Hunter x Hunter: Card Master, the Strongest in the World.

On the snow-capped mountain.

A large group of people ran down the hillside.

That's right, run.

At this moment, the examinees are following Doris as they run down the second snow mountain and head towards the even more magnificent third snow mountain ahead.

Doris increased her speed by one section, from jogging to running at a relatively fast pace, afraid of not being able to shake them off, thus successfully increasing the difficulty of the race.

The candidates began to fall behind, with some dropping out of the exam for various reasons.

Snow-capped mountains are inherently dangerous, with accidents occurring frequently, such as avalanches, landslides, attacks by wild animals, falls, and so on.

"what!"

Martial artist Baudelaire unfortunately stepped on what appeared to be a solid layer of snow, only to find that it was hollow underneath. He fell into an unknown depth of ice and disappeared.

Lynn, who was nearby, saw this and realized that the old man was about to stop there.

I vaguely remember Baudelaire saying that he was eliminated in the first round of this episode, and that's probably how he was eliminated.

The original large group also changed due to Doris's speed. The distribution of more than 300 candidates was stretched and dispersed, with each person maintaining a considerable distance from the others, like stars scattered across the white snow.

They can be divided into three tiers based on distance.

The first tier closely follows Doris, and consists of the strongest group of people.

The second tier maintains a certain distance from the first tier, but is able to keep up with the progress and not fall behind.

The third group performed poorly, with most falling behind and forced to grit their teeth and follow the main group's footsteps and fixed direction.

But at this point, they start to fall behind and will definitely not be able to catch up later.

Lynn, on the other hand, remained in the second tier, neither rising nor falling.

So far, the first round of exams is simply climbing a snow-capped mountain. However, the combination of the inherent difficulty and the unknown end point puts pressure on the candidates both physically and mentally.

There are also minor issues, such as the snow-covered mountain environment and terrain, and many people have had accidents like Baudelaire.

Time is very tight.

After most people descended from the second snow mountain and traversed a relatively flat stretch of road, they were forced to begin climbing the third snow mountain, causing the gap between the groups to widen.

As a result, the number of people falling behind also increased.

"Hehehe..." The bald freshman Piez panted heavily, looking exhausted, his body already close to its limit.

My legs felt as heavy as lead, almost numb. I was dizzy and the dizziness kept coming back, getting worse over time. My chest heaved up and down like a blower.

As far as the eye could see, the scene began to distort, flickering between light and darkness.

Damn!

Why haven't we reached the finish line yet?! What is that guy doing?!

Piez cursed inwardly, but that was all he could do... He no longer had the strength to speak, and was only using the last bit of his willpower to keep pushing his body to its limits.

Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred.

As he stepped out with his left foot, his calf seemed to be tripped by something, and his upper body involuntarily leaned forward, causing him to fall heavily onto the snow with a thud, the biting cold spreading throughout his body.

This somewhat brought him back to his senses, and he struggled to get up.

Then a large shadow enveloped him.

Three figures stood in front of him, their smiles malicious.

"Kid, you seemed pretty arrogant just now?" The eldest brother, Amos, grinned maliciously, counting on his fingers, before punching Piers to the ground.

"Hahaha, this guy is a complete waste," the second brother, Omos, said without any politeness, kicking Piers as he mocked him. "He actually dares to look down on us seniors?"

"Today I'll show you what it means to respect your elders!"

For a time, Piez was surrounded by the three Amos brothers and was punched and kicked for a while before they stopped, exhaling more than inhaling.

In the deep mountains, amidst the freezing cold, with his physical exhaustion and severe injuries, death was only a matter of time.

"Hey, you've had a tough time." Dongba walked over with a simple and honest smile on his face, but when he saw Piers lying on the ground, a wicked smile flashed across his face.

"This is the agreed-upon payment." Dongba took out a few banknotes and handed them over.

"Haha, it's a pleasure to work with you." The eldest brother, Amos, casually accepted it... They had worked with the Tonpa more than once or twice before.

The Dongba do this for one purpose: to satisfy their own desires.

Whenever he sees those ambitious and aspiring new students, he longs to see what it will be like when their dreams are shattered.

For this reason, he often spends money to collaborate with the Amos brothers.

As expected, another unexpected event has occurred.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

Dongba wanted to say something more, but he heard a heavy sound coming from not far away, accompanied by the trembling of the snow.

At that moment, countless people turned to look in the direction of the commotion.

On the hillside, a sparse grove of trees was on the right-hand side of the main group's route. A dozen or so wild red-haired boars rushed out, their feet churning up snowy waves... it was they who made the commotion.

Ahead of the red-haired pig were several candidates frantically fleeing. They deliberately lured the wild beast this way, not simply to frame others, but because they knew they couldn't outrun the red-haired pig. They had no choice but to lead it to a crowded area so they could escape in the chaos!

They had simply wandered into the woods and disturbed the hibernating red pigs, which angered them.

The Cruz Mountains cover a vast area, but less than half of it is primarily inhabited by humans.

The other half is almost uninhabited, with treacherous terrain and abundant wild animals, making it extremely dangerous... They are currently in an uninhabited area.

The domesticated red-haired pigs are docile because they have been selected and bred over many generations. Wild red-haired pigs are extremely rare and are the ones that were rejected. They are often irritable, fond of fighting, and hostile to all kinds of creatures.

Worse still, the disaster was far from over.

The simultaneous movement of more than a dozen large and robust wild red-haired boars created an immeasurable chain reaction, causing the snow layer on the mountain to shake violently, making it seem as if the entire hillside was swaying.

"No way?" In the crowd, a girl named Peng Si's pupils suddenly contracted, she swayed and quickly stopped, screaming, "Avalanche!"

An avalanche is coming!

After a moment of stunned silence, countless candidates felt a chill run down their spines, as a dense coldness surged from their heels up their backs to their heads.

Are you kidding me!

An avalanche of this scale can be fatal!

There is only one way to avoid an avalanche: take advantage of this short time to descend the mountain.

but……

The examiner, Doris, seemed oblivious to the avalanche, continuing to run upwards without changing her speed at all.

Is this woman insane? Facing an avalanche, instead of trying to escape, she's heading straight for it? This suicidal act has stunned many people.

But at this moment, they also have to face a difficult choice.

Avoiding the avalanche—survival—but there's not enough time, so give up the exam.

Advance at all costs—continue, but with a slim chance of survival, it's extremely dangerous.

Is it better to live or to take the exam? This isn't a difficult question to answer.

In the blink of an eye, both the first and second groups of candidates made their choices. Some ran to the sides or took other measures, unwilling to give up the exam.

The other group ran down the mountain, essentially giving up on the exam.

The brutality of the Hunter Exam is vividly displayed; accidents often happen unexpectedly, and life and death hang in the balance.

Having witnessed the Hunter Exams, one is constantly tested on their choices. At crucial moments, different choices will lead people to different futures.