The first phase of the exam grew increasingly chaotic as Examinees scrambled for each other's number tags, their fighting gradually turning into genuine fury.
The corner where Leo stood remained temporarily quiet—perhaps because of its remote location, or perhaps because his earlier coldness toward Tonpa had instilled a sense of wariness in others.
But soon enough, someone set their sights on this "loner."
A man with a mohawk and facial tattoos crept over silently.
He held a dagger in a reverse grip and moved with light steps, clearly adept at sneak attacks.
When he was two meters from Leo, he suddenly accelerated, lunging his dagger toward Leo's side!
Leo didn't even turn his head.
He raised his left hand, striking first despite moving second, and slammed a punch into the attacker's abdomen.
"Ugh—!"
The tattooed man's eyes bulged as his entire body curled up like a shrimp, and the dagger slipped from his hand, clattering to the floor.
He slowly sank to his knees and slumped onto the ground, losing consciousness.
Leo leaned over and took his number tag: No. 288.
"One point."
He stuffed the number tag into his pocket and turned his gaze back toward the chaotic hall.
Leo gently cracked his neck, his joints making a faint clicking sound.
"Might as well wrap this up early."
He stood up straight, and in the next second—Leo vanished from the spot.
His speed was so immense that he left a blurred afterimage in the eyes of ordinary people.
He charged into the most densely crowded area, and everywhere he passed, Examinees collapsed in swathes like wheat being harvested!
There were no flashy Moves, no wasted motions.
A punch, an elbow, a palm strike, a leg sweep.
Every attack hit a vital point with precision, the force controlled perfectly—just enough to knock them unconscious without causing permanent damage.
Bang!
An Examinee flew back. Bang!
Another hit the ground. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Leo wove through the crowd like a tiger among a flock of sheep.
His Level 41 Enhancer physique, combined with combat techniques polished through five months of Hell training under Biscuit, allowed him to navigate this melee with ease.
The Examinees couldn't even see where the attacks were coming from.
They only felt a gust of wind rush past, followed by a sharp pain in the back of their necks and a sudden blackout before they knew anything else.
Tonpa was stealthily approaching a young Examinee from behind, clutching a short club coated in anesthetic, a triumphant, cruel grin on his face.
Just as he was about to swing the club—his movements froze.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a dark shadow flashing past; in its wake, seven or eight fighting Examinees collapsed in unison without even letting out a scream.
The shadow stopped, revealing its form ten meters away.
It was that No. 321!
The young man who had told him to "beat it"!
Leo turned his head and glanced at Tonpa.
That gaze was cold and calm, as if looking at an inconsequential object.
Tonpa's hair stood on end, and his heart nearly stopped. He wanted to run, but his legs were too weak to Move.
Tonpa slumped to the ground, the short club slipping from his hand.
He gasped for air, cold sweat soaking his back.
"M-Monster..."
He muttered, watching the dark shadow constantly shifting through the hall as Examinees fell one after another.
In the next second, he too lost consciousness and collapsed.
Ten minutes. Only ten minutes.
The only one left standing in the hall was Leo.
Out of 754 Examinees, 753 lay scattered across the floor, all knocked unconscious.
The scene resembled a battlefield, yet there was no blood—Leo had controlled himself well, and no one had sustained fatal injuries.
Silence. A deathly silence that stood in stark contrast to the madness from ten minutes prior.
Leo stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by piles of bodies.
He began collecting the number tags—one by one, starting from the nearest.
This process took some time, as there were over seven hundred of them.
Finally, he held a large makeshift bundle tied together using an Examinee's coat, bulging with number tags.
Leo dragged the bundle toward the elevator.
The building's rooftop.
Bucidola leaned against the railing, looking down at the flow of traffic on the streets below.
The wind was strong, making his white trench coat flap loudly.
He glanced at his watch—forty minutes had passed.
"Too slow."
He whispered to himself, his tone dissatisfied.
"The quality of this year's Examinees is too poor. By this time in previous years, at least a dozen people would have come up."
He thought about the test he had designed—knocking others down to seize number tags, three to advance. Cruel, but effective.
Being a Hunter was a dangerous profession; those without strength shouldn't even have the right to participate.
*Ding—*
The sound of the elevator arriving.
Bucidola turned and saw the elevator doors slowly opening.
Finally, here. The first one to advance.
But when he saw clearly who stepped out of the elevator and the massive bundle they were dragging, he froze.
Leo stepped out of the elevator and tossed the bundle onto the ground.
*Clatter—* The bundle burst open, and hundreds of number tags poured out, reflecting the piercing white sunlight.
The cards piled up into a small hill, nearly burying Leo's calves.
Bucidola's eyes widened.
He looked at the pile of number tags, then at Leo, then back at the pile. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"Them?"
Leo brushed the dust off his hands.
"They're all asleep."
He paused, then added.
"My name is Leo."
Bucidola stared at the pile of number tags, his mind going blank for several seconds.
Then he suddenly crouched down and grabbed a handful of tags to check—they were real. Every single one was a number tag from this year's Examinees, from No. 1 to No. 754. Except for Leo's own No. 321, they were all here.
"This... this..."
Bucidola looked up at Leo with a complex expression.
"You alone... took down everyone..."
"Collecting these took me quite a bit of time."
Leo spoke in a relaxed tone.
"So, are we doing a second phase?"
Bucidola fell silent.
When he designed the test, he had envisioned various scenarios—the strong quickly collecting three tags to advance, the weak being eliminated, and perhaps even some accidental deaths.
But he had never imagined that someone would directly take down every single Examinee and collect all the number tags alone.
This had already exceeded the scope of a "test."
This was someone coming to crash the party.
Bucidola stood up, took a deep breath, and pulled a cell phone from the inner pocket of his trench coat.
He walked to the other side of the rooftop, turning his back to Leo, and dialed a number.
The call was answered quickly.
"What is it? Bucidola, is there a problem with the test?"
"There's been an... unexpected situation."
Bucidola lowered his voice and quickly explained the situation.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
"Are you sure? 754 Examinees, 753 knocked down by the same person?"
"I'm sure. The number tags are all here, piled up like a small mountain."
"...What is that Examinee's name?"
"Leo."
Another silence. Then, another voice came from the other end of the phone.
"This is Machi Komacine. I'm clear on the situation now. I have also contacted the head of the Exam Review Committee."
Bucidola held his breath. The head—there was only one person that could be.
"Since Leo is the only Examinee left, let him pass. He will be the Hunter who passes the exam this year."
"Understood."
Bucidola said solemnly.
The call ended, and Bucidola turned back to face Leo, his expression having returned to calm.
He looked at the young man with a hint of scrutiny and admiration in his eyes.
Bucidola revered the martial Dao and respected the strong.
Although Leo's actions had completely disrupted his plans, this level of strength deserved recognition.
"Congratulations."
Bucidola announced solemnly.
"For the 285th Hunter Exam, you are the sole qualified candidate. You pass!"
A smile appeared on Leo's face.
It was a faint smile, but a genuine one.
He had considered this possibility before taking action—in the original story, Killua had once knocked out all the Examinees by himself to advance directly.
Since Killua could do it, he could certainly try this "speedrun" route as well.
The result was very smooth.
"So, what's next?"
Leo asked.
Bucidola pointed to the other end of the rooftop—an Airship was parked there.
"Follow me to Hunter Headquarters. You need to register your information, collect your License, and go through some necessary procedures."
The two walked toward the Airship.
Before boarding, Bucidola glanced back toward the rooftop elevator and shook his head.
"A medical team will be here soon to deal with those people downstairs... Honestly, you've caused me quite a bit of trouble."
Leo smiled and didn't respond.
The Airship's engines started, and it slowly rose into the sky.
Through the porthole, the outline of Kalulu City below gradually grew smaller—the harbor, streets, and buildings eventually turned into spots like colored building blocks.
The Airship pierced through the clouds, heading toward Hunter Headquarters at full speed.