"I'll head off first."
With that, Illumi vanished in a flash. Ron also turned to leave soon afterwards, and before long, only Hisoka remained in place.
Some candidates who had heard the commotion rushed over. The candidate who had screamed earlier repeated his story and guesses, but by the time everyone arrived, they only saw Hisoka standing there calmly. No more fighting, no bursts of flame, no thunderous explosions—just the traces on the ground, as if a fierce battle had taken place.
Hisoka glanced at the approaching candidates, then left.
Ron, having departed, recalled his battle with Hisoka as he dismissed his Nen Beasts in his mind.
"Besides the liquid ore, the fight with Hisoka gave me a clearer sense of my Beast's abilities. They actually performed better than I expected. Before, I might have underestimated them."
It was natural for him to think so. Until now, Ron had mainly compared his strength to people like Silva, Zeno, Dominica, and Achilles—top-tier Nen users all. Silva and Zeno needed no further commentary.
Dominica held a significant position in Dragon Dojo, while Achilles was the Beast Child of Beast Dojo. All of them, at A-level, were exceptional even among other A-level Nen users.
By contrast, Hisoka, Illumi, Chrollo—Ron had never truly gauged their power until now, only forming impressions from their feats in the original storyline. So Ron tended to estimate them on the high side. But after this sparring match with Hisoka, even though it ended at first contact, Ron got a clearer, more realistic sense of where Hisoka might stand.
Of course, neither side went all out. Hisoka hadn't shown his limits, and likewise, Hanma Baki and Natsu had held back, not using things like the position-swap ability or their combined Gravity Game. Even so, Hisoka hadn't managed to defeat them.
"So what if I add another Nen Beast? I still have Lampent, Killer Queen, Akame, and Uchiha Sasuke. Even if Hisoka is hiding more power or can burst out with greater strength, could he really endure if I sent all my Nen Beasts at him at once?"
Ron ran through the scenario in his mind and concluded it wouldn't be possible for Hisoka to hold out.
Moreover, Ron wouldn't even need any elaborate plan—just let Natsu, Hanma Baki, and Uchiha Sasuke launch a concerted attack to pin Hisoka down. Once Hisoka's movements were constrained, Lampent would get the perfect chance to activate its ability, halving Hisoka's aura on the spot. That would be a huge blow, and if he then faced both Killer Queen and Akame's techniques without a way to evade, it would be game over for Hisoka.
"Reckoning it all up, my overall strength is already above Hisoka's. His only real chance would be to target my actual body. But my Nen Beasts can hold him off, leaving him no opening to get close to me. If I wanted to be more extreme, I could just hide in Suma's space, and he wouldn't be able to do anything until my Beasts beat him to death. I wouldn't have to come out at all.
"Of them, Natsu is the key. Only by restraining the opponent do the abilities of Killer Queen, Akame, and Lampent become most effective. The same holds true for Sasuke. With Natsu in the mix, Sasuke can really shine. On his own, Sasuke's advantages in A-level offence and B-level defence aren't huge in a one-on-one. But paired with Natsu, his power is greatly amplified."
Ron soon arrived at another section of the forest. Hisoka remained where he was, seemingly lost in the memory of that fight or perhaps imagining and anticipating the future.
The other candidates were too afraid to linger, worried about provoking him. Many had learned what Hisoka did in the first stage of the Hunter Exam—severing a candidate's arms before the exam even started, and then taking the lives of several more during his "Examiner Game" in the Wetlands. Their fear of Hisoka had reached a peak.
Menchi and Buhara exchanged a glance.
"Buhara, who do you think is stronger, Hisoka or Ron?" Menchi asked.
Buhara hesitated, then said, "Neither of them showed their full power just now, so it's hard to tell. But they're both stronger than we are, that's for sure. Personally, I'd guess Ron is a bit stronger. Still, if I had a choice, I'd rather not go up against Hisoka."
Menchi nodded. "That guy is definitely creepy. So what do we do for the next part of the exam?"
Her face clouded with indecision. "I can't bring myself to approve mediocre cooking. If I do, my own Nen will suffer."
On one hand was Menchi's strict standard of quality; on the other was the looming threat of these formidable Nen users. She found herself in a dilemma.
"Then let's just fail them all," Buhara offered.
"What do you mean?" Menchi blurted. Then she caught on, and her eyes lit up. "That's not a bad idea. The Association clearly values this year's exam—it's more important than usual. They won't let it end with us. If we disqualify everyone, the Association will definitely step in. They'll arrange another test so the candidates can pass. That way, I won't have to bend my principles, we won't anger people like Hisoka, and if the Association punishes us, well, that's a small price to pay."
Menchi and Buhara exchanged another look and made their decision.
Meanwhile, Gon and most of the other applicants were still wrestling with the Great Stamp pigs, unaware of everything that had transpired deeper in the forest. Suddenly, one pig that was chasing Gon rammed into an apple tree. A bunch of apples rained down, and one landed right on the pig's forehead, draining its energy at once.
Gon's eyes lit up. "That must be its weak point!" He landed several blows on the pig's forehead. Bam! The pig collapsed into unconsciousness.
Seeing this, many other candidates tried the same tactic. One after another, the Great Stamp pigs toppled. Ron also had one charging at him, and he simply flicked a small stone at its forehead, dropping it instantly. Indeed, even without aiming at its weak spot, he could have taken the creature down, but there was no reason not to do it efficiently.
With their pigs in tow, the applicants made their way back toward the examination area, heading for the open cooking stations to process and prepare their meat. It was a lively sight, reminiscent of countless cooking styles blooming all at once.