"It's fine. Just a small personal matter. I'll catch up soon," Lu ou said, declining everyone's concern. He had been about to explain further when the situation suddenly changed.
Thin strands of pale, translucent white mist began to appear from nowhere, spreading little by little through the wetlands.
In an instant, the entire marsh seemed draped in a veil of white.
"The fog's rolling in," Lu ou said quietly, taking a deep breath.
Before long, everyone could only see what was directly in front of them. Nothing behind them was visible anymore. Even Gon and Lu, with their sharp eyesight, could barely make out Kurapika and the others just a meter away.
The real trial was about to begin.
Most examinees assumed this was still just another endurance test. After all, they were merely traveling to the second test site—how complicated could it be?
Unfortunately, that way of thinking was far too naïve.
This was the Hunter Exam. There was no such thing as a "humane" design. Running was child's play. Thick fog was only the most basic setup. The truly critical challenges were still ahead.
"Lu?" Gon raised his voice when Lu's figure became hard to see through the mist.
"I'm fine. Just do what we agreed on," Luo replied.
"Gon, let's move to the front," Killua said after a brief moment of thought. Running at the front seemed safer, so he invited Gon, who had been keeping pace beside him.
"If we lose the examiner, that'd be bad," Gon agreed.
"That's not the main issue," Killua said cautiously. "The important thing is to stay as far away from Hisoka as possible."
"Huh?" Gon didn't quite understand why they needed to distance themselves from Hisoka.
"That guy's already run out of patience. He can't wait to start killing," Killua said seriously. "I'm betting he'll go on a killing spree once the fog thickens."
Gon found it strange how certain Killua sounded. Yes, Hisoka had killed the Man-Faced Ape impersonating a human and his accomplice earlier—but why now? Gon couldn't fully grasp it.
"You look like you want to ask how I know, right?" Killua said. "It's the smell."
"The smell?" Gon was even more confused. Smell was something he associated with magical beasts. How did it relate to killing?
"That guy's the same kind of person I am," Killua sighed.
"Really? I can't tell at all," Gon said honestly. He didn't feel the two of them were alike.
"That's because I'm very good at disguising myself—just like that Man-Faced Ape earlier," Killua said with a hint of pride. "Forget it. One day, you'll understand."
From behind them, Lu ou vaguely caught parts of Killua's words but had no chance to interrupt. Otherwise, he would've said: Kid, you're way too naïve—your cover's been blown ages ago.
"Lu ou! Kurapika! Leorio! Killua says it's better to get to the front!" Gon suddenly remembered to warn the others and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Because of the fog, the distance between them gradually widened. Before long, they were separated by a long stretch, with many other examinees slipping in between them. This was the Hunter Exam—no one was going to make way out of kindness or courtesy.
Still, Gon's loud voice reached them.
As for the others, Lu ou didn't know what they were thinking. As for himself—he nearly slipped and fell flat on his face. The muddy ground was treacherously slick.
Some sharper examinees immediately picked up the pace. In no time at all, they overtook Killua and Gon.
Killua noticed that right after Gon shouted, the number of people passing them increased dramatically. A large bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Damn it…
The frustration swelling in his chest felt like the Qiantang River at high tide—utterly unavoidable.
"Idiot! If I could run any faster, I'd have done it already!" Leorio shouted hoarsely from behind, his voice filled with helplessness. Being slow was simply not something he could fix.
Gon understood Leorio's reasoning, but he trusted Killua's judgment—and his own instincts—more. He still wanted Leorio and Kurapika to catch up.
As for Lu ou, if he hadn't had something important to take care of, Gon would have wanted him at the front as well, far away from Hisoka.
"I seriously have no way to go faster," Leorio said again, though his feet clearly picked up the pace anyway. He still trusted Gon and Killua's warning.
"This guy has zero competitive awareness," Killua muttered in disbelief when he saw Gon shouting for everyone to move ahead.
"The fog's getting thicker," Kurapika said, unable to hide his concern. The situation was clearly growing dangerous.
"At this rate, we can't even see the people in front of us," Leorio added, the pressure mounting.
In the blink of an eye, those who had been just ahead vanished completely. All that remained were the sounds of footsteps—no figures in sight. The fog had grown so dense that visibility dropped even further.
"In conditions like this, it's easy to get separated," Kurapika said. "But getting close to that man is even more dangerous. Maybe I should speed up too…"
The fleeting glimpse of Hisoka's silhouette that had just appeared and vanished made Kurapika's skin crawl. Staying away from him felt like the right choice.
"Huff—huff—!"
Leorio ran beside Kurapika, panting heavily and making strange noises.
"I can't just abandon this guy," Kurapika thought as he glanced at Leorio with mild exasperation. Still, he stayed by his side, matching his pace without increasing speed much.
But misfortune never comes alone.
The fog didn't just block their vision—the real danger arrived silently. This was only the beginning.
"Chirrr—chirrr—"
From within the mist, moth-like insects swarmed toward them, fluttering straight at their faces. Mixed into the fog was a faint bluish smoke.
"Kurapika! Leorio! Don't breathe it in! Cover your noses and don't touch those moths!"
Lu ou happened to be running while backtracking to handle his own task when he saw the scene. He shouted a warning immediately—afraid that even a second too late would put them in danger.
"Got it!" Kurapika responded at once, covering his nose with his hand and dodging the moths as he ran forward, not even having time to ask why Lu ou was there.
Leorio followed suit. The moment he heard Luo's voice, he reflexively covered his nose as well.
Those running nearby—who didn't hear Luo's warning or reacted just a beat too late—collapsed one after another, unconscious and sprawled on the ground.
Seeing this, Kurapika and Leorio felt genuinely relieved. If they hadn't listened to Lu ou, they'd be lying there too—and the Hunter Exam would already be over for them.
They looked around but couldn't find Lu ou. Although they had wanted to stick together, they had no choice but to give up on that idea—there was no telling whether they had even escaped the moths' range yet.
Neither of them stopped. With their heads down, they continued running forward. Without Lu ou nearby, both Kurapika and Leorio felt a faint sense of unease.
From the moment the moths appeared, nothing was peaceful anymore.
The tranquil façade of the Shimeru/Milsy Wetlands was finally torn away, revealing its sharp fangs. One trial after another began to descend upon the examinees.
No one felt relaxed anymore.
Meanwhile, Lu ou continued running while backtracking, searching for what he was looking for. He had discovered a clue earlier near the hidden passage entrance. Now he only needed to find it again.
Everything was proceeding steadily—just as planned.