Hunter X Hunter : The Boundary

Chapter 35: Run!

At this stage of the run, it was no longer a test of physical endurance. It was a battle of their own wills. Legs were numb, filled with lead. Every breath was fire in the lungs.

The mist had dissipated, but the humid, hot air clung to the skin like a shadow, constantly draining what little energy remained. The grassland stretched to the horizon, a finish line that might not even exist.

The group had stretched out again. At the front were those with extreme stamina—Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio—their gazes locked on Satotz's distant figure. The middle section was a struggling mass of bodies, barely keeping up. And the rear was a collection of the damned, on the verge of total collapse.

And Ryan was not in the queue.

After navigating the grass maze, he had moved to the outer edge of the wetland, maintaining a safe distance—not fast, not slow, not conspicuous. He knew the final screening was coming. There would be no more illusions or traps. The true elimination would come from one's own body. Or someone else's.

"Hey, you!"

An examinee blocked his path. He was young, his eyes bloodshot with a mix of exhaustion and hostility. "Running pretty easy, aren't you?" he sneered. "Hiding on the side, not even panting. What are you trying to do?"

He lowered his voice, his teeth gritted. "I figured it out. You're not normal. You're one of them, aren't you?! An undercover agent sent to eliminate us!"

Ryan stopped. He didn't speak. He simply looked at the man—an examinee whose nerves were stretched to the breaking point, like a dying wolf.

"Don't deny it!" the man growled.

Ryan took a slow step back, his gaze calm as water. He slid his hands into his pockets. In the next second, he moved, turning sideways into the wind current, a blur of motion that passed the man without a single collision.

The man spun around, but Ryan's figure had already vanished into the tall grass. He hadn't needed to explain, argue, or fight. He just left.

The ground was no longer a mire, but dry, soft soil. This was the true sprint zone—no more obstacles, only the sound of the wind, the pound of footsteps, and the ever-loudening beat of exhausted hearts.

Satotz was still running, his rhythm as unchanged as a machine's. Gon followed closely, his eyes still bright. Killua, hands in his pockets, showed little expression, but the sweat on his brow betrayed the strain. Kurapika's steps were precise and calculated. Leorio was gritting his teeth, his shirt soaked through, but he stubbornly refused to fall behind.

They didn't know that beyond the grass, another person was running with them.

Ryan moved like a shadow on the flank, his presence reduced to nothing. His Zetsu had been active for nearly an hour, a feat of extreme control. If he had shown a flaw for even a second, someone perceptive might have noticed him long ago— but he hadn't.

At that moment, the sound of the wind suddenly changed. It wasn't stronger, just... discordant. Ryan didn't turn back. He just tightened his shoulders and moved deeper into the grass.

Three seconds later, a soft chuckle came from behind and to his left. "Hehehe... Still running?"

It was Hisoka. He was sitting on a large rock, legs crossed, twirling a card. He wasn't looking at the main path. He was looking at right at him.

"You..." Hisoka murmured, his tone light as the wind. "You hide yourself so well. But the wind... it exposes people."

He didn't stand. The playing card, the Jack of Diamonds, fluttered from his fingers and landed on the ground. He just smiled.

Ryan continued forward. He didn't look back. He didn't need to confirm. He knew that with a person like Hisoka, one should stay as boring as possible to not capture his attention and be killed.

His pace didn't change, but his breathing slowed, just a little.

His eyes were fixed on the path stretching to the horizon. Running to this point, there wasn't much room left for thought. It wasn't about who won or lost. It was about who was still standing. Who hadn't fallen yet.

He didn't know where the finish line was. He didn't want to know. He only knew that he couldn't stop.

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author really made 6-ish chapters for running istg, its nice he has some ideas but this getting too long.