HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

"I warned you," Cyr said, casually wagging his finger. His voice was light, but the undertone was unmistakably cold. "Stay away from me."

Clearly, the girl hadn't taken his words seriously, continually trying to get closer—or rather, to test him.

"I'm only here to get a Hunter's License. But if you keep interfering…"

The white-haired boy stood still, but the surrounding air began to churn. A fierce sandstorm spiraled around him.

To those proficient in Nen, the scene was even more striking. Dark blue energy swirled violently around his figure, writhing like a cluster of serpentine shadows.

It was a warning.

"Feel free to try. Let's see who ends up what." He tilted his head slightly, his icy blue eyes glinting under snow-white lashes. A grin spread across his face, sharp and wicked.

For a moment, even Biscuit found herself momentarily overwhelmed by the boy's imposing presence.

It was rare for her to feel this way. Only those stronger than her could invoke such a response.

But him? Stronger than her? Was that even possible?

Biscuit: …

"I get it. What an unlovable boy," Biscuit sighed, dropping her pretense of sweetness. Her expression shifted, showing a glimpse of her true, mature self.

There was no need to test him further. With his strength, passing the Hunter Exam would be trivial.

As for his character—lacking kindness, arrogant, self-centered, and domineering—well, those qualities weren't her responsibility to manage. Whether or not he truly succeeded would only be evident after obtaining his license. That was when the real trials began.

"Lovable? Like you?" Cyr's surroundings settled as the sandstorm faded. He lazily lifted his gaze, his piercing blue eyes scrutinizing the golden-haired girl before him.

Under the moonlight, his eyes gleamed even brighter than the celestial body itself.

"Exactly! Just like me—" Biscuit began cheerfully.

"Lovable for an old lady?" Cyr interrupted, his tone dripping with mockery.

Biscuit froze, the words she was about to say caught in her throat. Her hands clenched into fists.

She couldn't hold back. In a flash, she threw a punch, her speed so immense it left no trace.

But Cyr was faster.

"I knew it—you'd lose it the moment your age was exposed." He reappeared behind her in an instant, standing nonchalantly by the corpses of the desert beasts, wearing a smug, mischievous grin.

That look made him all the more infuriating.

"Let's get along peacefully from now on," he said, waving as he vanished again, reappearing near the caravan.

Biscuit, hands on her hips, kicked the sand in frustration. Despite her annoyance, the act seemed deliberately exaggerated.

As charming as the boy was, his insufferable personality couldn't compete with the appeal of a suave, high-emotional-intelligence adult male.

"Back to gem-hunting, then." She sighed, resigned.

—-—

Biscuit Krueger, a woman fiercely protective of her age, was no ordinary Hunter. A formidable Two-Star Stone Hunter, she had made remarkable contributions across multiple fields. Having once served as a Hunter Exam proctor, she now sought rare desert gems, taking the opportunity to test aspiring Hunters' skills along the way.

Rumors began spreading at an unknown time and from an unknown source:

In a vast desert lay a yet-undiscovered ruin, filled with countless treasures. It was said that 90% of the gangsters and bandits frequently seen in Gordeau Town were there solely for this legendary bounty.

Despite no one ever finding the so-called desert ruin, and doubts surfacing about whether the referenced desert was even the Gordeau Desert, people continued to arrive in droves.

For Biscuit, even unverified rumors like this were worth investigating.

After all, Hunters are the kind of people who would travel thousands of miles for a sliver of a lead.

"Looks like that brat will definitely secure a spot among this year's successful examinees. How many will pass this time?" Biscuit mused as she headed away from the caravan, moving in the opposite direction.

She had already assessed the potential of most candidates. Only that infuriating white-haired boy left a lasting impression.

His snowy hair and blue eyes could've made him as endearing as a cat, but the dark markings on his body lent him the aura of a white tiger. Both feline, sure—but the tiger was far more lethal and ferocious.

Putting that aside, though, full marks for aesthetics. Handsome. Seductive. Absolute top-tier material!

Biscuit covered the lower half of her face, her cheeks flushed as she giggled to herself.

—-—

Meanwhile, Cyr returned to the caravan, hauling back the two immobilized unfortunates from earlier.

Near the tents, several injured guards were being tended to by their comrades, who were treating wounds with limited supplies.

"Did you kill those beasts? Where's Lucy?" someone asked, glancing behind him, looking for the golden-haired girl.

"Ah, she probably wandered off on her own," Cyr replied nonchalantly, his tone dismissive.

His Six Eyes caught the fleeting, unsurprised expression on the caravan leader's face.

So, the leader did know the golden-haired woman. Her departure didn't faze him at all.

Definitely a character from the original story, Cyr concluded.

But he couldn't pinpoint her exact identity. After all, he'd only watched a few dozen episodes of the anime and relied on random clips from short videos.

In other words, a casual fan at best.

Since she left, she clearly wasn't the guide. The real question was: Where's the exam venue?

Cyr's attention returned to the caravan leader.

This guy reeked of suspicion, fitting the profile of a guide perfectly.

"Can you all still move?" Cyr asked lazily.

His Six Eyes confirmed that, despite the injuries, no one had died. If they were still breathing, they could keep going.

"We need to reach a safe location to treat their injuries. The supplies we have aren't enough to properly handle their wounds. If we keep traveling, their condition might worsen," one of the guards suggested, frowning.

"And what's your plan? Stay out here in the desert? Or turn back the way we came?" Cyr scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"What a stupid idea," he added, his mocking smile disappearing as quickly as it came.

"You—" The guard clenched his fists, clearly agitated, but found himself at a loss for words.

"We can keep going. We'll manage. Let's head out at dawn," one of the injured spoke up, his tone resolute.

"Oh? Not bad," Cyr said, casting the man a rare look of approval.

At least someone knew not to waste his time.

°°°

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