Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

Chapter 5: Misfortune x Pervert Hisoka

The Lost Myrella Wetlands!

The candidates followed Examiner Satotsu into the murky depths.

However, as they ventured further, the dissipated fog crept back in, quickly reducing visibility.

By logic, Lorraine should have stayed close to Satotsu to avoid losing the group and getting stranded, but she didn’t.

For her, the Hunter Exam wasn’t particularly challenging. What intrigued her more was whether defeating monsters here could grant her experience points.

It was also the perfect opportunity to test her combat abilities.

“They’re coming!”

Lorraine planted her feet and leapt high into the air.

From the fog beside her, a massive head lunged forward. As Lorraine dodged, the head twisted unnaturally and sank its fangs into another candidate.

“What a flexible neck!”

Lorraine tightened her grip on the long blade in her hand. She wasn’t trained in any particular swordsmanship, but in this situation, sheer power and speed were enough.

With a faint grin, she took a decisive step forward and slashed downward.

Her stance might not have been perfect, but the terrifying burst of speed made up for it.

The agile neck emerging from the fog had no time to react. The blade sliced through cleanly.

Lorraine immediately leapt back, avoiding the gushing blood.

“This feels…”

“Not bad at all!”

She swung her blade, flinging off the blood.

Perhaps it was her strong nerves, but even though this was her first time killing such a large, wild creature—and through decapitation, no less—she felt no discomfort. In fact, there was a slight thrill.

However…

Lorraine’s face fell as she glanced at the unresponsive system interface.

“Maybe I haven’t killed enough yet. The experience threshold must be pretty high. After all, it takes running ten kilometers to gain just one point,” she thought, trying to console herself.

Ten minutes later, she tossed the still-dripping blade aside.

“What am I even wasting my time on?”

“Forget it!”

She sighed softly.

“Even if I can’t level up by killing monsters, gaining strength through training feels more secure anyway.”

With this thought, she began heading toward the faint sounds of the main group’s footsteps in the foggy distance.

Although she’d been moving independently within the wetlands, she’d made sure to stay close enough to avoid losing track of the group entirely. Getting lost might not have endangered her survival, but finding the location of the second test would’ve been nearly impossible.

Just as she calmed her mind and started closing in on the group, a sudden commotion erupted in the nearby woods.

Assuming it was another creature, Lorraine turned cautiously toward the sound.

Her pupils shrank at the sight revealed by the thinning fog.

“Hisoka!”

Her heart raced.

In the clearing, Hisoka’s examiner game was unfolding, and it was already reaching its climax.

With a disturbing grin, Hisoka had Gon by the neck, radiating a twisted joy.

Wait—wasn’t this scene supposed to happen much later in the test?

Lorraine distinctly remembered this occurring closer to the end.

Was it because Gon’s actions had triggered Hisoka’s peculiar tendencies?

The answer didn’t matter because Hisoka’s killing intent filled the air. Lorraine barely made a sound, but even that small disturbance sent a playing card hurtling toward her.

“Crap!”

She dodged instinctively, narrowly avoiding the card.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Hmm?”

Hisoka tilted his head, eyes gleaming with surprise before they softened into delight.

“Marvelous… Another fine seedling,” he murmured, licking his lips. His gaze burned with interest—after all, the more promising the fruit, the better for someone like him, a true cultivator of potential.

Casually tossing Gon aside, Hisoka turned his unsettling smile toward both Gon and Lorraine.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill your companion. He passed. As for you—all of you—you’ve passed too.”

Hisoka’s expression was deceptively kind, but Lorraine, fully aware of his true nature, felt no warmth. Gon, still clutching his neck, also failed to find comfort in Hisoka’s smile.

“Unbelievable… Unbelievable!”

Lorraine muttered as she watched Hisoka walk off, Leorio slung over his shoulder.

She sighed. She’d rewatched Hunter Exam scenarios three or four times and had never noticed this event occurring so early.

“Only ten minutes into the fog…”

“Troublesome,” she muttered.

Still, it was just that—a minor hassle.

After all, Hisoka was notorious for nurturing his “fruits” to their prime before striking. Once Lorraine reached her full potential, she doubted she’d fear him.

“Hey, are you alright, kid?” Lorraine asked as she approached Gon, who seemed lost in thought.

“I… I’m fine!”

Startled, Gon shook his head, though he soon began absentmindedly touching his neck. It wasn’t contemplation—it was… savoring?

Lorraine blinked. Savoring? Seriously?

Was every Hunter candidate this eccentric?

“Gon!”

Kurapika emerged from the fog, relief flooding his face as he saw Gon.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Gon replied with a sheepish grin.

Kurapika scrutinized him before finally relaxing. “Where’s Leorio?”

“He was taken by Hisoka,” Gon said matter-of-factly.

“What? Taken?” Kurapika’s calm shattered.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, he’d already come to regard Leorio as a close friend.

“Don’t worry,” Lorraine interjected. “Hisoka won’t kill him—not yet. For someone like Hisoka, now would be too soon.”

Kurapika turned to her, frowning. “And you are…?”

“Just an unlucky passerby,” Lorraine shrugged.

“Big brother Lorraine, what did you mean by ‘too soon’?” Gon asked, clearly still pondering Hisoka’s actions.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Lorraine explained. “To Hisoka, killing you now would be a waste. He sees your potential to grow stronger, more brilliant. Ending you then will bring him far greater satisfaction.”

“…Is he insane?” Kurapika muttered, summing up Hisoka in a single sentence.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Lorraine agreed.

Meanwhile, Gon looked at his hands, lost in thought—or was it that other thing again?

Chapter 6: Efficiency of Experience Gain x The Second Test

“Gon, Kurapika, over there…”

Lorraine pointed toward the edge of the crowd.

There, Leorio stood by a large tree, looking utterly bewildered. He was touching the injuries on his face while staring blankly at the sky.

“Leorio!”

Gon and Kurapika immediately ran over to him.

“Gon, Kurapika.” Leorio managed a smile when he saw his friends rushing over, but the movement pulled at the wounds on his face, causing him to grimace in pain.

“Ouch!” Leorio exclaimed, rubbing his right cheek in confusion. “Why am I hurt? And what happened after we entered the wetlands? It’s all so fuzzy…”

“Uh…”

Gon and Kurapika exchanged a glance and, without a word, silently decided not to tell Leorio about what had happened earlier.

As for Lorraine, he didn’t join their reunion.

After pointing Gon and Kurapika in the right direction, he opted to stay back.

It wasn’t his place to intrude while the protagonists strengthened their bond.

Instead, he found a quiet corner and summoned his system interface.

[Level 100 to God System]

• Name:Lorraine
• Level:1 (14/1000)
• Vitality:1
• Mental Energy:1
• World:Hunter x Hunter

“Fourteen experience points…” Lorraine muttered, analyzing his stats.

He’d been closely monitoring his system throughout the exam.

In the first half of the initial test, he’d gained eight points of experience. On the staircase portion, he earned another two. Finally, traversing the wetlands had netted him four points.

“If this system truly operates on exercise-based experience, then the intensity of the activity must also influence the rate of experience gain,” Lorraine speculated.

After all, if it took a 10-kilometer run to earn a single point, there was no way the staircase climb had been equivalent to 20 kilometers.

The only logical explanation was that the climb’s higher intensity had yielded greater experience.

The same principle seemed to apply to the wetlands.

Although the total distance he’d covered there was less than 30 kilometers, he’d still gained four points—proof that the challenging terrain played a role.

“Higher intensity equals more experience… If that’s the case, maybe earning the 1,000 points needed to level up won’t be as hard as I thought!” Lorraine’s lips curved into a small smile.

Finally, a bit of good news from his system.

“Candidates, you’ve worked hard! This is the venue for the second exam: Biscayne Park! Farewell, and good luck to you all!”

Examiner Satotsu addressed the candidates before marching back into the forest with his peculiar stride.

However, once he was out of sight, he climbed a tall tree nearby, pulled out a monocular, and started observing the second exam site from a distance.

“With Menchi and Buhara as the examiners, let’s hope nothing goes wrong…” Satotsu sighed inwardly.

As soon as Satotsu disappeared, the gates to the second exam venue creaked open.

Inside the park, the first thing that caught the candidates’ eyes was a row of neatly arranged cooking stoves, leaving many of them momentarily dumbfounded.

Still, they filed into the venue without delay.

“Welcome, candidates! I’m Menchi, your examiner for the second test!”

At the far end of the park, in front of a large building, a woman with a striking figure and bold attire lounged on a sofa. Behind her sat a massive man with a simple, good-natured expression.

“I’m Buhara, the other examiner!”

As soon as Buhara spoke, a loud rumbling echoed across the venue.

“Buhara, you’re already hungry, aren’t you?” Menchi teased, tilting her head to glance back at her companion.

“Yes, I’m starving!” Buhara rubbed his belly, looking pitiful.

“In that case…”

Menchi turned her gaze to the candidates, a sly smile playing on her lips. “The content of the second test will be… cooking!”

“Cooking?”

“Like… making food?”

The candidates were stunned.

Although the rows of stoves had hinted at something along these lines, hearing it confirmed still left them perplexed.

After all, they were here to take the Hunter Exam. Why on earth was cooking part of it?

“Why is the test about cooking?” one candidate couldn’t help but shout.

“Why, you ask?” Menchi tilted her head again, her expression suddenly brimming with pride. “Because we are Gourmet Hunters, of course!”

However…

“Gourmet Hunters…”

“Hunters who hunt food? Guess that makes sense!”

“Pfft, haha—”

The crowd erupted into laughter.

“Haha, Miss Gourmet Hunter, what exactly are we supposed to cook?” one candidate called out mockingly. His tone left no doubt about his intent to ridicule.

“What a bunch of idiots,” Lorraine muttered, rubbing his temples as he watched the majority of the candidates laughing.

He’d known this reaction was coming, but it still baffled him.

Even if they found it funny, why on earth would they mock the examiners—the very people who held their fate in their hands?

Did they have no emotional intelligence whatsoever?

On stage, Menchi’s face had already darkened, though she remained silent. Instead, Buhara stepped forward and bellowed, “The designated ingredient is pork! Any dish made from pigs living in Biscayne Forest is acceptable.”

“As long as we find the dish delicious, you pass. The test will end once we’re full. Now, let the second test begin!” Buhara announced loudly.

At his signal, all the candidates dashed toward the forest without hesitation.

Although they’d laughed earlier, they weren’t foolish enough to waste time.

Buhara had clearly stated that the test would conclude once he and Menchi were full.

Judging by Buhara’s massive frame, he undoubtedly had a voracious appetite. But with nearly 150 candidates present, there was no way he could finish over a hundred dishes, no matter how large his stomach was.

“So, the key to passing this round is to finish cooking as quickly as possible!”

Many candidates shared this thought, their determination surging as they raced into the forest.

On the path to the second exam site, the fog gradually cleared.

They’d moved beyond the Lost Myrella Wetlands into a new area.

At a fork in the jungle, Gon sniffed the air and suddenly dashed in one direction.

Lorraine and Kurapika followed, confusion etched on their faces.

According to Gon, Leorio’s cologne had a unique scent he could trace even from kilometers away.

Kurapika’s skeptical expression screamed, Are you a dog?

Though Lorraine already knew the explanation, she couldn’t help but be amused.

Leorio’s cologne wasn’t particularly strong. For most people, it was detectable only within a meter or two. Even Lorraine’s enhanced senses could only pick it up from twenty meters away.

But Gon? Sniffing it from several kilometers was… absurd.

However, as they approached a crowded park filled with over a hundred people, both Lorraine and Kurapika had to admit—Gon’s nose truly was that of a “dog.”