LIGHTNOVELONLINE [27] : Hisoka Challenge, Survival of the Fittest, Breathless Pursuit
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"Huff, huff, huff!"
"Are the people of this world all monsters?" Mellie panted, bending over in exhaustion as she ran.
Two hours had passed since the first exam began, and all participants had already run 30 kilometers. Even Airmid and Mellie, whose physical abilities were comparable to Level 2 adventurers thanks to their breathing techniques, were feeling fatigued. Yet, some examinees ahead of them showed no signs of tiredness, as if running 30 kilometers in two hours was effortless.
This gave Mika's group a clearer understanding of this world's inhabitants. It was evident that this world had no shortage of powerful individuals.
"If you're feeling tired, we can slow down a bit. As long as we don't stop completely, we have plenty of time," Mika said with a wry smile, running ahead of Airmid and Mellie. Even he was feeling somewhat fatigued, but thanks to his beyond-limit level endurance, he was confident he could make it to the end.
"If possible, let's slow down a bit more," Airmid suggested.
"Alright, let's slow down!"
After deliberately reducing their speed, Mika's group was soon left behind by the tail end of the pack. But Mika wasn't concerned; the outcome of this test was far from decided.
Once they were sure no one was nearby, Airmid began casting magic. According to Mika's plan, they would rely primarily on Airmid's magic for recovery in the early stages when no one could disturb them. Later, as more people dropped out along the way, they would switch to the safer option of using stamina recovery potions.
As the trio continued running, they began to see more and more people stopping ahead of them. But this didn't affect Mika's group; they steadily pressed forward.
As time passed, the distance covered by the participants grew longer. When Mika's group had run 80 kilometers, stairs appeared before them.
"The final battle is approaching," Mika thought, knowing this staircase would be their last stretch.
"No way, we have to climb a hundred flights of stairs at the end?" Mellie exclaimed, clearly remembering their descent in the elevator earlier.
"I can't go on, Mika. You should go ahead," Mellie said, looking at the seemingly endless stairs. "Even if we manage to climb up, we'll probably be over the time limit!"
"So you should go on without us. As long as you can learn that Nen ability, we'll consider it a success," Mellie added, knowing that if one of them learned this transferable ability, it would be enough.
"How could I possibly leave you behind?" Mika said, taking off his backpack and handing it to Airmid. He then pulled Mellie onto his back.
"Hold on tight!" he instructed Mellie before picking up Airmid in a princess carry.
"Get ready, I'm about to sprint!"
Hearing Mika's words, Airmid and Mellie tightened their grip on him. As soon as Mika finished speaking, he dashed forward.
Rapidly ascending the stairs, overtaking the slowly advancing examinees, Mika's figure gradually disappeared under their envious gazes.
"Mika, there's no need for you to do this!" Mellie continued to persuade him, despite the smile on her face. "Although it would be romantic for all of us to become Hunters together, isn't the main point now to gain the qualification to learn Nen?"
"How could there be no need?" Mika retorted. Both Airmid and Mellie's participation was crucial.
Before the Hunter Exam, Mika had considered letting them give up midway, thinking it would be more convenient to act alone. But he quickly abandoned this idea because of Hisoka's presence.
Mika was worried about becoming Hisoka's target and was well aware of the power gap between them. That's why Mellie's presence was necessary. With her "Dream" control ability, Mellie could potentially control Hisoka upon their first encounter, as she used mana rather than Nen. This could create a devastating first-strike effect, giving Mika the opportunity to counterattack Hisoka.
As for Airmid? If they were operating under the assumption of a confrontation with Hisoka, how could they not bring a healer? Without Airmid, Mika wouldn't dare use his ultimate techniques.
So, both Airmid and Mellie were even more important than they realized.
"I absolutely won't leave either of you behind," Mika shouted.
...
"Haven't Mika and the others arrived yet? The fog here is almost dispersing," Leorio said anxiously, having waited at the finish line for a long time.
Kurapika, sitting beside him, kept looking back. As companions who came together, they couldn't believe Mika's group would be eliminated in the first phase.
"They're here!" Gon suddenly exclaimed while observing the tunnel.
Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the tunnel behind them. The next moment, a figure leapt out of the tunnel, arriving at the temporary finish line under the scrutinizing gazes of everyone present.
"Excellent! Safely arrived!" Mika said with a smile, making eye contact with everyone looking at him. He gently set down Mellie from his back and Airmid from his arms, then greeted Gon and the others: "Looks like everyone made it through, huh?"
"You're the one who's too slow!" Leorio retorted.
"What's the rush? It's just like a regular exam. As they say, 'One point too many is a waste, one point too few is a shame.' As long as we arrive on time, it doesn't matter how we do it, right?"
Hearing Mika's explanation, Leorio and Kurapika shook their heads helplessly. Gon and the boy next to him, however, found Mika's words interesting, and the three quickly gathered together.
"Killua, right? I'm Mika," Mika introduced himself after Gon's introduction.
Before they could get to know each other better, an iron gate suddenly dropped behind them, blocking the path for any latecomers. This meant that anyone who hadn't reached this point was now eliminated.
"That was close!" Mellie, resting against the iron gate, sighed with relief. If they had been a bit slower, they might have been disqualified.
"Don't worry, everything was under my control," Mika reassured Mellie and Airmid, though he didn't quite believe it himself. However, trusting Mika, Mellie and Airmid immediately relaxed.
At that moment, Hisoka threw his cards, killing a magical beast impersonating an examiner right before everyone's eyes.
Earlier, as the iron gate dropped, Examiner Satotz had introduced the next area they would traverse: the Numere Wetlands. The wetlands were constantly shrouded in mist and inhabited by many magical beasts that would deceive and hunt the examinees.
During Satotz's introduction, another person suddenly appeared, claiming Satotz was an imposter and that he was the real examiner, holding a monkey that looked similar to Satotz.
Faced with this dilemma, just as everyone was confused, Hisoka suddenly threw cards at both of them. If he couldn't solve the problem, he'd eliminate the source of the problem.
Satotz caught Hisoka's cards perfectly, while the imposter met an untimely death.
"How dangerous, this man!" The level of danger Hisoka posed once again refreshed everyone's perception.
After warning Hisoka not to attack the examiner again, Satotz led everyone into the Numere Wetlands.
Thus, the second half of the first phase of the Hunter Exam began.
----
"Misty environment and magical beasts? We're familiar with this!"
Still at the back of the group, Mika, Airmid, and Mellie ran leisurely through the fog-filled forest.
As experienced adventurers who had fought in the lower levels of the dungeon for two or three months, the trio felt right at home in this environment.
"But with this thick fog, won't we get lost following behind the others?" Mellie asked, noticing a potential problem.
"Don't worry, I've memorized the scents of the experts in the group, so we won't lose track," Mika assured her.
Mika's sensory training had sharpened not only his vision, hearing, and touch but also his sense of smell. Although not as exceptional as Tanjiro Kamado's, Mika's sense of smell was still far superior to that of an ordinary person.
"That's good!" Mellie and Airmid both felt reassured after Mika's explanation.
They knew that in a test like this, in the fog-filled magical beast park, the most crucial thing was not to get lost. Once lost, it would be challenging to find the group again.
"So, as long as we don't get lost, even moving slower is fine," Mika stated confidently.
However, things rarely went as planned.
While effortlessly evading numerous magical creature traps and making steady progress, Mika and his companions suddenly encountered a troublesome figure: Hisoka from the Phantom Troupe.
In addition to Hisoka, the scene also included numerous corpses, Leorio lying on the ground, and Gon being held by Hisoka.
"We stumbled upon this scene, huh?" Mika muttered with a wry smile.
Signaling to Airmid and Mellie, Airmid moved to check Leorio's condition.
"No serious injuries, he's just unconscious," Airmid reported.
Nodding slightly at the response, Mika drew the longsword from his back.
Facing Hisoka, Mika knew he had to go all out.
"Put him down!" Mika shouted at Hisoka, ready for battle.
"Oh? Just you?" Hisoka taunted, seeing Mika as no different from other ordinary bystanders.
But as Mika prepared to defend his friend, a glint of interest sparked in Hisoka's eyes.
"Although I never really wanted to fight you, I won't hold back if we do," Mika declared, fully aware that in the original storyline, Hisoka would soon release Gon and take Leorio to the second phase of the test.
Known for his "gardener" moniker, Hisoka would often let strong but undeveloped opponents grow before picking them when they were ripe.
But that was in the storyline. Here, it was reality!
Since his first world jump, Mika never considered these worlds fictional. Everything was real.
Thus, Mika used the storyline for reference but never relied on it. Success depended on his own efforts.
So, Mika genuinely made friends in these worlds.
Now, with his friends in danger, Mika wouldn't stand by idly.
Battle aura seeped from Mika's body, his eyes sharp with determination.
"So, put him down!"
"Oh, this aura... Did I misjudge you?" Hisoka, already excited, felt a surge of exhilaration sensing Mika's aura.
Although Mika didn't exhibit signs of a Nen user, the intensity of his aura surpassed that of Gon in Hisoka's grasp.
"This Hunter Exam is truly satisfying!"
Releasing his grip on Gon's throat, Hisoka flicked his wrist, sending five cards flying towards Mika.
In a flurry of sword strikes, Mika deflected all five cards perfectly.
Then, Mika launched his attack, charging towards Hisoka.
"Nice speed!" Hisoka praised with a smile as Mika closed in.
Although not physically superior to this world's inhabitants, Mika's speed was impressive.
Mika's longsword slashed at Hisoka's neck, but Hisoka easily evaded the strike.
However, the ensuing close combat quickly put Hisoka at a disadvantage.
Mika adeptly dodged or blocked Hisoka's attacks, countering with precise strikes aimed at vital points.
Hisoka found himself overwhelmed by Mika's fluid swordsmanship, feeling like he was being swept into a cold, dark ocean.
In this frigid deep sea, a piercing gaze seemed to oversee his every move, leaving him no room to breathe.
"This swordsmanship... It's like a God of Swords descended to the mortal world. Compared to this kid, Nobunaga's swordsmanship is nothing," Hisoka thought, thrilled by the intense, life-threatening combat.
Experiencing the thrill of imminent death, Hisoka's excitement soared.
Images of Nobunaga, another swordmaster from the Phantom Troupe, flashed in Hisoka's mind.
But Hisoka quickly dismissed them. Nobunaga was not on Mika's level. The only one comparable might be Netero.
With this realization, Hisoka savored the fight.
But soon, a feeling of regret surfaced within him.
Why! Why isn't this kid a Nen user?
If he were, the fight would be even more exhilarating!
As Hisoka's thoughts wandered, Mika was fully immersed in the battle.
Facing Hisoka's threat, Mika fought with all his might for the first time since arriving in this world.
Gradually, Mika sensed something awakening inside him, trying to emerge.
In this heightened state, Mika's mind raced, recalling sword techniques and Yahweh's teachings.
Mika's swordsmanship became increasingly refined and sharper.
In this state, he grew rapidly.
But this growth had a limit.
Upon reaching a certain point, Mika's growth stalled, as if something was blocking him.
Despite this, Mika had grown remarkably in a short time.
After dodging Hisoka's attack, Mika maneuvered to Hisoka's side, his aura suddenly vanishing from the space.
Hisoka's eyes widened as he realized he had lost track of Mika.
Suddenly, a terrifying aura of Nen emanated from Hisoka as he instinctively dodged to the right.
Despite his swift reaction, Mika's blade still grazed Hisoka's cheek, leaving a cut.
Licking the blood from his wound, Hisoka's aura intensified.
"Blood! I almost died just now?"
"Hahaha!"
Feeling the thrill of near-death, Hisoka laughed maniacally, his body trembling.
Seeing Mika standing resolute despite Hisoka's Nen, Hisoka thought, "Hold back! I must hold back! This apple isn't ripe yet. Hold back!"
After a deep, lingering look at Mika, Hisoka restrained his urge to fight and disappeared from their sight.
If he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to control himself!
...
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