Chapter 35 – Basic Operations
They really moved.
They actually made way for him.
A clear path opened right through the middle of the tunnel.
And this wasn't one of those "repeat three times for dramatic effect" kind of things.
No—this was repeated three times because it was unbelievable.
Who on earth would believe that a single sentence could make hundreds of examinees step aside in the middle of the Hunter Exam?
Kurapika, Leorio, Killua, and Tonpa—all of them stared blankly, jaws half-open. Gon was the only one whose eyes shone with pure faith.
"Wait, hang on—are my eyes playing tricks on me?" Leorio rubbed them hard, turning to Kurapika. "Tell me I'm not hallucinating."
Even after everything he'd seen Osren do—calming a sea god, training a rhino, pulling miracles out of thin air—Leorio still felt this was too much. Maybe he had been too tired lately. Maybe the crowd was collectively hypnotized. Because otherwise, how else could you explain a corridor full of elite candidates politely stepping aside for a kid?
He shook his head slowly. "This can't be real… what the hell just happened?"
"Why… why would they listen?" Kurapika murmured, utterly baffled. He knew Osren was strange, sure, but this level of bizarre defied logic itself. This wasn't convincing one or two people—this was influencing an entire group, and during a high-stakes competition no less.
He found himself studying Osren again. Calm expression, steady breathing, not a trace of surprise—as if this kind of miracle was just part of his daily routine. Kurapika felt an itch of curiosity stronger than ever. He wanted to dissect that composure, to see what lay behind it.
"Osren did it! He really did it!" Gon cheered, dashing forward through the middle of the path.
Tonpa's grin froze. "Heh… the kid may be dumb, but… that's actually terrifying. Better keep my distance from this one."
But no amount of caution could change what was already written in fate.
Leorio wouldn't fall for Tonpa's tricks this time. Tonpa's satisfaction as a "rookie crusher" was about to be shattered—and his thirty-sixth failure was already guaranteed.
The only mystery left was when Osren would completely blow his cover.
Killua, meanwhile, watched with visible intrigue.
As a Zoldyck heir, he'd been stronger, faster, and smarter than his peers for as long as he could remember. But this…
This was something even he couldn't do.
To make a crowd move just because you asked? That wasn't power. That was… presence.
Killua grinned slightly, eyes flicking with interest. "Now that's… interesting."
At the front, Osren glanced at the space now open before them—wide enough for two people to run side by side. Perfect.
He nodded in satisfaction, and when he caught Leorio's dumbfounded face, the smugness bubbling inside him nearly overflowed.
"Just basic operations," he thought smugly. "Please, sit down. Class dismissed."
"Gon, Kurapika, Leorio—and you too, Tonpa—let's move. Opportunities like this don't come twice!" Osren called, taking the lead and sprinting forward until they were right behind Examiner Satotz.
"This one… has quite an unusual ability," Satotz noted quietly, a hint of intrigue flickering in his eyes.
Hisoka, running further back, smirked faintly. "Interesting. Could he be… a fresh apple?"
For a moment, he considered following. But after a breath of thought, his grin softened into disinterest. "Nah… strange ability, sure. But not worth my time. I should go find a few better fruits to cultivate."
Apparently, even Hisoka had his off days as a "fruit farmer." Too many bad harvests could dull the thrill.
Osren caught a glimpse of Hisoka, saw no reaction—and finally exhaled in relief.
Good. He's ignoring me.
"Honestly," he muttered to himself, "if I fought Hisoka right now, I'd be paste. Someday, though… maybe not."
The thought lit a spark in his eyes—a quiet, fierce determination. The first step toward getting stronger started here, with the Hunter Exam.
By now, Osren and his group had firmly taken the lead. Since the marathon had only just begun, keeping the advantage was easy enough for now.
Three hours of steady running later, the group still pushed through the dim underground tunnel. For Osren, it was well within his limits; even with his "Face Fruit" ability, his physical training had paid off.
"Osren, I gotta hand it to you," Leorio said between breaths. "You make the impossible look easy."
Traveling with Osren was like living in a constant rollercoaster of surprises. But if nothing else, life around him was never boring—and the Hunter Exam had already proved worth it.
"Truly incredible," Kurapika admitted, feeling a rare surge of respect. Whatever Osren's methods were, they worked—and they'd all benefited from them.
Osren just shrugged with a small, satisfied smile. Inside, though, he was giddy.
This was the first time he'd used the Face Fruit on such a large crowd, and it had worked flawlessly.
"All that prep was worth it," he thought, lips curling upward. "And now I know… there's no limit to how many people I can influence."
Which meant…
If he ever managed to get the entire continent to eat something he made, Osren could literally shake the world with a single word.
"Maybe I should start a charity," he mused. "You know, feed the people. Do some good, build reputation—and collect all that 'face credit' while I'm at it."
Like the soup kitchens of old, but modernized for the Hunter world.
Two birds. One stone.
The tunnel echoed with rhythmic footsteps—thump, thump, thump.
No one was speaking now. Just the sound of synchronized breathing and shoes striking the ground, growing heavier and louder with every minute.
The real test had begun.
One hour later—
"How long have we been running, Osren?" Gon finally asked, still full of energy but clearly curious.
"An hour," Osren replied after a glance at his wristwatch.
He'd actually bought that watch just for this exam. It hadn't been cheap, and remembering how light his wallet felt afterward, he silently vowed to start thinking more seriously about earning money. Ending up broke like Leorio? No, thank you.
"This test is so weird," Gon muttered.
"No," Kurapika corrected calmly. "It's a perfect way to test endurance. And…"
"You've noticed it too, haven't you, Kurapika?" Osren said with a knowing smile.
"Huh? Noticed what?" Gon asked, puzzled.
"Think about it," Osren explained patiently. "We don't know where we're going, or how long we'll have to keep running. We just know we can't stop. That uncertainty… it's a heavy psychological strain. So this test doesn't just measure stamina—it tests your mental resilience too."
Kurapika nodded. "Exactly."
"That's amazing!" Gon said, eyes sparkling with excitement rather than fear.
Leorio, wiping sweat from his brow, clenched his fists. "Fine by me! Whatever the destination, I'll keep running until we get there."
His voice was steady with conviction. He was doing this for his dream—to become a doctor, to one day treat the child who'd once died in front of him because of poverty and lack of medicine. For that, he'd push his body past its limits.
Time trickled by. Minute after minute, breath after breath.
Some of the candidates, convinced they must be close to the goal by now, suddenly began sprinting forward with renewed energy, desperate to reach the end.
Gon tensed, his instincts firing up. "They're speeding up! Should we—?"
"Hold it," Osren said calmly. "This is just the beginning. Keep your pace steady. Don't lose sight of the examiner—that's all that matters."
Gon blinked, then nodded with a grin. "Got it!"
Their synchronized footsteps echoed through the endless tunnel—steady, unhurried, confident.
The first hour of the Hunter Exam had only just begun.