Gon looked at Ryusei and remained silent for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration. Then, he nodded seriously. "I agree to use other methods to determine the winner."
Seeing that Gon had agreed, Ryusei breathed a sigh of relief. If they could resolve this quickly, he still had a chance to pass without injury.
"How about we decide by playing rock-paper-scissors?" Ryusei looked at Gon and made the suggestion, trying to sound casual.
Ryusei knew very well that Gon was exceptionally talented at rock-paper-scissors. This was mainly due to Gon's phenomenal dynamic vision and nerve reflexes, which allowed him to clearly see the minute changes in his opponent's hand gesture at the very moment they threw their punch.
This let him instantly decide whether to play rock, paper, or scissors. Ryusei didn't possess Gon's innate physical advantages, but he figured that if he used deliberate feints and misdirections, he could easily confuse Gon during the game. Thus, even though Gon was skilled, Ryusei believed his own winning rate was not low.
"Rock-paper-scissors!" Gon's face immediately lit up with joy, for he was quite confident in his skill. However, Gon immediately shook his head. "No, I'm really good at rock-paper-scissors."
He wanted a fairer competition with Ryusei. If he agreed to Ryusei's request, he felt he would be taking too much advantage of the situation. After considering it, Gon naturally declined.
"…!" Ryusei stared at Gon, speechless. He simply could not fathom Gon's thought process; the boy was refusing a perfectly good deal. Though, if Gon agreed, I would most likely be the one benefiting. But Gon doesn't know that!
The other examinees nearby, including Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika, didn't seem to care much about the discussion. Although Gon had told them before that he was very good at rock-paper-scissors, having never witnessed the true extent of his ability, they weren't sure what Gon's "expertise" entailed. They didn't react strongly to his rejection.
Ryusei took a deep breath, calming himself down. It had to be said that Gon was quite willful, but the boy also had his own strict sense of fair play and principles. In comparison, my attempt to scheme against Gon was rather despicable, Ryusei admitted internally.
"In that case, let's decide with dice," Ryusei proposed instead. "The player with the higher score wins. It all depends on luck; whoever is lucky wins." Ryusei looked at Gon very seriously, putting the outcome entirely down to fate.
After considering it for a moment, Gon nodded. "Using dice? Sure."
A consensus was reached. Ryusei looked at the referee, Mahtah. "There should be dice here, right?" As the venue was a hotel run by the Hunter Association, it was natural to assume they would have entertainment items on hand. Mahtah quickly gave an affirmative answer.
Soon after, someone brought over two dice and two dice cups. Ryusei and Gon each took a cup and a pair of dice. After shaking the cups vigorously, they placed them down in front of them.
"I'll go first," Gon declared, immediately lifting his dice cup. Everyone looked and saw the two dice—the numbers one and one were facing upwards. A score of two.
"How so!" Gon didn't look too good. Based on this low score, he had a very high chance of losing!
However, Ryusei was not about to celebrate. He knew exactly what was about to happen. He lifted his dice cup. The dice underneath looked like they only showed a tiny bit of red on their faces. Ryusei sighed, quite helpless. As expected, I can't compete with the protagonist's luck.
He spoke very decisively. "I concede." He then waved a hand and left the field.
Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika ran to Gon's side, all very happy and cheering.
"Congratulations, Gon! Now you can become a Hunter!"
"That's great, Gon! You won!"
Although Ryusei was preparing for his second match, the next contest was the first game of the second group: Hisoka versus Kurapika.
The battle did not last long. After subtly testing Kurapika's strength and measuring his potential, Hisoka readily admitted defeat, grinning maniacally.
Then it was Ryusei's turn to take the stage. His next opponent was Hanzo.
"I know you are very strong, Hanzo," Ryusei stated, walking onto the platform. "So, I would like to ask you to teach me some combat techniques. Correspondingly, I will also choose to admit defeat very decisively." Ryusei looked at Hanzo very sincerely.
He knew he couldn't beat Hanzo. It would be better to learn useful combat skills than suffer a painful loss. Of course, if Hanzo disagreed, Ryusei wouldn't mind putting up a fight. And if he really did use his ability to manipulate flames, Hanzo would find it extremely difficult to take him down.
"Want me to teach you combat techniques?" Hanzo hesitated for a moment, studying Ryusei intently, before nodding. "Can."
Although Ryusei had admitted he was inferior, Hanzo still sensed a faint but distinct threat from him, a hidden power that suggested Ryusei was not without strength. If a real fight broke out, Ryusei might actually have a chance of winning through unexpected means. Therefore, it would be beneficial to agree to Ryusei's request and spar with him briefly, assessing his abilities without the risk of disqualification.
Since Hanzo agreed, Ryusei naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony. They engaged in a focused, low-intensity spar for over an hour. Ryusei could feel the improvement in his own combat skills, gaining practical experience against a superior martial artist. He originally wanted to continue, but since it was already lunchtime, Ryusei chose to stop and formally admit defeat.
After lunch, the second session of the second group began: Hisoka vs. Bodoro.
After watching the one-sided fight between the two, Ryusei realized that he had somewhat overestimated his own progress. If he had faced Bodoro earlier, without relying on his ability to manipulate fire, he might not necessarily have been able to defeat Bodoro.
This was normal; although Bodoro's talent might not be the greatest, he had decades of cultivation. His combat experience and skills were seasoned and sharp. Unfortunately, Bodoro was still far behind Hisoka.
The battle was completely one-sided, yet Bodoro's determination to become a Hunter remained strong; he was unwilling to admit defeat, even under relentless pressure. The fact that he couldn't kill anyone made Hisoka extremely frustrated. In the end, Hisoka said something cryptic to Bodoro—a promise or a threat—only then did Bodoro finally give up resisting and concede defeat.
After Hisoka and Bodoro's battle, it was naturally time for Ryusei to make his appearance again. His third match was against Illumi (Gittarackur).
Seeing the pin-laden disguise of Gittarackur, Ryusei was ready to immediately admit defeat.
However, before Ryusei could even speak, Gittarackur stiffly announced, "I surrender!"
For Gittarackur, the only candidate whose strength was truly worthy of his attention was Hisoka. Since Hisoka had already won, Gittarackur could win whenever he chose to. Given the situation, he naturally wanted to face Killua next. There were important things he needed to say to his brother in person.
Hearing Gittarackur admit defeat, Ryusei's face lit up with joy. Now he wouldn't have to face Killua either! He had only played two brief matches, lost one, and passed the test thanks to Gittarackur's concession. Ryusei quickly guessed why Gittarackur had conceded, knowing the assassin wanted to speak with Killua.