"Thanks."
Killua hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the candy. He stuffed all of it into his pocket, leaving just one piece behind. With quick movements, he tore open the wrapper and popped it into his mouth.
The moment the candy touched his tongue, Killua subconsciously widened his eyes until they were perfectly round, light flickering within them. Then he slowly narrowed them again, his face clearly showing enjoyment.
"So it's true that Killua likes sweets," Leorio—no, Lu Ou—thought to himself. In the original story, Gon and Killua had spent all the Jenny they earned at Heavens Arena on candy, and even that wasn't enough. The reason was simple: there was no spherical chocolate for sale in Saba City.
Killua had originally planned to eat only one piece, but once he finished it, he couldn't stop. Before long, he had eaten all the candy Lu Ou had given him.
He still wanted more, but since they had only just met, Killua felt embarrassed to ask. His gaze hesitated.
"It's fine, don't be shy." Lu Ou, reading the situation perfectly, handed Killua another handful of candy.
Although Killua's instincts told him that Lu Ou wasn't as pure or straightforward as Gon, this gesture genuinely made him feel that Lu Ou was a good person.
And Lu Ou, feeling that he had scored some goodwill points, was also quite pleased.
"Tonpa-san, you took good care of us earlier. I'm truly grateful. These candies can help restore stamina—please have some as well," Lu Ou said solemnly.
Seeing this mysterious kid treating him with such gratitude, Tonpa felt rather smug and accepted the gift without hesitation. He even ate an extra apple afterward. As expected of someone who had participated in the official Hunter Exam over thirty times, Tonpa showed no obvious signs of heavy breathing even after running this long—his stamina was impressive.
"Still, he has his merits," Lu Ou thought, a glint flashing through his eyes.
"Eh? Why does it suddenly smell sweet?" Gon sniffed the air as they passed another fork in the tunnel. "It's coming from the right."
"There really is a faint sweet scent," Lu Ou said. His five senses had been enhanced through Nen modification, allowing him to detect it as well.
Still, Lu Ou had to admire Gon's nose—it was absurdly sharp, sharper than a hunting dog's.
"I think I smell it too," Killua said after sniffing carefully. The scent was vague to him, nowhere near as clear as it was for Gon and Lu Ou, and uncertainty flickered in his eyes.
"What is it?" Kurapika glanced cautiously toward the right-hand path. Unknown factors always demanded vigilance.
A trace of darkness passed across Tonpa's face, vanishing in an instant as he returned to his usual honest, simple expression. If Lu Ou hadn't been watching closely, he would have missed it entirely. Put this guy in the modern era and Tom Hanks wouldn't stand a chance.
"So he's still planning the same thing as in the original plot," Lu Ou muttered meaningfully, a sly light flashing in his eyes. Someone was about to have a very bad time.
"I just want to know why everyone keeps running left and never right," Leorio said. "What's over there? Could it be a shortcut to the finish?"
Unlike the others, Leorio hadn't smelled anything sweet and didn't particularly care. Instead, his imagination ran wild. Truly, the structure of his brain was something else.
"Leorio, following the examiner is the test," Lu Ou said calmly.
"Got it," Leorio replied, abandoning his wild speculation and lowering his head as he continued running forward. Sweat poured down him in increasing amounts.
Lu Ou continued handing out candy as needed, so he didn't fall too far behind. Compared to when they had gone to find the Trick Tower foxbears, this was much easier. Training by pushing past his limits through the "Face Fruit" ability had proven to be very effective.
He had finally begun to grasp the direction of his cultivation. Even though the Face Fruit Nen ability could manifest a table and allow anyone to eat, that only mattered if he survived long enough to set the table.
If his own strength wasn't sufficient and he ran into the Phantom Troupe's leader, he'd be killed instantly. At the very least, he needed the ability to withstand a few exchanges.
Another hour passed.
"Another fork?" Kurapika said, impatience finally creeping into his voice. "We've already been running for over four hours. How much longer is this going to last?"
In a pitch-black tunnel with no sunlight, no destination, and no visible end, running nonstop was mentally exhausting. Without strong willpower and stamina, anyone would have collapsed by now. No wonder the Hunter Exam selected only one in hundreds of thousands.
"It's fine. When we're meant to arrive, we'll arrive. The examiner isn't tired yet, so there's no problem," Lu Ou said coolly.
"Mm." Kurapika responded softly, the calm returning to his lake-green eyes.
Even Leorio's hand, which had been repeatedly tugging at his tie, relaxed unconsciously.
After a series of trials before the Hunter Exam, Lu Ou had left an indelible impression on the group through his actions. As a result, whenever Lu Ou spoke, they instinctively trusted him a little more.
Killua glanced at Lu Ou several times. He didn't quite understand how this unremarkable-looking guy—aside from being nice and handing out candy—could be so convincing that everyone believed him.
Fortunately, Lu Ou had no idea that in Killua's mind, his image was that of a short guy. Otherwise, drawing a blade wouldn't have been out of the question.
Make it clear—who are you calling short?!
This was a matter of a man's dignity and absolutely could not be overlooked.
Watching Lu Ou calm the group with just a few words, Tonpa's expression darkened slightly.
"These kids aren't very vigilant," he thought, "but they do have a core figure. That's a thorn in the side of my plan."
"Huh? The sweet smell again—exactly the same as before," Gon said as they passed yet another fork in the tunnel.
"What exactly is that scent?" Tonpa asked, looking completely puzzled, as if he had no idea what was going on.
"There's no need to worry about it," Lu Ou said. "According to the examiner, our task is to follow from behind. Under that premise, anything else could be part of the test's traps."
"Lu Ou is really smart," Gon said cheerfully. "If he says it's fine, then it must be fine."
"Huff… huff…"
Leorio had already fallen far behind them. Even so, his speed continued to drop. Sweat poured from him like rain, and he looked utterly exhausted.
"Leorio, are you okay?" Gon asked worriedly, turning back to look at him.
"It's hard to believe," Leorio muttered, barely aware of Gon's voice. "We've been running for so long… and no one's given up. I underestimated the Hunter Exam. No— I underestimated the official examinees."
"Just being candidates for Hunters already makes them monsters."
"I was too arrogant…"
Leorio could no longer hear Gon at all. Lost in his own thoughts, his legs moved mechanically, completely disconnected from the world around him.
"One out of ten thousand," he thought, remembering the Trick Tower foxbear. "That's the probability of reaching this point…"