Boundary Between Life and Death

The sweltering noon had just passed.

The cabin was unbearably stuffy. Quite a few examinees couldn't help running out onto the deck for some air, pulling open their collars and taking huge gulps of salty sea wind. Some simply lay on the deck to bask in the sun, while others gathered in small groups by the railings to chat.

Gon and Killua climbed out one after the other. Gon threw both hands high into the air. "Ah—finally, some fresh air!" Killua smiled and ruffled his hair. "You get excited way too easily."

Leorio crouched by the edge of the deck, swinging an empty bottle in his hand. "It's hot enough to kill me... I don't even feel like taking a nap..." Kurapika leaned against a thick mast, his gaze sweeping over the distant sea as he frowned slightly.

A few sharp-eyed examinees noticed the horizon beginning to darken, with dim, heavy shadows pressing down from above. Someone curled his lip. "Is the weather about to change?" Another waved him off. "Not that fast. The afternoon's barely started. Unstable weather by the sea is normal."

Several seagulls swept down from high above, their cries short and urgent as they beat their wings toward the inner island.

Ryan slowly emerged from the shadow behind the command tower, his steps unhurried and his expression calm. His eyes swept across the sea. It was finally coming, huh~!

Dark clouds pressed in from the horizon, and the sunlight had already vanished.

The wind grew stronger and stronger. Dark clouds slowly spread toward the island, and not a trace of blue sky could be seen in any direction.

Suddenly, patter.

The first raindrop fell.

Then came the second, and the third. Before long, the sound of rain striking the deck thickened into a dense drumbeat.