Time ticked by, second after second.
The elevator chimed again and again, and every time its doors opened, new examinees stepped out.
Beans stood beside the elevator, mechanically handing out number tags with a blank expression, like a human card dispenser.
The tunnel gradually filled with people, and the atmosphere grew more tense.
No one talked anymore. Everyone remained silent, preparing themselves and waiting for the exam to begin.
Odin leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.
He could hear the breathing around him, feel the gazes directed his way, and smell the increasingly thick scent of sweat and tension in the air.
Before long, the elevator chimed again.
A white-haired kid stepped out, one of the main cast whom Odin knew quite well.
That familiarity made him take another look. When Killua looked over, Odin nodded, then closed his eyes and went back to resting.
Killua gave Odin a puzzled look, rapidly running through his enemies in his head to see whether Odin was among them.
Unable to place him, Killua gave up and began wandering around.
Soon, Tonpa approached Killua and offered him his specially prepared drink.
The farce continued, and examinees kept arriving.
The three brothers arrived, then Hanzo. Killua's older brother, Illumi, had entered the Hunter Exam under the alias Gittarackur, a strange man covered in needles.
Time flew by. Listening to Hanzo's incessant chatter nearby, Odin felt utterly helpless and wished he could buy himself a pair of less sensitive ears.
Ding. The elevator chimed again, and this time, three people stepped out.
In front was a spiky-haired kid carrying a huge fishing rod on his back. His face was full of excitement and curiosity, his eyes sparkling as he looked all around the moment he entered.
Behind him came a blond boy in traditional ethnic clothing, his expression serious as his wary gaze swept the tunnel.
Last was a tall "old guy" in a suit, carrying a briefcase and yawning as he walked. He looked very sleepy.
Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, Odin recited silently. The main cast is all here.
Seeing that they had all arrived, Odin straightened himself up and stood ready. It was almost time to begin.
Beans handed them their number tags-403, 404, and 405.
The three took their tags and found an open spot to stand.
Gon was still looking around excitedly.
Odin watched from a distance, with no intention of approaching them to strike up a conversation.
With more people came a more complicated mix of smells-sweat, earth, and a faint hint of blood.
Some people were injured. Although their wounds had been treated, blood could still be seen seeping through their bandages.
Their eyes were fiercer, as though they had been through something.
Looks like some of them were already in fights before they got here, Odin thought.
While he was thinking, Tonpa made his move again.
The "rookie crusher" clearly hadn't been discouraged by his various setbacks.
An enthusiastic smile returned to his face as he joined Gon's group in conversation.
"You guys are rookies, right?" Tonpa asked the trio, his tone carrying the pride of a veteran with inside knowledge.
Gon nodded earnestly. "Hello!"
"My name's Tonpa..."
He began introducing the well-known examinees in the tunnel one by one, sounding sincere, as though he really were helping the newcomers get their bearings.
Odin watched from afar, well aware of Tonpa's aim-gain their trust first, then find a chance to trip them up.
That was Tonpa's usual routine.
Quite a few other examinees were watching the show alongside Odin, snickering to themselves, but none had any intention of stepping in to help.
They were all competitors. To the examinees, the fewer people there were, the better.
But Gon and his companions clearly weren't so easily fooled.
Gon's almost monstrous instincts defused the danger posed by the drinks.
"Aah!!"
Just then, a scream rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
The screaming examinee's arms had vanished, yet no blood sprayed out.
There was only a scattering of flower petals in the air, fluttering down.
The entire tunnel fell frighteningly quiet.
The examinees stared blankly at the screaming man's empty shoulders, then at Hisoka beside him, wearing a thoroughly perverse smile.
"How amazing. His arms turned into flower petals and disappeared." Hisoka acted like a magician in the middle of a performance.
The examinee's screams were his only response, which displeased Hisoka greatly.
"Remember to apologize next time you bump into someone," he said softly, his tone as tender as though he were speaking to a lover.
The tunnel was deathly silent.
Everyone stared at Hisoka, at the screaming examinee on the ground, and at the pink petals scattered across the floor.
Some went pale, while others clenched their fists. As Hisoka walked away, the examinees instinctively backed off.
No one dared approach.
Watching the scene, Odin silently grumbled, This is ridiculous. Ordinary people might as well be made of paper in front of them.
At the same time, he felt a sense of urgency.
In this world, strength was everything.
Or rather, strength was everything in every world.
Without it, even earning the right to survive was difficult.
He had the Rabbit Talisman now, and he was fast, but against certain Nen users, that advantage might be nowhere near enough.
He needed to awaken his Nen Ability as soon as possible.
Someone else came in.
But this time, it wasn't an examinee.
"Ring, ring, ring-" Just then, a shrill ringing sounded.
The examinees looked toward it and discovered a figure standing farther down the tunnel, though no one knew when he had appeared.
He was a tall, thin man in a suit, with a serious expression.
He held a strange bell in his hand and only switched it off once all the examinees were looking at him.
Odin realized that the examiner did have a mouth. His lips were simply so pale that their outlines barely showed, making him look as though he had none.
"Examinees," the man began, his voice steady but clear, "I am Satotz, the examiner for the first phase."
The tunnel immediately quieted down.
Satotz swept his gaze over the examinees and continued, "The first phase is very simple-follow me."
"I will now lead you to the site of the second phase."
His explanation was simple, but the examinees were confused.
"The exam begins now."
With that, Satotz stepped into the tunnel.
His gait was strange-not quite running, not quite walking, but something between the two, moving swiftly at a constant pace.
His body remained upright and his steps light, yet his speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, he was already far ahead.
The examinees in the tunnel froze for a second, then erupted into an uproar.
"The second phase? What about the first?"
"It's already started. Just follow me."
"How far? For how long?"
Satotz didn't answer. He simply kept walking briskly in silence.
No time limit, no indication of distance-all they had to do was follow?
Quite a few sharp-minded examinees immediately saw what Satotz was getting at, and found it a real headache.
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