A total of 405 examinees remained.
The Hunter Exam—drawing elite candidates selected from tens of thousands around the world—had finally reached its final stretch after a grueling seven-hour run.
Inside the long, dim corridor, everyone was pushing themselves forward. The road was long but mostly flat, filled with countless turns and no shortage of traps. One by one, candidates were eliminated. Those still remaining had long since gone all out, determined to endure until the very end.
Life is captivating precisely because it is full of the unexpected.
The runners at the front finally saw something different ahead—no longer endless darkness, but faint streaks of light, like the first glow of dawn.
Unfortunately, that hope was immediately crushed.
What awaited them was a towering, steep staircase, hanging straight down like a waterfall.
High.
Steep.
Endless.
The distance didn't look long, yet somehow it felt impossible to finish. It was the perfect embodiment of "the mountain looks close, but the horse dies before reaching it."
"All right, everyone," Examiner Satotz suddenly spoke.
"We're entering the final sprint. I'll be speeding up now!"
His already long strides lengthened even more. In the blink of an eye, only his back remained visible—then within seconds, he vanished entirely.
"What?!"
The examinees stared at the staircase ahead—one without visible steps—and felt their hearts surge like a tidal wave. Words failed them.
Complaints were useless. They had to keep running—and faster. If they lost sight of the examiner, the consequences would far outweigh the effort.
Leorio, however, wasn't worried at all.
He was comfortably nestled on Tonpa's back, calmly waiting to reach the end.
With the added burden, Tonpa was no longer as relaxed as before. Sweat began to bead at his temples. He wanted to regret it—but couldn't bring himself to.
He had already agreed. If he backed out now, his image in the eyes of those brats would be ruined. Earning their trust again—only to crush them later—would take far more effort.
Not worth it, Tonpa concluded.
Since that was the case, he might as well see it through. The effort was already spent—there was no way he'd end up exhausted and without even maintaining his "good guy" image.
"Tonpa-san, do you want me to take over?" Gon asked.
"You're sweating."
Tonpa badly wanted to take the offer—but the words came out differently.
"No need. The examiner said it himself—this is the final sprint."
Gon didn't press the issue.
As they continued forward, the man once voted among the Top Ten Most Touching Characters in Hunter History silently wished he could slap himself.
"Almost there," Tonpa muttered, staring at the endless staircase to reassure himself.
"Huff—huff—!"
To reduce his burden, Leorio had stripped down to just his pants. A tie still hung awkwardly around his neck. He gasped for air, sweat flying everywhere—clearly pushing himself to the absolute limit.
"So that's the reason, you big liar."
Running beside him, Kurapika recalled what he'd heard earlier and couldn't resist the jab.
In Lu's words, Kurapika had realized he'd misunderstood Leorio. He was actually a straightforward, decent young man—but too embarrassed to admit it outright, so he made subtle corrections in his attitude instead.
"I never lied to you," Leorio said bluntly.
"My goal has always been money. The past is the past—I like money, plain and simple. As long as it's for money, I don't care what I have to give up."
He saw nothing wrong with loving money. He didn't steal or rob—he earned it honestly.
"That's fair. Then I wish you success," Kurapika replied.
After hearing Leorio's muttering earlier, Kurapika had completely revised his opinion of him. He no longer saw him as shallow or greedy.
"I don't need encouragement from you," Leorio shouted.
"Even if it kills me, I'm becoming a Hunter!"
His face flushed red—Lu could swear it was as red as a monkey's backside—as Leorio surged forward with renewed force.
Gon and Lu didn't interfere with Kurapika and Leorio bonding.
…Though silently watching the drama didn't count as interference.
Gon simply thought it was better to stay close—just in case Leorio ran out of strength and needed help.
Killua, meanwhile, ran beside Tonpa, occasionally teasing Gon and Lu. Now that was the behavior of a proper spectator.
"No—I meant, becoming a doctor," Kurapika said firmly, as if he had absolute faith in Leorio's future.
"Don't say that so casually!" Leorio froze for a moment, then panicked.
"What if someone misunderstands?! That's it—I'm sprinting!"
Like his pants were on fire, he shot forward.
"No problem, Leorio!" Kurapika called after him.
"Just watch! Once I go all out, there's nothing I can't do! Even if I die from lack of air, I'll make it to the end!"
His voice echoed as he flailed his arms and legs, charging toward the light ahead.
"I should learn from Leorio," Kurapika said with a faint smile.
He tugged off his jacket and accelerated.
Since meeting Lu and the others, Kurapika felt himself growing more open. Though thoughts of his clan still filled him with grief, he no longer believed sorrow alone should define his life.
Smiling more was better.
Like Leorio.
Ahead, white light finally appeared—no longer endless darkness, but true brightness.
They were really nearing the end.
"The exit's right there, Lu!" Gon said with a grin.
"Yeah," Lu replied. "We've arrived."
Just like in the original story, once victory was in sight, everyone naturally slowed down.
Lu had Tonpa put him down. Tonpa let out a huge sigh of relief.
"You seem happy," Killua said, puzzled by Gon's smile.
"It's just the exit. With my abilities, this was never an issue."
"Aren't you happy, Killua?" Gon asked.
"Not really. It's nothing special," Killua shrugged.
"The Hunter Exam is pretty boring. Not fun at all."
"But if you pass, you become a Hunter," Gon said eagerly.
"Why do you want to be a Hunter so badly?" Killua asked.
"It's just a license. What's so special about it?"
As a member of the Zoldyck family, he couldn't understand the appeal a Hunter License held for ordinary people.
"Because my dad is a Hunter," Gon said.
"And I believe he's an amazing one."
"Believe?" Killua tilted his head.
"I was raised by Aunt Mito," Gon explained.
"I've only ever seen my dad in photos."
"Even so, that's fine," Gon said brightly.
"I just want to become a Hunter—like him."
Killua was surprised. This was something he had never encountered—and couldn't fully understand.
So this is the moment when Gon and Killua's friendship truly begins, Lu thought.
Killua came here just to play a game, but Gon's reason for becoming a Hunter captivates him.
Even with Lu's presence, events were unfolding just like the original story.
And Lu was more than happy to see it.
Following the two main characters was bound to be beneficial—and besides, they were both good kids.
"Then what about you?" Killua suddenly asked.
"Why do you want to become a Hunter?"
He was curious about Lu—the one with those strange abilities.
"So food is cheaper," Lu replied without hesitation.
"I can get tons of rare ingredients and cook lots of good food."
He swallowed the rest of his thought:
And stockpile resources—so safety is guaranteed.
…A powerful reason.
Killua didn't know what to say.
Both of their reasons were simple—and neither resembled his own boredom-driven motivation.
Yet somehow… it felt really interesting.
Coming here was the right choice, Killua thought, staring into the light ahead—almost as if he could see a brighter future.
"Yeah," Gon agreed cheerfully.
"Lu loves good food the most."