Hunter x Hunter: Unleashed

As Auren watches the limousine pull away, his mouth curls into a twisted smile. He then rushes after it.

I have some time left...

He keeps up with the car, using Zetsu, maintaining a large distance of at least ten car lengths.

The vehicle's driving changes drastically. It begins to overspeed, running red lights and blatantly ignoring traffic laws—at one point even turning into a ghost car, barreling the wrong way down one-way streets, and swerving onto sidewalks to dodge incoming vehicles, forcing pedestrians to leap out of the way.

Heh. Getting a little nervous, aren't you? This driving is crazy.

Twenty minutes later, the car finally skids to a stop in front of a large statue.

Auren darts around the vehicle and approaches the statue from behind. With a quick use of En, he scans the area and confirms—there's no card here.

"FUCK! YOU DAMN INCOMPETENT ASSHOLE DROVE TOO SLOW! I TOLD YOU TO SPEED UP! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" a voice screams from the other side.

Using Zetsu again, Auren peeks around the statue. He sees the same young man viciously punching and kicking the bodyguard who'd been driving.

The other bodyguards ball their fists, visibly angry—but they hold back.

"GET BACK IN THE CAR! IF I FAIL THIS EXAM, YOU'RE ALL FIRED! WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR ONE MORE LOCATION!" the man roars, storming back to the limousine. His guards follow behind him.

Auren resumes the chase, still keeping his distance. As the limousine speeds off again with even more erratic driving, Auren smirks when it's abruptly pulled over by a police car. The young man exits, barely containing his fury, and hands the officer a thick stack of cash while whispering something into his ear.

To Auren's surprise, the officer simply issues a ticket, then waves the car onward—without so much as a warning him about the reckless driving.

Rich... and influential. Should I just leave him alone? Looks like he's not going to make it anyway. I only have around ninety minutes left... Hmmm, maybe let's stick around a little longer.

Auren tails the limo for another fifteen minutes before it pulls up in front of an old building—something that looks like a church, old but still dignified and obviously kept in good shape.

This guy... he's smart. Has he actually solved three of those impossible riddles? Gotta respect that level of deduction.

Auren slips inside after them, only to see the man and his guards encountering another candidate. Both men lock eyes—and without hesitation, they sprint into the church.

Quickly following, Auren activates Gyo, enhancing his vision to the maximum. He spots the golden card—stuck high on a massive mural on the side of the church. The painting shows an apple tree and a nun harvesting its fruit. The card is way too high on the mural to reach from the ground, though some shallow grooves in the wall might allow an athletic person to climb up.

Damn I'm too far away.

Without warning, Auren activates Limitless Waters, forming a dense, high-pressure waterball and launching it with force at the mural.

The waterball reaches the mural and explodes, the impact jolting the golden card into the air. Auren channels his aura into his feet again, then leaps—snatching the card mid-air with fluid precision.

"Damn!" the other candidate curses, immediately turning and rushing out of the church.

The rich man, meanwhile, collapses to his knees. "Me... fail... you! You stole both cards from me! I'll get you!"

Auren smiles coldly. "You're willing to break the rules, even after seeing what I can do?"

"You... I don't know what trick you used... but... I have a guess. It's part of why I want to become a Hunter in the first place. Fine. Fuck off, you young rat. You beat me," the man mutters, defeated. His bodyguards stand nearby—one of them visibly smirking, though he quickly wipes the expression off his face.

He is taking it better than I thought. 

Auren leaves the church but pauses just outside to check his phone. Forty minutes left. Plenty of time to return to Triangle Park.

He decides to call Goreinu.

"Auren, what is it?" Goreinu answers.

"I've got two cards... do you need one?" Auren asks.

"No, I got one. Barely managed to snatch it from someone else with my... well, doesn't matter," Goreinu replies.

Probably used his Nen beasts to steal it. Looks like he had the same idea as me. Now... what do I do?

Auren thinks for a second and then walks back inside the church. The rich young man is still there, sulking, pounding the floor in frustration.

"Excuse me... sir. I feel a little guilty. I don't want to be that kind of person. I actually don't need this second card. I was going to get it for a teammate, but turns out he doesn't need it anymore. This might sound a little weird, but... do you want to buy it?"

"What?! Boy, you're overdoing it. You stole the master's card and now you want to sell it back to him?" one of the bodyguards growls.

"I'll buy it! How about 20 million?!" the young man shouts, hope flickering back into his eyes.

"Two hundred," Auren counters, his voice cool and direct.

I am in a position of absolute power—there is no reason to accept a lowball offer.

"Are you serious?!" he barks, grinding his teeth.

"Look, time is running out. I don't want to take advantage of you. So here's an offer you can't refuse—100 million, or you pay the full 200 and I'll offer you my friendship and support, not only during this exam but also beyond."

Then, without warning, Auren activates Ren, stepping forward and releasing his full aura in a wave.

Every person in the church begins to shiver. Their expressions twist in panic and confusion.

"You... I see now. There are people like you. Trained from a young age by a master. You're no human. You're a monster. Fine. I'll pay the 200 million!"

Auren casually hands him the card with a smile, "Glad to be doing business with you."

"But I didn't pay you yet?!" the man stammers in disbelief.

"Let's drive back and get to know each other a little. How about that?" Auren replies with a grin.

"Sure, I am Konrad. Konrad Chester."

"Auren... my second name's fake, so I don't think I need to mention it," he replies, casually extending his hand.

They quickly get into the limousine, and it speeds off toward the park. While still ignoring most traffic rules, the driver is now driving much more reasonably, compared to before.

Asking for Auren's banking information, he immediately transfers the sum into it using his phone.

Auren, remembering the bank account Bunu had set up for him back in Meteor City, checks his phone. Moments later, a message pops up confirming a deposit of 200 million Jenny. 

Nice!

They exchange contact information shortly after.

"Thank you... I suppose for the rest of the exam, if I'm able, you can consider me your bodyguard," Auren says, satisfied with how things turned out.

I need more contacts. And it's not smart to offend this rich guy—quite the opposite. He could be very useful. He's wealthy, has connections, and resources. More importantly, if there are more tasks involving knowledge, I can count on him. This is a good deal for me. I might be uneducated, but I'm smart enough to see how this benefits me immensely. There are no real downsides.

"Tell me… that ability you used. The card—it moved by itself, like something exploded near it, flinging it aside," Konrad says, eyes lit with curiosity and greed.

"This is a secret. It's not something allowed to be shared with the general public. If you try to spread it, you'll be hunted—and you can probably guess by whom. While many people are aware of it, as long as you don't openly explain it or teach it to a large number of people, it's tolerated. The name of this power is... Nen. It's the ability to control your life energy."

"Nen…" Konrad echoes, his expression changing.

Auren briefly explains the fundamentals, careful not to share any specific techniques or training methods. Then he adds, "You called me a monster. And you're not wrong. Since childhood, my life has revolved around Nen—getting stronger, withstanding harsh training. That's the only reason I've reached this level at my age. I can also tell you this: only one other candidate here is a Nen user. So if this exam ever turns into combat or physical tasks, I could take down everyone here—even if it's 100 versus 1. A single Nen user can crush normal humans like insects."

"Teach me!" Konrad says immediately. "I can pay!"

"You sure? If you pass the exam, the Association will assign someone to teach you for free. Since you already paid me, I don't want to take advantage of you."

Best not to deceive him. I need to build up some trust—he seems useful.

"...How strong are you? More importantly, how knowledgeable are you when it comes to Nen?" Konrad asks, his gaze sharp.

"I'd say... slightly stronger than your average Hunter. But as for knowledge? Way beyond average. I inherited the full teachings of a master-level Nen user," Auren says, stating the truth.

"Interesting… Let's talk more after the exam. I guess this isn't the worst day of my life after all. You're an interesting kid, Auren," Konrad admits, visibly impressed, his mood visibly improving by the second.

They arrive at Triangle Park with fifteen minutes to spare. Auren and Konrad exit the limousine and head toward the Arena.

On the way, they spot a commotion—two examiners breaking up a brawl.

"TONPA! YOU DAMN CHEAT! I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!" a candidate on the ground screams as an examiner restrains him.

"Heh, whatever do you mean? Just get lost, loser," Tonpa sneers with an all-too-familiar grin.

Auren leans toward Konrad. "Stay away from that guy. He looks like a lowlife—and he is—but he's also skilled. He enjoys watching others fail."

"I see. With a face like that, you don't need to tell me twice. Just looking at him disgusts me."

Heh. I can't deny that.

Once inside the Arena, the two rejoin Goreinu.

The Arena looks... surprisingly empty. Too empty.

Wait… I thought 200 people could pass? Not even half… not maybe 50…?

"Made a new friend?" Goreinu asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah… complicated story. Goreinu, this is Konrad," Auren says. "Goreinu's the other... special person I told you about."

"I see... nice to meet you," Konrad replies, shaking his hand.

"No offense, but you smell like money," Goreinu jokes.

"Very true—and I'll gladly use it. I'm always looking for competent men. If you need a job after the exam, contact me," Konrad offers.

Looking mildly surprised, Goreinu chuckles. "Well... I'll certainly consider it."

Finally, Mizaistom appears, stepping onto the center stage.

"I declare the first exam over. Anyone with a golden card—approach me now."

One by one, the candidates line up and hand over their cards.

After collecting them all, Mizaistom's voice echoes through the Arena:

"The first exam is over! 58 candidates pass!"

No way... So the riddles really were too hard. What a miserable exam… No wonder there are years when no candidate passes. This is looking quite grim already.

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