Hunter: I became stronger even after I died.

Chapter 288 Let's be patient a little longer.
The paper life figure trembled violently, with unusually strong amplitude.

This indicates that the target is very close.

Hisoka stared at the paper figure's reaction, momentarily lost in thought.

When he came to his senses, a look of obvious surprise appeared on his tear-streaked face.

When he learned about the ability system from Kurt, he was still hesitant about whether he should give up observing these unripe fruits and go directly to find Moro instead.

But he never expected that the Moro he had been searching for was actually within reach.

If Hisoka's emotional change at this moment was one of surprise mixed with a sense of unreality.

Kurt was simply pleasantly surprised.

Moro...

Is it nearby?

Did he also come to participate in the Hunter Exam?

A surge of joy welled up in Kurt's heart, but it was quickly replaced by doubt.

Although the candidates in the first round were crammed together in the underground passage, given Morrow's keen senses, he couldn't possibly have missed them if he were present.

Unless Moro arrived at the underground passage at the last minute of the test, or happened to be in the Shimeile Wetland?
The reason is no longer important.

The important thing is that I can see Moro.

Kurt slowly raised the life paper figure and looked in a certain direction, following its guidance.

Hisoka, too, looked expectantly in the same direction.

"It's very close by."

With that thought in mind, he prepared to set off to find Moro.

Just then, the already thinning fog dissipated without warning, revealing a vast expanse of grassland.

This is the only way to cross the Shimeile Wetland to reach the Biscayne Forest examination site.

Because of its open view, it can be considered one of the few safe areas in this dangerous wetland.

As the fog dissipated, a running figure came into view at the edge of the gradually clearing horizon.

From this distance, you can see that the figure has a number tag pinned to its chest, indicating that it is a candidate for the Hunter Exam, just like the others.

The life-paper figures' reactions basically locked onto that figure, but...

Kurt and Hisoka recognized the figure's appearance and build. Not only were the builds different, but the face with heavy dark circles under the eyes, looking like someone who hadn't slept, was definitely not Moro.

"what?"

Kurt was stunned for a moment, then made a confused sound.

Hisoka glanced at Kurt's reaction.

He didn't have a deep understanding of the mechanism and effects of the life paper figure, and he was even less clear about the exact relationship between the amplitude and distance of the tremors.

However, judging from Kurt's reaction, the distance that the paper figure located was the location of the examinee.

That is,

Although his appearance and physique were nothing like Moro's, the examinee was indeed Moro.

Hisoka confirmed this information, then suddenly released Killua's neck, his golden pupils flashing with a terrifying light.

"Ah."

A powerful, tangible aura erupted from Hisoka, creating visible air currents.

This sudden surge of energy, like his flexible love, precisely adhered to the examinee in the distance.

The aftershocks of the aura swept outwards.

Leorio, already injured, could no longer withstand the overwhelming pressure and completely lost consciousness.

Killua and Gon were struck dumb, their pupils trembling violently, their bodies frozen in place uncontrollably.

But Hisoka had no interest in paying attention to the reactions of the unripe Devil Fruits at this moment.

His vigorous and energetic aura revealed a hunger and a thirst for more from beginning to end.

Kurt was very close to Hisoka. After sensing the distorted emotions contained in the aura, he suddenly moved seven or eight meters away like a frightened kitten, and then cast a disgusted look at Hisoka without any attempt to hide it.

Damn pervert!
far away.

Moro was caught off guard by Hisoka's aura and stopped abruptly.

He looked up and saw corpses lying haphazardly on the grass, Leorio who had lost consciousness, Gon and Killua with terrified expressions, and Hisoka who looked extremely thirsty.

At last,
His gaze fell on Kurt.

Upon seeing the paper life figure, Moro was slightly enlightened, then felt somewhat helpless.

He remembered that before Kurt's life paper figure could be made, the right materials had to be prepared.

The key is that Kurt needs to continuously inject his psychic power into the material during this step.

Moreover, the higher the strength of the target object, the longer the time required.

This is actually a very common phenomenon resulting from the abilities of users with manipulation skills.

For example, Illumi's special Nen needles, or some more common items such as mobile phones and game controllers.

If a user wants to integrate these real-world objects into their ability system, they must infuse them with Nen that has manipulative properties, or they need to nurture them with Nen over a long period of time.

Illumi's Nen needles are like this, and so is Kal't's Life Paper Doll.

Therefore, after seeing his life paper doll, Morrow guessed that Kal't must have been carrying the compatible material that had already been infused with Nen, but had not completed the final step.

Given Kurt's personality, if someone were to make a life paper figure, they would definitely get his permission first.

Now that the Life Paper Doll has suddenly appeared, Moro knows without a doubt that Hisoka must have used Killua to threaten Kalluto.

but……

It was somewhat unexpected for Morrow to encounter Killua and Kalluto here.

According to the original storyline, Killua should have allowed Gon to go back and find Leorio and Kurapika on his own during this test.

But the situation is completely different now.

Could it be that Hisoka has set his sights on Killua and Kalluto, while Gon and Leorio have turned back to support them?

Little did Morrow know that it was precisely his friendship with Killua that made Killua envious, thus making him value his interactions with Gon even more than in the original story.

"Kurt's life paper figure pointed it out; there's no way to hide it anymore."

Sensing the aura emanating from Hisoka, Moro lowered his eyes, pondering how to handle the situation.

If Hisoka insists on making him fulfill his previous agreement here, then things will get complicated.

If circumstances allow, he hopes to obtain his hunter's license this year; otherwise, he will have to wait another year.

Just as Morro was pondering, Hisoka could no longer contain himself.

Despite seeing an unfamiliar face and crude, clumsy entanglement, they remained completely unmoved by his aura...

This alone was enough to convince Hisoka that the person wearing number 502 was definitely Moro, whom he had been waiting for for a year.

one Year.

Do you know how I've spent the past year?
Hisoka's manifested energy was like fire meeting water, boiling and surging wildly.

next moment,
Hisoka ran wildly toward Moro.

That kind of aura already indicated that they intended to skip the meaningless process of confirming identities and even the conversation.

Right now, we love each other (and hurt each other)!
His ferocious demeanor caused Killua and Gon to suffer an even stronger mental shock, and even Killua, who had been practicing for many years, lost control of his expression.

Moro, who was at the forefront of the attack, showed no reaction whatsoever, simply watching Hisoka charge towards him with a calm gaze.

Swish!
Hisoka raised his arm, slicing through the air with the playing card between his fingers, but could only stop in front of Moro's neck, unable to advance even an inch further.

It wasn't that the attack was blocked.

But because——

Moro had no intention of fighting back and continued to maintain that crude and clumsy entanglement.

Hisoka's seemingly resigned attitude instantly extinguished his passion.

He stared intently at the unfamiliar face so close to his own, as if to say: "Where's the reaction? Give me some kind of reaction!"
The two just stared at each other.

Hisoka is on the verge of losing his temper.

Moro remained calm and deactivated his disguise ability. His facial muscles contorted for a moment before visibly returning to their original appearance.

"Hisoka, if you want to enjoy yourself, then just bear with it a little longer. You won't have to wait too long."

"What if I disagree?"

Hisoka did not take back the playing cards. Although Moro had dampened his enthusiasm, his fighting spirit remained high.

Moro said calmly, "Then you shouldn't have stopped in the first place."

After saying that, Moro ignored Hisoka's reaction, turned his head to look past the playing card, and walked towards Kurt in the distance.

Hisoka kept holding the playing cards up until Moro had walked a few meters away, then listlessly put the cards away. It was too painful.

I've never felt so bad before.

but……

The patience we must have now is all for the sake of fighting more intensely later.

Deeply disappointed, Hisoka could only console himself with this thought.

Although he had a fleeting urge to attack, he couldn't sense Moro's fighting spirit.

A forced relationship will never be sweet.

We can only do as Moro said and bear with it a little longer.

Hisoka suddenly turned to the side, staring intently at Moro's back.

Moro could clearly feel the burning gaze coming from behind him, and knew in his heart that he couldn't keep Hisoka hanging for long.

However, what he just said wasn't just to appease Hisoka.

But for him, passing the first test is more important now.

On his way to Kalluto, Morrow glanced at Killua and Gon, who looked dazed, out of the corner of his eye.

Hisoka probably held it in for too long, so he wasn't as restrained as in the original story, which resulted in Killua and Gon suffering an excessive mental shock.

If someone had a weak will, they would probably have been scared out of their wits long ago.

Ok?
its not right.

Moro suddenly realized something.

Killua has no knowledge of "Nen" now because Illumi's Nen needles have altered his memories.

But if the Nen needles have already failed, then Killua shouldn't have reacted this way, given his knowledge of the Nen system.
Could it be... that the Nen needle was also affected by Illumi's lingering thoughts after death?

However, I did not sense any trace of death.

Was it because Illumi used "Invisibility" when he stuck the needle into Killua's head?
If the thought of death enhances the effect of "concealment".

Even if Killua learns Nen, he will probably never be able to remove the Nen needle on his own.

However, the Nen needles were created so that Killua could stay away from danger at any time.

It's not entirely a bad thing that the effects can be retained.

Moreover, to outsiders, as long as the needles are still working, it's as if Illumi is still "alive".

As his thoughts raced, Morrow approached Kurt.

Kurt didn't dare look at Morrow, and whispered with his head down, "I'm sorry, I didn't ask your permission..."

"This is such a trivial matter that it's not worth getting angry about."

Morrow interrupted Kurt's apology with a smile, and then reached out and gestured twice above Kurt's head.

"Yeah, you've grown quite a bit taller in the year I haven't seen you."

Before he could finish speaking, he couldn't help but gently pat Kurt's head.

Kurt habitually slapped Morrow's hand away.

"Don't always treat me like a child."

Although I was happy that Morrow wasn't angry about it, I still didn't want to let Morrow pat my head.

Moro saw Kurt's awkward reaction and a smile appeared in his eyes, but then he thought of what had happened today and slowly suppressed his smile.

"Kurt, there's not much time left for the first test, you guys go ahead."

"..."

Kurt hesitated for a moment, having a lot to say, but still obediently nodded.

Killua glanced at Moro, then lowered his head.

The moment Morrow appeared, Killua's panic subsided.

But the thought of turning around and running away made him feel particularly bad.

"elder brother."

Kurt's soft voice reached my ears.

Killua slowly came to his senses, looked up at Kalluto, forced a smile, and then turned his head to look at Gon.

Although Xiao Jie didn't know Moro, he keenly sensed that the crisis had been averted.

Just as Killua looked over, he also happened to look in Killua's direction.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

However, Killua quickly looked away as if he had been electrocuted.

Gon was stunned, not understanding why Killua would react this way, but there was no time to delve into it now.

"Killua, we need to hurry, or we'll miss the second test."

With that, Xiao Jie picked up the fishing rod and ran towards Leorio lying on the ground as fast as he could.

Seeing that Leorio wouldn't wake up anytime soon, Gon felt a sense of unease.

"Don't worry about him, someone will take care of it."

Moro's words came from behind.

Xiao Jie was slightly taken aback, then turned around and looked at Moro with a puzzled expression.

Moro didn't explain, but simply looked at Hisoka.

Seeing Moro's gaze, Hisoka looked a little listless and, under Gon's somewhat uneasy watchful eyes, hoisted Leorio onto his shoulder.

"Xiao Jie, come here quickly."

Killua forced himself to cheer up and called out to Gon.

Xiao Jie hesitated for a moment, then looked at Moro's gentle eyes.

"Thank you."

He thanked him, picked up Leorio's suitcase, and ran towards Killua.

Moro smiled and watched Gon and the others leave.

Gon, Killua, and Kalmod quickly ran out of the grassland and into the lush forest.

They had been separated from the group for too long, and there wasn't a single other candidate to be seen on the road.

But Xiao Jie, relying on his sense of smell, followed the various scents left along the way and found the right direction to the venue.

"Killua, thank you."

While running, Xiao Jie suddenly thanked him.

Killua paused for a moment, then subconsciously lowered his head and whispered, "Why are you thanking me...?"

"what?"

Suppressing the still-unsettled excitement in his heart, Gon smiled at Killua.

"Because you came back to help us."

"..."

Killua stared, speechless for a moment.

Xiao Jie turned his head to look at Kurt on the other side.

"And Kurt, thank you."

"No need."

Kurt said coldly, "I'm not doing this to help you."

Xiao Jie smiled broadly, seemingly unconcerned by Kurt's coldness.

He stared ahead, recalling his recent experience, and the tremor in his heart gradually grew stronger.

"Hiso... is really strong."

Xiao Jie murmured, "But I don't know why, I always feel that the other person is more powerful."

Killua lowered his eyes, looking slightly dazed, and remained silent.

But Kurt, abandoning his previous cold attitude, moved closer to Gon, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and said:

"Hmph, you have good taste. How could that bastard Hisoka possibly be a match for Moro?"

"Uh."

Xiao Jie was somewhat surprised by Kurt's change in attitude.

(End of this chapter)