Kurapika

Long Ting wanted to ask Gon would do if he were to fight Ging Freecss to the death one day.

But she didn't say it aloud; why put pressure on such a young child...

Moreover, he could guess how Gon would answer.

After a while, the Association's spaceship descended from the sky, and staff members came to wake the unconscious examinees. Long led the twelve people who had passed the exam onto the cabin.

This time, they didn't disturb Chairman Netero, so... Gon and Killua didn't play the ball-grabbing game with the old man on the spaceship.

On their way to the third round of exams, Killua and Gon became inseparable, good friends, and very close.

Oboro also handed over the ancient documents of the Kurta Clan to Kurapika.

"Consider this compensation. Here's some information... A large portion of the Scarlet Eyes you're looking for is in the collection of a prince of the Kakin Empire."

After Kurapika took the book, he didn't bother talking to Oboro and simply turned and left.

Long stared at his retreating figure and spoke.

As soon as he finished speaking, Kurapika stopped in his tracks and suddenly turned around.

"Your race was indeed slaughtered by the Spiders... After obtaining the Scarlet Eyes, they sold them to the prince of the Kakin Empire through some channels in exchange for a large sum of money. Of course, it's also possible that they were hired by that prince... I don't know the specifics, so I'm afraid you'll have to confront the Spiders face to face."

Oboro glanced at Kurapika, whose face was filled with coldness, and said calmly, "Do you still remember the name Sheila?"

Kurapika's expression changed slightly.

"The woman you and your partner Pairo rescued in the forest... she was from Meteor City, and had known Chrollo, the leader of the Phantom Troupe, since childhood, almost joining him. But ultimately, due to ideological differences, she left alone... she's probably dead, after leaving your base, so..."

"Oboro said."

How do you know all this?

The mere mention of the Phantom Troupe seemed to automatically flip a switch on Kurapika, his pupils glowing red.

To Kurapika's astonishment, his encounter with Sheila was several years ago... Apart from Pairo, the clan's Great Elder, and his parents, no one else knew about it.

But before Oboro could answer, Kurapika seemed to remember something else, "You know people from the Phantom Troupe?"

It's important to know that very little is known about the Phantom Troupe.

All he knows now is that his enemy is the Spiders, but he knows nothing about the appearance, abilities, or information of each member of the Phantom Troupe.

"I've seen them."

Long said frankly.

Upon hearing this, Kurapika turned his body completely around and looked directly at the man in front of him.

Oboro is a three-star Hunter x Hunter with unfathomable strength... there's no need to lie to yourself.

What do you want?

Kurapika asked in a deep voice.

His status and abilities were completely disparate from Oboro's, so Kurapika believed that Oboro was willing to tell him these things because he wanted something in return.

Long smiled slightly and shook his head. "You don't have anything I need."

"..."

Kurapika bit his lip.

He thought that Long was teasing him and deliberately leaking information to lure him in.

But unexpectedly, Oboro suddenly spoke up, "Listen carefully..."

Then, he recounted the names and Nen of all the members of the Phantom Troupe in detail.

After speaking, Oboro passed by Kurapika and patted the boy on the shoulder. "With your current strength, encountering them would be suicide... Get your Hunter License first. Also, don't be so hostile. I'm willing to help you... because I borrowed this book from you. Without this book, it would probably take me much longer to become a three-star Hunter x Hunter."

"Fulfill your mission well..."

As she finished speaking, Oboro lowered her body slightly, her lips moving slightly, "I've heard about the horrific way your people died... The Phantom Troupe truly deserves to die!"

These words instantly brought back bloody images to Kurapika's mind.

At that time, when he returned to his post.

He witnessed firsthand the remains of all his people, sitting in pairs, covered in wounds, their eyes gouged out.

Normal murderers usually leave the body unattended after killing someone, but the Spiders are different. They carefully arranged the bodies of the Kurta Clan's dead bodies... as if they were holding a celebratory ceremony!

Arrogant and smug.

Treating other people's lives as a joke.

Immediately afterwards, Long put his hands in his pockets and walked away.

As they turned the corner at the end of the corridor, Hisoka leaned against the shadows in the corner, looking at Oboro with a half-smile. "Are you sure he can pose a threat to the entire Phantom Troupe on his own? He's not comparable to the other two..."

He was referring to Killua and Gon.

"Never underestimate a person's awareness."

Long said calmly, "Don't worry, I didn't mention you, I just gave you my number."

"Hmm... it's okay, you can tell him."

Do I need to identify myself now?

Hisoka raised an eyebrow.

"Don't do anything unnecessary."

After agreeing, the two walked down the corridor one after the other towards the lower level of the spaceship.

But by sheer coincidence, at the turn of the stairs, they encountered a familiar figure... This small figure reacted extremely quickly, almost like a spring, and the moment Oboro and Hisoka appeared, it burst away and disappeared from the spot.

Both Oboro and Hisoka pretended not to see it and walked away on their own.

After they left, Killua, who was hiding in another place, touched his pounding chest with one hand, swallowed hard, and looked on with fear in his eyes.

"How could they be together?!"

"Oboro and Hisoka know each other?!"

"Gon is still in the dark. I told you, Long is extremely dangerous!"

"No, I have to tell Gon..."

Killua's mind raced, and he peeked half his head out from behind the wall. Once he was sure the two were gone, he quickly left.

Killua harbors such strong resentment towards Oboro because he has finally realized what happened. Back then, Oboro exploited his youthful ignorance, manipulating him to 'control' Alluka to help her recover from her injuries. This caused his family, especially Illumi, to doubt the relationship between him and Alluka, making the following years incredibly difficult for him... Fortunately, he finally found relief by making a vow with his father, Silva.

Therefore, Killua hated Oboro to the core...

After getting what he wanted, this guy just packed his bags and left, living the high life.

Letting a little kid like him clean up the mess... that's utterly inhumane.

Even though Oboro gave him snacks and Alluka gifts at the time... it was all just sweet talk.

They even tricked a kid like him... How could Killua possibly let this go...

What left Killua speechless was that when he told Gon that Oboro and Hisoka's relationship was not simple, Gon actually said with a grin, "As expected of Mr. Oboro, he can even befriend someone like Hisoka... However, I think Mr. Oboro and Hisoka must have just met. After all, one is an examiner and the other is an examinee, and they are on the same ship. It's perfectly normal."

This almost made Killua lose his temper... What normal person would want to associate with a freak like Hisoka!

He felt that Gon's idolization of Long was a bit excessive...

Even though Leorio thought Killua's analysis was correct, Gon still insisted on his own understanding of Oboro.

However, the three also discovered that... Kurapika had disappeared somewhere and they hadn't seen him since.

Night fell, and the spaceship was still in motion.

Long was lying in his bedroom reading when suddenly his gaze drifted toward the door.

A few seconds later, someone gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Oboro shouted."

Then, the door opened, and Kurapika walked in with a solemn expression.

Long knew perfectly well why he had come. "Is there something you need?"

Kurapika suddenly knelt down and bowed deeply, saying, "Please accept me as your disciple!"

Long remained unmoved and kept silent.

"I'm willing to give anything to kill the Phantom Troupe and avenge my people."

Kurapika said, each word distinct and forceful, "You didn't say those things to me during the day without reason."

"Heh... you really are very clever."

Long finally smiled.

"I'll pass on the apprenticeship... Strictly speaking, your talent doesn't meet my requirements for a disciple, and I personally have no interest in that... However, I can help you hunt Spiders."