Chapter 333

Before long, Leorio's expression brightened in sudden realization, his mouth hanging open.

"Ah, I think you're right. When I first walked into the cabin, I seem to recall seeing you. But somehow, I had absolutely no impression of you at all—really strange."

Kurapika glanced at Ron, then at Gon and Leorio, then back at Ron again. His eyes revealed surprise and a hint of caution.

"For him to pull that off, he's definitely no ordinary person. 

He must have some special skill. 

He's probably really strong. He might end up being a powerful rival."

After that, Kurapika looked at Gon.

"Neither Leorio nor I noticed, but Gon did. That means Gon must have some impressive ability or talent as well. Is this what the Hunter Exam is like? We've only cleared a preliminary round, and already I've run into people like this. What must a full-fledged Hunter be like?"

At the moment, Kurapika had no idea that the four of them together already comprised the top ranks of examinees this year. All three of them would pass in the original story, and Ron, being an outlier here, possessed top-tier strength among this year's participants.

Ron, Illumi, and Hisoka—those three had A-level comprehensive Nen skills. Which of them was stronger would only be clear after a true fight.

Ron felt quite confident in his own strength, but he wasn't certain whether Illumi or Hisoka had hidden techniques. Hisoka was a bit easier to gauge—back in the original story, he was nearly killed by Chrollo, who'd prepared carefully. 

Hisoka managed to revive himself only by using a makeshift cardiac stimulator. But Illumi, in the original story, hardly ever fought on stage. The only real technique he showed was the use of his Nen needles. 

From what Ron knew of the Zoldyck family, that definitely wasn't Illumi's limit.

"Even so, I don't think I'd lose." 

For high-level Nen users, a decisive victory or defeat in a single match is not the most likely outcome. Unless there's a compelling reason to kill the other person, mutual caution often leads to stopping at a draw—no one can predict if the opponent might suddenly reveal some bizarre technique. 

For instance, unleashing a surge of power when severely wounded, 

Or ascending to a higher level in a near-death state, or even triggering some post-mortem Nen that greatly amplifies after death… 

With Nen, almost anything is possible.

Leorio walked up ahead. 

"Gon, you're sure that old geezer's tip is legit? He looked pretty untrustworthy. For all we know, the bus might be the correct route."

"I don't think so. Since we passed the test, I believe he gave us the right clue." 

Leorio voiced more doubts. 

"Still, he didn't tell me or Kurapika—only you."

"That's probably because he knew I'd share it with you two," Gon replied. Then he looked to Ron. 

"What about you, Ron?"

"I think the bus route's definitely a dead end," Ron answered. "Earlier, I overheard some examinees saying the bus route was wrong. They turned back to this little harbor town." 

"Oh, right—Ron, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Gon asked. He first explained his own reasons. 

"I'm following in my father's footsteps—he's a Hunter, too."

Ron shrugged. 

"I don't have any special reason. I've never taken the exam, so I thought I'd give it a try."

Behind them, Kurapika kept observing Ron. He hadn't noticed it before, but as time went by, Kurapika began sensing a strange feeling of familiarity, as though he'd seen him somewhere before. 

But Kurapika was sure he'd never met Ron. Ron, on the other hand, had indeed seen Kurapika before.

If Kurapika were to mention how he felt, Ron would probably guess that sense of familiarity was coming from Sumas—once the Kurta clan's Nen spirit. 

Back then, it had a fixed form, and Kurapika had essentially spent over a decade inside that space. 

Feeling some kind of familiarity now was only natural.

Before long, a path leading up the mountain came into view. 

Atop that mountain stood a giant tree. 

Partway up the slope, they would encounter the Granny of Quick Answers, who would pose a tricky question—a classic "designed-for-arguments" puzzle, not meant to be answered head-on. 

Only by passing Granny's quiz could one ascend to the peak, where they'd face the man-eating Kiriko (fox-bear).

Recalling the Kiriko, Ron suddenly remembered something: 

When one of the Zoldyck household butlers named Gotoh was killed by Hisoka in the original story, the new butler wasn't human but a Kiriko.

Kirikos are magical beasts, possessing intelligence on par with humans, plus shapeshifting abilities akin to the Transformation Jutsu in Naruto. Once their aura nodes open and they learn Nen, they're no slouches. 

They'd be similar to Chimera Ants. 

Kirikos likely have tougher physiques than humans. They'd outmatch weaker Chimera Ants, though they might lose to the higher-tier ones.

"I wonder if the Kirikos here at the top of the mountain have anything to do with the Zoldyck family."

They soon reached the mountainside. 

An elderly lady appeared out of nowhere, accompanied by masked assistants, noisily blocking the path.

"Quick Answers! 

A heart-pounding choice test!"

"I'll ask you a question, and you only have five seconds to respond."

Even though Ron was part of the group, nothing really changed from the original story. 

One random examinee tried to answer first and got disqualified. 

Meanwhile, Ron's four-person team kept silent and got the right response. 

It was a novel challenge for Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, piquing their curiosity. They mulled over it for a bit. 

But for Ron, questions like these were old news. 

He'd been asked many times before in his past life: 

"If your mom and I fall in the water at the same time, who will you save first?" 

Any answer would spark an argument. 

He was clueless at first, but once he'd gained experience, he knew how to handle it: just say "Next question!"

Ron glanced at the crystal ball he carried. 

During this preliminary test, it was absorbing traits at a painfully slow rate—even after meeting Gon and the others, it hadn't sped up by much. By now, it was only at about two percent.

"Hopefully, once the real exam begins, this absorption rate will pick up. It'd be perfect if a single Hunter Exam could fully complete it."

Before long, the four reached the mountaintop. Near the giant tree stood a wooden hut.

Bang!

The door burst open, and a Kiriko emerged, clutching a pretty woman in one hand, while stepping on a middle-aged man with its foot. 

At the sight of the four, the beast paused in surprise for a moment 

Then quickly recovered, threw the woman over its shoulder, and fled at high speed.

"Please! Save my wife!" 

The middle-aged man pleaded with them.