The airship landed steadily on the private helipad of a super large hotel.
The Hunter Association had booked the entire hotel.
"President, your work isn't around here, is it?" the Captain asked, rolling his eyes.
He claimed to be busy, but he had taken an airship for several days to get here.
If it was just a duel, they could have easily found a venue locally, which wouldn't be a problem for Hunters at all.
"Oh, have you found out?" President Netero responded with a hearty laugh.
Afterward, they led the applicants to a spacious arena within the grand hotel.
After all the applicants had gathered, President Netero cleared his throat, stepped forward, and said, "This is the venue for the final exam. Now, I will explain the exam arrangements to everyone.
I have divided the eight of you applicants into two teams of four.
Each member of a team needs to fight against every other member of their own team. You can use weapons during the battles, but killing is strictly prohibited. Anyone who violates this rule will be immediately disqualified.
Each applicant will have a total of four duels, and everyone must also fight against me once. The duels will be scored on a one-point-per-win system, and the applicant with the highest score at the end will be the winner.
As for the duels among yourselves, I will serve as the referee. For the specific conditions of each battle, I will set different restrictions and victory conditions based on the different circumstances of the two opposing parties."
The applicants could understand the previous rules, but why did they have to fight against the President? Everyone was full of confusion.
President Netero seemed to see everyone's confusion and explained with a smile, "Don't worry, I will set restrictions for myself to ensure that it is within the range you can handle. As long as you meet my conditions,
you will get 1.5 points. This is a genuine welfare duel."
The bewildered applicants nodded involuntarily.
"The Hunter President is truly too kind."
"The President is probably trying to test our abilities through this."
The applicants whispered among themselves.
Hearing these words, the several examiners nearby couldn't help but inwardly complain furiously.
"Next is the grouping arrangement," President Netero said, and the cloth on the whiteboard next to him was lifted, clearly displaying the grouping of the two teams with numbers.
Group 1: No. 1 Kevin, No. 2 Rock, No. 3 Kate, No. 4 Gawain.
Group 2: No. 1 Iquel, No. 2 Astrand, No. 3 Bajiao, No. 4 Goreinu.
This grouping was clear at a glance.
Within each group, the members were also arranged according to their scores from the previous exam.
The President had placed the four applicants who could use Nen in one group, which meant that at least one of these four Nen Users would be eliminated.
"Now, let's begin the exam for Group 1 first. Contestant No. 1—Kevin, will face the esteemed President of the Hunter Association, Netero."
The referee, wearing sunglasses and a suit, announced loudly.
No one expected that the first duel would be between Kevin and the President of the Hunter Association.
Kevin instantly understood that, barring any accidents, he was the strongest among the applicants.
Placing him in the No. 1 position and arranging for the President to fight him first was likely intended to allow other applicants to understand his strength and fighting style through this battle, so that they could gain a certain advantage in their subsequent duels with him.
After all, for Nen Users, combat is about acquiring information. Of course, it also depends on what kind of ability it is. For Kevin, it didn't matter; they could watch as much as they wanted.
Kevin walked onto the arena, his gaze fixed on the slowly approaching Netero.
President Netero gently stroked his beard and said, "The rule for your duel with me is that I will push you three times. As long as you are not pushed away by me even once, you win this duel."
Hearing such a rule, Kevin slightly furrowed his brow and began to consider his strategy.
He didn't feel this was an insult to him. On the contrary, his intuition told him that the old man in front of him had unfathomable strength.
At this moment, what he needed to consider was how he could avoid being pushed away.
It's important to note that being "pushed away," according to the rules, means the entire person must be pushed to fly up to count. Simply being pushed back or pushed to the ground does not count as "pushed away."
Thinking of this, Kevin assumed a horse stance and adopted a defensive posture.
As for dodging.
That would be looking down on the opponent too much, wouldn't it? He had no room or opportunity to dodge at all.
"Are you ready?" Netero was not in a hurry and asked with a smile.
"Come on," Kevin responded with a serious expression.
As soon as he finished speaking, Netero almost instantly disappeared from his original spot and appeared in front of Kevin in a flash.
He pushed out with one palm.
Just as Kevin had thought, he had no possibility of dodging.
"Bang!"
A powerful force struck. Even though Kevin was prepared for defense, his entire body flew out like a cannonball, crashing heavily against the wall.
Amidst the swirling dust, Kevin coughed a few times and slid down from the wall.
"This strength is too exaggerated."
Kevin inwardly marveled. He clearly felt that this strike was a pure display of the opponent's strength, without using any techniques, yet it forcefully pushed him away.
"Oh, did I go too hard? Do you want to rest for a bit?" Netero asked with a chuckle.
Kevin patted the dust off his body, walked back to the center of the arena, and shook his head, "No need, let's continue."
"Then are you ready?"
Kevin nodded.
This time, Netero didn't attack suddenly. Instead, he slowly walked up to Kevin, and his palm slowly approached Kevin at a speed visible to the naked eye. Then, he gently pushed, as if just lightly touching him.
"Whoosh!"
This time, Kevin wasn't sent flying forcefully like before. Instead, he slid forward at an even faster speed.
However, he didn't hit the wall. Instead, he supported himself with his hands on the ground, stomped his feet hard, leaving two marks on the ground, and managed to stop himself just as he was approaching the wall.
Although Kevin didn't hit the wall, he did slide out, so this time still didn't count as him passing.
"Oh! That's quite good," Netero praised. He had just seen that Kevin had used some technique to erupt with more Nen.
Netero was confident in his control over his strength. It exceeded the opponent's limit, but only by a little bit.
So the sudden burst of Nen offset this little bit, allowing Kevin to stabilize his body midway.
Kevin took a deep breath and returned to the center of the arena again.
"Last time, you have to use your full strength to block it," Netero said with a smile.
Kevin no longer hesitated and took out a tube of potion from his waist—the [Power Potion].
Seeing this scene, Rock, who was watching from the side, immediately widened his eyes and focused completely, not wanting to miss any detail.
As the Power Potion went down, Kevin's physical fitness improved, but his visible Nen did not increase because he had already mastered the relevant technique and was currently in the state of that technique.
Kevin resumed his stance.
"Well then, here comes the final push."
This time, Netero actually took a stance, looking like he was going to go all out.
However, Kevin remained unmoved. He knew in his heart that if the opponent truly used their full strength, he would have no possibility of blocking it, and this duel would lose its meaning, so worrying was useless.
Netero rushed forward fiercely. This time, he didn't use extreme speed, but with clearly visible movements, he pushed his palm forward.
His palm steadily pushed against Kevin's chest.
"Clang!"
A collision sound rang out, as if a bare hand had smashed against steel.
Kevin was instantly pushed out, but this time he didn't fly up. Instead, his legs were firmly planted on the ground, and he slid backward for a long distance until his back gently rested against the wall.
Two clear grooves were left on the ground, and Kevin's shoes were worn through.
Kevin took off his shoes and let out a long sigh, "This shouldn't count as being pushed away, right?"
"Hahaha, congratulations, you get 1.5 points in this battle," Netero laughed happily.
"Well then, let's start the next battle immediately."
After Netero finished speaking, he immediately took on the role of referee.
In this exam, the applicants with later numbers had a greater advantage.
The applicant with the number one needed to fight continuously against the President and three other applicants.
During the battle with the President, their combat information was likely to be obtained by other applicants, and then there would be continuous battles, giving them no chance to catch their breath.
The number two applicant, having already fought against the number one applicant, had a rest period in between and only needed to fight three consecutive battles when it was their turn, one of which was a duel against the President.
The number three applicant could rest between the previous two battles. When it was their turn, they only needed to fight two battles, one against the President and another against one other applicant.
The number four applicant had the most obvious advantage. They could obtain enough information from battles with other applicants and had rest periods between each battle. When it was their turn, they only needed to fight one battle against the President.
Kevin looked at Rock opposite him. At this time, the President announced the rules for their duel: "No surrender is allowed, and the final victory will be judged by me."
Hearing the rule "no surrender is allowed," Rock couldn't help but frown.
He knew in his heart that he was not a match for Kevin. Fighting in such a venue, his chances of winning were even slimmer.
Furthermore, surrender is not allowed, which means he must fight. In doing so, his combat information is likely to be exposed, and his chances of winning in subsequent battles with other candidates will be even lower.
He felt that this exam seemed to be targeting him everywhere, full of malice.
However, Rock quickly came up with a countermeasure.
Since surrender is not allowed, he will not use his Nen Ability and deliberately lose the match. This might help him avoid exposing information.
"Alright, begin!"
As the referee's command fell, the two instantly entered a state of readiness.
However, before they could even take a step, Netero suddenly said, "It's over, the outcome is decided."
This sudden announcement left the two standing there in a daze, and the surrounding candidates watching the match were also bewildered.
"What do you mean by this?" Rock asked with a face full of confusion.
"You lost this battle," Netero said calmly.
"Why?" Rock asked, feeling dissatisfied and unable to help but press for an answer.
Although the result was a loss whether he fought seriously or deliberately lost, this inexplicable ending left him both confused and indignant.
Netero looked at him and slowly said, "Because from the very beginning, you never thought about winning, only about how to lose the match."
"You, you hateful old man!" Rock was instantly enraged, his anger burning.
If surrender were allowed, he would naturally choose to surrender, as he knew full well that he couldn't defeat Kevin.
Moreover, under the current unfavorable conditions, he temporarily couldn't think of a better solution.
Therefore, he chose to deliberately lose the match by not using his Nen Ability to avoid exposing information; this was his helpless choice.
But Netero's ambiguous and almost deliberately provocative and insulting behavior was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
Even though the result was the same, this method was difficult for him to accept.
"Am I wrong?" Netero asked with an innocent look.
"No, of course you are right!" Rock replied through gritted teeth, then turned away resentfully and returned to the spectator area.
"This old man is too wicked."
Kevin couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.
Although he didn't interact much with Rock, from their previous interactions, Rock was a proud person.
And this old man deliberately provoked him in this regard, which was truly too wicked.
"Candidate number three." Netero chuckled and started the third battle.
Kate walked onto the field holding a newly selected weapon, a Tachi. The two looked at each other.
"Until one side falls, begin!" The rules of this battle were simple and clear.
Kevin charged out like a fierce tiger, heading straight for Kate.
Facing Kevin's attack, Kate didn't dodge. He instantly drew his weapon, infused Nen into the Tachi, and slashed directly at Kevin, without any intention of holding back, because he knew he didn't have the luxury of holding back.
Kevin faced the incoming blade without even dodging, directly raising his arm to take the blow head-on.
"Clang!" The blade striking his arm actually made a sound like metal colliding.
This caught Kate off guard. He had originally thought that with his Nen-enhanced slash, Kevin would at least dodge.
Taking advantage of this opening, Kevin blocked the Tachi with his arm and unleashed a right fist like a cannonball.
"Bang!"
The powerful force struck Kate's abdomen, and the immense impact caused Kate's face to contort with pain, spitting out water from his mouth as his entire body flew backward.
Kevin did not stop there but followed closely behind Kate, moving even faster than the backward-flying Kate.
He instantly rushed above Kate, and with Kate unable to leverage anything or dodge, he flipped in the air and delivered a fierce kick downwards.
Seeing this, Kate almost used all his strength to raise the Tachi in his hand, trying to block this fatal blow.
"Crack!" The sound of metal colliding and breaking rang out.
Amidst this crisp sound, everyone clearly saw Kevin kick Kate's Tachi with his bare leg,
Shattering the Tachi into several pieces, with the remaining force heavily striking Kate's abdomen.
Kate was kicked by this blow and smashed into the ground, accompanied by a loud bang and a cloud of dust.
Kate fell heavily to the ground.
"You hit really hard." Kate said, gritting his teeth. The two successive attacks left his abdomen in unbearable pain, feeling as if it was going to contract into a ball.
"Sorry, sorry, after all, you are very strong, I must go all out and end the battle as quickly as possible."
As Kevin spoke, he reached out and grabbed Kate's hand, pulling him up, then took out a tube of potion from his waist and handed it to Kate.
"Drink this, it will help you recover quickly and prepare for the upcoming duels."
Kate didn't refuse and nodded.
He indeed needed to recover his strength as soon as possible, otherwise, when it was his turn to fight, he might not be able to display his full strength.
Undoubtedly, Kevin won this match again.
By now, he had already scored 3.5 points, practically securing victory.
Kevin's final duel arrived, and Gawain stood before him, adopting a very formal posture and bowing deeply to him.
"It is an honor to be able to fight with you, please give me your guidance."
"Uh—? Guidance is too much, let's learn from each other." Every time he faced Gawain's respectful attitude,
Kevin felt a little awkward.
Netero stood between the two and announced, "Gawain, as long as you last for half a minute, or land one punch on Kevin, you win. Begin!"
With such rules clearly favoring Gawain, Gawain still responded loudly, "Yes!"
He didn't feel that this was an insult to his knightly status at all, but rather considered it a form of recognition.
This meant that he might be able to last for half a minute against the opponent's attacks, or land one punch on the opponent.
At least, that's how he understood it.
However, such rules also clearly told Kevin that he didn't have time for a leisurely fight and had to end it quickly.
Kevin still started with a fierce charge.
Although Gawain could already control his Nen, he was clearly not skilled enough.
While he could keep up with Kevin's movements, he was unable to make effective counterattacks and responses.
Kevin instantly rushed to Gawain's side and struck him on the neck with an open palm.
With a "thud," Gawain directly fainted and fell to the ground.
As expected, this battle ended very quickly.
Kevin's four battles were all over, with four wins and a perfect score. His hunter license was already in his pocket.
Next, it was the turn of the second candidate, Rock.
He would first fight against the President.
The rule set by the President for this battle was: he would only dodge by hopping on one foot, Rock could use any offensive method, and as long as he touched the President, he would win, with a time limit of 30 minutes.
There was nothing to say about this rule. Rock directly materialized two Bee Sting Shuttles and applied the "In (Hide)" ability in a concealed manner.
This gave Kevin a deeper understanding of the effect and conditions of his Nen Ability. As expected, it was the type suitable for surprise attacks.
However, the result was not unexpected.
Because he had to control two drones simultaneously, Rock couldn't make them both agile and flexible, always missing opportunities at critical moments.
Ultimately, 30 minutes passed, and Rock's attacks never touched Netero.
"His mindset has been affected since he fought you before." Kate analyzed.
He had already obtained information about Rock's Nen Ability from this battle and could see that Rock's emotions were extremely unstable at the moment.
Netero shook his head and announced that Rock had lost this battle.
With a poor mood, Rock faced his battle with Kate.
However, Kate already knew about Rock's Nen Ability information. He brought throwing weapons, and coupled with his calm response, under the unfavorable situation for Rock, he successfully won the victory, knocking Rock to the ground.
This series of defeats almost completely unbalanced Rock's mindset.
Immediately following was Rock's last battle. He directly used his Nen Ability to attack Gawain, and Gawain didn't even know how to use "Spirit," so he naturally had no power to resist.
He won the last match.
In the end, Rock only got 1 point and fell into an extremely low mood.
When he came for the exam, and during the exam, he had never thought that this would be the result.
When Rock returned to the spectator area, Kevin looked at him.
Rock covered his face with his hands and said, "I know, I know, I need to calm down." He knew his emotional problems well, but how could emotions be controlled at will?
In his battle with Netero, Kate successfully met the battle conditions and easily defeated Gawain, ultimately earning 3.5 points.
Finally, only Gawain remained. He only needed to pass Netero's test to get 1.5 points, which was his only hope of turning the situation around.
Ultimately, Gawain succeeded.
The test Netero prepared for each candidate was a condition they had a chance to achieve after giving their all and thinking calmly.
In the end, surprisingly, Rock lost the exam.
"Next year, I will definitely come again." Rock said, gritting his teeth.
He clearly knew where his problem lay and was convinced.