The third time

Ba Peng sprang back up the instant he hit the ground, trying to snatch back his number badge.

But a second later, he stopped.

Odin stood in front of him, less than a meter away.

"Don't move," Odin said.

Ba Peng stared at him without moving.

The snakes around them wanted to rush forward, but Ba Peng stopped them, afraid that Odin would kill him the moment they moved.

Ponzu slipped the number badge into her waist pouch, took a few steps, and stood beside Odin.

Ba Peng stared at her, his fists clenching and unclenching over and over.

"You win," Ba Peng said in resignation.

Ponzu said nothing.

Neither did Odin.

The two turned and left.

Ba Peng stood where he was, watching their retreating figures. He gritted his teeth but didn't follow.

After they had walked some distance, she took out badge number 103, looked it over, then slipped it back into her waist pouch.

"With this, I have enough," she said. "Two points more than I need, even."

Odin nodded.

They continued walking.

After a while, Ponzu suddenly said, "Thanks for earlier."

"I didn't do much," Odin said. "You got it yourself."

"He didn't dare move with you standing there," Ponzu said. "That counts as helping."

Odin smiled without answering.

The two returned to their base. He refused to believe that people could come knocking three times in a row, even in a place like this.

Ponzu sat down and sorted through her backpack.

Odin sat beside her, looking at the woods in the distance.

The sun rose higher, its light spilling through the branches and leaves.

"Let's rest and wait for the test to end," he said.

Ponzu nodded, feeling delighted. This time, she had managed to show Odin what she could do. At least she had the ability to get a number badge herself, rather than just picking up easy spoils.

The bees patrolled around them, their buzzing faint.

Odin closed his eyes too.

The woods were quiet, with only the wind and an occasional birdcall.

Time flew, and before they knew it, noon on the fifth day had arrived. Sunlight slanted through gaps in the canopy.

Odin leaned against a tree trunk at the cave entrance, slowly chewing a piece of dried meat.

Ponzu sat beside him, soothing her remaining bees.

There were fewer and fewer bees in her hat. She had lost a great many.

The loss of her bees truly pained her.

"Thirty-seven left," she said.

Odin glanced at her but said nothing.

Ponzu called the bees back and closed her hat.

She looked up at the sky. The sun had already shifted westward, and it would be dark in a few hours.

"Just two more days until it's over," she said. "Nothing else should happen, right?"

No sooner had she spoken than footsteps came from the woods.

They weren't the soft steps of someone sneaking around, but ordinary walking, the kind that snapped twigs underfoot.

Odin stood up and pressed a hand to his head, looking utterly incredulous.

Damn it, someone really had come knocking again.

This was the third time, wasn't it?!

Ponzu stood too. Bees flew out of her hat and circled above her head.

Her expression was strange as well. Clearly, she hadn't expected this turn of events.

Three people emerged from behind the trees.

In the lead was a spiky-haired boy with a fishing rod on his back: Gon.

Beside him was a blond boy in traditional-style clothing, his expression serious: Kurapika.

On the other side was a young man who looked old beyond his years, dressed like a salesman: Leorio.

Odin froze for a moment.

Gon's eyes lit up when he saw Odin. "It's you guys!"

Leorio gave Gon an exasperated look. "Why are you so happy we found someone?"

"Because we know them," Gon said as though it were obvious.

Kurapika stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Odin and Ponzu before settling on her.

"She's number 246," Kurapika said gravely.

He knew that what came next would be ugly.

Ponzu's expression changed.

She took a step back, and the bees rose with a buzz, forming a barrier in front of her.

"Your target is number 246," Odin said.

Kurapika nodded. "Yes."

"No, she's Leorio's target," Gon said, raising a hand, his face swollen. "Mine was someone else. I already got his badge."

Ponzu stared at Leorio, her fingers already resting on the brim of her hat, ready to command the swarm at any moment.

Kurapika didn't move. He only watched her.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Odin stepped in front of Ponzu and looked at Kurapika. "The three of you came to take her badge?"

Kurapika nodded. "Leorio needs this badge."

"Then you also know there's no way we'll give it up," Odin said, looking at the three of them.

Of course they knew that. How could anyone willing to take the Hunter Exam be willing to give up?

Especially after getting six points, they would be even less willing to quit.

"Besides, are you confident you can take these badges from me?" Odin regarded the three of them confidently.

His words left all three silent.

They really weren't confident they could take the badges from Odin.

Gon in particular, after his experience with Hisoka, considered Odin just as difficult to deal with.

Ever since meeting Odin, they had seen how fast he was.

No one who had witnessed that speed would dare claim they could beat him.

Seeing their silence, Odin didn't press the point. He simply smiled and said, "Instead of spending your time coming here, you'd be better off finding other applicants who already have enough points. They'll have at least two badges.

"Taking on someone alone would at least be better than fighting the two of us, right?"

Kurapika paused, then frowned.

Odin had a point. In fact, the moment Kurapika saw him, he had known their plan to find Ponzu had failed.

If Ponzu had been alone, the three of them would have had a very good chance of taking her badge.

But now, Kurapika glanced at Odin again.

Gon scratched his head. "Then what do we do?"

Leorio grew anxious and planned to take on Odin and Ponzu by himself.

Even if he failed, at least he would have tried.

Kurapika stopped him. "Leorio, let's go. Gon, can you still pick up anyone else's scent?"

"Sure, but who should we look for?" Gon replied with a nod.

Kurapika thought for a few seconds, then raised his head. "Bodoro."

"Who's that?"

"Bodoro," Kurapika said. "The older man wearing a martial arts uniform."

Odin raised an eyebrow. "A wise choice."

If Bodoro lost his chance to qualify for the final stage, he would also escape his fate of dying.

As far as Odin was concerned, that was much better.

"Gon, can you find him?" Leorio asked, looking at Gon expectantly.

"Yeah, I can. His hiding place isn't far from here," Gon said confidently.

Kurapika looked at Odin. "Sorry for disturbing you."

"Sorry for disturbing you," Gon echoed politely.

"Sorry." Leorio still wanted Ponzu's badge, but with things having come to this, wanting it was no use.

Ponzu stood stunned.

She hadn't expected things to turn out this way.