A small truck jolted its way forward through the valley, kicking up clouds of dust.
The truck drove into the valley and stopped in an open area bordered by cliffs on three sides.
Four people jumped down from the truck bed.
Tasber had lost too much blood and was still injured. Even though he had already awakened Nen, he remained extremely weak.
At the examiner's suggestion, he was sent directly to the nearest city for treatment.
However, as one of the three who helped the Hunter Exam Committee resolve the issue, next year he would be able to directly obtain the location information of the official exam site.
"Kisho, and Mr. Eros, thank you for this." Before leaving, Tasber gave Kisho his phone number.
Lying back in a reclined seat, he looked at Kisho.
"Once I recover, I'll return to the police academy. After you finish the exam, you can come find me in Stett City in the Republic of Bartochia."
He said seriously, "I'll definitely treat you properly~"
Kisho smiled slightly. "If there's a chance."
After saying goodbye, the vehicle carrying Tasber gradually disappeared from the sight of the four.
Amos sighed and patted Kisho on the shoulder.
"Are you really planning to look for that cop in the future?"
He cast a sidelong glance at Kisho. "You… haven't forgotten who you are, have you? I still think the fact that the two of us saved him is already unbelievable, alright?"
Kisho was taken aback, then he sighed as well. "The first one."
"The first what?" Amos raised an eyebrow.
Kisho said slowly, "He's the first person I've met in all this time who made me feel that this messed-up world might still be worth saving."
Amos clicked his tongue dismissively.
"But if you want to survive in this messed-up world, you'd better not think about changing it."
Kisho shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
A moment later, he smiled.
"Forget it, why think so much? Let's focus on the exam first—where exactly is this place?"
Amos looked around. "Not sure."
"Heh heh, looks like it's finally my turn to explain."
Having muddled through and followed them all the way, Tonpa finally found a chance to insert himself into the conversation.
He grinned smugly, just about to display the superior knowledge of a veteran examinee, when someone spoke in a gentle voice:
"This is the Blackrock Canyon, located on the western side of the Saint Lence Continent."
Kisho followed the voice and looked at C·L.
"Is there anything we should pay attention to about this place?"
"Nothing much." C·L smiled. "Just be careful while walking through the canyon. Poisonous insects may crawl out from the cracks in the rocks at any time."
"If you're stung or bitten, not only will you have no chance at the Hunter Exam, you might not even keep your life."
Though he was saying something frightening, there wasn't the slightest change in C·L's expression.
"Damn it, damn it!"
Seeing that everything worth saying had already been said, Tonpa stamped his foot in anger.
After adjusting his expression with difficulty, he looked at Kisho and Amos.
"Mr. C·L is right. If you're not familiar enough with the Blackrock Canyon and act rashly inside, you'll easily be eliminated."
He stared at the two of them, finally revealing his true intention.
"But I've taken the exam here several times before, so I'm very familiar with it. So—how about forming a team?"
"No."
Kisho refused without even thinking. "Did you forget that you tried to frame us with spiked drinks before?"
Kisho looked straight at him. "If we're talking about familiarity with the environment, Mr. C·L is also very familiar. And his character is much better than yours."
Amos: "…"
Not necessarily.
C·L smiled faintly.
Kisho shrugged. "Besides, in the last round you basically muddled through and weren't useful at all."
Veins popped on Tonpa's forehead. Damn brat!
But Tonpa wouldn't give up so easily!
Kisho had already turned around, glancing at Amos.
"Most importantly, Amos and I don't lack teammates."
"Yeah." Amos nodded in agreement. "You finally said something that makes sense."
"But forming a team with a few more people wouldn't hurt. We could also look out for one another."
C·L spoke with a gentle smile. He glanced at Tonpa, then fixed his gaze on Amos and smiled.
"The four of us all passed the preliminary trial together. If you don't mind, let's team up for this stage first."
Amos felt his gaze on him. "…"
He grabbed Kisho. "…Let's bring him."
"Huh? You just said I was right." Kisho didn't understand and was greatly shocked.
Amos fell silent for a moment, then snapped, "Stop asking. Just bring him."
Kisho: "…Oh."
...…
As time passed, more and more people gathered in the open area from all directions.
Everyone passed the time in their own way, quietly waiting for the exam to begin.
Kisho and Amos sat back to back, each keeping watch on one side.
One was drawing; the other, having exhausted himself treating Tasber's injuries, was resting with his eyes closed.
C·L sat at a moderate distance nearby, reading a book.
As for Tonpa, who knew which corner he had run off to, seeking out unfamiliar faces to "sell" his juice.
"Kisho."
Kisho sensed someone approaching. As he opened his eyes, he heard the voice.
Looking at the speaker, Kisho greeted him, "Kite!"
He stood up with a smile. "You're here too—are these two your friends?"
"Mm."
Kite nodded lightly. "Seeing you at the official exam site, I'm relieved."
Kisho laughed. "What, were you worried I couldn't even pass the preliminary exam?"
Amos also slowly stood up and looked at Kite.
Kite glanced at Amos, then said to Kisho, "Looks like you've found a companion as well."
"Yeah, this is Kite, a friend I met during the first round of the preliminary test."
Kisho introduced him to Amos.
Amos gave a slight nod. "My name is Mire Eros. Nice to meet you."
He added, "Since you're this guy's friend, just call me Amos like he does."
Kite nodded. "Amos, nice to meet you."
"And those two?"
Kite looked toward C·L, who was reading not far away, and Tonpa, who wore a sinister grin.
Kisho waved his hand. "Them? They're just temporary teammates. No need to worry about them."
After the introductions, Kisho looked at Kite and asked, "Kite, after the official exam begins, want to team up?"
After thinking briefly, Kite slowly shook his head and pointed to two people not far behind him.
There, a young man and a boy stood side by side. Noticing Kisho looking at them, they waved and gave him friendly smiles.
Kisho paused, then returned the smile.
"I already have three people on my side."
He said seriously, "If there are too many people, it'll actually be disadvantageous for the exam."
"True enough." Kisho nodded with a smile. "Then let's each do our best!"
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