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

The TX-3 was completely detonated.

The explosion's light covered the playground, and the shockwave spread outwards, tearing nearby trees and rubble into pieces.

Several nearby buildings were also affected; people inside could feel a very noticeable tremor, and a tremendous gale swept in all directions.

In the still of the night, the sudden noise echoed throughout the base.

In the slightly swaying monitoring room, Boots suddenly jumped up from his chair, his chin almost hitting the screen.

"What?!?"

He stared wide-eyed at the blinding white light on the screen, oblivious to the few more strands of hair falling from his hand.

bomb?

How could that be?

Before the exam began, he had cleared out all the firearms in the base, including guns, ammunition, etc. The only explosive items were the hand grenades in the hands of a few criminals.

But the scale of this explosion was clearly not something a grenade could cause... so it was brought in by the test taker?

playground.

A brief flash of white light left behind a scene that was completely unrecognizable.

Centered on the spot where Lynn had stood, the originally flat ground was blasted into a huge crater.

Smoke rose from the charred soil at the edges, and the air was filled with a scorching smell.

On the distant rooftop, Dongba shakily got up from the ground, instinctively picked up his binoculars, and saw the aftermath of the explosion on the playground, his face showing astonishment.

What exactly happened in that instant?

Why did it suddenly explode?

Dongba only remembered that Lynn inexplicably turned into an ice block, followed by a blinding light...

By the way, are those two still alive?

Thinking of this, Dongba quickly observed every corner, conducting a thorough search.

Just when he had given up hope, he saw a charred humanoid figure in a far corner of the playground.

Hisoka was lying on the ground, his once dashing red hair now singed into curls, his clown costume torn in large areas, revealing his charred skin underneath, his face covered in dust, and emitting a burnt smell.

That's not all; what's really serious is his right arm.

Because his right arm was frozen in ice at that moment, he didn't have time to use his psychic energy to defend himself when the explosion occurred, so it shattered, making him a one-armed hero.

The only good thing is that he's still alive... Hisoka slowly opened his eyes, frowned, sat up, and glanced at his missing right arm, his lips twitching.

This time they really messed up.

My entire right arm is gone. Even if we go to Machi, they can't reattach it. But we still have to try our best to find a way, even if it comes at a heavy price.

After all, for a magician, losing an arm is fatal.

"Cough cough—"

After a brief pause, Hisoka used his remaining left hand to perform [Lightweight Illusion], covering his chest and right arm with a layer of Nen, making it appear to others as if he had instantly recovered.

But it is actually fake; this is the effect of the "Flimsy Illusion," which uses psychic energy to create a false appearance.

Until he finds a way to regenerate his right arm, he can only make do with a flimsy disguise.

So… Hisoka stood up, walked step by step to the edge of the crater formed by the explosion, and stared at the scene in deep thought.

Because it's too strange.

Based on previous assessments, candidate number 300 is likely a Nen user with a focus on materialization, primarily using ice blocks of various shapes for attacks.

But then it was discovered that the reindeer was a Nen beast. So let's assume that this was the effect of the other party's Nen ability, but how do we explain the explosion?

The explosion just now clearly did not have any Nen fluctuations; it was more like some kind of high-powered bomb. So, was there a bomb inside that person's body?

He knew, of course, that suicide bombers were a common tactic used by terrorists, but he didn't think Number 300 was that kind of person.

So... that person had a violent temper at heart, believing that even if it meant mutual destruction, the enemy should not be allowed to have an easy time, so he kept bombs inside his body for a long time?

This explanation is barely acceptable.

The fact that the opponent sacrificed their life to release the ice before the explosion also proves this point; Nen ability is the most revealing thing about a person's personality.

Because the [Doppelganger] has no distance limit and has not shown any related characteristics.

Hisoka never imagined that Lynn was just a clone.

Even more unexpectedly, he had already been regarded as a rival by Lynn before the exam.

As for Lynn, who disappeared without leaving behind not a single fragment of the organization, Hisoka could easily accept that.

The person was frozen solid, and being at the epicenter of the explosion, they were naturally reduced to dust; there's no way to find them now.

The same was true of his right arm; not a single fragment remained.

In the original Fairy Tail manga, Absolute Freeze is very powerful, but Lynn's current strength is too low, and due to the puppet, the actual freeze she releases is not that powerful. She would still be destroyed by TX-3.

After pondering for a long time, Hisoka shook his head and turned to leave.

It must be said that this fruit did give him a pleasant surprise, but it was quite different from normal fruit... it was "poisonous".

He was poisoned without warning, and now they have to figure out how to repair his right arm.

With little interest, Hisoka naturally had no intention of continuing to participate in the Hunter Exam. His immediate priority was to find a place to heal his wounds and regenerate his limbs.

In the distance, seeing Hisoka suddenly return to normal, Tonpa's jaw dropped to the ground in astonishment. He had clearly seen Hisoka get badly injured in the explosion... This could not possibly be his hallucination!

How could a person emerge unharmed from an explosion at such close range?

Monster! Absolutely a monster!

Dongba squatted on the ground, his hands covering his head, his face filled with panic, his legs trembling with fear.

In his view, Lynn was already dead at Hisoka's hands, while Hisoka was completely unharmed, as if he could be resurrected. He was simply a demon from the story, who could never be killed.

Let's leave. This year's Hunter Exam is over... It's good enough to have made it to the third round. I'll continue to enjoy it next year.

……

"That was truly exhilarating. I'll probably never forget you, Hisoka."

Inside Youkexin's villa, Lynn stretched and sighed.

The battle just now was still fresh in my mind. Fighting someone of Hisoka's caliber was truly different; it was incredibly oppressive.

He originally wanted to take this opportunity to hone his skills, experience what it's like to fight against strong opponents, and increase his combat experience.

But reality isn't as rosy as you might imagine. Why would anyone practice moves with you? Even Hisoka doesn't treat everyone like that.

The gap between him and Hisoka was too great. Hisoka exerted one part of his strength while Hisoka exerted ten parts of his own, and Hisoka could not withstand the drain. That's why Hisoka's Nen was depleted after only a few rounds of fighting.

He could continue fighting, but to ensure the bomb's effectiveness, he needed to retain more than half of his Nen energy to unleash [Absolute Freeze].

Between persisting for a few more rounds and winning the card, he chose the more prudent option.

As it turned out, his plan was successful, and he received the generous reward he had hoped for.