The ship was docked at the harbor.
It was hard to imagine that a wooden sailing ship that looked so ordinary on the outside would actually cross the entire ocean and reach a country on the other side of the sea.
A man wearing a white captain's hat and sporting a full beard stood on the deck facing the wind. He picked up his pipe, lit it, took a drag, and white smoke drifted out from his red, alcohol-flushed nose.
He lowered the pipe and swept his gaze across the dozens of people boarding the ship, a look of watching a spectacle appearing on his face.
"Heh heh, wonder how many will last until the end this year."
With that thought, the bearded captain turned his head and looked toward the far side of the sea. Under the setting sun, the evening glow blended into the ocean, and a seagull landed on the mast, letting out a crisp cry.
"Time's up."
He took out his pocket watch for a glance, then walked toward the cabin's helm while loudly issuing orders to the sailors:
"Raise the sails, set off!"
The yellowed sails were unfurled. A salty sea breeze swept through, billowing them full. The ship officially set sail.
...
After the ship left the harbor, the examinees each found a spot to hole up in.
Some crouched alone behind wine barrels, tilting bottles straight to their mouths.
Some started fighting right there on the deck at the slightest disagreement.
There were also landlubbers who had never set out to sea before, unable to handle the wooden ship's constant pitching, their faces deathly pale as they clung to the railing and vomited violently.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kisho sat on the bow railing, facing the sunset, fiddling with the bone xun he had gotten from Kite.
Kite leaned against the railing not far from Kisho, turning his head to look at him as he asked:
"This instrument should be played by blowing into it. Do you know how?"
"Probably? I haven't played it before. I'll give it a try."
Kisho tossed the bone xun lightly up and down in his hand, smiling as he replied.
He caught it steadily. Water formed from his aura streamed continuously from between his fingers, flowing along the bone xun and washing it clean inside and out.
Kite silently watched Kisho's undisguised actions.
"Hmm… If I played it without washing it first, I'd probably have a psychological shadow."
Kisho raised his hand, looking at the bone xun that now gleamed after the dust had been washed away, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
He brought the bone xun to his lips and gently blew a single note.
The examinees who heard the sound turned toward Kisho one after another.
But Kisho paid no attention to their gazes. He tested the pitch on his own. After preparing himself, he lowered one hand and tapped the ship's railing with his knuckles.
"What should I play?"
Then a glimmer of light passed through the boy's eyes.
"Got it!"
He slowly closed his eyes.
A long, flowing melody emerged from the xun in his hands, echoing above the ship. The ethereal tune felt as though it were narrating a long poem.
Desolate. Sorrowful.
...
"That brat's instrument is strange too. I've never seen anything like it, okay—could he be from some special tribe deep in the forest?"
"I've never heard this piece before either… but it sounds so good…"
The examinees' attention was completely drawn to Kisho's music.
Those who were fighting stopped. Those drinking put down their bottles. Even the unlucky guy who had been vomiting the whole time turned his pale face toward Kisho.
Within the song, time seemed both extremely brief and endlessly long.
The piece came to an end.
Kisho lowered the xun in his hand, turning his head slightly toward Kite with a smile.
"Not bad, right?"
Kite nodded lightly. After a few seconds of silence, he asked:
"What's this piece called?"
"Longing Beyond Time."
Kisho replied softly,
"I chose this one because its tone suits the sound of the xun perfectly."
Kite expressed his agreement with a slight nod.
The two were about to continue speaking, but their expressions turned serious at the same moment—
Someone was approaching. And they could use Nen.
With a backward flip, Kisho jumped down from the railing.
After turning around, he saw that the one coming over was the bearded captain, and only then did he relax his guard.
The bearded man stopped several meters away instead of coming closer. He stared at Kisho for a moment before speaking:
"Hey, kid. You were the one who played that tune just now?"
Kisho nodded lightly.
Seeing the faint seriousness on their faces, the bearded captain laughed.
"Don't be so tense. I'm just curious about someone who can stay this relaxed in this kind of environment."
He turned around.
"I'm looking forward to your performance later, hahaha~"
Kisho watched the bearded captain's departing figure.
"He's probably the legendary guide for the Hunter Exam. Just don't know what the criteria for recognition are."
"Before the official exam, it shouldn't be too hard."
Kite said calmly,
"Most likely, they'll make a preliminary selection based on the examinees' physical fitness."
Kisho shrugged with a smile.
"It's calm and peaceful. What could they possibly filter out?"
As he spoke, he turned his head toward the unlucky guy who had been vomiting the whole time and continued:
"Probably only that kind of person."
Kite responded with a silent smile.
The meaningful yet secretive smile made Kisho's scalp tingle. Just as he was about to press further, the bearded captain's voice rang out:
"Reef the sails—!"
Countless dark clouds were pressing down heavily toward the ship.
The last rays of the sun were completely erased by the black clouds. In the pitch-black sea, the only light source was the eerie purple glow from the mast, known as the "Fire of Saint Elmo."
According to the bearded captain, any sailor who saw the "Fire of Saint Elmo" at sea would never be able to return home.
After hearing the captain's words, the atmosphere on the ship instantly became strange.
...Two hours later...
Only when the calm sea suddenly erupts into wind and waves do those who attempt to conquer it realize how small they truly are.
Gale-force winds raged. Torrential rain poured down.
The ship weaved through black seawater and towering black waves, and at any moment it seemed it could be swallowed whole.
Kisho grabbed a rope beneath the mast and shouted toward Kite not far away:
"So this is what you meant by—not—too—hard?!"
Kite looked over at Kisho.
"Is it hard?"
Kisho craned his neck.
"It's—so—awesome!"
Of course, the thrill was for him and Kite. As for the others in the cabin—there was nothing left of them.
The examinees who didn't want to stand on deck facing the hurricane winds and torrential rain had all crammed into the cabin. But dozens of examinees, under the ravaging storm, not a single one could hold out. Total annihilation.
The cabin was a complete mess, too painful to look at.
On deck, Kite said he would go check on the other examinees and headed toward the cabin.
Kisho didn't particularly want to go, so he made his way toward the helm on the other side.
Before he even got close, he heard the bearded captain's soulful singing drifting out from inside.
Grabbing the doorframe of the helm, Kisho stared at the captain's back and muttered:
"Whoa~ So oatmeal liquor and stormy seas are a sailor's romance?"
A sudden thought struck him.
"Seeing how calm he is… Don't tell me he deliberately chose a time and place with a storm and sailed straight into it on purpose?!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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