"Lan Fei, you're way too ridiculous! I'm never racing you again."
Seeing Lan Fei arrive at the exit before even the examiner, Satotz, Gon couldn't help but pout in frustration.
"Yeah, seriously. With that speed, who could ever keep up?" Killua scoffed, crossing his arms.
"I don't care, a win is a win." Lan Fei grinned. "That means you two owe me dinner."
"You transformed into light… actual light, and still retained its speed. Kid, you're really something else."
Satotz gave Lan Fei a deep look. Though he was the examiner in charge of this stage, he had to admit that even he wasn't as fast as this boy.
"Thanks for the compliment!" Lan Fei replied, clenching his fists in mock politeness.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A rush of figures burst through the exit. Most of them were experienced participants who had taken the Hunter Exam before, while only a handful were new candidates.
After all, they had just run over 80 kilometers without rest. Few newcomers could handle such a grueling pace.
"Finally… made it…"
"Ugh, we've been running for four or five hours straight, right?"
"Good thing my stamina held out, or I'd have been eliminated."
"Was this just a marathon the whole time?!"
Several candidates collapsed at the exit, panting heavily. Some sat down on the ground, pale-faced and drenched in sweat, almost on the verge of dehydration.
Among them, one person was watching Lan Fei closely.
Hisoka.
The magician's piercing eyes locked onto Lan Fei like a predator sizing up its prey.
This boy's abilities were too strange. He could transform into light and move at light speed.
It was… fascinating.
Feeling Hisoka's gaze, filled with curiosity and bloodlust, Lan Fei merely smiled. He wasn't concerned.
He had mastered advanced Nen techniques and devoured the Pika Pika no Mi. Even if Hisoka tried something, Lan Fei was confident he could handle him.
"This kid…"
Seeing Lan Fei return his gaze with a calm smile, Hisoka's lips curled.
He was intrigued.
"Lan Fei! Gon!"
At that moment, Kurapika emerged from the tunnel. His breathing was steady—his endurance was remarkable.
"Kurapika!!" Gon waved excitedly.
"Wait… for me…"
"Damn it, I'm spent…"
Behind Kurapika, Leorio stumbled through, completely exhausted. His shirt was unbuttoned, arms bare, sweat pouring down his face.
He was out of breath, swaying unsteadily. And then—
Thud!
Leorio collapsed onto the ground, limbs sprawled out, his face drained of all color.
"Leorio!!!"
Gon rushed to his side, but Leorio, barely lifting a hand, waved him off.
"W-where even is this place…?"
Kurapika looked around.
Before them stretched a vast wetland, shrouded in a thick gray mist. Faint echoes of bird calls and inhuman screeches came from deep within the fog.
"No way…"
"This isn't the second exam site, is it?"
"We ran over 80 kilometers… and we're still not at the second test?!"
"Are we supposed to cross this swamp?"
"Another marathon?!"
Just as the murmurs and complaints began to spread, Satotz finally spoke up.
"Everyone!"
"Welcome to the Milsy Wetlands—also known as the Swindler's Swamp."
His voice carried over the exhausted crowd, cutting through their confusion.
"This is the only path to the second exam venue. This wetland marks the next stage of the Hunter Exam."
Satotz's sharp eyes swept over the group.
"From this point on, stay close behind me. If you lag behind or get tricked—"
"You will die."
The words sent a chill through the group.
"D-die?"
"Is it really that serious?"
"The creatures here specialize in deception," Satotz continued. "They lure in prey through lies and manipulation, then devour them alive."
"That's why this place is called the Swindler's Swamp."
"A total of 368 candidates made it here. I expect every single one of you to be alive when we reach the second exam."
A tense silence followed.
And then—
"DON'T BE FOOLED!"
A limping figure emerged from the mist—a man, covered in deep scars, his clothes torn and bloody.
Panting heavily, he pointed a trembling finger at Satotz.
"He's a FAKE! That's not the real examiner!"
Chaos erupted.
"What?! HE'S the fake?!"
"What's going on?"
"Don't listen to him!" The injured man shouted desperately. "The real examiner was killed and replaced by this creature!"
"LIES!!"
"Look!!"
The man grabbed something from behind the mist—a small humanoid creature, thin and wiry, with eerily familiar facial features…
…features identical to Satotz.
It was an Imitator Ape, one of the many deceptive creatures in the swamp.
"This is one of them!" The scarred man roared. "These creatures mimic humans, lure them into the swamp, and lead them straight to their deaths!"
The crowd wavered.
"It really does look like the examiner…" Gon muttered.
"Gon, stay calm," Lan Fei said. His voice was steady, confident.
"But…"
"Think," Lan Fei said. "Didn't that guy claim the Imitator Apes are weak?"
"…Yeah?"
"Then tell me—how did something that weak outrun all of us for 80 kilometers without slowing down once?"
Gon's eyes widened.
"Damn… he's right!!"
"This guy's lying!!"
The realization snapped the group out of their panic.
Kurapika crossed his arms, speaking with certainty.
"There are subtle details that prove the real Satotz is still here."
"This 'injured man' is the true fraud," he said coldly.
Lan Fei grinned.
"Well then… time to expose him."
He vanished—
—then reappeared in an instant, golden light sparking at his feet, ready to unleash a high-speed kick.
But before he could strike—
Shhhhk!
A blur of motion.
Cards.
Razor-sharp playing cards.
They sliced through the air, cutting deeply into the "scarred man."
A familiar voice chuckled.
"Oh…? What a shame."
Hisoka.
His smile widened, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.