Some time later, all the participants finally arrived. The tunnel began to close, and one person who was just about to crawl out screamed as it sealed shut before he could escape—too bad for him. Once everyone was accounted for, the fog around us slowly began to fade. As the mist lifted, the forest was fully revealed.
Satotz began explaining the area.
Satotz: "The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers' Swamp. We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam. This place is home to many bizarre animals—cunning, insatiable creatures that deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful. If you let them fool you… you're dead. These wetland creatures use every trick in the book to fool their prey. An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit… hence the name Swindlers' Swamp. Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived."
Kairo immediately stepped closer—too close—practically sticking to Satotz.
Satotz: "Ah… I take back what I said. Stay within one to five meters. Any closer and I'll have to disqualify you."
Kairo calmly backed up to the correct distance.
Many participants were visibly nervous after Satotz's explanation. But Leorio, as always, wasn't worried.
Leorio: "What a joke. How can they fool us when we're already expecting it?"
A moment later, a voice echoed from behind us.
???: "Don't let him fool you!"
We all turned toward the source. A man suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Examiner?: "D-Don't fall for it! He's lying to you! He's an impostor! I'm the real examiner!"
He pointed directly at Satotz. Confusion rippled through the group—some participants hesitated, unsure who to trust, and even Leorio looked uncertain.
Then the man presented his "proof."
Examiner?: "I have proof. Look at this."
He dragged out a body—something that looked just like Satotz, except it was clearly a monkey. Gasps spread through the crowd.
Examiner?: "This is a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands! They love the taste of fresh human flesh. But their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick travelers into following them, then team up with other creatures to kill and devour them! He intends to trap every applicant!"
Several participants began to believe the impostor. Normally, Hisoka would have ended this nonsense himself, but Kairo stepped forward instead—partly to shut it down, partly to make sure the other participants understood not to mess with him.
He walked straight up to the man.
Kairo: "You said they're quite weak, right?"
Examiner?: "Yes, that's righ—"
Kairo: "Then that settles it."
Before the man could finish speaking, Kairo delivered an fast uppercut so powerful his head flew off into the distance. Participants were shocked.
Kairo then turned around and addressed the group calmly.
Kairo: "Even though Satotz's appearance is weird, he isn't weak. If he were, how could he walk through that entire tunnel without breaking a sweat? Besides, a Hunter Examiner is chosen by the committee and is already considered a professional. They wouldn't be taken down by some kind of monkey—even if it teamed up with others. If that ever happened, it would be a disgrace for an examiner."
The participants fell silent—realizing I had a point.
Satotz (thought): Your appearance is much weirder than mine…
But Satotz only sighed.
Satotz: "I'll take that as a compliment."
Meanwhile, the "dead" Man-Faced Ape the fake examiner had dragged suddenly moved—it had been pretending all along. As it tried to escape, Kairo grabbed its head and crushed it effortlessly.
He returned to his spot near Satotz as the headless fake examiner's body twitched. The disguise broke apart, revealing sharp claws underneath.
Kairo: "Anyone who got tricked by that is just stupid."
Several participants flushed with embarrassment. Leorio included—though he was more focused on staring at Kairo, thinking:
What the heck is that power?
He wasn't the only one thinking it. A similar realization spread through the crowd, and their attitude toward Kairo shifted instantly. Now that they had seen what he could do, no one had any intention of getting on his bad side.
A few moments later, a flock of vulture-like birds swooped down and tore apart the fake examiner and the Man-Faced Ape corpse. The scene was brutal. I couldn't help thinking that those birds had probably been watching us the whole time—just waiting for someone to die so they could feast. Kind of scary, honestly…
Satotz cleared his throat and continued his explanation, using what had just happened as a perfect example. He repeated his warning, telling everyone once again not to lose sight of him under any circumstances. With that, Satotz resumed moving—walking, then gradually speeding up—leading the group toward the Second Phase of the exam.
I followed him easily, even though the ground was wet. Satotz, already used to me sticking close, simply ignored my presence.
Some time passed. I glanced behind me and saw Killua, but not Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, or Hisoka. I stopped paying attention and continued forward until we finally arrived at the site of the Second Phase.
We emerged in front of a giant castle gate like structure. Satotz told us to wait for the others to catch up. While waiting, I saw Hisoka arrive, casually carrying Leorio. He placed Leorio on a tree his face swollen, still unconscious.
A short while later, Kurapika and Gon arrived and immediately began searching for Leorio. Once they found him, they checked on his condition. Eventually, time was up. Out of everyone who had started, only 149 participants managed to make it this far.
Satotz then announced that the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam would take place here, in the Biska Forest Park. After wishing us good luck, he turned and left—though I knew he was just going to hide somewhere up in the trees to watch the exam unfold.
Moments later, the massive gate opened automatically. A girl's voice echoed out:
???:"Will all applicants who passed the first phase please enter?"
We stepped inside and were greeted by a woman standing at the front, with a towering man behind her. They welcomed us warmly and introduced themselves: the woman was Menchi, and the giant was Buhara. Both were Gourmet Hunters, and they would be the ones evaluating us for the Second Phase of the exam.