The finish line on Zevil Island lay on a broad, sandy shore.
An enormous airship hovered silently over the sea.
The downdraft from its propellers pressed rings of ripples into the water.
On the beach, the examiner, Lippo, glanced at his watch.
He cleared his throat and began the final countdown.
"One minute remains until the exam ends."
His voice carried across the entire shore through a loudspeaker.
More than twenty applicants stood scattered across the beach.
Hisoka sat leisurely on a reef rock, a deck of playing cards having appeared in his hand at some point. With a flick of his fingers, the cards fluttered through the air, reflecting a cold gleam.
Illumi, disguised as Gittarackur, stood planted like a nail in the shadows, utterly motionless.
Hanzo, Bodoro, Pokkle, and the others sat or stood, each wearing a different expression.
Most of them kept glancing toward the jungle they had emerged from.
"Looks like Gon and the others won't make it," Pokkle said with a sigh.
"Hmph. Those guys should've been eliminated ages ago, especially that one called Leorio," an applicant with a scar on his face said disdainfully.
Hanzo sat cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed, resting, though his ears twitched slightly.
He shook his head. "It's too early to say they'll be eliminated. That kid named Lin Yan is strange."
He recalled the composure and mystery Lin Yan had displayed in the final moments at the Trick Tower.
He had a feeling that man wouldn't be eliminated so easily.
"Thirty seconds!"
Lippo's voice rang out again, cold and uncompromising.
"Looks like they really don't stand a chance."
"What a shame about that silver-haired brat. He was clearly strong."
The applicants murmured among themselves, all but writing Gon and the others off.
Just then, the corners