

Tonpa remained where he was and did not look behind him. He ended the conversation with a few terse words. The hooked-nosed man rose first, followed by the man who had helped him switch the signs. Their skeptical companion gave Tonpa one last look before joining them.

Within moments, all three had disappeared between the tables.

Tonpa stayed behind, arranging the juice bottles with unnecessary care as he waited.

Only several pillars and a short stretch of floor separated his table from the one where Gon and the others were sitting. The pillars blocked the view, but they did little to stop sound—especially when the speaker was Leorio, a man seemingly incapable of whispering without informing half the building.

"I heard him myself," Leorio said. "He was talking to his old crew and telling them to stop deceiving the applicants."

Killua's voice followed.

"And you were eavesdropping on him?"

"I was investigating his plan. That's different."

Gon asked, "What else did he say?"

Leorio hesitated before answering.

"He said he started doing this because of his mother. She was sick, and he needed money for her treatment. After failing the exam so many times, he began reducing the number of applicants to improve his chances. Eventually, he forgot why he started and turned it into a habit."

A brief silence followed.

Then Gon said simply, "So he really does regret it. I knew he had changed."

A notification appeared before Tonpa.

[Gon Freecss's Trust Level: 5% → 6%]

"Or he wanted you to hear that exact story," Kurapika said.

"He didn't know I was there," Leorio replied immediately. "I hid well."

Killua made a short sound that Tonpa could not identify as laughter or disagreement.

"I'm not saying I trust him completely," Leorio continued. "But what I heard wasn't meant for us. Even his friends were surprised. It really does look like he's trying to change."

Kurapika answered after a moment.

"Asking them to stop does not benefit him directly. That gives his words some credibility, but it proves nothing by itself."

"I still think he's suspicious," Killua said. "And that's assuming he didn't know you were listening. Still, dragging three other people into the performance just to deceive you would be a lot of trouble, even for him."

The notifications arrived one after another.

[Kurapika's Trust Level: 0% → 0.5%]

[Killua Zoldyck's Trust Level: 0% → 0.5%]

[Total Nen Points: 24]

[Experience Points: 364/600]

Tonpa waited, expecting another chime.

None came.

Apparently, the System did not count people who received a lie in someone else's voice, even when it influenced their judgment. It was only an inference, but his unchanged balance made it a convincing one.

'It accepts free advertising, but refuses to pay commission.'

Tonpa kept his expression solemn in case Leorio glanced back through the pillars. Only when he lowered his head toward one of the juice bottles did the corner of his mouth begin to rise.

He had not needed to convince all four of them individually.

He only needed to deceive the loudest one and let him sell the lie to the rest for free.



━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Want to keep reading?

6 chapters ahead are available here:

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Boumargood]

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 19: Investing in the Weak

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

Tonpa had barely concealed his smile when the hall door opened and a member of the airship crew appeared in the doorway.

"Maintenance is complete. We can depart now. Please board in an orderly manner and follow the crew's instructions."

The applicants moved all at once, shoving their seats back amid a wave of overlapping noise. Tonpa returned the juice bottles to his bag, rose, and merged with the crowd heading toward the door.

As he crossed the hall, he spotted the man who had lent him money among the applicants. The man was still watching him with suspicion.

'Annoying. I'll need a better lie... or I could repay him, which is clearly the worse option.'

The applicants boarded through the metal passage leading into the airship. Seats lined both sides of the cabin, and wide windows revealed the forest below. As soon as the door closed, the hull trembled, and the airship slowly rose away from the examination grounds.

Tonpa found Gon and the others seated near one of the windows. Gon waved the moment he saw him, while Leorio merely gave him a brief look that lacked some of its former hostility. The effect of Tonpa's deception was obvious. Keeping his distance now would waste all the effort he had put into the performance.

He approached and sat across from them.

Killua looked at him.

"Finished with your secret meeting?"

"It wasn't secret."

Killua glanced toward Leorio.

"Of course."

Leorio cleared his throat and turned toward the window. Tonpa decided to let him preserve what little dignity he had left.

"When we arrive, don't rush toward the edge. The mountain isn't dangerous because of its height alone. The winds inside it are powerful and unpredictable. One careless shove could send someone over before the test even begins."

Leorio regarded him suspiciously, but he did not dismiss the warning as he would have a few hours earlier.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain that falling off a mountain is bad for your health. Menchi can explain the rest."

The corner of Killua's mouth twitched, while Leorio reluctantly nodded.

'Three percent didn't make him my friend. It merely made him ask questions before insulting me. A respectable beginning.'

Curiosity lit Gon's face.

"Do you know how we're supposed to get the eggs?"

"I know Spider Eagles build their nests between the two sides of the mountain and suspend their eggs over the ravine to protect them from predators. If the collection method is the same one I heard about years ago, we'll have to jump, catch the nesting threads, and wait for an updraft to carry us back to the top. Menchi will explain the details."

Gon continued staring at him before asking the question Tonpa had been expecting ever since his speech in front of Netero.

"How did you know about the split mountain and the Spider Eagle eggs in the first place? You suggested this test before Menchi told us about them."

The other three turned toward him.

Tonpa did not answer immediately. He gazed through the window at the trees passing beneath them, as though recalling an old memory instead of constructing a new one on the spot.

"During my twenty-third attempt, the Hunter Exam passed through this region as well. I failed before reaching the Second Phase, but the pickup point for the failed applicants was near the examiners' camp. Our transport didn't arrive until morning."

Leorio raised an eyebrow.

"What did you do all night?"

"I pretended to be part of the service staff so I could get dinner."

The answer suited him so well that it required no acting. Even Killua did not question it.

Tonpa continued.

"One of the workers made me help carry supply crates in exchange for food. One of them contained Spider Eagle eggs. The man spent half the night bragging about how difficult they were to obtain and how much a high-end restaurant would pay for a single egg. He told me about the mountain, the nesting threads, and the updrafts that pass between its walls."

"If they were so expensive," Gon asked, "why didn't you collect some and sell them?"

Tonpa looked at him seriously.

"Because I love money, but not enough to jump into a mountain for it."

Leorio laughed, and Gon smiled as though the answer had settled the matter.

Kurapika did not.

"So you never saw the nests yourself. Everything you know came from a worker whose name you didn't even know."

"That's right. When I saw that the examiner was a Gourmet Hunter, I remembered the most valuable ingredient in the area. I wasn't certain she would accept my proposal, but the alternative was allowing everyone to fail."

Killua narrowed his eyes.

"And this worker told someone he had just met all those details?"

"He thought I was a new employee. I saw no reason to correct him."

Killua remained silent. He clearly did not believe the entire story, but objecting now required him to assume Tonpa had invented a worker, several supply crates, and an old Hunter Exam merely to explain information that had turned out to be correct.

A chime sounded inside Tonpa's head.

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Gon Freecss]

[Nen Points +10]

[Experience Points +10]

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Leorio]

[Nen Points +5]

[Experience Points +5]

Two smaller windows followed.

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Kurapika]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Killua Zoldyck]

[Nen Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

'They swallowed just enough of the story for the System to count it. Stingy even when falling for a lie.'

Tonpa dismissed the notifications before they obscured Gon's face. Their Trust Levels had not risen, but seventeen points for a story that had taken only a few minutes was still a good result.

[Total Nen Points: 41]

[Experience Points: 381/600]

The airship began to slow shortly afterward. The forest below ended at a massive mountain split in half by a straight ravine, as though a single blow had cleaved the stone from its summit to its base. Wind rushed between the two walls, producing a whistle that reached them even through the thick windows.

The airship landed near the edge, and the applicants followed Menchi, Netero, and Buhara outside. Several approached the ravine, only to retreat the moment they saw the darkness swallowing the depths beneath their feet.

Menchi pointed toward the thick white threads stretching between the rocky walls. Clusters of eggs hung beneath them, suspended over a void whose bottom could not be seen.

She explained that Spider Eagles chose places like this to protect their eggs from predators. Their task was to descend, retrieve one egg, and return to boil it. Anyone who refused to attempt the descent or returned without an egg would be eliminated.

Several applicants immediately protested. One asked whether jumping into a ravine truly belonged in a cooking test.

Menchi replied that a Gourmet Hunter incapable of reaching an ingredient did not deserve the title.

Her answer did nothing to restore the color to their faces.

Then she stepped onto the edge and jumped without hesitation.

Shouts erupted behind her.

Menchi caught one of the threads as she fell and remained suspended over the ravine. She reached toward a hanging cluster and pulled one of the eggs free, then waited until an updraft surged between the mountain walls.

She released the thread at exactly the right moment, allowing the wind to carry her back to the top.

She made it look simple.

The applicants' faces made it clear that no one believed it was.

Tonpa stood a full step back from the edge, watching the current tug at their clothes and hair. He knew what would happen if he allowed events to follow the course he remembered. A limited number would succeed, while the rest would be eliminated by fear or poor timing.

If he explained the timing of the updraft, more applicants might pass. That would alter the story again and could raise the divergence rate beyond 0.1%.

He could remain silent and preserve the path he knew. Knowledge of the future was his greatest advantage, and deliberately damaging it would be like tearing apart his only map because he disliked the road drawn on it.

However, the additional survivors would not all be strong.

In the coming phases, having weaker competitors around would be better than leaving the field to Hisoka, Hanzo, and the applicants with their strange beasts. Every weak person who passed now could later become an easier opponent, a target for deception, or simply a body standing between Tonpa and something trying to kill him.

'Preserve the future, and I face the strong applicants alone. Change it, and I get more weak ones.'

The decision did not take long.

The first applicant approached the edge, apparently prepared to jump without understanding what the current had done.

Tonpa stepped forward and raised his voice.

"Wait! There's something you didn't notice during Menchi's jump."



━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

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[Boumargood]

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 20: Don't Mess with the Future

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

"Wait! There's something you didn't notice during Menchi's jump."

Movement near the edge came to a halt, and dozens of faces turned toward him. Even Menchi folded her arms and waited to hear what he had to say.

Tonpa opened his mouth, the words already prepared. He would explain the timing of the updraft and allow as many applicants as possible to succeed. In the later phases, having more competitors would give him more room to avoid the stronger ones while filling the exam with weaker targets he could deceive or use.

Then an image of the Final Phase surfaced in his mind.

The number of participants was not some meaningless detail. The interviews Netero would conduct, the arrangement of the matches, and the people chosen to face one another... all of it depended on who reached the end.

If more applicants survived here, the entire bracket might change. Perhaps Illumi would never face Killua. Perhaps Killua would not collapse under his brother's pressure or kill Bodoro. He might receive his Hunter License instead of returning home.

And if Killua did not return to his family's estate, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio would never go after him.

The entire Zoldyck Family Arc would disappear.

The problem was not merely losing events Tonpa already knew. Every change would create more changes until the future preserved in his memory became worthless. Then he would be nothing more than Tonpa, cursed with Rank E Talent, in a world where a child could tear out a man's heart before the body even hit the ground.

'Knowledge is the only weapon I have that doesn't require Nen Points.'

Coldness crept into his stomach.

He would not alter another major event unless his life depended on it. He could slip through the smaller details, deceive people, and raise their Trust Levels, but the main course of events had to remain intact whenever possible.

The problem was that everyone was still waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Tonpa pointed toward the threads stretching across the ravine.

"Menchi chose a thread away from the others. Don't all jump from the same place, or you'll block one another's way back."

It was useful advice, but it revealed nothing about the timing of the updraft and would not save anyone who had failed to understand the demonstration. Menchi appeared satisfied, while several applicants spread out along the edge.

'An elegant retreat. I didn't save anyone, and I didn't make a complete fool of myself.'

Three men did not wait long. They jumped together, each catching a different thread. Cheers rose behind them, but one released his grip too early while trying to reach the eggs.

There was no current to carry him.

He vanished into the darkness.

The second man panicked and let go after him, disappearing as well. The third attempted to climb back up, but his grip slipped before he could reach the edge.

The voices surrounding the ravine faded.

Tonpa's stomach tightened, yet a cold part of him felt relieved. He was not proud of it, but their fall made him believe that the exam's overall result was still close to the one he remembered.

The applicants retreated from the edge and began studying the wind instead of rushing forward. Gon waited until the commotion subsided, then approached with Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.

Leorio leaned toward the others and whispered in a voice that could probably have reached the opposite side of the mountain.

"Should we trust what Tonpa told us? He knew about the eggs, but he also knew far more than he should."

Kurapika replied, "What he told us about the nests and the currents was true. That doesn't prove his story, but it does prove that his information is useful."

"Useful information can still be part of a trap," Killua added.

Gon looked into the ravine.

"He didn't try to make us jump. He only warned us."

Tonpa was standing only a few steps away. He waited a moment before speaking.

"You can raise your voice a little more, Leorio. I don't think the bottom of the ravine heard you."

Leorio straightened abruptly.

"We weren't talking about you."

"Of course. You were discussing another Tonpa who happens to know the test's secret."

Kurapika sighed, while Killua smiled without attempting to hide his amusement.

Tonpa approached the edge and looked at the threads below.

"If you don't trust what I told you, I'll jump with you. We won't release the threads until Gon gives us the signal."

Gon blinked.

"Me?"

"You've sensed things that no one else noticed since the exam began. Trust your instincts. When you feel the updraft coming, tell us."

Killua studied him.

"You trust him that much?"

"I trust him more than I trust myself near a ravine."

It was not a complete lie. Tonpa trusted Gon to succeed because he had already done so in the original course of events. The deep faith in Gon's instincts—and Tonpa's supposed willingness to risk his life because of it—was merely the wrapping he used to sell them the truth.

Gon jumped first, followed by Killua and Kurapika. Leorio hesitated at the edge, released a curse, and then jumped after them.

Tonpa remained alone at the top.

He looked into the void and then at the faces turning toward him.

'I could have stopped at the speech.'

Leorio raised his head from below and shouted, "Aren't you coming? You're the one who said you would jump with us!"

"I was leaving some distance between us. I don't want to collide with one of you on the way down."

Killua called back, "You were waiting to see whether the threads could hold us."

Tonpa did not deny the accusation. That was precisely what he had been doing. Seeing four people hanging safely below made the ravine slightly less hostile to his plan.

"The result is the same."

He took a breath and jumped.

Air surged around him, and his heart leaped into his throat before his fingers closed around one of the threads. His body jerked violently, and the impact nearly tore his grip open, but his arms held his weight thanks to his Rank D Strength. Before the upgrade, his fingers would have slipped before he had the chance to worry about whether the thread could support him.

They hung over the darkness as the eggs swayed beneath them in the wind. Several long seconds passed without anything happening.

Leorio spoke through clenched teeth.

"Gon... I hope your instincts are fast."

Gon closed his eyes. The threads remained still for several seconds before he suddenly raised his head.

One heartbeat later, Tonpa felt a cold current rising from the depths of the ravine.

Gon opened his eyes.

"Now!"

They released the threads together. Tonpa reached out and snatched an egg as he fell, and then the updraft struck them from below. His body spun through the air as the current carried them upward, lifting them past the edge before they crashed onto the rocky ground.

Tonpa hugged the egg to his chest and drew a trembling breath.

'I knew I wasn't going to die. My body could have shown that information a little respect.'

Gon laughed happily, and Leorio slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Well done! If you had been one second late, we'd be at the bottom by now."

"Your timing was precise," Kurapika said.

Killua merely gave Gon a small smile.

"Your instincts aren't bad."

Menchi approached while carrying her own egg and looked down at the group sprawled across the ground.

"Celebrate after you boil the eggs," she said. "If you break one now, you'll have to jump again."

Leorio immediately pulled his egg against his chest, making Gon laugh. Tonpa tightened his grip around his own egg with considerably more care. He had no desire to repeat a jump whose outcome he knew, much less attempt one that no longer existed anywhere in his memory.

Notifications appeared before him.

[Gon Freecss's Trust Level: 6% → 10%]

[Leorio's Trust Level: 3% → 6%]

[Kurapika's Trust Level: 0.5% → 2%]

[Killua Zoldyck's Trust Level: 0.5% → 2%]

Four similar notifications followed. Each of them believed Tonpa had jumped because he trusted Gon and genuinely wanted to help them. They did not know he had been relying on an outcome preserved in his memory, making the leap seem far less dangerous to him than he had allowed them to believe.

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Gon Freecss]

[Nen Points +30] [Experience Points +30]

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Leorio]

[Nen Points +30] [Experience Points +30]

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Kurapika]

[Nen Points +30] [Experience Points +30]

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Killua Zoldyck]

[Nen Points +30] [Experience Points +30]

[Total Nen Points: 161]

[Experience Points: 501/600]

Tonpa lowered his head toward the egg to conceal his smile.

He had preserved the future, earned their trust, and received one hundred and twenty points in a single stroke.

Knowledge truly was a weapon.

Better yet, he could sell it to other people in the form of courage.



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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 21: Six Survivors Too Many

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

Spider Eagle eggs were not worth jumping into a ravine.

That had been Tonpa's opinion before he tasted one.

The applicants gathered around the pots prepared near the mountain and lowered their eggs into the boiling water. No real cooking skill was required this time. Even Tonpa managed to wait without ruining anything, which was a clear improvement over the pig he had nearly burned into charcoal.

Once the eggs were ready, Menchi inspected the pots and announced that everyone who had returned with an egg and prepared it as instructed had passed.

Cheers of relief spread through the applicants. Gon raised his boiled egg as though he had won a prize, while Leorio sat on the ground and repeatedly declared that he would never approach the edge of a mountain again.

When Menchi allowed them to taste the eggs, Tonpa peeled his own. A thin cloud of steam rose from it. He took a cautious bite, then stopped as he chewed.

The flavor was annoyingly rich and tender.

'Damn. It's actually delicious.'

Tonpa looked at the group.

"Well done. We passed the Second Phase."

Leorio stared at him.

"You say that as if you watched us from somewhere safe. You jumped with us."

"That's why the congratulations include me."

Gon laughed, while Killua merely shook his head. No Trust notification appeared, and Tonpa did not expect one. Not every friendly conversation was a deception. Trying to turn every sentence into an investment would make him look like a salesman chasing customers even across mountaintops.

They returned to the airship shortly afterward. The successful applicants climbed the metal stairs and spread throughout the main hall, where Netero waited with his hands clasped behind his back. Beside him stood a short, green-skinned creature in a formal suit, holding a stack of papers.

Netero formally addressed them as Chairman of the Hunter Exam Committee, then introduced his secretary, Beans, who bowed politely to the applicants. He explained that the airship would transport them to the site of the Third Phase and that they had several hours to rest or explore, provided they stayed away from restricted areas and did not interfere with the crew's equipment.

Tonpa listened with only half his attention until Beans began reviewing the list of successful applicants.

His eyes moved across the rows, then slowly narrowed.

Something was wrong.

He counted again from the beginning. Once, then a second time, expecting exhaustion to have made him count one of the faces twice.

The number did not change.

Forty-eight applicants.

Beans raised the list and announced the number clearly. Netero then congratulated them on passing the first two phases. Celebratory voices rose around Tonpa, and no one else appeared to see a problem.

To them, six additional survivors meant six stories of people escaping elimination.

To Tonpa, they meant six new variables whose consequences could appear anywhere.

There were supposed to be forty-two.

Tonpa swept his gaze across all forty-eight faces, unable to identify which six had not existed in the original course of events. Perhaps some had survived because his warning prevented them from crowding onto the same thread. Perhaps the airship's delay had given them more time to calm down.

He could not determine the precise cause.

He knew who was responsible.

'I saved six people while trying not to look like an idiot.'

It had been a minor piece of advice. He had not even revealed the secret of the updraft, yet the number had still changed. Six additional applicants might mean nothing now, but they could alter how the applicants were distributed inside Trick Tower, change the order of later matches, or push someone onto a path they had never taken before.

The future did not require a powerful blow to change.

It only needed to be touched.

Tonpa looked away from them. He could not throw the six applicants out of the airship to correct the number—at least not without creating far greater problems.

All he could do was watch for further changes and stop giving away advice for free.

As soon as the instructions ended, Leorio announced that he was going to sleep before one of the examiners decided to force them into another race. Kurapika agreed, though he expressed the thought more politely, and the two headed toward the resting quarters.

Gon continued looking around with open excitement.

"I want to see the inside of the airship."

"So do I," Killua said. "There has to be an engine room somewhere below us."

They headed toward the corridor, and Tonpa followed them.

"I'll come with you."

Killua immediately turned toward him.

"No."

Gon intervened.

"It's fine. The airship is huge. We can explore together."

Killua looked at Gon, then at Tonpa, as though trying to determine which of them had made the worse decision. In the end, he placed both hands behind his head and continued walking.

Tonpa had no interest in the engines. He merely wanted Killua to become accustomed to his presence. Suspicion did not disappear quickly, but a face seen often enough gradually stopped looking like a new threat.

'Trust is slow. Familiarity is cheaper.'

The three wandered through the corridors, with Gon stopping at nearly every window and open doorway. They never reached the engine room. The smell of food led them instead to a small dining hall the crew had prepared for the applicants.

Gon quickly filled his plate, while Killua selected several desserts before touching the main course. Tonpa gathered enough food for two people and sat across from them.

Killua examined his plate.

"Are you hungry, or are you preparing for winter?"

Tonpa answered with complete seriousness.

"During an exam, the food in front of you doesn't belong only to the present. Every bite you eat now might prevent hunger from making a stupid decision for you later."

Gon stopped chewing and nodded, visibly impressed by the wisdom.

Killua looked at Tonpa.

"So you're hungry."

Tonpa remained silent for a moment.

"That too."

He continued eating with dignity, ignoring Killua's smile. His philosophy was not entirely wrong, which was a generous enough standard for any philosophy invented by a man sitting in front of enough food for two people.

After dinner, they continued exploring until they reached a quiet lounge along the side of the airship. Wide windows stretched before the seats, revealing dark clouds drifting below them as moonlight reflected across the glass.

The place seemed familiar to Tonpa.

He stopped in the doorway. If his memory had not betrayed him, this was where Killua had told Gon about his family in the original course of events.

The conversation he remembered had not begun yet.

Gon sat beside the window and pressed his face against the glass, fascinated by the clouds passing beneath the airship. Killua chose the seat beside him, while Tonpa sat across from them.

"We're higher than the mountains now," Gon said.

"That's what an airship is supposed to do," Killua replied.

"I know. Seeing it is different."

Killua rested his head against the seat, but his eyes continued moving around the lounge, watching the doors, corridors, and reflections in the glass. Even while relaxing, he never stopped paying attention to his surroundings.

Tonpa watched him in silence.

He knew what Killua was supposed to tell Gon if the conversation followed the course he remembered.

In the original scene, Tonpa had no place here.

Now he was sitting directly across from him.

Tonpa fixed his gaze on Killua's reflection in the window.

An ugly idea began to form in his mind.

It should have made him feel ashamed.

It did not.

He did not need to invent a story from nothing. The right story was already sitting in front of him, and its owner had not told it yet. Tonpa only needed to borrow a few pieces and change enough of them to make the story appear to be his.

A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Gon noticed.

"Why are you smiling?"

The smile disappeared. Tonpa lowered his eyes as though the question had pulled him back into a painful memory.

"I remembered something sad."

Killua's gaze shifted toward him.

Tonpa took a slow breath and prepared to begin the story.

'I'll return it after I'm done using it.'



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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 22: A Stolen Story

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

Tonpa did not begin immediately.

He kept his eyes on Killua's reflection in the window while rearranging the lie inside his head. He did not want it to be perfect. Perfect stories sounded rehearsed, and tragedies delivered without hesitation inspired more suspicion than sympathy.

He needed a little silence, hesitation in the right places, and a story that resembled Killua's life without matching it too closely.

The assassins would become thieves.

As for the illness and the Hunter License, he would leave them where he had placed them in the lie Leorio had overheard.

Tonpa allowed the silence to stretch a little longer before speaking.

"There's a reason I believe everyone should be allowed to choose their own path."

Gon pulled away from the window and turned toward him. Killua shifted his gaze in Tonpa's direction without changing his position.

"What is it?" Gon asked.

Tonpa lowered his eyes to his hands.

"I grew up in a family of professional thieves."

The faint amusement disappeared from Killua's face. Gon leaned forward with interest.

Tonpa continued.

"To them, stealing wasn't a crime or a choice. It was the family business—a profession passed from parents to their children, whether the children wanted it or not."

He let his shoulders sag slightly.

"They began training me when I was a child. They taught me how to pick locks, watch people, and invent excuses quickly. They would send me into markets and tell me to return with a specific item without paying for it."

"What happened if you failed?" Gon asked.

Tonpa's fingers went still against each other.

"They repeated the training until I succeeded."

He added nothing else. He allowed his tone to explain the part he had left unsaid.

Killua's eyes moved from the window to Tonpa. His expression no longer held the lazy detachment it had only minutes earlier. He was listening now—not merely searching for a flaw, but because something in the story had become familiar to him.

'I found the way in.'

Tonpa kept his expression composed and continued.

"My mother wasn't one of them. She hated what they did, but she had nowhere else to go. When she became ill and needed someone to care for her, they decided she had become a burden."

The last trace of a smile disappeared from Gon's face.

"What did they do?"

"They left her in an old house and moved to another city. To them, she was like a broken tool—once she stopped being useful, there was no reason to keep her."

He paused, then added:

"I stayed with her."

Gon did not look entirely surprised by the mention of her illness. Tonpa had expected as much. He had personally heard Leorio repeat what he had overheard from behind the pillar, in a voice loud enough to inform half the hall.

That was why Tonpa had preserved the foundation of the story: a sick mother, money he did not possess, and a Hunter License he had believed could save her. All he was doing now was constructing a new past on top of a lie they already believed.

"Did you try to treat her?" Gon asked.

Tonpa nodded.

"We had no money. I knew how to steal and deceive people, but I wasn't good enough to obtain what we needed without getting caught. Then I heard about the Hunter License."

He raised his eyes slightly.

"A Hunter License can open doors that remain closed to ordinary people. High-paying work, loans, access to restricted places... I thought passing the Hunter Exam would give me enough money to pay for her treatment."

Gon looked at the bag of juice bottles hanging beside Tonpa's seat.

Tonpa noticed, but he did not avoid the boy's gaze.

"I failed my first attempt, then my second. With every failure, I began seeing the other applicants as people stealing an opportunity that should have belonged to me. I convinced myself that reducing their numbers would improve my chances."

Killua spoke for the first time since the story began.

"That's why you started poisoning rookies?"

Tonpa slowly nodded.

"It began with the juice. At first, I told myself I was doing it for her. After that, it became easier every time. The deception became a habit, and the habit became the only thing I thought I was good at."

After a moment of hesitation, Gon asked:

"What happened to your mother?"

Tonpa did not answer immediately.

He tightened his jaw and forced himself not to blink. After several seconds, moisture began gathering in his eyes. He did not need an actual tear. Fighting the urge to cry was more convincing than allowing the tears to fall.

"She died years ago."

He allowed his voice to crack on the final word, then turned toward the window.

Silence settled over them.

The airship's engines produced a low, steady hum while clouds drifted slowly beyond the glass. Tonpa gave his words enough time to settle, but he did not remain silent long enough to appear as though he were waiting for comfort.

He quickly wiped the corner of his eye.

"After she died, I had no real reason to continue. But I had already spent years trying to pass, and I couldn't stop and admit that everything I had done had been meaningless."

He looked at the bottles inside his bag.

"I kept entering the exam, and I kept ruining other people's chances. After a while, I forgot why I had started in the first place."

Gon was watching him with open sympathy. Killua remained silent, but his gaze was no longer searching for the deception in quite the same way. He appeared to be comparing Tonpa's words to something he knew intimately—something he had not told either of them yet.

"I'm not telling you this because I expect either of you to forgive me," Tonpa said. "What I did was my choice, even if the beginning wasn't."

He kept his eyes forward, careful not to direct the words solely toward Killua.

"But no one has the right to decide what you will do with your lives. Not your family, not your past, and not anyone claiming to know what is best for you."

Then he looked at them.

"You're both free to choose what you want."

Gon nodded immediately, as though the idea required no consideration.

Killua turned his gaze back toward the clouds.

A chime sounded inside Tonpa's head.

[Killua Zoldyck's Trust: 2% → 5%]

Another notification appeared.

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Killua Zoldyck]

[Nen Points +20]

[Experience Points +20]

A third notification followed, bearing Gon's name.

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Gon Freecss]

[Nen Points +10]

[Experience Points +10]

[Total Nen Points: 191]

[Experience Points: 531/600]

Tonpa dismissed the windows before they could ruin his expression, then lowered his head as though he were still trapped in painful memories.

Internally, he regarded the new points with almost as much admiration as he felt for his own performance.

He had invented an entire family, nearly cried over an illness and death that had never happened, and made Killua reconsider him because the boy had seen a piece of himself inside the story.

'Even I almost believed myself.'

The ease with which he had summoned grief unsettled him for a moment.

Then he remembered the reward and felt better.

Killua remained silent, his eyes fixed on the clouds beyond the window. His gaze no longer held the same suspicion as before. In its place was something closer to hesitation.

Finally, he spoke.

"What you said about families not having the right to choose our lives..."

Tonpa raised his eyes.

"What about it?"

Killua lowered his gaze to his hands and sighed.

"I understand what you meant."

Gon waited for him to continue, while Tonpa remained silent.

Killua's eyes settled on Gon. He did not ask Tonpa to leave, but he did not direct the confession toward him either.

"Because my family decided what I would become before I was old enough to choose."



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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 23: One Hour

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

"Because my family decided what I would become before I was old enough to choose."

Tonpa slowly raised his eyes to Killua.

This was the response his lie had been designed to draw out. He had borrowed pieces of Killua's past, turned assassins into thieves, and waited for the boy to recognize himself inside the story.

Now, the bait had taken hold.

Tonpa let none of that reach his face. He left the silence to Gon, who asked:

"What profession did they choose for you?"

Killua shifted his gaze from Gon to the window.

"Assassination."

Tonpa allowed his breath to catch. His eyes widened before he straightened in his seat. He did not recoil dramatically or gape like an idiot. Restrained shock was far more convincing than theatrical panic.

"Assassination?"

Killua glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"My family consists of professional assassins. Almost all of them are in the same line of work, and I was supposed to carry it on after them."

None of this was new to Tonpa, but hearing it from Killua himself gave the information a weight it had never possessed on a screen.

The boy seated across from him looked like an ordinary child and could still kill most of the people aboard the airship with his bare hands.

Gon leaned forward.

"Did they start training you when you were little?"

"Almost from the day I was born."

Killua raised one hand and examined it.

"They taught me how to kill, how to resist poison, and other things an assassin needs. They wanted me to become the heir to the family, but I didn't want them deciding everything about my life."

Gon asked:

"Is that why you left home?"

Killua nodded.

"I wounded my mother and brother when they tried to stop me, then ran away. I heard the Hunter Exam was difficult, so I decided to try it. It sounded better than going home."

Gon blinked twice, but Killua delivered the words in the same tone someone else might use to describe an ordinary argument.

Tonpa lowered his gaze slightly, as though the story had dragged him back into memories of his nonexistent family.

"Then you got out before the profession they chose became your entire life."

Killua turned toward him.

Tonpa continued:

"It doesn't matter what they trained you to do. What you choose to do with that training from now on is up to you."

Killua did not answer immediately.

Gon said:

"You can look for something you want to do after the exam."

Killua looked at him, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Maybe."

Tonpa added:

"But you should give your parents at least a little credit."

The smile vanished.

"Credit for what, exactly?"

"They made you strong enough to leave them."

Killua stared at him.

"They used to electrocute me during training."

Tonpa paused, then nodded with manufactured wisdom.

"Then appreciate the results from a safe distance. I don't think a thank-you visit will be necessary."

A laugh escaped Gon, and one corner of Killua's mouth rose before he hid it. Tonpa turned toward the window to conceal his satisfaction.

He had used Killua's stolen story to coax a confession out of him, then used that same confession to offer advice about independence.

'Even the advice wasn't mine.'

The conversation quieted after that, but none of them left their seats.

Gon and Killua exchanged occasional comments about the exam while Tonpa watched the corridor reflected in the window glass. He had not remained because he enjoyed the conversation, nor because he wanted to spend the night in the company of a child assassin.

He was waiting for Netero.

In the original course of events, the Chairman had encountered Gon and Killua aboard the airship after their conversation, then offered them a game of taking the ball from him. Tonpa could not remember exactly how much time had passed between Killua's confession and Netero's appearance, but the meeting was supposed to happen tonight.

He needed to see it.

The Second Phase now had forty-eight survivors instead of forty-two, and the system had already warned him that events were diverging. Perhaps the changes remained limited. Or perhaps his knowledge of the future had already begun crumbling without him realizing it.

If Netero appeared and the ball game took place, Tonpa would at least have proof that the main course of events remained intact.

If he did not...

'Then I'll start panicking.'

Some time passed.

Clouds drifted beyond the glass, and the lights of one city below gradually gave way to another. A crew member walked through the corridor before disappearing behind a metal door.

Netero did not come.

Tonpa could not ask for the time without looking as though he were waiting for an appointment. He settled for moving his leg as it began to go numb while Gon talked about Whale Island.

Another stretch of time passed, and frustration slowly crept in.

Perhaps his presence alone had been enough to change the meeting. Perhaps the additional applicants had given Netero something else to deal with. Neither possibility would have seemed important before, but minor changes no longer looked harmless.

'Don't tell me I ruined the future by occupying an empty seat.'

He was considering giving up and going to sleep when a sudden pressure descended over the lounge.

Every muscle in his body locked.

He saw nothing, but the air grew heavier, and his chest tightened as though a predator had appeared directly behind him. Gon stopped speaking, while Killua shifted into a ready stance without rising from his seat.

The pressure came from the far end of the corridor to their right.

All three turned toward it.

The corridor was empty.

The pressure vanished a moment later, and a calm voice reached them from the opposite direction.

"Good reaction."

They spun around.

Netero stood to the left of the seats with both hands behind his back. He had not been there before they turned, and Tonpa had not seen him cross from one side to the other.

Tonpa could think of only one explanation. The Chairman must have noticed them first, sent the pressure of his aura from the right, then moved to the opposite side before they completed their turn.

Gon's eyes widened. Killua's gaze moved between Netero and both ends of the corridor.

Tonpa nearly smiled from sheer relief.

'He came.'

At least this landmark remained where it belonged. The entire course of events had not collapsed yet.

Netero approached them and produced a striped ball from behind his back.

"You don't seem interested in sleeping. Would you like to join me in a little game?"

Gon and Killua looked at the ball.

Gon asked:

"What kind of game?"

Netero raised the ball above his palm.

"You try to take this from me."

Gon immediately rose from his seat.

"I'm in."

Killua stood after him.

"So am I."

Tonpa placed a hand over his stomach and slowly got to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Chairman. I've been feeling unwell since we left Swindlers' Swamp. I think I should rest."

He had not waited this long because he wanted to participate. He had only wanted to confirm that the event still existed.

'I saw it. This landmark survived. That's enough for tonight.'

Besides, Gon and Killua had no idea what they had just agreed to. They saw a short old man holding a ball. Tonpa knew that even Meruem had been unable to interrupt the motion of Netero's prayer before it was completed.

This was not a game.

It was a polite way for the two boys to discover exactly how weak they were.

Tonpa turned to leave.

Ding!

The system's chime pierced his skull before his foot could complete the step.

His expression went cold.

'No.'

He did not need to see the window to know that the system had found a way to ruin his retreat.

[New Side Quest Created.]

Tonpa closed his eyes for a moment.

'Of course.'

The presence of one of the strongest Hunters in the world was an opportunity a system calling itself the Con Artist System could not possibly leave alone.

'What is it this time? Steal the ball? Defeat Netero?'

The rest of the quest appeared.

[Side Quest: Four Limbs.]

[Objective: Help Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck force Netero to use all four limbs during the game.]

Tonpa read the objective again.

It was not impossible, but neither was it a simple repetition of what he remembered.

In the original course of events, Gon had only managed to force Netero to use his right hand after hours of trying. The system wanted a greater result in a fraction of the time.

The next condition appeared.

[Time Limit: One Hour.]

Tonpa felt as though the system had immediately withdrawn the reasonable part of the quest.

One hour instead of the entire night.

'I knew the kindness wouldn't last.'

They had a starting point, not a complete plan. They would need to push Netero to the same point quickly, then force an additional movement that had never occurred in the original course of events.

The rewards appeared.

[Reward: 1,000 Nen Points.]

[Reward: 1,000 Experience Points.]

Tonpa's hand fell away from his stomach.

One thousand points.

A single reward could push his abilities into an entirely new tier, while the experience might raise his level more than once if the system allowed it.

He waited for the penalty, expecting death or another threat of forced transportation to the Dark Continent.

[Penalty for Failure: None.]

Tonpa stared at the line.

'None?'

He read it again, searching for some small word the system might have hidden at the end.

Nothing appeared.

This was the first quest the system had ever given him without placing a knife against his throat. That alone made him more suspicious, not less.

Perhaps the system considered facing Netero punishment enough.

Tonpa released a quiet breath, then turned back toward the three of them.

Killua raised an eyebrow.

"Weren't you sick?"

Tonpa removed his hand from his stomach and gave the time-limit line one final glance.

"I remembered that inactivity is bad for circulation."



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[Boumargood]

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 24: The Slowest Person in the Room

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

A glint of amusement appeared in Netero's eyes, but he made no comment on Tonpa's supposed recovery. He motioned for them to follow, then led them through one of the airship's corridors and into a spacious room. It was empty except for several seats bolted to the wall. The floor was level and solid, with enough open space for them to move freely.

Gon and Killua entered first. Tonpa followed while watching the timer at the edge of his vision.

[Time Remaining: 00:57:21]

Nearly three minutes had disappeared before the game even began.

Netero stood in the center of the room and tossed the striped ball from one hand to the other.

"The rules are simple. If any one of you manages to take the ball from me before the airship reaches the site of the Third Phase, I'll consider that person to have passed the Hunter Exam."

Gon's eyes widened.

"Does that mean we wouldn't have to complete the remaining phases?"

"That's correct."

Tonpa's gaze shifted to the ball. His main quest required him to pass the Hunter Exam, and the penalty for failure was forced transportation to the Dark Continent. If he took the ball and Netero honored his promise, he could clear that quest without facing any of the remaining phases.

This was not the thousand-point quest.

This was the quest that would keep him away from the Dark Continent.

'All I have to do is take a ball from Netero.'

He raised his eyes toward the old man.

'Dying immediately sounds less complicated.'

Netero had not made the offer because he expected to lose. As far as Tonpa could tell, the three of them were little more than a way for the old man to pass the time before the airship arrived.

Tonpa also knew how Netero would move once the game began. At the start of the original game, he had evaded Gon and Killua while using only one hand and one leg. He had never told them about the restriction, instead allowing them to discover the insult for themselves.

The system's quest required them to force him to use all four limbs within one hour.

Tonpa still had no idea how they were supposed to accomplish that. Repeating the same attacks would accomplish nothing, and relying on Gon's stubbornness would take until dawn. He first needed to see how Netero handled three opponents instead of two. After that, he might find something they could exploit.

Gon began rotating his arms and stretching his shoulders. Killua bent down to stretch his legs, then bounced lightly several times.

Tonpa copied them. He lifted one leg and tried to pull it toward his chest, but it stopped halfway as the muscles in his thigh objected. He lowered it before anyone noticed.

'That's enough. I don't need to defeat myself before the game starts.'

The three of them stood before Netero, the ball resting in one of his hands.

"Begin whenever you're ready."

Killua moved first.

He became a white blur rushing toward Netero from the right. Gon moved at the same moment from the opposite side, while Tonpa charged forward to block the old man's retreat.

Killua reached him first. His hand shot toward the ball, but Netero turned his body slightly, allowing the boy's fingers to sweep past it. Gon arrived from the other side, only for the ball to drop out of his reach and rise above his head.

Tonpa arrived last.

He extended both arms toward Netero, but the old man pivoted on one foot and slipped past him. Tonpa saw nothing but the edge of his clothes before finding himself rushing directly toward Gon.

Their shoulders collided, sending both of them stumbling.

Netero was already standing behind them, flipping the ball in the same hand.

Exactly as Tonpa remembered.

One hand. One leg.

And the three of them had not come close to forcing him to change that.

"Good attempt," Netero said.

Tonpa regained his balance and stared at him. It had not been good. He had expected Netero and Killua to be fast, but even Gon had clearly outrun him despite Tonpa having raised his Speed to Rank D.

He looked down at his legs.

[Speed: D]

'Wonderful. I paid one hundred Nen Points to come in last with greater confidence.'

Perhaps Gon and Killua belonged to a higher rank, or perhaps the gap within a single rank was wider than Tonpa had assumed. He had no accurate way to judge. All he knew was that he had been staring at their backs from the moment they moved.

As for Netero, Tonpa preferred not to guess his rank at all.

Killua attacked again. He dropped low, then abruptly changed direction in an attempt to reach Netero's back. Gon attacked from the front while Tonpa moved left to cut off the old man's escape.

Netero did not retreat. He leaned away from Gon, then pivoted on the same foot. Killua's hand passed close to the ball, while Tonpa arrived only after it had already changed position.

Tonpa was not surprised that Netero maintained his self-imposed restriction. What surprised him was how effortlessly he did it. Even with a third opponent, the old man had no need for his other hand or leg.

The attempts continued. They attacked from three directions, then Gon and Killua tried alternating their movements instead of rushing him together. Tonpa attempted to drive Netero toward the wall, but the old man escaped their encirclement before it could fully form.

During one attempt, Tonpa correctly predicted his direction and lunged to block his path. Netero changed his rhythm at the last instant, sending Tonpa rushing into empty space. He nearly fell when he tried to turn after him.

The air began burning inside his chest. Improved Stats had not given him combat experience, nor had they taught him how to change direction as easily as Gon and Killua could.

He made one more attempt, then stopped with his hands resting on his knees.

"I need a break."

Killua looked at him with open disapproval.

"We just started."

Tonpa raised his head.

"I'm still feeling unwell, remember?"

He walked toward the seats and sat down. Exhaustion was not his only reason for stopping. Continuing to chase Netero would earn him nothing except more failures. He needed to observe from outside the chaos.

Tonpa summoned his status panel.

[Nen Points: 191]

[Strength: D] [Upgrade Cost: 1,000 Nen Points]

[Speed: D] [Upgrade Cost: 1,000 Nen Points]

[Flexibility: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Endurance: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

[Intelligence: E] [Upgrade Cost: 100 Nen Points]

He had enough to raise one Stat to Rank D.

Strength would be useless if his hand never reached the target, and Endurance would merely allow him to continue failing for longer. Any opening they created would not last. He needed a body capable of exploiting it.

He focused on Flexibility.

[Would you like to spend 100 Nen Points to upgrade Flexibility?]

[Yes/No]

He selected Yes.

[100 Nen Points deducted.]

[Flexibility: E → D]

[Remaining Nen Points: 91]

Warmth spread through his joints before extending into his back and legs. The tension restricting his movements receded, making it easier to rotate his shoulders and bend his knees.

He did not stand.

Tonpa raised his eyes toward Netero and began watching. He focused on the foot the old man relied upon, the direction he leaned whenever Gon approached, and the way he used Killua's momentum to carry him away from the ball.

Netero's movements were not random. He guided their attacks into the paths he wanted, then escaped using the smallest movement possible.

Tonpa's task was not to take the ball. It was to force Netero to use the two limbs he had not needed so far. The difference between those objectives seemed small, but it completely changed how Tonpa needed to approach the problem.

He continued watching. With each failed attempt, several details began fitting together inside his mind.

He did not have a complete plan yet.

But he knew what he needed to wait for.

The timer appeared at the edge of his vision.

[Time Remaining: 00:42:18]

After two more attempts, Killua finally backed away. The irritation on his face was obvious. His breathing had quickened slightly, but he did not look exhausted.

He sat in the seat beside Tonpa and continued staring at Netero and the ball as though they had personally insulted him.

Tonpa turned toward him, one corner of his mouth rising in amusement.

"Weren't you going to take the ball?"

Killua wiped the sweat from his forehead without looking at him.

"Weren't you sick?"



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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 25: A Different Kind of Victory

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

Tonpa looked at Killua, then at the seat the boy had taken after spending more than ten minutes chasing the ball.

"I recover quickly when seats are available."

Killua narrowed his eyes but did not answer. He turned back toward the center of the room, where Gon was still trying to take the ball from Netero by himself.

Gon rushed him from the front. Netero leaned aside and let him pass. The boy turned quickly and tried to seize his arm, but the old man drew the ball away and hopped sideways on the same leg, carrying it beyond Gon's reach.

Gon passed him again without his fingers touching so much as Netero's clothes.

Killua watched with obvious irritation. Sweat had plastered several strands of hair to his forehead, and his fingers moved against his knee as though he were resisting the urge to rejoin the game immediately.

He did not seem accustomed to failure. From the way his eyes followed every one of Netero's movements, Tonpa guessed that not understanding why he was failing bothered him even more than the failure itself.

Tonpa saw an opportunity. He straightened in his seat, folded his arms, and lowered his eyelids slightly. It was the expression he used whenever he wanted to convince a victim that he understood the market better than the experts did.

The expression of a man who understood everything, even if he had only understood half of it.

He spoke calmly.

"Neither of you is going to take that ball from him."

Killua turned toward him.

"What did you say?"

"I said neither of you will take it. Not like this."

Killua gave him a narrow look.

"Since when are you an expert? You're the slowest person in the room."

The observation was irritatingly accurate.

Tonpa chose to ignore it and gestured toward Netero with his chin.

"Watch him carefully."

Killua returned his attention to the game.

Gon attacked from the left. Netero moved away with a short hop on the leg he had been using. The boy tried to change direction in the middle of his rush, but the old man raised the ball above his head and pivoted around him on the same foot.

The attempt ended with Gon landing on his hands while Netero remained where he was, smiling.

Killua asked:

"What am I supposed to see?"

Tonpa waited until Gon rose and began another attempt.

"Since we started, he has only used one hand and one leg."

Killua's fingers went still against his knee.

He continued watching Netero, but this time he did not focus on the ball. His gaze moved between the old man's shoulders and feet, following every hop and evasion.

Gon charged again.

Netero avoided him with the same leg.

When the boy approached the ball, he moved it away with the same hand.

He had not used the other two limbs at all.

Killua's expression slowly changed.

"He's..."

"Playing with us," Tonpa finished. "He hasn't been using all his strength to stop us. He placed a restriction on himself and didn't even bother telling us about it."

Killua did not answer immediately. He kept watching Netero, his jaw tightening as Tonpa's observation proved itself.

His inability to take the ball did not seem to be the only thing bothering him. Realizing that Netero was treating him like a child appeared to have struck somewhere more sensitive.

After a moment, he asked:

"How did you notice?"

Tonpa raised his chin slightly.

That was the question he had been waiting for.

"Experience."

Killua looked at his stomach, then at his dirty clothes, before returning his gaze to Tonpa's face.

"You?"

"I've taken the Hunter Exam more than thirty times. Don't look at the results. We're discussing experience, not success."

"Thirty failed attempts don't make you an expert."

"They make me an expert at understanding why people fail."

Killua did not immediately find an answer to that.

Tonpa took advantage of the silence and continued in a confident tone.

"I simply never trained seriously over the years. If I had, I would be the strongest applicant in this exam."

Killua stared at him for two seconds.

Then he gave a short laugh.

"You? The strongest?"

"The talent is there."

Killua looked at his stomach again.

"Where?"

"Under a layer of protection."

Another laugh escaped Killua before he returned his attention to Gon. Judging from that laugh, he had not believed a word of Tonpa's boasting, but his mockery lacked the wariness that had once accompanied every conversation between them.

Ding!

The system's chime pierced Tonpa's thoughts.

[Killua Zoldyck's Trust: 5% → 6%]

Tonpa blinked once and dismissed the window.

He guessed that the increase had not occurred because Killua believed he was a neglected genius. The reason was simpler. Tonpa's presence had become familiar enough for the boy to trade insults with him without searching every sentence for a trap.

'One percent in exchange for an insult to my stomach.'

It was an acceptable trade.

Gon failed another attempt, but immediately got back up and prepared to attack again.

Killua watched him and said:

"Even if he's only using half his limbs, that doesn't mean we can't take the ball. We just need to move faster."

"Forget the ball."

Killua turned sharply toward him.

"Why?"

"Because you don't know who the man in front of you is."

Killua raised an eyebrow.

"He's Netero, Chairman of the Hunter Association. He introduced himself earlier."

"That's only his name and position. I didn't say you couldn't read a name tag."

Killua fell silent and waited for him to continue.

Tonpa lowered his voice as though he were about to share information an ordinary applicant had no right to know.

"During one of my previous attempts, I overheard two examiners talking about him. They said he had been considered the strongest fighter in the Hunter Association for decades."

That part was not far from the truth.

What Tonpa added next was entirely his own.

"Once, several professional Hunters wagered that at least one of them could touch his clothes within an hour. They all attacked him. In the end, not only had they failed to touch him, but he had also taken their Hunter Licenses from their pockets during the fight."

Killua regarded him with suspicion.

"And you happened to overhear this?"

"I was eavesdropping."

"Why?"

"I have educational hobbies."

The suspicion remained on Killua's face, but he returned his attention to Netero. Gon was attacking the old man with everything he had, while Netero continued smiling and evading him on one leg.

Tonpa did not know how much of the story Killua had accepted, but the boy no longer appeared to regard the incident with the stolen licenses as an obvious lie. Netero's effortless movements made it plausible enough for him to accept it for the moment.

Ding!

Another system chime sounded inside Tonpa's head.

[Deception Registered.]

[Target: Killua Zoldyck]

[Nen Points +5]

[Experience Points +5]

[Total Nen Points: 96]

[Experience Points: 536/600]

Tonpa dismissed the notifications without disturbing his serious expression.

'Five points for a story I invented while sitting down.'

That was better than running after the ball.

Killua said:

"So you think taking the ball is impossible?"

"The way we're attacking him now? Yes."

'And within the hour the system gave me? Definitely.'

Killua's narrowed eyes and tightening fingers made his displeasure with the answer obvious.

Tonpa understood people like him. Telling him that something was impossible would not make him retreat. It would only make him want it more. Tonpa therefore made no attempt to stop him from returning to the game.

He only needed to change what counted as victory.

Tonpa rose from his seat and brushed the dust from his clothes, then looked at Netero with an irritated expression. This time, not all of the irritation was an act. Watching the old man evade them while using only half his limbs was unpleasant, particularly after Tonpa had spent two hundred Nen Points on Speed and Flexibility and remained the slowest person in the room.

He said:

"But that doesn't mean we have to accept his mockery."

Killua looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't like losing."

Killua raised an eyebrow.

"You've taken the Hunter Exam more than thirty times without passing it."

"I said I don't like losing, not that I lack experience with it."

Tonpa gestured toward Netero.

"Taking the ball is the victory Netero defined. Our victory will be forcing him to abandon the restriction he placed on himself."

Interest began replacing the irritation in Killua's eyes.

Tonpa continued:

"If he's confident enough to stop us from taking the ball with one hand and one leg, then we'll force him to use the other two."

Killua looked at the two limbs Netero had not used, then back at Tonpa.

A small smile appeared on Tonpa's face, concealing the timer counting down before his eyes.

"We don't need to take the ball."

He fixed his gaze on the old man.

"We only need to make him use all four limbs."



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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 26: Three Minutes

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •


​

Killua continued staring at Netero for a moment. Then a small smile formed on his face, devoid of any real amusement. It was the smile of someone who had finally found another way to consider himself the winner.

"All right," he said as he rose. "I like the idea. How are we going to do it?"

Tonpa had an answer—or at least the part of it he could say aloud.

"You and Gon keep him under constant pressure. Attack together and don't let his attention settle on either of you. Once he's occupied, I'll disrupt his concentration."

Killua's smile stopped at the final words.

"You're going to disrupt his concentration?"

"I know the division of labor sounds unfair, but try not to be jealous."

Killua examined him from head to toe.

"I was trying to think of a polite way to ask what you can actually do."

"Save it for next time."

Before Killua could respond, Gon broke away from Netero and approached them with heavy steps. He was breathing quickly, his face had reddened, and damp strands of hair clung to his forehead. Even as he sat on the edge of the seat, however, his eyes remained fixed on the ball.

"I'm only resting for a little while," he said. "Then I'll try again."

Killua gave him the short version of the idea. Tonpa added only the details that could safely be said aloud: attack from different directions, keep Netero moving, and exploit any momentary imbalance to force him to use the right hand and left leg he had deliberately been holding back.

Gon did not ask why Tonpa had withheld the final part of his plan. He simply looked toward Netero and smiled.

"Even if we don't take the ball, we'll still win something from him."

Tonpa nodded solemnly.

'More importantly, I'll win a thousand points from all of you.'

A few minutes later, the three of them stood before Netero once again.

The old man smiled and rolled the ball between the fingers of his left hand.

"Finished resting?"

"We were giving you time to prepare," Tonpa said.

Netero chuckled. Tonpa could not tell whether he had appreciated the joke or merely enjoyed the audacity behind it.

Killua moved first.

He rushed Netero's right side while Gon attacked from the front. Tonpa ran toward the remaining angle, attempting to close off the old man's retreat.

Netero dipped beneath Gon's arm, pivoted on his right foot, and drew the ball away from Killua's fingers with his left hand, all in one motion.

Then he abruptly changed direction and passed close to Tonpa.

Tonpa braced for the collision, but his body bent more quickly than he expected. His shoulder dropped, his waist twisted, and one foot slid aside as Netero passed within inches of him.

He regained his balance without falling.

Tonpa blinked and glanced down at his feet.

His Rank D Flexibility had not made him anyone's equal in this room, but his body had finally stopped resisting his decisions. Changing direction felt lighter, bending was faster, and recovering his balance had become almost natural.

'Wonderful. Now I can avoid the humiliation instead of falling down after it.'

Netero gave him no more time to appreciate his investment. The ball passed before Tonpa's face for an instant, and his hand shot toward it.

His fingers closed around empty air.

Netero was already behind him.

The attempts continued.

Gon attacked relentlessly, changing his height and direction after every failure. Killua began using short bursts and body feints, pretending to retreat before returning from another angle. Tonpa tried to predict the opening Netero would leave behind, sometimes blocking it with his body and sometimes reaching for the ball himself.

None of it worked.

During their next attempt, Killua signaled to Gon with his eyes before springing high. Gon understood and attacked Netero's supporting leg from below. Tonpa stepped forward to cut off the retreat, briefly convinced that they had finally trapped him.

Netero sprang over Gon using only his right leg, passed the ball behind his back with his left hand, and landed on the same foot in the narrow gap between Tonpa and Killua before it could close.

His left foot never touched the floor.

He turned toward them with a smile.

"Good teamwork."

It almost sounded encouraging, until Tonpa noticed that the old man's breathing had not changed.

'Complimenting someone after humiliating them should qualify as psychological warfare.'

They switched roles. Gon hung back to observe while Killua rushed in directly. Tonpa pretended to stumble, dropped toward the floor, and reached for the ball from below.

Netero was not fooled. He drew the ball away before Tonpa's fingers came close, but the obstacle forced him to vault over Tonpa rather than pass beside him. Once again, he launched himself from his right leg and landed on the same foot without allowing the left one to touch the floor.

"I almost touched it!" Tonpa said as he rose.

"You were an entire arm's length away," Killua replied.

"Compared to my earlier attempts, that qualifies as scientific progress."

Netero retreated whenever they expected him to advance and moved toward them whenever they prepared for another evasion. The ball remained in his left hand. His right hand stayed close to his body, while his left foot never bore any of his weight. Using only his left hand and right leg, he continued guiding them exactly where he wanted them.

After another attempt ended with Tonpa colliding with Gon, Killua stepped back and wiped the sweat from his chin.

"Where's your plan?"

Tonpa raised his head from the floor.

"Which part?"

"The part where you do something."

Tonpa climbed to his feet and brushed off his sleeve. The question was reasonable, which only made it more irritating.

"The right moment hasn't arrived yet."

"Or you don't have a plan at all?"

"Keep pressing him. The opening will come."

Killua regarded him with obvious suspicion, but returned to his position when Gon signaled that he was ready.

Tonpa watched Netero receive their next attack.

He was not delaying for the sake of appearing mysterious. The old man simply refused to give him a genuine opportunity.

Every placement of his right foot was brief and calculated. His weight remained perfectly controlled regardless of how the attacks changed. Even when Killua's hand approached the ball, Netero's left shoulder was already prepared to turn, while the distance between him and Gon remained sufficient for an escape.

'Of course. Why would the strongest man in the room make one convenient mistake out of respect for my future?'

If Tonpa acted at the wrong moment, Netero might resist the effect or recover his concentration before being forced to abandon his restriction. The surprise would be lost, leaving Tonpa to explain why he had shouted a question entirely unrelated to the ball in the face of the Hunter Association Chairman.

That was not the sort of memory he wanted to carry with him to the Dark Continent.

"Keep going," he said as he fought for breath. "Don't give him time to settle."

The minutes passed.

Their attempts became an exhausting rhythm: a rush, an evasion, a shoe sliding across the floor, and then a short chuckle from Netero.

Gon's breathing grew louder. Killua's steps lost a little of their sharpness, while Tonpa's chest burned with every breath.

Killua began understanding Gon's movements before they were complete, and Gon adjusted his course the instant he saw Killua move. Tonpa still needed an extra half-second to follow them, but he used that delay to approach through the angle Netero left after avoiding the other two.

Their coordination genuinely improved.

The gap between them and the old man remained too wide for a plan and a little enthusiasm to close.

Every time they believed they had narrowed the available space, Netero found an exit they had failed to see. Every time someone's fingers approached the ball, his smile widened slightly, as though he were granting them precisely enough hope to keep them running.

More than half an hour disappeared into those failed attempts. Their collisions began to blend together in Tonpa's memory, but he never stopped watching.

The countdown continued decreasing at the edge of his vision, cruel in its regularity. Every minute that vanished was a thousand points coming closer to becoming nothing.

He focused on it.

[Time Remaining: 00:02:57]

'Three minutes left to deceive an old monster.'

Killua lunged toward the ball, forcing Netero to twist his left shoulder away. Gon closed in from the opposite side instead of attacking directly.

For the first time, the old man raised the ball high above his left shoulder while his weight rolled onto the outer edge of his right foot. His torso had already committed to turning away from both boys.

Tonpa saw it.

It was not a complete mistake. Against anyone else, it would not have qualified as an opening at all. But Netero's left shoulder was turned toward Killua, Gon had closed the opposite route, and his right foot was already committed to the pivot.

He could still evade the two boys without breaking his restriction.

Changing direction again would require his unused limbs.

It was either now, or Tonpa could return to collecting points from applicants who believed stories about rest stops.

"From both sides!" Tonpa shouted. "Now!"

Gon and Killua moved immediately.

Gon dropped low toward Netero's supporting right leg, cutting off the pivot, while Killua sprang from the opposite side and reached for the ball above his shoulder.

Netero pushed against his right foot and began turning, keeping the ball beyond Killua's reach while his left foot remained clear of the floor.

Tonpa charged through the final open angle.

The distance vanished rapidly.

Three meters.

Two.

One step.

Netero raised his eyes toward him. Curiosity glimmered inside them, as though he had been waiting all this time to see the part of the plan Tonpa had concealed.

'Now!'

Tonpa opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Is that your mother?!"



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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 27: A Fraction of a Second

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

"Is that your mother?!"

The shout rebounded off the walls of the room.

Killua's outstretched hand faltered, his eyes widening while he was still suspended in the air. Gon, already diving toward Netero's right leg, glanced at Tonpa even as his body continued forward.

Even Netero, who had met every attack since the beginning of the game with a calm smile, fixed his eyes on Tonpa for a fraction of a second.

But his head did not turn.

He did not search behind himself. His eyes did not move toward the door, nor did the idiotic confusion that had seized the weak applicant Tonpa first tested the skill on appear anywhere on his face.

Tonpa's heart sank into his stomach.

'It didn't work.'

Ding!

The system's chime cut through the fading echo inside his head, and two notifications appeared before his eyes at the worst possible moment.

[Killua Zoldyck's Status: Internally Cursing the Host.]

[Gon Freecss's Status: Confused.]

'Even the system has started documenting the insults.'

Killua's hand slowed, and Gon's attention shifted away from Netero's leg. Tonpa's plan was about to collapse because of its creator before it even affected its target.

Then something changed.

Tonpa saw no flash of light, nor did the air ripple before him, but the effect was unmistakable on Netero's face. The old man's eyebrows rose slightly, his smile vanished, and his shoulders tightened for an instant, as though an unseen pressure had knocked against his awareness from an angle he had not anticipated.

The skill had not forced him to turn.

But it had startled him.

For one infinitesimal moment, the perfect rhythm he had maintained throughout the game broke.

Gon was the first to recover.

He returned his attention to Netero's right leg and reached for the old man's ankle, continuing the attack he had already begun. From the opposite side, Killua stretched through the air and extended his fingers toward the ball above Netero's left shoulder.

Tonpa did not stop either.

He completed his charge through the final angle, lowering his shoulder as he reached forward with both arms. He was not fast enough to take the ball, but his body blocked Netero's last available escape route.

The old man no longer had time to evade them in the same way.

His left hand was lifting the ball beyond Killua's fingertips. Gon's hand was closing in on his supporting right leg, and Tonpa was approaching from the front to seal the final opening.

Netero's body moved on instinct before his smile returned.

His right hand descended for the first time since the game began and caught Gon's wrist before the boy's fingers could reach his ankle. He redirected Gon's arm, carrying the boy's momentum away from his supporting leg.

At the same moment, Netero's left foot touched the floor.

His weight shifted onto it, and he pushed himself into a sharp sideways pivot, slipping through the narrow gap before Tonpa's arms could close around him.

Tonpa grasped nothing but air.

Killua's fingertips passed within a hair's breadth of the ball before he landed, one foot sliding half a step across the floor.

Tonpa continued forward for another two steps before managing to stop. He turned quickly, expecting to find Netero balanced on one leg as usual.

The old man stood several paces away.

His left hand still held the ball. His right remained extended after releasing Gon's wrist. Both feet rested on the floor for a moment before he calmly redistributed his weight.

The position did not last long, but it was already too late.

Gon backed away while rubbing his wrist, staring in astonishment at the right hand that had stopped him. Killua raised his head and looked between Netero's legs. He had seen the old man's left foot touch the floor and propel him away.

Tonpa was not looking at the ball at all.

He stared at Netero's right hand, then at his left foot.

The two limbs the old man had refused to use throughout the previous minutes had moved together before his eyes.

'We did it.'

Ding!

The system's chime exploded inside his head.

[Side Quest Completed: Four Limbs.]

[Netero has been forced to use all four limbs.]

[Nen Points +1,000]

[Experience Points +1,000]

[Total Nen Points: 1,096]

[Experience Points: 1,536/600]

[Level Advancement Requirements Met.]

[Level Advancement Available.]

Pure joy surged through Tonpa so intensely that it almost hurt.

One thousand Nen Points. One thousand Experience Points. All in exchange for nearly an hour of running, several collisions, and a shout that would probably haunt his dreams for years.

The Level Advancement option appeared at the edge of his vision, but he dismissed it along with the other windows. This was not the time to discover what Level Three would give him, especially in front of a man who might notice a change in Tonpa's breathing before Tonpa noticed it himself.

'Finally, a deal that respects a con artist's dignity.'

He nearly raised a fist in celebration, but then remembered the man standing in front of him and kept both arms still.

The surprise had not entirely disappeared from Netero's face.

The old man rolled the ball between the fingers of his left hand once, then twice, while keeping his eyes fixed on Tonpa.

His gaze was not angry, but the amusement it had held earlier was gone. It moved between Tonpa's face, hands, and feet, weighing his stance and breathing as though the ridiculous shout concealed something worth examining.

Ding!

The system chimed for the third time, and a red window appeared before Tonpa.

[Warning.]

[A person whose strength exceeds the current measurement range is evaluating the Host.]

[Target suspects the Host used Nen.]

[Target is confused: No Nen aura was detected from the Host.]

Tonpa's joy disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Coldness spread down the back of his neck. He struggled to maintain the expression of a man who had merely shouted the first piece of nonsense that entered his head—not someone who had used an unknown ability on the Chairman of the Hunter Association.

'Wonderful. I gained a thousand points and attracted the attention of someone the system can't even measure.'

He wished he could return the points and leave, then remembered that he did not possess that degree of integrity even when it would be useful.

Netero's silence lasted only two seconds, but to Tonpa, it felt much longer.

Then the old man closed his eyes and laughed.

His usual smile returned. He raised the ball above his shoulder.

"It seems you've tired me more than I expected. I think we'll stop here."

Gon took half a step toward him.

"But we haven't taken the ball yet."

"That's true."

Netero opened one eye and looked from Gon to Killua before settling his gaze on Tonpa.

"And yet, it seems you achieved the goal you set for yourselves."

Gon looked at Netero's right hand, then at his left foot. A small smile appeared on his face, and he withdrew the step he had taken.

They had not taken the ball.

But they had forced Netero to abandon the restriction he had placed upon himself.

Netero turned and walked toward the door at an unhurried pace. He did not ask Tonpa about the shout or mention the effect he had felt, as though nothing unusual had occurred.

He stopped at the door and gave Tonpa one final glance before stepping through and closing it behind him.

That was worse than being questioned.

Tonpa waited until the sound of his footsteps faded, then released the breath he had not realized he was holding.

"You idiot!"

Killua's voice came from beside him.

Tonpa turned and found the boy staring at him, his expression caught somewhere between anger and disbelief. Gon continued looking between the door and Tonpa, presumably still trying to locate the mother no one else had seen.

Killua spoke first.

"Your plan was to run up to him and shout about his mother?"

Tonpa adjusted his collar, attempting to recover some of his dignity.

"My plan was to disrupt his concentration at the right moment. The words were a secondary detail."

"You disrupted our concentration too!"

"And yet, you almost took the ball and forced him to use his right hand and left leg."

Killua opened his mouth, then closed it again. He clearly disliked the answer, but he could not deny the result.

Gon asked seriously:

"Did you really think his mother was there?"

"No."

"Then why did you say it?"

"Because shouting about his father wouldn't have produced the same effect."

Gon's confusion deepened, while Killua covered his face with one hand.

Tonpa left them to argue over the logic of his plan and headed toward the seats. He sat down, feeling the pain in his legs, then summoned the skill's description in his mind.

[Is That Your Mother?]

[The stronger the target, the greater their resistance to the command.]

The sentence had been clear from the beginning, but Tonpa had not understood the size of that difference until now. The weak applicant had turned immediately and lost control of his reaction.

Netero's head had not moved a single inch.

Even so, the skill had not been useless.

The old man had felt something—a pressure, a warning, or some force he could not identify. That had been enough to break his concentration for a fraction of a second.

Against someone as powerful as Netero, stealing even that much time was not an achievement Tonpa could dismiss.

Only one question remained.

Did the skill depend entirely on the target's resistance, or would its effect grow as Tonpa became stronger?

The system did not answer, as usual whenever he asked a useful question.

Tonpa looked down at his hands, then toward the door through which Netero had left.

'Perhaps the skill wasn't weak.'

He slowly moved his fingers.

'Perhaps its user was the cheap part.'

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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 28: Thanks for Trying

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •
​

Tonpa remained seated after Netero's departure, staring at his palms as his final thought settled inside his mind.

When he raised his head, Gon was still looking toward the door through which the old man had left. Killua stood beside him with both hands in his pockets. They both looked exhausted, but that did not stop Killua from giving Tonpa a look that made one thing clear: the shout of "Is that your mother?!" would not be forgotten anytime soon.

Tonpa stood and brushed off his clothes.

"I'm going to get some rest. I suggest you two do the same."

Killua replied:

"After that brilliant plan of yours, I suggest you sleep for a very long time."

"I rescued your dignity in front of the Chairman of the Hunter Association. A little gratitude wouldn't hurt."

Gon looked down at his hands.

"But we didn't take the ball."

"I said your dignity, not the ball."

Gon smiled, while Killua rolled his eyes.

Tonpa did not wait for another response. He bid them goodnight and headed toward the room assigned to him aboard the airship, keeping his pace calm until he was out of sight. The moment he rounded the corner at the end of the corridor, his steps quickened on their own.

Exhaustion weighed upon his legs, while the repeated collisions with the floor had left his shoulders and back aching. Yet something far more powerful drove him forward.

One thousand and ninety-six Nen Points.

Only minutes before their plan succeeded, his balance had been a mere ninety-six points—not even enough to purchase a respectable disappointment from the Lottery. Now, he possessed enough to genuinely change his body.

Tonpa closed the door behind him and made sure it was secure before sitting on the edge of the bed. The room was not spacious. It contained a narrow bed, a small cabinet, and a table fixed to the wall so it would not become a flying weapon whenever the airship shook.

For a man hoping to conceal his advancement from the Chairman, privacy mattered far more than decoration.

Tonpa took a slow breath and summoned his status panel.

[Host: Tonpa]

[Level: 2]

[Experience Points: 1,536/600]

[Level Advancement: Available]

[Strength: D]

[Speed: D]

[Flexibility: D]

[Endurance: E]

[Intelligence: E]

[Talent: E]

[Nen Points: 1,096]

His eyes settled first on the Level Advancement option.

He could select it now. In fact, part of him wanted to do so immediately and discover what it would give him. His previous advancement had made his body capable of learning Nen. Perhaps the next one would carry an even greater reward.

Or a new window informing him that his Talent was somehow worse than he had believed.

'I'll save the good news for last.'

He set the Level Advancement option aside for the moment and focused on his Stats.

Two clear paths lay before him.

He could spend the full one thousand points to upgrade Strength, Speed, or Flexibility from Rank D to Rank C. One enormous leap might bring him closer to the level of genuine fighters, rather than leaving him as the man who joined two children in an attack and arrived after everything was already over.

Speed was the most tempting option. Strength was useful in a fight, but Speed was useful for avoiding fights altogether, and Tonpa had long believed that a successful escape was simply a more refined form of victory.

Flexibility had proven its value only moments ago, but it was hardly the first choice that came to mind for a man attempting to survive an exam filled with killers.

The problem was that upgrading one of those Stats would leave him with only ninety-six points, while his Endurance and Intelligence remained at Rank E.

He stared at the options for a long time.

He could become considerably faster, or he could stop possessing a body that grew tired before his plans did and a mind that needed rest after every two lies.

Then his thoughts drifted toward the Hunter's Lottery.

He recalled the image of the shining wheel, like a shop that knew its customer was carrying money and therefore had no need to call out to him.

Tonpa dismissed the thought immediately.

'Only three draws.'

The decision was reasonable. He would upgrade Endurance and Intelligence to Rank D for two hundred points, then try the Lottery three times. That would leave him with five hundred and ninety-six points. He could add more later until he reached one thousand and upgrade one of his remaining Stats to Rank C.

A balanced and conservative plan.

Two descriptions no one had ever used immediately before losing money to gambling.

Tonpa focused on Endurance.

[Would you like to upgrade Endurance from E to D?]

[Cost: 100 Nen Points.]

"Yes."

[Endurance: E → D]

A slow warmth spread from his chest into his limbs. The pain from the past hour did not disappear, but it gradually receded, as though his body had suddenly remembered that it did not need to complain about every movement. His breathing deepened, and the faint trembling in his legs subsided.

He tightened his fist, then relaxed it.

He did not feel stronger. Instead, he felt capable of continuing to use what strength he possessed without collapsing as quickly.

He moved to the next Stat.

[Would you like to upgrade Intelligence from E to D?]

[Cost: 100 Nen Points.]

He confirmed the upgrade.

[Intelligence: E → D]

His head did not suddenly fill with wisdom, nor did the secrets of the universe reveal themselves. He merely felt the faint haze caused by exhaustion recede. His thoughts became more orderly, and the details of the game he had just played grew easier to recall.

The improvement was subtle, but unmistakable.

'Wonderful. I'm now qualified to make bad decisions with greater efficiency.'

His remaining balance appeared.

[Nen Points: 896]

Tonpa summoned the Hunter's Lottery.

The dark wheel formed before him, unknown symbols surrounding its surface while the golden pointer rested above it. It looked exactly as he remembered from his first draw, when he had received a ridiculous Skill that had somehow managed to startle Netero himself.

That alone was reason enough to test his luck again.

[Draw Cost: 100 Nen Points.]

[Would you like to proceed?]

"Yes."

The wheel began spinning rapidly. Its symbols blurred together until they became a ring of light. Tonpa watched while holding his breath as it gradually began to slow.

The pointer passed a sword, then a bottle, followed by a human silhouette, before stopping upon an empty gray segment.

[Thank You for Trying.]

Tonpa waited for another message.

None came.

"That's it?"

The wheel remained silent.

He paid for a second draw.

It spun, slowed, and stopped.

[Thank You for Trying.]

During his third attempt, the pointer approached a symbol resembling a book, only to pass it at the final instant and settle upon another empty space.

[Thank You for Trying.]

Tonpa stared at the message.

His three attempts were over.

He should close the Lottery, preserve his remaining points, and return to the Level Advancement option as he had planned.

He knew that perfectly well. In his previous life, he had built entire webpages designed to make people ignore their previous losses and pay again. Flashing effects, a prize that almost appeared, and a message encouraging the victim to make one more attempt.

He recognized the trick because he had used it himself.

'Which is precisely why it won't work on me.'

He paid for a fourth draw.

[Thank You for Trying.]

'I was only testing the odds.'

The fifth draw was empty.

Then the sixth.

When the wheel stopped for the seventh time, the same message appeared with infuriating indifference.

[Thank You for Trying.]

Tonpa's finger remained suspended before the window.

He slowly summoned his balance.

[Nen Points: 196]

He read the number twice.

He had intended to make three draws. Through a process understood only by those who lost money while attempting to recover what they had already lost, three draws had somehow become seven.

Tonpa dismissed the wheel with a violent gesture and rose from the bed. He paced to the table and back, cursing the Lottery, the System, and the old man who had given him the points. Then he cursed himself, since he was the only one among the four who truly deserved it.

One hundred and ninety-six points.

He could no longer upgrade a Stat to Rank C, and he had no physical Stat at Rank E remaining that could be raised for one hundred points. The rational choice was to preserve what remained and begin collecting points again.

He looked toward the closed Lottery.

Then he summoned it once more.

'I've already ruined the plan.'

He had enough for one final draw. Afterward, his balance would fall to ninety-six points, and he would be unable to draw again even if he wanted to.

That meant the System would prevent him when he had failed to prevent himself.

"One last time."

[Draw Cost: 100 Nen Points.]

[Would you like to proceed?]

Tonpa confirmed immediately, before his remaining dignity could seize his wrist.

The wheel began spinning for the eighth time.

He did not watch it. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms with manufactured indifference, like a man who had not just spent eight hundred points because he was incapable of understanding the meaning of "one last time."

He was merely waiting for the eighth thank-you message.

The wheel slowed.

Click.

Then another.

It stopped.

No message appeared.

Tonpa waited for a moment, then frowned.

'What? Did you get tired of thanking me?'

He raised his eyes toward the wheel. The pointer stood motionless above a segment radiating a golden light that had not appeared during any of his previous draws.

The mockery vanished from his face.

He stared at it, then leaned forward without realizing it.

Ding!

An unfamiliar chime pierced his skull, snapping his attention toward the window that opened before him.

[Congratulations!]

Tonpa blinked twice.

'This... is for me?'

Another line formed beneath it.

[The Host has obtained a Skill.]



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• ────────── ◆ ────────── •

Chapter 29: A Belated Reward

• ────────── ◆ ────────── •


​

[The Host has obtained a Skill.]

Most of Tonpa's anger vanished immediately.

He straightened on the bed and fixed his eyes on the new window. After seven unwanted messages thanking him, he was prepared to accept almost anything—a weapon, a technique, an artifact, or even a mysterious pill, as long as it did not come with the words "Thank You for Trying."

A silver card slowly formed before him, and the name of his reward appeared upon it.

[Oh, Is That You?]

Tonpa's eyes widened.

'...What?'

He read the name once.

Then he read it again, hoping exhaustion had somehow distorted his vision.

Nothing changed.

"Of course."

His first Skill was called [Is That Your Mother?], and now he had received [Oh, Is That You?]. Apparently, the System did not collect its abilities from the treasures of countless worlds. It gathered them from conversations between strangers who happened to meet in crowded markets.

'My next Skill will be: Where have you been all this time?'

The remaining details appeared beneath the name.

[Type: Consumable Skill.]

[Remaining Uses: 3.]

Tonpa's small smile froze.

"Consumable?"

He leaned closer to the window, as though reducing the distance between them might force the words to improve.

[Description: Allows the user to make anything appear to be something else for one minute.]

He waited for another line to appear.

None did.

Tonpa reread the description slowly.

Anything.

The word was broad enough to sound powerful and vague enough to get him killed if he relied upon it incorrectly. Could he make a stone look like a piece of gold? Could he disguise one card as another? Did the Skill work on people? And did it alter only the target's appearance, or its apparent size and texture as well?

He directed each question toward the System.

It gave him no answer.

'Naturally. Why would the System answer a question that might save my life?'

Tonpa looked toward the cup on the table. He could use the Skill now and make it resemble a knife, a Hunter License, or anything else, but he pulled his hand back before touching it.

Only three uses.

After spending eight hundred points to obtain the Skill, he was not prepared to waste a third of his reward merely to confirm that it worked. It was enough that he had tested his previous Skill on a weak applicant, only to later use it against Netero without understanding its actual limits.

'Learning from your mistakes is a virtue. Especially when every mistake costs at least a hundred points.'

He read the description again.

The Skill was not entirely useless. A professional con artist could accomplish a great deal with one minute of false appearances. He could make a worthless object look valuable, conceal a dangerous tool beneath an innocent appearance, or create a temporary visual copy of something whose appearance he needed to imitate.

In the right situation, one minute might be enough to deceive someone and open a path of escape.

In the wrong situation, that minute would expire while he was still explaining the lie.

As for the three available uses, they turned the ability from a reliable tool into three emergency cards he would be afraid to expend.

Tonpa sighed and dismissed the Skill's description.

"I spent eight hundred points on a trial version."

The System showed no concern for his objection.

He summoned his balance despite already knowing the number.

[Nen Points: 96]

Tonpa stared at it until the number began to resemble a personal insult.

If he had spent one thousand points from the beginning, he could have upgraded Strength, Speed, or Flexibility from Rank D to Rank C and would have been left with exactly the same balance. Instead, he had upgraded Endurance and Intelligence to Rank D, then burned the rest of his points inside a wheel that had thanked him seven times and awarded him a Skill that could not last longer than a minute.

He had not lost everything. His body was now more balanced, and the new Skill might prove invaluable at a decisive moment.

Seeing the number did not help him appreciate the positive side.

'My Speed could have been Rank C.'

He imagined himself moving faster, perhaps drawing slightly closer to Gon and Killua's level instead of always arriving after the important part of an attack had already ended.

Then he imagined the wheel stopping on an empty segment seven times.

His fingers tightened around the edge of the bed.

"I'm never using the Lottery again."

He knew he was lying before the sentence had even ended, but at least the System did not reward him for it.

Tonpa dismissed his Nen Points, and the main status panel returned. His eyes moved across his newly balanced Stats—Strength, Speed, Flexibility, Endurance, and Intelligence. All five were now at Rank D.

Above them, one option had continued blinking since the end of the ball game.

[Level Advancement Available.]

Tonpa paused.

He had nearly forgotten about it while discovering just how many ways he could ruin a simple decision. He had deliberately saved it for last, but he had not expected the end to find him a full one thousand points poorer.

Still, advancing his Level did not require Nen Points. He had already surpassed the necessary amount of Experience Points. All he needed to do was confirm it.

His previous Level Advancement had not directly made him stronger, but it had made his body capable of learning Nen and unlocked a new part of the System.

Perhaps the next advancement would provide something similar.

Or perhaps it would change the number from two to three and then thank him for trying.

He focused on the option.

[Level Advancement Requirements Met.]

[Would the Host like to advance to Level 3?]

"Yes."

The window disappeared for a moment.

Tonpa waited for the warmth he had experienced while upgrading his Stats, or the strange sensation that had accompanied his advancement to Level 2.

Nothing happened.

He remained seated on the bed with both hands resting on his knees while the airship's engines vibrated steadily behind the walls.

Several seconds passed.

He moved his fingers.

Then he rolled his shoulders, took a deep breath, and carefully tested his legs.

He did not feel stronger or faster. His awareness had not become sharper, and no Nen aura had appeared around his body. Even the faint pain in his back remained exactly where it had been.

A single message appeared before him.

[The Host has advanced to Level 3.]

Tonpa waited for whatever came next.

Nothing did.

"That's it?"

The status panel appeared again. The number beside his Level had changed from two to three, and the Experience Points required for the next advancement had increased.

[Level: 3]

[Experience Points: 1,536/1,800]

His Experience Points had not been consumed. They were now being measured toward the new requirement. His body, however, showed no difference whatsoever.

Tonpa stared at the new number.

"I spent more than a thousand points today, risked attracting Netero's attention, and now own a Skill that will function for three minutes over its entire lifespan... and my Level reward is a larger number?"

The System remained silent.

Tonpa slowly rose from the bed.

"I should have known. Anything you give away for free has to be useless."

He clenched his teeth and pointed at the window as though addressing someone standing behind it.

"You damned System, if you consider changing a number a reward, I'll show you exactly where you can put—"

Ding!

The System's chime pierced his skull before he could finish the insult. His shoulders stiffened, and his finger remained pointed toward empty air.

Golden light gathered before him, forming a window unlike the System's ordinary messages.

[Reward for reaching Level 3 has been calculated.]

Tonpa's eyes widened slightly.

'Wait... it's going to give me something?'

The rest of the message appeared.

[The Host has received one free Stat Upgrade.]

[One Stat may be upgraded to the next Rank without consuming Nen Points.]

Tonpa froze.

His eyes moved across his five Stats, all of which were at Rank D. Upgrading any one of them to Rank C would cost one thousand Nen Points.

A full thousand points.

The same amount he had been regretting not spending only moments earlier.

The corners of his mouth began to rise, and his earlier anger nearly transformed into satisfaction.

Ding!

Another chime pierced his skull before he could enjoy the moment. His smile stopped halfway, and he regarded the empty air before him with renewed caution.

A second window appeared beneath the reward.

[Requirements for unlocking an Additional Feature have been met.]

Tonpa blinked slowly.

'This generosity is starting to frighten me.'

The final line appeared.

[Skill Upgrade System Unlocked.]

The remainder of the curse he had been preparing vanished from his mind.

Tonpa stared at the two golden windows, then slowly sat back down on the bed.

'All right... perhaps we can negotiate.'



________________________________

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