To put it into perspective— Even Ging Freecss, one of the world’s five stro Nen users, is a Two-Star Ruins Hunter. Larry took a deep breath, rubbing his temple. "...So, they’re really just handihis title, huh?"

  Satotz chuckled."It’s not 'just' a title. You’ve already dohe work to earn it."

  Larry smirked slightly. "Yeah, yeah… but still. Feels weird." Ging was also a Two-Star Ruins Hunter. But acc to Larry’s own assessment, Ging’s achievements should have been Three-Star level. The only reason Ging hadn’t reached that rank was simply because he didn’t care. He never bothered to file fnition. He just did whatever the hell he wanted. Larry could respect that. ”Still A Two-Star Hunter before I eve my lise… huh?"He chuckled, shaking his head. ‘Well. These fancy titles mean nothing. In the end, only raw strength matters!’

  Larry’s wo-star Ruins Huitle? The association probably gave it to him to win him over. But what really makes him invaluable is his Nen ability—his power to remove Nen is unheard of! A master like him is someohey have to befriend. In the world of Hunters, Nen removers are worth their weight in gold. And a Nen remover who effortlessly erase a dead aura in some a ruin? That’s a whole different level of importance!

  But it doesn’t stop there, Larry also have a sed title, this itle almost seems sedary. But it’s still an achievement that most Hunters could only dream of—Larry is now officially a oar Bounty Huhis isn’t just some honorary reition. It’s a reward for eliminating criminals who operated out of pure rage and jealousy.

  Larry hadn’t expected this, but after a moment of thought, it made sense. He’d wiped out ohird of an S-css criminal gang—an insane tribution to the bounty system. Criminals of this level are usually at least A-rank, and even amoe Hunters, few have the guts or skill to take them down. But this kind nition also es with a price—revenge.

  The gang’s remaining members won’t just sit bad let this go. The hing Larry has to deal with is their retaliation. Taking out one or two enemies isn’t hard. The real challenge is fag the entire gang ing after him with everything they’ve got! It’s a situation simir to what happened with Silva Zoldyck. He oook on a job to assassinate a member of the Phantom Troupe. That should’ve been the end of it—but the Troupe didn’t take it lying down. Silva had the strength to hahem, so he didn’t suffer much. But financially? It was a massive loss.

  The Zoldyck family has their own rules about assassination. In their eyes, every kill has a price, and if you afford it, they’ll take the job. But if the target is to, they’ll quote an absurdly high priot rejeg the job ht, but discing the employer from following through. For them, killing is all about precision. They only elimiheir target. If they have to kill anyone else in the process, that’s a loss.

  In Silva’s case, the employer only paid him to kill one member of the Phantom Troupe. But in the end, he had to deal with the entire group’s retaliation—so financially, it wasn’t worth it. Sihen, the Zoldycks have signifitly raised their prices for any job involving the Troupe. It’s a way to subtly warn others—mess with us, and you’ll pay for it.

  Meanwhile, as Larry and Satotz chatted, Gon and the others, who had been obediently following behind, finally met Killua. Leorio, pletely out of breath, was struggling to keep up. His face, with its mature, uncle-like features, was drenched i.

  Suddenly, a silver-haired kid appeared o him, effortlessly cruising along on a skateboard. Leorio, already exhausted, felt like this was just adding insult to injury. “Oi! Brat! What’s with the skateboard?! That’s cheating!”

  Leorio, fuming, jabbed a fi Killua. “Huh? Then what about the guy in front of us riding a dog? Why aren’t you pining about him?”

  Killua shot back zily, pointing toward Larry. Leorio opened his mouth, then closed it. He also wao know where Larry’s dog had e from… but calling out Larry when he was clearly leagues above them felt like a terrible idea. Seeing this, Gon quickly stepped in to ease the situation. “The examiner just told us to follow him—he never said we couldn’t use tools!”

  Gon’s expnation piqued Killua’s i. That was how he and Gon officially met for the first time. As the first exam tinued, more and more partits began dropping out, uo keep up with the grueling pace. Those still in the race were barely hanging on. Most of them looked like exhausted workhorses, panting and struggling to keep moving forward. The dimly lit tunnel echoed only with the sounds of their unsteady footsteps—everyone was too draio talk.

  At this point, every bit of energy ted. A long-distance run like this wasn’t just physically exhausting—it was a mental battle. They had no clue how much farther they had to go, or how long this would st. Every step forward was a gamble. The oppressive, dark tunnel felt like a massive, ied bowl trapping them ihe mood was grim. And this was just the first exam. No wonder only one or two people passed the Hunter Exam each year. The brutal elimination rate made perfect sehis was a challenge no ordinary person could handle. Finally, through the haze of exhaustion, they spotted something ahead—a long staircase leading upward.

  At the top, bathed in light, was the finish line. One by one, didates reached the top. And one by ohey colpsed to the ground like survivors of a disaster. Their chests heaved violently as they sucked in air, their arms and legs numb. For most of them, even standi like a luxury. A select few, those with superior physical endurance, mao stay upright. They remained in a defeance, cautious even after clearing the first hurdle. Just because they passed this round didn’t mean they could let their guard down.

  A dense fog loomed not far ahead, stretg across the horizon and blog the view beyond. Whatever y behind that mist was undoubtedly dangerous—one deadly threat after another, hidden just out of sight. As the didates caught their breath, Satotz g the chattering group and spoke in a calm but firm voice. "The time is up. From this point forward, anyone who arrives will be sidered disqualified from the first exam."