Chapter 146: Pariston! Hole-Rope! Robbery of Luo Ge! (2/2, Request Subscription)

Bang—

A sound like an explosion rang out.

This caused countless examinees with nerves already on edge to act like startled birds; some who had been resting on the ground suddenly jumped up.

Especially Dongba.

He had just recovered, rested for a while, and was propping himself up to stand when the sound scared him back into collapsing onto the ground.

In the corner, the trio of Rogue immediately looked toward the depths.

They saw the originally solid stone wall rumbling as it began to rise, revealing what lay behind it.

Appearing at the same time was the examiner for this round.

The examiner's face was very young, seemingly just an adult, wearing a warm-toned orange suit and sporting a gentle smile.

He immediately bowed and said in a formulaic tone:

"Hello everyone, my name is Pariston, and I am the examiner for the first stage of the Hunter Exam."

"One final confirmation."

"In this exam, if you are unlucky or lack the ability, there will be a risk of serious injury, or even death."

"If any examinee wishes to leave, you may now take the elevator you arrived in to return."

Pariston paused for a moment, narrowed his eyes slightly, and took a brief look at the group of examinees.

Beneath his sunny smile lay a darkness that others found hard to detect.

As expected, no one on the field chose to leave.

Those who managed to reach this point had invested considerable effort and naturally were unwilling to simply depart.

Since they had already come this far, of course they would try first before giving up.

A hint of cunning flashed through Pariston's deep eyes as he continued with a smile:

"Many of you may be participating in the Hunter Exam for the first time, so please allow me to explain the rules here."

"The pass rate for the Hunter Exam is extremely low; it once set a record of having no one pass for three consecutive years."

"Among those eliminated, a significant portion unfortunately suffered grave dangers, with most ending up either dead or maimed."

"Their lives for the rest of their days would be quite miserable, truly something to evoke sympathy."

"Ah, but I suppose you are all people of strong will; even if you lose a limb or two, you can still live on just fine."

Pariston deliberately emphasized the rate of injury and disability, using a tone of "sympathy" to "warn" everyone to decide carefully.

However, he was not so kind-hearted; it was mostly to satisfy his own dark desires.

With just a few words, he could make people give up days of effort.

That was a very profitable "deal."

Dongba: Are there any accomplices here?

As expected.

Among the examinees who had just looked determined and firmly stated their intention to stay, some began to waver.

They knew the pass rate for the Hunter Exam was low and that they might face danger.

However, under Pariston's speech, they briefly woke from the beautiful dream of becoming Hunters and began to realize the cruelty of reality.

Were they really going to face the risk of death just to fight for such a vague result?

On the other side,

Machi crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"This examiner seems to have ill intentions."

"On the surface, he is advising the examinees, acting as if he has their best interests at heart, but he actually has some ulterior motive."

Machi's sixth sense was extremely strong, and she immediately sensed that Pariston had something up his sleeve.

At the same time, she also realized that the Hunter Exam was indeed extraordinary.

Even the examiners didn't follow the usual rules.

Rogue looked at Pariston, clearly understanding that Machi was right.

He was equally familiar with Pariston.

Pariston would one day become one of the Twelve Zodiacs, the Rat, while also serving as Vice President.

Those unfamiliar with him would think he was a sunny, cheerful, and polite gentleman.

Those who knew him well would know he was a thorough pervert.

He possessed extremely high intelligence, loved psychological games, and most of all enjoyed making others hate him.

Silence—

The field fell into a brief silence.

In the dead silence, even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.

Step, step...

Finally, one examinee walked toward the elevator.

This symbolized his abandonment of the Hunter Exam.

Seeing someone take the lead, a few others whose expressions had been fluctuating made up their minds.

One by one, they chose to leave.

Pariston's smile grew even brighter, as if he had seen something amusing.

In the end, five people left the field.

The vast majority still chose to stay.

However, Pariston felt no regret about this, because the exam content he had arranged was by no means easy.

According to past precedent, the first round eliminates about half of the candidates.

Hisoka glanced around one last time, paused in a few directions, and continued:

"Since no candidates choose to leave, I hereby announce—"

"The Hunter Exam officially begins!"

"For the first exam, four hundred and thirty-two people have participated!"

Immediately after, Hisoka turned his body and pointed inside with his finger.

"The first round is named 【Maze Escape】."

"Inside lies a complex maze with many paths; reaching the end counts as passing the first round."

"The time limit is two hours."

"Friendly reminder: the maze is fraught with danger, so please proceed cautiously."

"If you get lost inside, you may never have a chance to come out."

Hisoka wore a smile while delivering warnings full of peril, creating an eerie contrast.

After explaining, Hisoka walked to a corner and signaled that everyone could begin the exam.

Seeing this, everyone focused their attention on the maze; now only passages were visible.

There were more than a dozen entrances alone; no one knew how deep or large the interior was.

However, considering the time was only two hours, the interior should not be too deep.

"We cannot waste time; there are only two hours!"

That candidate, carrying a bow and arrows and resembling a savage, rushed in first, picking an entrance at random.

Everyone suddenly realized, and for a moment began to rush forward in a scramble; most simply picked an entrance at random and went in.

After all, the time left for them was not much.

Tonpa rested his chin on his hand in thought, glanced left and right with his small eyes, then chose the passage with the most entrants.

The more people there are, the more opportunities there are to trap others.

Tonpa pressed his hand against the maze wall and said proudly, "Things like mazes are the simplest of all."

"As long as you stick to the wall and keep walking, you will absolutely reach the end."

Immediately after, Tonpa walked a few steps along the wall, but unexpectedly, he emerged from another entrance.

"Huh?"

Tonpa touched the back of his head, looking utterly bewildered.