Adultrio

chapter 3

As we came out of the tunnel, I blinked in the bright sunlight. We were surrounded by tall trees in a thick forest. The air smelled fresh, like dirt and trees. It felt like we were in a magical place.

Kurapika walked alongside me, with Leorio keeping pace as well. Speaking of Leorio, I was surprised when he mentioned earlier that he was a teenager like us. I had thought he was in his mid-30s.

"Hey," Kurapika greeted. He took a water bag from his handbag and lent it to me, asking if I wanted one.

I shook my head in response. He shrugged and then took a sip of his water.

"Oi! Why did you only ask (y/n)? I'm the one who needs the water more!" Leorio bickered, irk forming on his forehead.

Kurapika just clicked his tongue but still gave the water to Leorio.

I slyly chuckled because of that. They look entertaining and cute for some reason.

We waited several minutes until some participants caught up with us.

Satotz spun around to face us, his hands clasped behind his back. He cleared his throat to grab our attention. "We've only completed half of the first phase. The second phase awaits us at the end of this forest. I'll continue to lead, but I advise sticking close to me. There are many dangerous creatures in these woods, some of which prey on humans. Keep your reflexes sharp."

Great! Now we need to run again... and there's a bonus! Creatures will join us.

Satotz turned to leave, but someone yelled, "Wait!" We all looked to see an injured guy kneeling on the ground, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at us and said, "That's not the real examiner! I am!"

I furrowed my brow and glanced at Satotz, studying his expression. He remained standing, his face showing no emotion, seemingly unfazed by the claim of the other examiner.

I turned my attention back to the injured 'examiner.' He rose to his feet and held up the monkey that looks exactly like Satotz. "He's a fake! Just like this monkey! A creature that can change its appearance!"

Something was off... An examiner is supposed to be a skilled hunter, strong and capable. This one seemed fake.  Plus, his explanation had a flaw. Can you imagine a hunter getting hurt by a small monkey? It just doesn't make sense.

The people's faces showed confusion and surprise. They didn't know what to do, so they gasped. Then, they began to doubt Satotz.

I faced palm. Yup, of course, they would buy his stupid reasoning.

All of a sudden, the fake guy dropped to the ground, and a bunch of cards stuck into his head. Satotz quickly grabbed them with his fingers before they fell everywhere.

The clown let out a chuckle, drawing our attention towards him. "Any hunter could easily dodge that attack. Therefore, you must be the real examiner," he declared with a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

My eyes widened slyly, not because of his attempt to attack Satotz, but because of his cunning insight. I hadn't realized he was this sharp-minded.

Satotz handed back the card to the clown and proceeded to give him a lecture about the consequences of attacking an examiner.

When he turned around, everyone started to run. The four of us looked at each other and followed Satotz too. Soon, I noticed the fog got thicker, and I couldn't see the other participants.

We decided to get closer to Satotz but got drifted apart from Gon and Killua.

"They are nowhere to see," I murmured, just loud enough for them to catch.