Akira stared at the seemingly petrified Hisoka, his eyes filled with a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine. Hisoka remained silent... It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but he simply couldn't!
After a moment, Akira had Tyranitar retract its killing intent, and calmness returned. Hisoka face relaxed and he began to breathe heavily, as if he had just been drowning.
The people around them had no idea what had just happened. Only Illumi, who was shaking his head with a "click-clack," seemed to sense something, glancing at the gasping Hisoka.
Once he had recovered, Hisoka gave Akira, who remained expressionless, a deep look, his eyes filled with wariness. He then got up, intending to move to a different spot.
He didn't want to stay near Akira anymore...
While Hisoka was indeed a battle maniac, he had a keen sense of estimating others' strength. His assessment was usually spot-on. When faced with someone far stronger than himself, he wouldn't foolishly challenge them to a fight.
Instead, he would continue to train hard, waiting until he had grown enough before challenging them again. What Hisoka hated the most were one-sided battles. And by one-sided, he meant both for his opponent and for himself!
Just from that killing intent earlier, Hisoka could tell that Akira strength was immense, perhaps even the strongest he had ever encountered!
Glancing at the hastily departing Hisoka, Akira slowly closed his eyes to rest. He had no fondness for freaks like Hisoka, and this time he let it slide. But if Hisoka bothered him again in the future, it wouldn't end with just a simple scare!
As Hisoka twisted his waist and walked away, a hint of excitement was hidden beneath his wary gaze. His originally pale face inexplicably flushed with an eerie redness, making his already striking makeup even more horrifying!
His body began to tremble again, but unlike the earlier fear-induced shivers, this time it was from excitement!
Although he was far from matching Akira prowess at the moment, he was determined to train even harder, until one day he could face him in direct combat!
As this thought crossed his mind, Hisoka suddenly felt a damp sensation on the back of his neck. He reached up to touch it. A few drops of water.
"Is it raining?"
Staring at his slightly wet fingertips, Hisoka murmured to himself. Then it struck him—he was in a sealed underground tunnel. Rain was impossible here.
"Was it sweat...?"
"I'm... sweating?"
...
"Ding dong!"
Not long after, a crisp sound echoed from the direction of the elevator. It signaled the arrival of new examinees. The elevator doors slid open, revealing three figures inside. One was dressed in a suit, wearing small glasses that made him look like an old man. Despite his young age, he appeared quite mature, carrying a briefcase as if he were an office worker.
The second was younger, clad in green sportswear, with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a long fishing rod sticking out from it. What stood out most was his spiky black hair, resembling a sea urchin or a hedgehog.
The last of the three was the most striking in appearance, with short, bright golden hair and a robe adorned with intricate, unknown patterns. It was said to be the traditional attire of the Kurta clan.
These three were none other than the main protagonists—Leorio, Gon, and Kurapika!
"The atmosphere feels a bit strange, doesn't it?" Leorio slung his briefcase over his shoulder, speaking with a hint of seriousness.
After the three of them received their number tags from the examiner, a seemingly amiable voice chimed in from the side.
"Hey, new faces, huh? You must be this year's rookies, right?"
"How can you tell?" Gon youthful face showed a trace of confusion as he asked.
"Well, I've taken the Hunter Exam 35 times already." Tonpa jumped down from the wall, putting on an innocent expression as he spoke.
"35 times!"
The trio exclaimed in unison, startled by Tonpa casual remark.
Meanwhile, Akira, who had been resting against the wall, noticed the commotion. A faint smile played on his lips as he walked over.
"By the way, here's a little welcome gift. Care for a drink?" Tonpa offered the drinks with a friendly demeanor, but inwardly, he was smirking.
He had laced them with a potent laxative. Once consumed, the trio would be in no condition to continue the exam! This was the origin of his infamous nickname—the "Rookie Crusher"!
Gon opened the drink and took a whiff. A faint, almost imperceptible odor of decay hit his nose.
"Mr. Tonpa, this seems to be expired, doesn't it?" Gon words startled Leorio, who immediately spat out the juice he had been about to swallow.
"Huh? Really? I almost drank it!"
Kurapika, the most cautious of the three, had no intention of drinking it in the first place. He opened the bottle and poured the juice onto the ground.
"How odd. I must have made a mistake." Tonpa chuckled awkwardly, though inwardly, he was in disbelief.
The laxative was supposed to be odorless and tasteless!
"Mind giving me a bottle of that laxative juice, Rookie Crusher—Tonpa?" Akira approached with a grin, his words sending a chill down Tonpa spine.
Seeing the suspicious looks from Gon and the others, Tonpa awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
In the next moment, he quickly slipped away into the crowd. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared without a trace.
Akira stood in place, watching with great interest as Tonpa fled in panic.
In fact, Tonpa had never fully revealed his strength, it must be said that Tonpa was quite talented. Especially in terms of danger perception, among ordinary people who hadn't learned Nen, he could be considered a master.
Not just anyone could have safely participated in a total of 35 Hunter Exams!
It's worth noting that the Hunter Exam has a high elimination rate, with death accounting for a significant portion.
From this, one could see how extraordinary Tonpa was.