Chapter 59: The Great Stamp (Part 1)
Osren felt a faint tremor beneath his boots — rhythmic, growing heavier by the second. He knew immediately what that meant.
"They're coming," he said calmly, eyes narrowing. "And… I've got a bad feeling about this. Everyone, move back — now."
He didn't need to explain twice. The others had seen that look before. Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio all instinctively took a large step back, landing just as the first rumble of chaos reached them.
Then came the sound.
"Thoom… thoom… thoom…!"
"Screeeeee!"
The ground itself shuddered as a chorus of monstrous squeals tore through the mist. Dust rose in thick waves, and out of it — came the stampede.
A horde of massive black beasts burst from the treeline, their long snouts swinging like battering rams, their thick hides glistening with swamp mud. Their bodies were as large as elephants, yet they ran with the feral speed of enraged boars.
"Those are… the Great Stamp," Osren muttered.
They thundered across the clearing, charging straight through the crowd of examinees. It was chaos — a storm of squealing, stomping death.
To the untrained eye, it almost looked like they were simply out for a stroll.
A casual morning jog — if that jog flattened trees and hurled people skyward.
---
"AAAHHH!"
A few unlucky candidates didn't even have time to scream before they were sent flying like rag dolls, tossed high into the air by the beasts' powerful snouts. The boars didn't slow down, trampling through the clearing before vanishing into the forest again — leaving behind screams, dust, and confusion.
The creatures looked like a hybrid between elephants, wild boars, and rhinos — the kind of abomination that could only exist in the Hunter world.
"Come on!" Osren barked, grabbing Gon's arm. "Let's draw a few away from the herd. One each — spread out and take them down."
"Got it!" Gon replied, face lighting up with excitement instead of fear.
The others nodded — Killua cracking his knuckles, Kurapika steadying his chain, and Leorio gulping hard but following anyway.
They sprinted forward, drawing the attention of five boars, each beast snorting and pawing the ground before charging after its chosen prey.
The rest of the examinees caught on quickly — scattering in all directions, each group luring a boar of their own. The forest erupted into chaos again as the "hunt" officially began.
---
"The Second Phase of the Hunter Exam… begins now!" Menchi's voice rang out clearly over the noise, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she announced the start of the trial.
Behind her, Buhara leaned forward, his expression dreamy and hungry.
---
The boars closed in, their breath foul and heavy with the stench of raw meat.
Their nostrils flared like black tunnels, exhaling steam as they ran.
"Those things have noses like iron battering rams," came Buhara's booming voice from above, narrating like a commentator at a sports match. "Their snouts can break trees, crush rock, and flatten prey in one blow. Move too slow, and you'll be the one getting eaten!"
He sounded a little too happy about it.
His stomach rumbled audibly — a thunderclap of hunger that made a few examinees glance up nervously.
Menchi sighed and rubbed her temple. "Buhara…" she said through gritted teeth.
He blinked innocently. "Menchi, I'm starving. Starving!"
She rolled her eyes and slumped back into her chair, deciding to let him dream about roast pork in peace.
---
Meanwhile, Osren's mind was already working several steps ahead.
"I have an idea," he said, dodging a boar's tusk as he spoke. "If these things evolved their noses into weapons, then the rest of their bodies might have weakened to compensate."
He sidestepped again, watching the boar's movement closely.
"In nature, every predator has a counterbalance — venom and antidote, poison and cure. The strongest weapon always hides the weakest point. We just need to find it."
His calm voice cut through the chaos, steady and deliberate.
Gon grinned fiercely beside him, tightening his grip on his fishing rod. "Then let's find that weak point — fast!"
The boars roared again, dirt flying beneath their hooves.
Osren could tell this couldn't go on forever. Running aimlessly through the forest while hoping a wild boar might conveniently smash into a tree? That was wishful thinking — and the kind of wishful thinking that got you trampled.
"We can't just keep running," he said calmly, eyes sharp. "Unless we're planning to wait for one of them to knock itself out, we need a better plan."
Gon's eyes lit up immediately, that familiar spark of inspiration flashing across his face. "You're right, Osren! I think I've got an idea!"
Kurapika adjusted his gloves thoughtfully. "I agree. Your reasoning makes sense — their anatomy might hold the key."
Killua and Leorio didn't say anything, but both turned toward the incoming boars with identical looks of grim determination. If looks could kill, those beasts would already be dinner.
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Osren analyzed quickly, his tone steady but urgent. "Most boars and rhinos use their heads to charge — their noses are usually the weakest spot. But for these things, it's the opposite. Their snouts are their strongest weapon. Which means…"
He paused, a grin forming. "Their head might be the weak point instead."
"That makes sense!" Gon said, already crouching low, full of restless energy. "Then I'll try it out!"
Before anyone could stop him, Gon sprang forward, agile as a cat, leaping onto the enormous back of a charging boar.
---
Of course, a creature known as the world's most ferocious boar wasn't about to take that lying down.
The instant Gon landed, the beast bellowed furiously, thrashing from side to side. It twisted, turned, and zigzagged through the trees in a wild frenzy, trying desperately to shake off the small human clinging to its back.
Any normal person would've been flung off in seconds.
But this wasn't a normal person.
Gon held on like he was born there, moving fluidly with every violent lurch, his balance as natural as breathing. No matter how hard the boar jerked or slammed into trees, Gon stayed locked in place, eyes blazing with focus.
Finally, the beast lost patience, charging headlong into a thick tree trunk with a thunderous crash — hoping to crush him against it.
But Gon was faster.
With perfect timing, he launched himself upward, swung his fishing rod like a whip, and brought it crashing down right between the boar's eyes.
"BAM!"
A second impact followed — the thunderous sound of the beast's massive body collapsing onto the forest floor.
---
"Nice one, Gon!" Osren shouted, grinning.
Gon turned back, beaming with pure excitement. "Osren, you were right! Its head really is the weak spot!"
His words spread fast. Every examinee within earshot immediately stopped running and started aiming for the boars' heads instead — because if there's one universal truth, it's that no one passes up an easy win.
"Good," Osren said quickly. "But let's finish fast. The examiners' stomachs aren't bottomless pits — the sooner we cook, the better our chances."
"Got it!" everyone answered in unison, renewed determination lighting their faces.
---
Osren, however, knew his own limits. Without a weapon, taking down one of these beasts in a single strike would be tricky. But he wasn't helpless.
Though he hadn't yet formally trained in Nen, awakening it had already sharpened his senses and coordination far beyond normal. His body moved lighter, faster — every nerve humming with quiet strength.
---
He spotted a massive tree ahead and smirked. "Perfect."
In a blink, he scrambled up the trunk, moving with the confidence of someone who had done this a hundred times. Positioning himself on a sturdy upper branch, he waited — still, focused, patient.
As soon as one of the boars charged beneath him, he dropped like a falling boulder.
"Now!"
He slammed down onto its skull with pinpoint precision.
The impact echoed like a thunderclap. The beast let out one strangled grunt — and collapsed.
---
"Beautifully done!" Leorio shouted, eyes wide with admiration. "Alright, if Osren can do it, I can too!"
He tightened his grip on his weapon, grinning despite himself.
No way was he going to be the only one here without a boar to his name.
The others laughed and ran back into the fray, the air filled with the sound of pounding hooves and adrenaline-fueled shouts.
The Great Stamp hunt had truly begun.
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