章 8: Wisdom
Later, Gojo quietly left the Dojo and went back to his main quest. He followed the captain's advice and walked to the civilization's outskirts towards the mountain. There was a giant fence built around this place Gojo had to hop, there wasn't any other path and it was as if the city had declared this mountain forbidden. There was a signpost in the local language there, but Gojo from what he knew from the books only managed to make out two words - Danger and Beware.
Following the direction of the tall cedar tree he came upon a seemingly abandoned town or a village, he strolled through the narrow, decaying streets, his footsteps echoing off the crumbling walls of the dilapidated buildings. The town had an eerie stillness to it as if it had been forgotten by time. The once vibrant facades were now marred by cracks and overgrown vines, and the faint scent of mould and decay hung in the air.
'It's like someone's memory of the town, and the memory is fading. Now it's just jungle.' Gojo thought. 'It doesn't help for that fact that the mountain is full of deadly animals. Who builds a town in such a place?'
As he rounded a corner, Gojo's keen senses picked up on familiar voices. Up ahead, he spotted Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio standing in the middle of a deserted square, accompanied by a fourth person he didn't know. The three of them were deep in conversation, their expressions a mix of concern and confusion.
Gojo approached them with his usual nonchalance, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "What's going on, guys?" he called out, drawing their attention. "I thought you'd have been ahead by now."
Gon turned toward him, his face lighting up with his characteristic enthusiasm. "Gojo! We were, but… we kinda got lost," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Leorio huffed in frustration, waving a hand toward the empty streets around them. "Lost isn't even the half of it! This place is a damn ghost town. I haven't seen a single soul since we got here."
Kurapika glanced around before responding in his calm, measured tone. "Leorio, there are plenty of people here. You just haven't noticed them yet."
Leorio's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "What are you talking about? I don't see anyone!"
Gon, who had been listening intently, chimed in, "I can hear them… their breathing, the rustling of their clothes. They're all around us."
The fourth member of the group, a man with an anxious expression, looked increasingly uncomfortable. He shifted nervously, his eyes darting around as if trying to spot the unseen presence.
Gojo chuckled softly, amused by the situation. "Sixty-five people are surrounding us," he stated matter-of-factly, causing the others to look at him in surprise. "Some of them are nen users."
Leorio's face went pale as the realization hit him. "Thirty-four? Nen users? What are nen users? Wait ... We're completely surrounded…"
Before anyone could react, cloaked and masked figures began emerging from the shadows, their movements almost spectral as they formed a tight circle around the group. The air grew tense, the silent threat hanging heavy over them. The group got ready to fight but suddenly something unexpected happened.
From the centre of the ring of figures, a hunched old woman slowly hobbled forward, leaning heavily on a gnarled walking stick. The symbol on her cloak was instantly recognizable to Gojo—it was the same one he had seen on the ship. Her face was partially hidden by the hood, but her sharp, piercing eyes shone with an unsettling intelligence.
Gojo's smirk widened slightly. "Let me guess," he drawled, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "another pre-exam examiner?"
The old woman's lips curled into a thin smile as she nodded. "Indeed. You've come far, but the true test lies ahead."
Leorio threw his hands up in exasperation. "Are you kidding me? Another test? Can't we just get on with the actual exam already?"
The old woman ignored him, her gaze sweeping over the group. "You will be given a single question with two choices. You have five seconds to answer. If you choose incorrectly, you will be disqualified from taking the exam."
Gon sighed, "I am not got at quizzes."
Kurapika shrugged, his confidence unshaken. "Sounds simple enough. If even one of us gets the answer right, we pass, right?"
The old woman's smile didn't waver, but there was a coldness in her eyes as she replied, "Yes… but if even one of you answers incorrectly, all of you will be disqualified."
A tense silence fell over the group as the gravity of her words sank in. Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio exchanged uneasy glances, each of them keenly aware of the pressure on their shoulders.
Matthew, the nervous man who had been silent until now, suddenly stepped forward, his voice a bit shaky. "I want to take my test alone. I can't afford to be dragged down by someone else's mistake."
The old woman regarded him with a curious tilt of her head. "Very well," she said softly. "Here is your question: If you were given the choice to save only one—your mother or your true love—from a deadly situation, who would you save? Mother or true love?"
Matthew hesitated, his face contorting with indecision. The seconds ticked by, each one more agonizing than the last. Finally, he stammered out, "My mother… I can always find another girlfriend."
The cloaked figures parted, creating a path that led deeper into the town. The old woman nodded approvingly. "You may pass."
Without a second thought, Matthew bolted down the path, his footsteps echoing in the oppressive silence. The group watched him go, their expressions a mix of disbelief and concern. Moments later, those with sharper senses heard the distant sound of his screams, something dangerous lay ahead.
Gojo's gaze remained on the old woman, his expression unreadable. "So, what's our question?" he asked, his tone as casual as if he were asking for the time.
The old woman's smile widened ever so slightly as she locked eyes with Gojo. "Patience," she replied, her voice dripping with a strange mix of malice and amusement. "Your question is yet to come."
Gojo watched the shadows and heard screams echoing faintly in the distance. He shook his head slightly, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips. If it had been him facing that question, he knew his answer. "I probably would've picked my mother too," he murmured to himself, almost in amusement. "Never really believed in the existence of true love, cannot pick something that doesn't exist. But there is something else about this."
Leorio, visibly agitated, threw his hands up in frustration. "This whole thing is bullshit!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the dilapidated walls. "The question doesn't make any sense—it's all emotion, no logic! How do they even decide what's the right answer?"
Kurapika, who had been quietly analyzing the situation, suddenly felt a flicker of understanding. His mind raced as he pieced together the true purpose of the test. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the old woman's sharp, warning voice.
"Do not speak, boy," she hissed, her eyes narrowing. "If you reveal what you have figured out, you will be disqualified immediately."
The old woman, with an air of cold indifference, posed another question to the group. "Two children are abducted—one is your son, the other your daughter. You can only save one. Which do you choose?"
She began to count, her voice low and deliberate. "One… two… three… four…"
Leorio clenched his fists, frustration boiling over as he growled, "This is bullshit! There's no logically correct answer to this! It's a trick!"
The old woman reached "five," and the group remained silent. No one had spoken. Leorio's outburst hung in the air, but no answer had been given.
Kurapika's eyes widened slightly as the realization dawned on him. He spoke calmly but with a note of certainty in his voice. "We've passed the test."
Leorio looked at him in surprise. "What? How?"
Kurapika continued, "The third option was silence. She never said anything about being disqualified for not answering."
The old woman's lips curved into a faint smile, and she gave a single nod of approval. "Correct. Silence was the answer."
With that, the cloaked figures surrounding them began to shift, parting to reveal a hidden door nestled in the crumbling brickwork. The old woman gestured toward it with her gnarled hand.
"This passage will take you to the navigators," she explained. "It's a two-hour journey, but once you arrive, they will guide you to the true location of the Hunter Exam."
As the group stood there, the weight of the test finally settling on them, Leorio's frustration began to fade, replaced by a sombre understanding. He looked at the old woman, his brows furrowed, and his anger subsided into something more introspective.
"I'm sorry," Leorio said, his voice quieter than before. "I lost my temper, but... this whole thing just felt cruel."
The old woman, who had remained composed throughout, softened her gaze slightly. "The test was meant to be difficult, yes. But the true purpose wasn't simply to answer correctly. It was to make you realize that, as Hunters, you may one day face such a scenario. You might have to choose between two equally important things, and no matter which path you take, there will be consequences."
Kurapika nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. "The choice to remain silent wasn't just about passing the test; it was a recognition that sometimes, there is no right answer. It's about accepting that whatever decision you make, you have to live with it."
Gon looked up, his expression more serious than usual. "So, it's about responsibility?"
"Exactly," the old woman confirmed. "In the world of Hunters, every decision carries weight. Whether it's saving your mother, your true love, your son, or your daughter... or choosing not to act at all, you must be prepared to face the consequences."
"That's a dumb purpose. If you had said that the test is about being logically analytical regardless of the situation. I would appreciate it, but this one is pointless." Gojo, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "In the end, what matters is that you make a choice and accept it. You can either live with it... or die with it."
The group fell into a contemplative silence, Gojo's words hanging heavily in the air.
The old woman looked disapprovingly at Gojo. "Perhaps. This is why the Hunter Exam is so difficult. It's not just about physical ability or intelligence; it's about wisdom ."
"That's even more dumb. What do you feel mean by wisdom? It's not intelligence then what is it," Gojo said. "Damn, I hate you old people. Always causing needless confusion."
Leorio sighed deeply, the tension in his body finally releasing. "I get it now... and I appreciate the lesson, even if it's a hard one to swallow."
The old woman offered a small, almost imperceptible smile. "That's the first step to becoming a true Hunter. And you boy, I won't argue semantics with you."
She then gestured once more toward the hidden door that had been revealed by the cloaked figures. "This path will take you to the navigators. It's a long journey, but it will lead you to the Hunter Exam where you will face not a quiz but actual hard decisions where there is no correct answer. All I ask is you to be considerate about life."
Gon's eyes lit up with renewed determination, Kurapika remained thoughtful, and Leorio looked more resolved than before.
Gojo, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. "Yeah... We should be considerate. So considerate that by the time we are finished considering; the time is out and people are dead. Silence is the correct answer."
As they moved toward the door, the old woman's voice called after them, "Remember this test well, for it is only the beginning."
The group stepped into the passageway, the hidden door closing behind them with a soft thud. The corridor ahead was long and dimly lit, but they walked forward with a new understanding, their footsteps echoing with purpose.
Gojo shouted, "No, your garbage test won't be remembered. It would be forgotten, if it's remembered it would be for being hilariously dumb. Just like you."
As they disappeared into the shadows, the old woman turned away, her figure slowly fading into the mist of the dilapidated town, satisfied that she had imparted an important lesson to this new group of aspiring Hunters.
Leorio looked like he was about to say something, but instead, he just sighed and nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. Gon's eyes shone with excitement, Kurapika remained as calm as ever, and Gojo—Gojo simply smirked, his mind already moving on to whatever challenge awaited them next.
Without another word, the group headed through the door, the old woman's figure fading into the darkness behind them as they ventured deeper into the unknown.
As they made their way through the dark, narrow passage, the air grew colder, and the sound of their footsteps echoed off the stone walls. The tunnel seemed to stretch endlessly, the only light coming from the faint glow of torches mounted sporadically along the walls.
Gon, trying to break the silence, turned to Kurapika. "Hey, Kurapika, do you know anything about these navigators?"
Kurapika nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Yes, I've done some research. The location of the Hunter Exam changes every year. It's the navigators' job to guide promising applicants to the site. Without their help, it's nearly impossible to find the exam location on your own. Once we find one, we'll need to prove that we're worthy of their assistance."
Gon absorbed this information, his face showing a mix of curiosity and determination. "So, we really need to impress them, huh?"
"Exactly," Kurapika replied.
Leorio, who had been brooding over their recent encounter, suddenly turned his attention to Gojo. "Hey, Gojo, why are you wearing an eyemask anyway? Isn't it hard to see?"
Gojo, with his usual nonchalance, gave a casual shrug. "I can see just fine with it. And, honestly, it's pretty comfy."
Leorio raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. However, Kurapika, who had been studying Gojo since they first met, wasn't satisfied with the simple answer. "Your eyes… they looked strange when we saw them earlier. Why is that? If you don't mind sharing."
"Don't worry about it." Gojo merely shrugged off the question, offering no further explanation. The others exchanged glances, clearly curious but unwilling to push him on the matter.
Leorio then suddenly asked, "You said some of those guys were nen users. What's that about?"
Gojo again said, "Don't worry about it."
With that, they continued walking in silence, each lost in their thoughts, the tunnel's darkness swallowing them as they pressed on toward whatever awaited them at the end of the path.
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