The Lone Wolf and the Gathering

Ryan curled up in the cramped pit, surrounded by the damp smell of earth and his own sweat. He closed his eyes, but not to rest. Instead, he extended his senses as far as possible. The wind through the woods, the faint calls of birds in the distance, the rustle of insects crawling over fallen leaves... Not a single unusual sound could escape his keenly focused hearing. His heartbeat had steadied after the brief, intense sprint, but his mind remained taut as a drawn bowstring.

He slowly spread his palm and, by the faint light filtering through the cracks in the pit, examined his newly acquired spoils: the number plates belonging to 146 and 176. The cold touch of the metal gave him a faint but tangible sense of security. The objective is complete. I'm temporarily safe. He silently muttered to himself, then tucked the two plates close to his body beside his own.

"But it's not safe enough yet." Ryan's brows drew together slightly. Although he had knocked down the two examinees, their injuries weren't fatal. He had deliberately avoided their vital points; the blows to their cheeks and the backs of their heads had been intended mainly to cause dizziness, aside from the few teeth knocked out of 146's mouth. They would wake up sooner or later. Anger and the desire for revenge would drive them to search for him, or... to prey on other, weaker targets. More importantly, Ryan knew that the most lethal threat on this island was far beyond those two examinees.

"Hisoka..." The name surfaced in his mind, bringing with it a chill. That perverted magician's Nen was like a venomous snake lurking in the darkness, liable to coil around any careless prey at any moment. Ryan forced himself to recall the details from