Hisoka and the Examiner's Conflict

After about ten more minutes of knocking, the man finally opened his eyes, casually discarding the iron rod and tripod at his feet. His strong hands rested on his hips as he swept his gaze across the crowd in appraisal.

Those who met his eyes unconsciously straightened their backs, which pleased him—until he saw Gelman and Hisoka.

Hisoka was lightly grinding a frog under the grass with the tip of his toe, neither crushing it nor letting it go, looking like he intended to toy with it until the end of time.

Gelman, meanwhile, was eating a sandwich he'd swiped from the dining hall, chewing on the meat and fried egg while calmly locking eyes with the blue-haired man.

These two are exactly as troublesome as Izunabi and Ian said... but no matter. I'll grind that arrogance out of them.

The blue-haired man thought this as he cleared his throat a few times.

"I am the examiner for the Third Exam—Hogari. I now announce that the remaining fifty-two examinees may continue to participate in the exam I am presiding over."

From the Second Exam into the Third, nearly half the examinees had been lost again—no doubt thanks to the mansion full of traps and tricks behind them, as well as the scheming and slaughter among the examinees themselves.

If this exam had an open "red name" system like a game, Hisoka would probably be so crimson that no one dared look at him.

Hogari was about to continue speaking when someone stepped forward to interrupt him—Hisoka.

"Examiner." Hisoka quickly forgot the man's name. Bored with the frog at his foot, he stomped it flat and suddenly asked loudly, "How many more rounds are there in this year's Hunter Exam?"

Hogari already disliked Hisoka. Having his speech forcefully interrupted so soon only soured his mood further, and his tone turned impatient.

"Every year, the Hunter Exam fluctuates between five and six rounds. Occasionally, there are exceptions..."

"I see. That's a relief." Hisoka cut Hogari off again, spreading his hands. "I was worried this boring exam would drag on endlessly."

The mountain wilderness in the early morning was already cold, but Hisoka's words dropped the temperature further like a biting wind.

"Boring?" Hogari, interrupted repeatedly and hearing such words, furrowed his brow, veins bulging on his forehead.

Hisoka nodded matter-of-factly. "The First Exam was finding cards. The Second Exam was spending a night in a house full of cheap tricks. What's the Third?"

He pulled out a deck of playing cards, shuffling them with a rustling sound. The cards danced in a dizzying blur, like flowers blooming, wilting, and blooming again in an instant.

"Your exams aren't even as interesting as my magic tricks, are they?"

Hogari narrowed his eyes and emphasized, "I decide the rules of the Third Exam. If you have any complaints, just withdraw."

"Ahh, threatening me with that again." Hisoka smiled, as if helpless. "I get it. If I can't satisfy the examiner, I can't pass the exam, right?"

Seeing Hisoka take a step back, Hogari assumed he was scared. He gave a smug snort and continued addressing the examinees:

"The reason I woke you all at four in the morning is to see your 'Guts'! I believe that as a Hunter, if your Guts are lazy, you can't accomplish anything—you're unqualified!"

"The content of the Third Exam is related to this! The mist rising from this mountain wilderness is thick enough to reach the Church Cemetery at the foot of the mountain. I need you to find the cave releasing the mist..."

Before Hogari could finish, the corner of his eye caught Hisoka stretching dramatically. At the same time, his sharp ears picked up a lazy yawn from the very back of the crowd.

"Tch."

Hogari, already on the verge of exploding, could no longer hold back. This blatant disrespect toward him as an examiner struck him as deliberate provocation, and he flew into a rage.

He pulled two gleaming knives from his pocket, his voice turning dark. "You two. Step forward."

The sudden, tense standoff left the examinees stunned, all eyes darting to the two people Hogari had called out—Hisoka and Gelman.

Hisoka pointed a long finger at himself, feigning surprise. "Are you looking for me?"

"Step forward," Hogari said coldly.

"Can't be helped..." Despite his words, Hisoka stepped out of the crowd with a grin.

The crowd in front of Gelman parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path on their own.

Gelman, unsure how he'd provoked Hogari, tossed his backpack—now empty of snacks—onto the grass and stepped forward as well.

The two stood before Hogari, forming a triangle. In that moment, unseen by the other examinees, they all released their Nen Energy.

"Apologize to me for your disrespect." Hogari's knives swayed like snakes in his hands. "As examinees aspiring to be Hunters, you are unqualified."

Gelman blinked his dark eyes. Hisoka curled his lips. Neither made a move.

Hogari's face darkened until it blended with the pre-dawn night.

"Is that so? I'd heard there were two troublemakers among the examinees. So it's true... I won't let you pass the exam. Before that, I need you to understand the consequences of your actions."

"That's what he says." Hisoka turned his head to look at Gelman beside him, a playing card spinning deftly between his five fingers. "What do you think we should do?"

Gelman stuck to his earlier stance, pretending under the public eye not to know Hisoka, even though many had already guessed they were acquainted.

"I haven't done anything worth apologizing for," Gelman said. "If you mean the yawn just now, that's because waking up at four in the morning means I didn't get enough sleep. Strictly speaking, that's your fault."

Seeing that Gelman still refused to engage with him, Hisoka simply said to Hogari, "You say we're unqualified? What if the examiner's insight and ability are so poor that they affect his judgment? What then?"

These two inflammatory remarks finally pushed Hogari over the edge.

He crouched slightly, assuming a ready stance, and barked, "Then I'll show you my insight and ability!"

He stepped forward, closing the distance between them in a flash. The knife in his right hand aimed for Hisoka's throat, but at the last moment, he redirected it toward Hisoka's arm.

The last shred of restraint as a Hunter Exam examiner made him change his mind—he decided to just teach them a lesson.

In Hogari's plan, under the cover of night, the knife in his right hand would sink into Hisoka's arm.

After pulling it out, he would drop low with lightning speed and drive the knife in his left hand into Gelman's thigh.

When he stood up, the two would only then realize they were injured and panic.

The other examinees, seeing this example made of them, would grow more respectful toward him.

But as he thought this, the very first step went wrong.