HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

All the candidates turned their gaze to the man with twin swords on his back.

"Let me introduce myself," he began. "I'm this year's examiner—Hoshou."

Despite being the focus of dozens of eyes, Hoshou seemed entirely at ease.

"This year's exam venue is the magical beast forest of the Azian Continent," he announced. "Since moving between venues is a hassle, all the examiners decided to conduct the tests here."

"The exam is split into two parts: treasure hunting and gourmet cooking," he added, standing in the center of the group with his arms crossed and a steady voice.

"I'll explain the treasure hunting part," Bindo chimed in, stepping into view from the back of the crowd. His expression was warm and pleasant, almost disarmingly so.

"In simple terms, we've hidden treasures throughout this forest," he explained with a smile. "Over the next seven days, you'll need to find them. Only the ten candidates who uncover the most valuable treasures will pass this part of the exam."

He sounded so friendly that it was almost unsettling.

Rogoff, whose face had a faint greenish tint, spoke next, his voice deliberate and slow. "As for gourmet cooking, during these seven days, all three of us examiners will entrust you with our meals. If even one of us finds the food unappetizing, you'll fail."

"Of course, if you manage to satisfy all three of us even once during the exam, you'll pass this part."

"Only candidates who succeed in both tasks will be considered fully qualified," Rogoff concluded.

A wave of unease spread across the candidates' faces.

For many, combat was a piece of cake. But cooking? That was an entirely different matter.

Hoshou stood by silently, his deep voice breaking the tension. "I don't have any particular requirements."

After all, the treasure-hunting task alone was enough to disqualify a good number of candidates.

"The exam begins now," Bindo declared with a sharp clap of his hands.

In an instant, most of the candidates dashed off in all directions, their figures vanishing into the depths of the forest.

The remaining few stayed behind—candidates like Cyr, then ones sprawled on the ground, drenched from their earlier tumble into the sea, and…

Hisoka, who waited until the two non-human candidates started moving before leisurely following them.

Perfect. The creep's attention was entirely diverted by the two non-humans, leaving Cyr free of his potential clinginess.

"I'm really not Hisoka's type. He should go play with someone else," Cyr thought blankly, before springing to his feet and disappearing into the forest with a few agile leaps.

Using teleportation in the forest wasn't convenient—too many trees—but thankfully, Cyr's natural speed was already impressive.

Treasure, unlike living beings, didn't emit energy, making it inherently difficult to locate.

However, treasures hidden by people carried residual traces of their handlers' energy. By tracking these faint traces, Cyr could pinpoint where the treasures were hidden.

For Cyr, the real challenges lay in evaluating the treasure's value and cooking food himself.

His living standards had always been close to zero. Back in Meteor City, he hadn't even washed his own clothes—he'd made the kids in District 12 do it for him.

The kids had initially refused, but after some "physical persuasion," they tearfully complied.

After leaving Meteor City, his solution was simple: wear clothes until they were dirty, then throw them away and buy new ones. As for food, he always ate out.

He'd never bothered with mundane tasks like cooking or cleaning.

"I have no idea how to assess value. I'm not some kind of jewelry appraiser…" Cyr muttered to himself as he stopped in front of a peculiar tree.

The tree was about five meters tall, its bark a deep purple-black. Its trunk had black holes resembling eyes and a mouth, while its branches stretched out like hands.

The entire thing had a surreal, sanity-breaking appearance, as if it were pulled straight from a horror world.

What's more, Cyr's Six Eyes revealed that this tree's life energy exceeded that of 90% of the candidates present.

"A devil tree?" Cyr mused, casually naming it.

The tree suddenly moved.

Its mouth-like hollow opened wide, emitting a haunting chant that seemed to resonate from the depths of hell:

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH—"

Black, thorny vines lashed out as though performing a macabre dance, each whip aiming directly at Cyr.

It was an attack.

"So noisy…" Cyr grimaced, covering his ears with an expression of sheer distaste.

He'd had enough.

Raising his left hand, a dark blue energy sphere began to expand in his palm. The immense gravitational pull it generated caused leaves from all directions to converge upon him, only to be obliterated instantly. Nearby foliage bent toward him as if drawn by an irresistible force.

"Blue—" Cyr launched the black-blue sphere toward the tree.

In the blink of an eye, the tree's previous location was replaced by a charred crater.

Stretching far into the distance, a long, scorched trench marked the aftermath of the attack.

"Well, Blue is a wide-range attack," Cyr commented, retracting his hand and nodding with satisfaction at the destruction. The power of his Blue had grown significantly compared to his earlier attempts.

"Destroying the forest here won't get me penalized, right?" he muttered, contemplating the consequences.

Considering this area was designated as an exam venue, it should be fine, shouldn't it?

Squatting down, he dug through the scorched soil where the tree had stood. Soon, he unearthed a treasure chest buried beneath its roots.

Opening it, he found a mirror inside. The silver-framed mirror was inlaid with blue gemstones, and its surface was remarkably clear.

It looked elegant, but…

"Silver doesn't seem particularly valuable," Cyr mused, weighing the mirror in his hands. "The blue gemstones might be worth something, though…"

He considered the possibility of it being an antique.

"If it has historical significance, its value would be on another level," he thought. But Cyr realized with frustration that he had no knowledge of this world's history.

For the first time in his life, he felt the pain of ignorance.

A startling realization hit him: I'm the illiterate one.

"Well, there's only one thing to do," Cyr sighed, coming to a decision.

The exam rules didn't explicitly prohibit stealing. If no one else could find treasure, and he ended up with all of it, wouldn't his treasures automatically be the most valuable?

Plan settled: wait for others to locate treasures, then rob them.

After all, some candidates were bound to fail in their search or fall prey to magical beasts or bizarre plants—just like the "devil tree" that had guarded the mirror.

Surely other treasure chests would be hidden near equally dangerous plants or ferocious beasts.

"All I need to do is keep an eye on everyone's movements with Six Eyes and be ready to swoop in at the right moment," he reasoned.

"Everyone, good luck."

"My success depends entirely on how hard you all work," Cyr said cheerfully, reclining against a tree trunk while admiring the moonlight.

From this vantage point, the moon looked particularly beautiful tonight.

Of course, the candidates' inevitable misfortunes promised to be far more entertaining.

Perhaps he should stoke the flames a little more.

Closing his eyes, Cyr scanned the surrounding area for signs of life. When he sensed two individuals about to cross paths, he opened his eyes, a glint of mischief sparking in them.

With a light push against the tree trunk, he vanished into the forest.

°°°

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