The crowd went silent.
"Damn it, this guy is a lunatic!"
"He's going to kill us all!"
"Teacher Ben An, please don't listen to his nonsense!"
"Damn it all! I've lived for forty years and haven't even held a woman's hand yet. I don't want to die for no reason!"
"Teacher Ben An, hurry up and persuade him. Tell him to calm down! After all, everyone here is a fan of yours. You can't just watch helplessly without saying a word."
Anyone could see it: Hisoka, that pervert, was fully intent on killing!
Many people's faces turned pale instantly, nearly crying from anxiety.
They weren't like the Snake Charmer Bourbon, the Blowgunner "Lion Hunter" Geretta, or the Ninja Hanzo. They didn't have the confidence to survive Hisoka's flying cards.
Seeing that Hisoka was actually asking for Sean's opinion, their brains worked fast. In a moment of desperation, they mentally clung to Sean's thigh for safety.
"Uncle, what should we do?" The two Gons, carrying two fishing rods, looked at Sean simultaneously.
The young man laughed casually. "Flying Finger Pistol."
He didn't seem to make any major movements; he simply flicked his finger. Thud. The man-faced ape mimicking his appearance crashed to the ground. A large hole had been punched through its heart as if by a sharp weapon, blood gushing out. It was clearly dead.
"Indeed... there is too much trash. It really needs a cleanup." Pouting, he blew on his finger. Sean glanced at Hisoka and smiled. "Since you suggested it, why don't we start with you?"
"Bansho Ten'in!"
He reached out and grabbed at the air in Hisoka's direction. A majestic suction force suddenly acted upon the magician's body.
Hisoka's face twitched. He hadn't expected Sean to attack so suddenly. In an instant, he was sucked over, caught by the neck in Sean's hand, and lifted into the air!
"You're jumping around a lot. Or do you think that just because you're a fan, I won't do anything to you?"
His large hand was like an iron clamp, firmly constricting Hisoka's neck. Hisoka's pale face quickly turned red from lack of air.
Yet, he chuckled hoarsely, actually having the leisure to turn his head and ask Illumi, "Is he usually like this?"
Whoosh.
Illumi, disguised as Gittarackur, threw a needle with a flick of his hand, pinning the man-faced ape impersonating him to death.
He replied expressionlessly, "Don't ask me. I'm not close with him."
The shoe print on his face hadn't completely faded yet. Are you blind? Why provoke him at a time like this?
"Ho ho ho... I didn't provoke him either. I just didn't expect you to stick your neck out for a bunch of insignificant trash!"
The playing cards in his hand scattered on the ground. Hisoka twisted his waist, looking at Sean fervently from a bizarre posture, his body faintly trembling.
He looked as if he had lost control of his bladder.
"Unfortunately... sorry, I'm not sticking my neck out for anyone. I just wanted to tell you one thing."
"You are just like the trash in your eyes. In my eyes, you are also just trash."
Boom!
With a large circular swing of his single arm, he slammed Hisoka fiercely onto the ground!
The ground rumbled and clearly trembled, startling everyone!
Pfft.
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out. Hisoka lay on the ground, feeling as if his entire being was about to shatter. He twitched and barely managed to crawl up, watching open-eyed as Sean dusted off his hands as if he had just discarded a piece of rubbish. Sean walked straight past him, suppressing his voice as he chuckled low, "Ho ho ho... I understand. You aren't standing up for anyone; you're simply annoyed that I shouted at you."
"As long as you know. There won't be a next time."
With his back to Hisoka, Sean didn't even turn his head. He stepped forward, and all along the way, whether human or monkey, everyone subconsciously made way for him!
The young man had cracked the earth with a single blow. He looked at the sky with some impatience. He didn't want to sleep out in the open in this ghostly place. So, Hisoka was right about one thing—
"Indeed, we need to screen a wave of people here in advance!"
He stomped his foot heavily on the ground.
Boom!
An overwhelming Conqueror's Haki suddenly swept out with Sean at the center.
The young man's black hair flew upwards, and he said impatiently, "Mr. Examiner, you can lead the way now."
Crackle, snap.
Deep purple waves of air mixed with pitch-black lightning radiated outward!
The bushes were blown askew, emitting rustling wails.
Satotz narrowed his eyes. Before the crowd of candidates could react, they were hit head-on by the Conqueror's Haki.
Immediately, they felt top-heavy, seeing stars. They stood dizzily, unable to keep their footing.
Barely looking at Sean, it was as if they saw a giant with his head touching the sky, shoulders carrying the sun and moon, feet treading the earth. With a wave of his hand, he shattered mountains and rivers; with a breath, he scattered the drifting clouds!
Sitting high on a throne, looking down upon all living things, he extended a finger to crush down, easily pulverizing ants like them!
"I can't take it... I'm so dizzy."
"Teacher Ben An... what did you do?!"
Thump... Thump... Thump...
Candidates with weak bodies and insufficient will, along with the crowd of man-faced apes, bore the brunt of the impact. Like dumplings being dropped into a pot, they fell to the ground one after another.
Looking around, there were not many left who could barely stand.
"Kurapika... cough cough... help me up. I can't stand either." Leorio struggled to push away the man-faced ape pressing on him. He grabbed onto Kurapika and barely stood up. The superficial older-looking man's legs were trembling uncontrollably as he looked on in horror.
The ground was covered in stiff "corpses".
He opened his mouth wide and went to look at Sean subconsciously, but Kurapika covered his eyes!
"If you don't want to faint, don't look directly at him!"
Kurapika lowered his head, finally understanding how the Kiriko family felt back then.
Powerful like Sean, like a god. Do not peek, do not probe, do not insult, and do not become his enemy. Instinct was telling him this—
This was what is known as the Great Terror that can be felt without experiencing life and death!
"Oh ho ho ho... Splendid, splendid! Simply splendid!!!"
"Illumi, punch me, quick! Quick! Damn it, I can't control myself again, I'm starting to act up!!!"
Hisoka's hands formed into claws, his twisted arms hugging himself. His neck stretched bizarrely, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. He met Illumi's slap head-on, letting out a moan of "Ah...", feeling relieved.
Pfft.
Adding injury to injury, the magician couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of old blood, forcing himself to calm down.
Illumi had never heard such a request before. He shook his hand, his gaze fixed on Sean. Those dead fish eyes, which hadn't lost their color in years, showed not a single ripple. It seemed he was already numb!
"Oh ho ho ho... Conqueror's Haki?!"
"Old man, isn't this the move Luffy was forced to awaken during the Summit War?" In the Hunter Association Chairman's office, Netero's hand stroking his beard froze.
Squinting at Sean on the screen, noting that capacity and the aura that dominated heaven and earth, there was no mistake—it was definitely Conqueror's Haki!
"Making a fuss over nothing." Maha crunched on the potato chips brought by Beans. He looked deeply at Sean on the screen and said, "Is the Haki the important part? Brat, look at Sean's eyes. That is the damn Rinnegan!"
"Shinra Tensei, Bansho Ten'in, Chibaku Tensei... You haven't forgotten how Konoha was destroyed in one move, have you?"
"Let the world know pain?" Netero tugged at his beard, a gleam appearing in his old eyes. "Of course I won't forget!"
Not only would he not forget... "Old man, let me experience it for you first."
A Buddha's light appeared faintly. Maha crossed his legs and snorted coldly, "Wash your neck clean and wait."
He tilted his head back and poured the entire bag of chips into his mouth. Only then did he have the mind to look at the TV again.
"Damn it!"
"Does Big Brother want to eliminate me too?"
A certain white-haired brat bit his lip, forcing himself not to faint. Leaning against a small tree, he was blown swaying by Sean's Conqueror's Haki. The unwillingness and envy flowing from his eyes could almost evaporate the entire Numere Wetlands.
Not far from him, Pokkle, Ninja Hanzo, Snake Charmer Bourbon, Beekeeper Ponzu, "Lion Hunter" Geretta, Martial Artist Cherry, and other experts were all seized by Sean's terrifying Conqueror's Haki. Their faces were solemn, instantly elevating Sean to the most dangerous tier!
"Number 406 is simply humiliating to him!"
"Teacher Ben An should be Number 1!"
"In fact... with the level he is currently displaying, he is more than qualified to be an examiner."
Someone quietly glanced at Satotz. The examiner, having been called out by Sean, stared straight at Sean, once again shocked by the surname Zoldyck!
"No, it has nothing to do with the Zoldycks," Satotz shook his head in his heart. "What is truly formidable is not the surname, but the person!"
"Sean Zoldyck, he is a noble house unto himself!"
"The Zoldyck name is just icing on the cake for him."
Buzz. The void rippled. Along with a wave of "cleansing".
The pressure that swept the world gradually dissipated. Sean flipped his hand and withdrew it into his body.
At that moment, just like now, the trembling bushes survived the disaster, their leaves drooping. Just like the heads of the candidates, which all lowered after Sean's inadvertent sweep! They wilted!
Pokkle, Snake Charmer Bourbon, Ninja Hanzo, Martial Artist Cherry, Lion Hunter Geretta... these strong individuals who nearly made it to the end in the original story, for some reason, didn't seem to have the courage to even look Sean in the eye.
It seemed only awe and fear remained in their hearts!
"Oh ho ho ho..." Leaning on Illumi to barely stand, Hisoka glanced at Satotz. "Why are you still dazing out?"
Satotz's eyelids twitched. He snapped back to reality, glanced at the ground full of "corpses", composed himself, and took the lead to dash into the depths of the Numere Wetlands.
"I reiterate, this is the paradise of deceivers, the haven of magical beasts."
"Follow me closely and do not fall behind. Otherwise, if anything happens, the Hunter Association will not be responsible!"
"I trust that from the day you decided to apply for the Hunter License, you were fully mentally prepared."
Satotz spoke without looking back. From the corner of his eye, he scanned the candidates one by one, paying extra attention to a few good seeds. Finally, he looked at Sean and shook his head silently, expecting that while the small magical beasts might deal with other candidates, against this lord, not wetting their pants in fear would be a blessing.
"Indeed, the terrain here is too complex. It is full of muddy swamps everywhere; one careless step and you will sink in."
"Gon, Leorio, we will follow Teacher Ben An. We absolutely must not fall behind!"
Kurapika stepped down, splashing a blob of wet mud onto Leorio's face.
Leorio's suit had already been torn to shreds while fighting the man-faced ape, so he simply ran shirtless, huffing and puffing.
"Do you even need to say that? Teacher Ben An, from today on, I am your follower."
"Wherever you go, I go."
Gon was even more straightforward, completely turning into Sean's lapdog, lacking only a leash around his neck.
"Hey, hey, Uncle, can you teach me how to become that powerful?"
"I also want to be able to glare and have people drop dead in droves like you did!"
What a description. Kurapika and Leorio instantly turned into dot-eyed caricatures by Gon's words.
The kid didn't understand what aura was; he really thought staring could kill people.
Sean smiled silently and looked down at him. It was really hard to connect him with the future "Gon-san" who would kill Neferpitou with one punch.
Except for the spiky hair, which was quite similar to future "Gon-san's" hair that shot up into the sky.
"And me, Teacher Ben An." At this moment, Leorio licked his face and leaned close to Sean, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile. "I'm not greedy. As long as I can learn a little bit of your superficial knowledge and make some small money, I'll be satisfied..."
"You?" Sean glanced at Leorio.
"Yes, me..." Leorio pointed at himself, looking at Sean with anticipation, his pupils practically turning into the shape of Jenny.
Tsk. In dreams, you can have anything. The poor doctor, aside from being noble, had no fate with money in this life.
Sean looked at Leorio with a faint smile. "I don't know if you'll make money in the future."
"But I know you're about to get beaten up."
"Huh?!" What was that about? Leorio looked resentful and wanted to say something more, but was pulled back by Kurapika.
"Attention, the fog is rising!" After listening to Sean, Kurapika instantly raised his vigilance to twelve out of ten. He reached back to touch the dual blades at his waist, his body tense.
Since getting beaten up was mentioned by Teacher Ben An... it meant they would be attacked soon. And this fog appearing right at this damn time was obviously not a good sign.
"Scarlet Eyes are sharp indeed..." Sean glanced at Kurapika, thinking highly of him. He didn't mind giving them a pointer. "Yes, the fog is rising... A certain pervert doesn't learn his lesson and seems unable to control his killing intent again."
Sean imitated Hisoka's laugh. "Oh ho ho ho..."
In an instant, he vanished from the sight of the trio: Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio.
"Hey... Uncle!"
"Teacher Ben An!"
Losing Sean, their big thigh, the trio panicked.
They could faintly hear many screams transmitting from the distance into their ears.
In the dense fog, someone was accidentally eaten by a giant frog pretending to be land. Someone was deceived by magical beasts' hallucinations and fell into a trap. Someone was merely brushed by the dust of a moth and melted into bloody water. Even worse, stepping on a mushroom was like stepping on a landmine, blowing someone directly into meat paste.
However... this was merely the malice from the Numere Wetlands. It didn't even count the humans!
The dense fog permeated the air; it was time for murder!
Just as Sean had said, accompanied by a few screams, cards flew out.
Human malice descended.
"I can't let my dearest Teacher Ben An take all the glory..." A certain perverted magician dragged his injured body and uncontrollably began playing the "Examiner Game," imitating Sean to "kindly" further screen the candidates he deemed qualified.
And all of this... had nothing to do with Sean.
The young man strolled through the heavily obstructed wetland. No human dared to cross his path, no beast dared to approach him. Even the mud seemed to avoid him, afraid of dirtying his feet and provoking this lord's displeasure, lest he stomp the swamp flat.
Just like that, he leisurely enjoyed a solo wetland tour. Occasionally, he would look at a camera hidden in a nook and give it the middle finger, eliciting helpless bitter smiles from two old geezers.
"Brat, who did I say the next examiner was?"
"It's Menchi! Bad news! Old man, I'm afraid something is going to happen..."