Chapter 16: Arrival at the Town
The white rhino was already picking up speed, its four hooves pounding the ground with such force it looked like it was kicking up flowers with every step. Realizing he was about to get ditched, Leorio didn't waste any more time on words—he broke into a full sprint. Being tall with long legs, he had some advantage, and with Osren gently patting the rhino's back, it instinctively slowed down just enough.
It wasn't easy, but Leorio managed to catch up. With a stomp and a leap, he vaulted onto the rhino's back. Fortunately, it was a female white rhino—larger and more stable—so even with four people riding, there was still room.
The moment he climbed up, Leorio collapsed onto Gon's back, gasping for air like he'd just outrun death.
Seeing him like that, Osren and Kurapika couldn't help but burst out laughing. Only Gon looked back at Leorio with concern. But after a quick check, he saw there was nothing seriously wrong and let it go.
"Boom! Boom!"
The massive hooves of the white rhino thundered across the forest floor, shaking the ground with every step. Its speed was incredible. The scenery blurred past—trees morphing from stunted to towering and back again. In just over half an hour, the hazy outline of a town began to appear in the distance.
"Thanks, Mrs. Rhino," Osren said, taking an apple from Gon and offering it to the beast. "I bet you're the belle of the rhino world."
"Snort—"
The white rhino huffed, sniffed the apple with a hint of disdain, but eventually took a bite anyway, swaying its tail with surprising grace before turning back toward the forest.
"Goodbye, Rhino Beauty!" Gon waved at it cheerfully before stepping into the infamous "Two-Choice Question Town."
The town looked completely different from where they'd disembarked earlier. It had an aged, almost rundown appearance—closer to a slum than a settlement.
---
"Which is heavier: a ton of iron or a ton of cotton?"
"Iron."
"Wrong. They weigh the same—they're both a ton."
"Who is older, the older brother or the younger brother?"
"Correct answer: Unknown. They're twins."
---
Voices—male, female, adult, and child—blended together in strange, surreal echoes. The group, sharp-eared and alert, caught bits and pieces of these bizarre exchanges. Well, everyone except Leorio.
"Oh, looks like we caught up with the cannon fodder trio during the quiz round," Osren mused to himself.
In the original story, while Gon and the others were getting chased by the white rhino in the forest, the throwaway trio had been stuck answering quiz questions in this very town.
Thanks to Osren's intervention, Leorio never boarded the Trap Bus, and the rhino had been unusually cooperative. As a result, they'd saved quite a bit of time—and arrived just in time for this scene.
Even before entering the town, Osren's sharp eyes spotted a splash of blood on the left side near the outskirts. It stood out starkly against the surroundings. Though there were no remains—no limbs, no bodies—the bloody trail suggested something had gone down.
Osren had a hunch. He figured it might be Matthew's doing, though whether Matthew was alive or dead remained unclear.
The sight of blood made everyone tense up. The carefree mood from earlier vanished. Finally, it was starting to feel like the Hunter Exam.
And instinctively, they raised their guard.
Osren led the group, strolling leisurely at the front. Gon brought up the rear—fearless as always—while Leorio held his precious suitcase close, glancing around nervously, afraid that an enemy might jump out at any moment.
As the four entered the town, the streets were eerily empty. Not a single person in sight. Yet just moments ago, they'd heard bustling voices. Now, the place was lined with old, abandoned houses straight out of the feudal era—empty, decaying shells.
Tap, tap, tap...
Their footsteps echoed crisply in the wide, desolate street.
Gon, unfazed as usual, looked around curiously, taking in the surroundings.
The strange atmosphere only heightened Kurapika's vigilance. His eyes swept the area, analyzing, anticipating what might happen next.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Osren suddenly stop mid-step, standing motionless in the middle of the road—as if he'd just realized something. Kurapika walked over to him.
"What a desolate place... Does anyone even live here?" Leorio muttered, glancing at the run-down buildings lining the street.
"No... there are people here," Gon said, narrowing his eyes.
"You mean their breathing?" Osren continued Gon's thought calmly.
"Don't let your guard down," Kurapika warned, his expression grim.
"You all heard it too?" Leorio asked in shock.
"The sound of their clothes brushing together—it's obvious. They're hiding from us," Gon explained.
Leorio hesitated. He realized he couldn't compare himself to freaks of nature like Gon or Osren.
"I found them," Osren said at last. With his Nen ability, he quickly located the disturbance in the wind and uncovered an old woman with two huge buck teeth hiding nearby.
Rustle, rustle...
Suddenly, more figures began appearing—people with multicolored hair, draped in oversized white robes. They wore masks, were short in stature, and silently surrounded the four of them, clearly not planning to let them pass through the town easily.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
The masked figures repeatedly stomped the ground, not speaking, not moving aside. The low, rhythmic sound was maddening.
"What do these people even want? They clearly mean trouble. Should we find another route to avoid a head-on clash?" Leorio asked, glancing instinctively at Osren.
"No. Every other path around this town reeks of beasts and magical creatures," Osren replied flatly.
Kurapika nodded. "This is the only viable route."
"Osren's right. I can smell a lot of beasts out there," Gon added, sniffing the air. He could even detect the faintest scent of blood on Killua that no one else seemed to notice—his nose was a mystery.
Osren looked at Gon with curiosity. His senses were razor-sharp—likely inherited from his father, Ging Freecss, one of the top five Nen users in the world. Between talents like Chairman Netero's Hyakushiki Kannon and the overwhelmingly powerful Devil Fruit abilities, what mattered most was continuous growth and deep mastery.
"But what's up with these people?" Leorio questioned. "This still smells like a trap. We can't trust the captain's words completely."
"If you're heading to the cedar tree at the mountain's summit, this town is your only way through," said the old woman, stepping forward with the help of a cane nearly as tall as she was.
Dressed in tattered clothes, with two prominent buck teeth and a stocky build, she looked like someone out of folklore. It was hard to say whether she was taller or not, but she had a stern face and sharp features. While she looked unusual, she didn't seem non-human.
There were rumors that the guides in this quiz town were magical beasts in disguise, but to Osren, she didn't seem that different from a regular human.
"Look," Osren pointed to the cane. At its tip was a conspicuous ruby—the exact same symbol from the captain's card.