A Struggle in the Mist (Volume)

A Struggle In The Mist (霧の中の攻防 Kiri no Naka no Kōbō) is the second volume of the Hunter x Hunter series.

Chapters

 * 009. "A Struggle in the Mist" (霧の中の攻防)
 * 010. "An Unexpected Task" (意外な課題)
 * 011. "The Inevitable Outcome" (当然の結果)
 * 012. "The Chairman Awaits" (会長参上)
 * 013. "A Game at Midnight, Part 1" (真夜中のゲーム(1))
 * 014. "A Game at Midnight, Part 2" (真夜中のゲーム(2))
 * 015. "The Path of Majority Rules" (多数決の道)
 * 016. "Enter the Taskmasters" (試練官登場)
 * 017. "Disparate Choice" (不自由な2択)

Summary
Bored by the first phase, Hisoka has decided he will "help out" in the selection process by using razor-sharp playing cards to kill examinees he deems unworthy. Many nearby join to attack him, but Hisoka's superior skills leave them all dead in seconds. Fortunately, he decides Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon all pass his test, and they arrive relatively unharmed at the site of the second exam.

The next examiners, Gourmet Hunters Menchi and Buhara, reveal themselves shortly. The subject of the second exam: Cooking! The first part of the exam is to hunt and roast the elephant sized warthog of the surrounding woods to satisfy Buhara's massive appetite. The more demanding Menchi however, challenges the examinees to create a dish almost no one there has heard of: Sushi. However, when one examinee blabs the details of its creation, Menchi instead demands the examinees satisfy her taste buds. Unsurprisingly, everyone fails, and the Hunter Committee President Netero is called in to resolve the situation. A replacement test is given, requiring examinees to dive off a cliff to retrieve and boil the egg of a spider-eagle. Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua all pass easily, and the remaining examinees are transported via Netero's airship to the next exam site.

Forty examinees remain at the start of the third exam: Trick Tower managed by the Blacklist Hunter Lippo. They have 72 hours to reach the bottom alive, or be disqualified. Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua stumble upon "The Path of Majority Rules" method of descent, but are joined by with a fifth examinee, the "Rookie Crusher" Tonpa, who joins the Hunter Exam every year solely to sabotage the efforts of others.