Unable to help it, she felt a wave of lingering fear. This sensation was even more intense than a solo experience, comparable to the effects of an Enhancement-type ability powder.
Just thinking about her previous situation made Menchi's heart race. This led to her completely ignoring Morin when they arrived at the destination and began explaining the requirements for the "Boiled Egg" challenge. She didn't even mention the results of the previous test.
Just like Tonpa and others before her, Menchi had developed a psychological shadow from the ordeal. For a long time in the future, she would have a stress response and aversion to foods like "Hand-rolled Sushi."
Split Mountain was a massive peak cleaved in two. The deep, unseen canyon and the sound of the rushing river at the bottom signified that the difficulty of the retest was not insignificant.
"Grape Spider eggs, huh?" Morin looked down at the eggs hanging like they were on a spider's web. A rope appeared in his hand. This rope looked no different from an ordinary one, except it had a loop tied at the end.
"Bring up a Grape Spider egg," he commanded simply. The loop floated up on its own and, before any other examinees could warm up and descend, it had already gone to the canyon and looped up a Grape Spider egg.
Tool: [Automatic Lasso].
Effect: A must-have tool for the lazy; tell it what you need, and it will automatically fetch it for you.
In Doraemon, when Suneo returned an umbrella, Nobita and Doraemon didn't want to move. Doraemon then took out this tool to retrieve the umbrella.
Afterwards, Nobita, envious, wanted to borrow it, but Doraemon refused. To prevent Nobita from pestering him, Doraemon threw the Automatic Lasso out the window, where it was picked up by Suneo.
Suneo knew it was a rope that could retrieve anything and even conducted an experiment: "Bring my head over." The lasso ended up around his neck, nearly strangling him.
Only someone with a peculiar mindset would think of such a test method. Afterwards, Suneo used the [Automatic Lasso] to fetch things from others constantly.
Gian's comic hotdog, Shizuka's homework, other people's toy planes, and baseballs? After angering everyone, he discarded the [Automatic Lasso], which was then found by Nobita.
This led many to mistakenly believe that Nobita was the prankster causing trouble.
If it weren't for Nobita ignoring the suspicion and terrible consequences of being wrongfully accused and using the [Automatic Lasso] to save a little girl from drowning,
and if that girl hadn't seen Suneo using the [Automatic Lasso] to fetch things, Nobita would have taken the blame for Suneo's actions.
Good deeds are rewarded, and karma is inescapable. When Morin watched this episode, he only considered Nobita's consequences and didn't realize the powerful effect of the [Automatic Lasso].
In this world, there is nothing it can't fetch. Whether it's an object or a person, it can successfully bring it to you, making it an incredibly practical tool.
However, it's also a tool that can easily amplify greed and lead one down a path of crime.
Now, other examinees watched with envy, jealousy, and resentment as Morin brought up the Grape Spider egg. Those who were afraid of heights or had cumbersome bodies unable to descend were particularly envious.
"What a convenient tool..." Gon blinked, while Leorio was filled with envy. "If I had that lasso, I could fetch tons of medical books to study," he muttered under his breath.
Regardless, Morin's Automatic Lasso greatly stimulated the examinees, prompting them to leap down with determination. It also gave many a new perspective. "So, as long as you can get the egg, you don't actually have to go down..." Gon thought, then took out his fishing rod.
Adjusting the line length, he aimed at a cluster of Grape Spider eggs below the canyon. "Whoosh!" The rod accurately wrapped around them, and with a slight tug, he pulled up an entire cluster of spider eggs, leaving Menchi and Buhara speechless.
"Great!!" Gon cheered, unwrapping the Grape Spider eggs. "Leorio, Kurapika, Killua, these three are for you!!" It was just right, four Grape Spider eggs, one for each of them.
In the end, aside from a few examinees who didn't dare jump and the unlucky ones who fell into the river below, 43 people passed the test.
Many examinees also tasted the difference in flavor between these boiled eggs and regular ones. They understood why the Hunter Association had a branch for Gourmet Hunters. The taste was indeed quite good.
With that, two consecutive rounds of testing ended, and the group of examinees returned to the airship.
---
The airship would transport them to the location of the third round of testing. During this time, the examinees had ample opportunity to rest, recover their energy, and replenish their strength. After all, they had been undergoing high-intensity testing continuously.
Take Morin's group as an example. They boarded the Poseidon on January 5th, enduring rough seas until January 6th, when they disembarked and passed the quick-answer, either-or checkpoint to reach the cabin under the cedar tree.
Then, after a night of flying, they arrived at the Hunter Exam venue on January 7th to begin the first round of the Hunter Exam.
This was an incredibly enduring marathon, lasting over a dozen hours. It was only on January 8th that they crossed through the Zaban Wetlands and began the second round of testing.
Three consecutive days of testing, including the dangerous Zaban Wetlands and the perilous Hisoka, took a toll even on the most resilient examinees. Fortunately, the Hunter Association's airship provided them enough time to rest.
The stars twinkled, and the night air was as cool as water. The airship flew through the silent night, creating a rare peaceful atmosphere inside the cabin.
Of course, while the Hunter Association provided a relatively safe place, it didn't mean the examinees could completely let down their guard.
The Hunter Association wouldn't arrange anything further, but if any threats came from other examinees, they would need to be vigilant. During the Hunter Exam period, any casualties would not be investigated by the Hunter Association.
This led the examinees to stay quietly in their rooms, except for a few energetic individuals.
At this moment, in a room on the airship:
"Are you planning to continue with the upcoming tests?" Netero asked Morin, squeezing his hands.
"As the chairman of the association, I could grant you a Hunter License," Netero offered. "And the review committee would likely approve without objections."
Indeed, anyone who objected would be making an enemy of Morin. Even members of the Zodiac, like Botobai or Pariston, wouldn't take such a step.
"Let's not make exceptions and take it slow," Morin replied, sipping the fragrant tea that Mr. Beans had brought. "The Hunter Exam is quite interesting."
He took a small sip. "At most, I promise not to cause any more trouble for the examiners."
The next rounds' chief examiner, if nothing unexpected happened, would be that short bounty hunter with a rooster hairstyle and fox-like eyes, Lippo.
This snack-loving, spectator-type guy wouldn't have much interaction with Morin, who wasn't particularly interested in the warden of the Trick Tower.
"Is that so? That's good to hear," Netero nodded slightly. "However, I still have a few questions."
"Candidate 44, Hisoka, is likely from Meteor City like you and possibly a member of the Phantom Troupe, right? It seems like there's some distance between you two?"
"Yes, he has his own ideas and isn't on the same path as us," Morin replied concisely.
"Also, you seem to be paying special attention to candidates 405 and 99," Netero continued.
"It's not exactly special attention; it's just rare to find two people related to me among these hundreds of candidates," Morin explained, sipping his tea. "I don't need to say it, but you can probably tell, Chairman Netero, who Gon is with?"
"Hohoho, that gaze, that fishing rod, and that resilient and reckless nature are just like his father's," Netero chuckled.
Of course, Netero could see that Gon was Ging's son. They were practically cut from the same mold.
"And then there's Killua, with the Zoldyck family's signature silver hair and their generations-old assassination techniques, which are quite prominent."
"Both of them are about the same age, so they might become good friends."
"Perhaps that's indeed possible~"
As they chatted, there was a commotion outside the door.
"It seems a candidate from the previous round, who was eliminated, somehow snuck back onto the airship to cause trouble for the other examinees."
"Mr. Kastro has gone to check it out," Mr. Beans informed them after making a phone call.
"These young people sure know how to keep things lively," Netero remarked, standing up. "Shall we go take a look?"
"Sure," Morin agreed without hesitation.
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