After arriving at the harbor, The captain advised us to go toward the cedar tree, but Leorio didn't believe him since the map showed a different route—and there was supposedly a bus heading directly to Zaban City.
Gon, Kurapika, and I chose to trust the captain's words. Leorio, however, insisted on taking the bus… until he overheard someone mention that the bus was actually a trap. After that, he hurried back to join us.
Sometime later, we arrived at a small, quiet town. As we walked through, Leorio muttered that the place felt creepy and empty, while Gon pointed out that there were actually many people around. Leorio was stunned—and right after that, the townspeople appeared, blocking our path. They all wore masks and held instruments, and one of them carried a crow. Among them, only an elderly woman—the granny—was unmasked.
Granny: "Exciting."
Leorio: "Exciting what?" (gulp)
Granny: "Exciting two-choice quiz."
At her signal, the masked people played their instruments and the crow let out a loud caw. The three of us were left confused as the granny explained that since we were heading toward the cedar tree, we had to answer her quiz if we wished to pass. Failure meant we wouldn't be allowed to enter the Hunter Exam at all. We understood immediately that this was another test.
Leorio complained that if even one of us answered incorrectly, we'd all fail. Gon wasn't good at quizzes, and only one person needed to answer correctly if they knew the solution. Eventually, Leorio agreed to the plan, Kurapika did as well, and I just nodded.
Then a man suddenly appeared behind us. Leorio asked who he was, and Gon explained he had followed us all the way from the port. The man—Matthew—said he overheard our conversation with the captain and decided to follow us here. He told the granny that he wanted to take the quiz first, and Leorio confirmed that his answer wouldn't affect our result. The granny agreed.
Then she presented the quiz.
Granny: "Evil villains have captured your mother and your lover. You can only save one. Which will you choose?"
The trio froze at the question, speechless. Leorio immediately complained, but Matthew simply smiled and answered that he would save his mother—because a lover could be replaced. Granny nodded and told him he passed.
The trio were shocked. Leorio got angry, refused to play along, and tried to leave to find another route. But Granny stopped him, warning that refusing the quiz meant immediate disqualification. With no choice, Leorio stayed, still grumbling that the quiz had no correct answer.
Kurapika, hearing that, quickly pieced together the truth and was about to explain, but Granny stopped him—no hints were allowed. She proceeded with the next question.
Granny: "Your son and daughter have both been kidnapped. You can only rescue one. Which will you save?"
She immediately started a ten-second countdown.
Leorio snapped—he couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed a stick, ready to hit Granny the moment the countdown ended. When the timer reached zero and none of us answered, he raised the stick… only for Kurapika to stop him.
Kurapika: "We've already passed. Do you want to fail us now?"
Leorio stared at him, confused. Kurapika explained that the correct answer was silence—both questions were traps. Leorio didn't realized he had just been given the hint, and Granny confirmed Kurapika was correct. Then she revealed a hidden passage.
Leorio: "Hey… what about that guy who passed?"
Kurapika: "He probably got attacked by a beast on the route he took. I heard a scream earlier."
Once Leorio understood, he apologized; Granny forgave him. She explained that a guide would appear further ahead if we met the standard. Gon kept thinking about her words, while Leorio laughed, saying the quiz was over. But Gon insisted: if he ever faced such a decision in real life, what would he do?
Leorio and Kurapika fell silent. It wasn't a quiz—it was a warning.As for me? I ignored the moral dilemma entirely and simply walked forward. The trio followed behind, deciding to deal with that question only if it ever came.
The hidden tunnel was long, and Leorio quickly grew tired. He glanced at me—covered in heavy armor—and asked if I was exhausted too. I simply said no. He muttered that I was a monster.
When we finally emerged, we found ourselves in a forest. A sign warned of a magical beast, but we continued on anyway. Eventually, we reached a small hut and stepped inside. A "wounded" man lay on the floor while a magical beast—a Kiriko—held a terrified girl. Kurapika identified the creature immediately. I could've killed it with a single thrown card, but that would've been stupid. This was obviously part of the exam.
Following the original events, Kiriko escaped with the girl, and Gon and Kurapika went after it. Leorio and I stayed behind with the injured man. While Leorio patched him up, the man kept worrying about his wife, but Leorio reassured him that Gon and Kurapika would rescue her. The man finally calmed down. But in fact I already knew it was all an act.
Leorio told me to stay and guard the man while he went out to look for medicine. Once he left and it was just the two of us, I spoke calmly.
Ken: "You can drop the act already. I know you're a Kiriko, and this is part of the test."
He hesitated for a moment but continued pretending.
Kiriko: "What do you mean, sir? Why would you suspect me?"
I laid out several reasons—enough that he couldn't keep the façade any longer. Clearly impressed, the Kiriko finally dropped the act, removed the bandages Leorio had applied, and stood up just as Leorio returned.
Leorio stared in confusion, so I explained everything. He finally understood and asked if he passed. The Kiriko told us to wait for the others.
Soon, Gon and Kurapika returned with the girl, accompanied by two non-hostile Kiriko who revealed themselves as the Kiriko family. They were actually our assigned navigators, and the entire scenario had been a test to determine whether we were worthy of entering the Hunter Exam.
They judged us one by one:
Kurapika passed for his knowledge and deduction—he noticed the girl couldn't be the man's wife because of her tattoo.
Leorio passed for his medical technique and for calming the "patient" despite not seeing through the act. His kindness earned him full marks.
Gon passed for distinguishing between two nearly identical Kiriko and for his physical ability and sharp observation.
I passed for multiple reasons but the main is seeing through the test from the beginning.
They all looked at me with amazement.
They prepared to carry us through the air, but the Kiriko couldn't lift me at all due to my heavy armor. So I reassured them.
Ken: "I guess it's time I show one of my abilities."
I used Nen to make my body extremely light, then told the Kiriko to try lifting me again. This time, they did so effortlessly. They looked shocked—unable to fully understand it—but eventually concluded it had to be some kind of Nen ability.
The trio were just as surprised. Kurapika spoke up,
Kurapika: "Did you make yourself lighter? How did you do that?"
I simply replied, "That's a secret."They were curious, but chose not to pry any further.
With that settled, the Kiriko lifted all of us into the air, carrying us toward Zaban City. After some time, we finally arrived at our destination.
The Kiriko family departed after bringing us to Zaban City, leaving only the Kiriko son behind to act as our guide to the Hunter Exam site. Since the exam would begin tomorrow, we decided to rest for the remainder of the day.
7th January 1999
After resting, we got ready for the Hunter Exam. The Kiriko son walked ahead to guide us. As we passed by countless shady shops, Gon grew curious and kept checking what each one sold. Leorio quickly told him to focus and catch up. Gon reluctantly stopped browsing—though he was still curious—he didn't want to get left behind.
Eventually, we arrived at the exam site… a tiny restaurant.
Leorio: "Is this a joke? The Hunter Exam is in some small, normal restaurant?"
But our guide stayed serious.
Kiriko son: "It isn't a joke. Besides, no one would ever expect the exam to be held here."
Leorio thought about it and realized the guide had a point. We headed inside. The staff greeted us politely. The guide asked, "Is the back door open?" and when the staff member asked for his order, he gave an order for four people. That was the signal.
We were led into a back room—a simple room with a table and four chairs. The guide told us to wait here. Gon said he could wait for the food, but Kurapika corrected him, explaining that it was just a code. Gon looked a little disappointed.
The guide then explained the basics: making it this far already put us ahead of most applicants. He wished us good luck. Gon offered him a handshake; the Navigator accepted, surprised, and said he hoped to escort us again someday.
As soon as he left, the room rumbled softly and began to descend. It was an elevator.
While we waited for it to reach the bottom, the trio chatted while I stood in the corner, silent, even though there were empty seats. Leorio and Kurapika soon started arguing after Gon asked why people risk everything to become Hunters. When they turned the question back on Gon—asking what kind of Hunter he wanted to be—he hesitated.
Then he looked at me, probably planning to pass the question along and ask what kind of Hunter I wanted to become.But before he could speak, the elevator arrived.
Kurapika and Leorio decided to drop the discussion and continue it later. We stepped out—and found ourselves facing a massive crowd of people waiting for the exam to begin. The entire area looked like the inside of a long, dimly lit tunnel.