The misty forest stretched endlessly before them, shrouded in silence.
After passing the old woman's deadly quiz,
Noah, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio made their way down the narrow forest path, following the directions they were given.
Noah stayed slightly behind the group, senses sharp.
Something's wrong.
The forest was too quiet.
No birds. No insects.
Only the crunch of their boots against wet leaves.
Gon suddenly halted.
"Wait..." he said, sniffing the air like an animal.
Ahead of them,
a small figure stumbled out from the trees —
a young boy, no older than six, crying and clutching his arm.
"Help me! Please, somebody!" he wailed.
Leorio immediately moved forward.
"Hey, kid, it's dangerous out here alone—"
Noah's hand shot out, grabbing Leorio's shoulder hard enough to stop him.
Kurapika's eyes narrowed.
"Something's wrong," Kurapika said grimly.
"Look at the tracks behind him."
Noah activated a faint glimpse of his Sharingan.
In an instant, he saw it.
The footprints... too big for a child.
His gaze sharpened.
"That's not a kid," Noah said coldly.
The boy's crying twisted — deepened —
and suddenly, with a horrible squelching sound, the child morphed.
Muscles expanded.
Fur erupted.
Claws gleamed.
Before them stood a monstrous Foxbear,
drooling, its eyes burning with hunger.
It roared and lunged at them.
---
Quick Battle
Leorio screamed and stumbled back.
Kurapika reached for his two wooden swords.
Gon grinned wildly, crouching low like a beast himself.
But Noah moved first.
He stepped forward calmly —
his chakra swirling invisibly under his skin —
and when the Foxbear swung its massive claw,
Noah sidestepped with unnatural grace,
then delivered a sharp blow to the beast's shoulder with chakra-enhanced strength.
Crack!
The Foxbear howled, its arm dislocating from the impact.
Gon took the opening, leaping up and delivering a flying punch straight to the creature's jaw.
Thud!
The monster crashed to the ground, unconscious.
Silence returned to the forest.
---
The Navigator Appears
From above, riding a strange flying beast,
a thin, sharp-eyed man in a black uniform descended.
He nodded approvingly.
"Well done," he said.
"You saw through the Foxbear's trick.
Most applicants fail here."
The man dismounted gracefully.
"I am your Navigator.
Follow me — I will guide you to the true starting point of the Hunter Exam."
Gon beamed.
Kurapika exhaled in relief.
Leorio mumbled something about heart attacks.
Noah simply stared at the Navigator, making sure there were no tricks.
Satisfied, he relaxed slightly.
The real Exam starts now.
And so, they set off deeper into the forest,
the final steps toward their destiny awaiting them underground.