Chapter 96

For Tang Cheng's illness, although Tang Ya was not yet accustomed to it, she had become somewhat used to it. She knew that ignoring it was sometimes the best choice, so she didn't pay attention to his lewd comment and continued running forward.

Soon, when the group reached a staircase, the examiner turned slightly to the people behind and said, "We have already passed the 80-kilometer mark. Let me increase the pace a bit."

As he spoke, his already large strides became even larger, almost like jumping, with each step equivalent to ten steps of others, and his speed instantly doubled.

Those running in the first group were mostly martial artists, and they followed relatively easily, though they were left far behind, they didn't lose sight of the examiner. However, the candidates after the first group began to struggle, their breathing becoming noticeably more rapid. Many had even taken off their outer clothes and were running bare-chested, like Kurapika and Leorio. The former was still somewhat reserved, still wearing a tank top, while the latter was already bare-chested, drenched in sweat.

However, Gon and Killua, two kids who had met and instantly become good friends during the exam, still looked full of energy, running forward in a competitive manner. In no time, they had caught up with the first group, and their condition was as good as when they started, showing no signs of fatigue.

"Wow, Big Brother Tang Cheng, you're so amazing, still playing on the computer," Gon exclaimed when he saw Tang Cheng, but his expression showed no surprise, just the boundless energy of a child.

Tang Cheng smiled, "You guys are the same, not even your breathing has changed. By the way, since we met by chance, why don't we watch a movie together? Even R-rated ones are fine, whether they're 3D or 2D."

"Don't corrupt the children!" Tang Ya said angrily.

Gon and Killua looked embarrassed, scratching their heads and saying, "We'll pass... thanks."

"Oh, what a pity, it was really good," Tang Cheng said, somewhat disappointed.

...

This tunnel was located 100 floors underground. Although the stairs were long and steep, they eventually had an end. After running at this pace for over an hour, a long-awaited ray of sunlight finally appeared ahead, and at that moment, countless people were moved.

Tang Cheng had also finished watching the movie, closed his laptop, and casually put it in his backpack.

At the exit of the stairs, there was an endless marsh forest, shrouded in thick fog, with visibility less than 20 meters. The examiner did not continue forward but stopped at the exit to wait. As the nearby thick fog gradually dissipated, the iron gate at the exit slowly closed, and one candidate was just a step away from being blocked on the other side of the gate, disappearing from everyone's sight with a voice full of regret.

With this, the first half of the first exam ended, with 371 candidates remaining out of the original 407.

"Damenei Wetland, commonly known as the 'Nest of Tricksters,' is a mandatory route to the second exam venue. However, this wetland is home to many dangerous creatures that mostly deceive humans to obtain food, being cunning and greedy. Please follow me carefully, as you will die if you are deceived."

The Hunter Examiner Satsu turned to look at everyone, speaking with deep meaning.

The candidates were immediately stunned.

"Don't be deceived!" At this moment, a man covered in injuries suddenly emerged from behind the exit, pointing at the Hunter Examiner Satsu and saying to everyone, "That guy is lying! He's an impostor. I am the real examiner, look at this!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a monkey from the corner that was lying on the ground. To everyone's surprise, the monkey's face was identical to the examiner Satsu's.

"This is the human-faced ape that inhabits the Damenei Wetland. Human-faced apes like to eat fresh humans, but because they are not strong, they can only disguise themselves as humans to lure humans into the wetland and then hunt them with other creatures... That guy wants to eliminate all the candidates. Don't be deceived!"

Upon hearing this, some candidates immediately cast suspicious glances at the previous examiner Satsu.

At this moment, a figure in the crowd suddenly dashed towards the man claiming to be the "real examiner" at lightning speed, so fast that many people couldn't react. When the figure stopped, the "real examiner" was standing there with a stiff expression, and then...

Rip!

As if torn apart by a rag, the man's body instantly split into pieces... head, wrists, thighs, calves, left chest, right chest, abdomen... in a spray of blood, the man's body was cut into sixteen pieces and fell to the ground mercilessly.

Then, in the shocked gaze of most people, Tang Cheng stood beside the pile of dismembered bodies, extending his tongue to gently lick the blood from the dagger, "After learning this skill, I haven't used it on a living being yet. It's a rare opportunity, but... the taste of the blood is a bit too light."

As he spoke, the human-faced ape that had been lying on the ground suddenly opened its eyes and let out a strange cry, trying to escape. But before it could take two steps, Tang Cheng casually swung his right hand to the side, and the human-faced ape in mid-air was similarly cut into sixteen pieces, falling to the ground with a thud.

"So, the real examiner has been confirmed," Tang Cheng took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the dagger he usually used to peel apples, looking at the original examiner Satsu and smiling lightly.

"Examiners are all active professional hunters at this stage. How could we, the rookies targeting hunters, so easily kill a hunter?"

Everyone suddenly realized, and a few candidates who had just been suspicious of Satsu looked embarrassed, laughing dryly.

Examiner Satsu gave Tang Cheng a serious look, then turned to the group and said, "Impersonating me to disrupt the candidates, probably to kidnap a few people. Such deceptions can happen at any time, so everyone must be cautious. Since the matter is resolved, let's proceed to the second exam venue... I repeat, please follow me closely. If you lose me, you won't be able to reach the second venue."

After saying this, Examiner Satsu resumed his strange gait, but this time he slowed down a bit, allowing most people to keep up with a normal running pace.

However, in the "Nest of Tricksters," speed and endurance were not as important. What needed to be guarded against were the traps in the thick fog and the cunning, man-eating creatures that were even more dangerous than human-faced apes.

It could be said that the initial part of the Hunter Exam only truly began here, and the remaining 371 candidates would face even more brutal trials... Perhaps, for some, being eliminated in the underground tunnel was a fortunate thing.

As Tang Cheng followed the examiner's steps into the fog-shrouded "Nest of Tricksters," a gaze behind him closely followed his back.

The magician, Hisoka!

In the original story, the person who resolved the issue of the real and fake examiners was Hisoka, but Tang Cheng, to test the power of the "sixteen dismemberment" skill or to show off, took the lead, effectively taking Hisoka's role.

Originally, before Tang Cheng acted, Hisoka already had a few playing cards in his hand, but he was beaten to the punch by Tang Cheng. However, Hisoka was not angry; he was even quite excited because... the sharp methods, the毫不犹豫的杀戮, the calm and decisiveness, and the faintly emerging madness all made him entranced.

Most importantly, he sensed the same aura in Tang Cheng as in himself!

"Ah~~ Ah~~ Ah..." Watching Tang Cheng's back, this perverted and crazy magician's eyes almost narrowed into a line, his expression dazed, his face flushed, and he looked as if he was in a climax.

"Indeed, indeed... Although not yet fully mature, the exquisite flavor can already be smelled, making one unable to stop... Wait, wait a bit more... But I can't hold back... I want, I really want..."

In the eerie words, the magician's eyes showed a hint of cruelty, his bloodthirsty gaze looking at the candidates passing by him one by one.

...

Regarding the difficulty of the副本, I'll explain a bit. These副本 worlds are random. Except for the first official副本, which is usually one-star (the protagonist doesn't count), those who haven't experienced regional battles will generally have a random difficulty of one to three stars each time, not necessarily harder for the strong and easier for the weak, but based on the system's matching.

So, those with good luck get an easy副本, and those with bad luck get a hard one. Tang Ya, despite her bad luck, has the opportunity to cling to the protagonist, which, in another sense, is a sign of excellent character.

Regarding the background of the cycle world, I have set up quite a bit, but there's no need to reveal it all at once. As the story unfolds, it will be gradually revealed. That's all. Finally, I request a recommendation vote.

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