Final test · Interviews

The morning of the seventh day.

The docks on Glasses Island.

The sun rose over the sea, shining onto the beach.

The applicants emerged from the woods one after another and headed toward the docks.

Odin and Ponzu were among the first to arrive.

They stood by the docks, gazing out at the sea.

An airship approached in the distance.

Ponzu yawned.

"It's finally over."

"Yeah," Odin said.

Others gradually arrived behind them.

Hisoka was the first to emerge, playing with cards in his hand, a smile on his face.

When he saw Odin, his gaze lingered for two seconds before shifting away.

Gittarackur came second, covered in needles, his footsteps silent.

Hanzo came third, grumbling as he walked. "Finally over. Being stuck on this lousy island was driving me nuts."

He went off to one side and sat cross-legged.

More people emerged.

Pokkle came out without a scratch on him, looking relaxed.

He glanced at everyone present, then found a corner to wait in.

A little more time passed.

Footsteps came from the woods.

Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio emerged together.

Leorio clutched his number tags, a smile on his face.

He spotted Odin and walked over.

Leorio stood beside him, looking out at the sea.

"Thanks," he said. "I won't forget what you did for me with those two number tags."

"No need."

"Yes, there is," Leorio said. "I owe you, and I'll pay you back."

Odin glanced at him without saying anything.

The airship pulled up.

After disembarking, Lippo stood before the applicants.

He swept his gaze over the applicants on the shore.

"Congratulations on passing the fourth test," he said. "We'll now head to the final test site."

The applicants boarded the airship one after another.

Odin was the last to board.

Inside the airship, the applicants each found somewhere to sit.

The atmosphere was a little lighter than before, but no one truly relaxed.

Odin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Ponzu sat beside him, fiddling with her hat.

A few bees crawled out of it and wandered over her fingers.

The airship flew on. Bright sunshine filled the view outside, and the sea shimmered.

Gon leaned against a window to look outside, his face almost pressed against the glass.

Killua sat beside him with both hands in his pockets, looking bored.

Kurapika was reading a thick book with a worn cover.

Leorio lay across his seat with a borrowed book covering his face. It was hard to tell whether he was asleep or pretending.

About half an hour into the flight, the airship's announcement system sounded.

"Mr. Hisoka, please come to the conference room."

Hisoka stood, slipped his cards into his pocket, and followed the directions to the conference room.

Once Hisoka left, the other applicants exchanged puzzled looks.

"What's this about?" Ponzu asked Odin.

"An interview, probably," Odin said with a casual shrug.

About five minutes later, Hisoka came out.

He still wore that same smile, giving no hint of what they had discussed.

"Mr. Gittarackur."

Gittarackur stood, the needles covering his body clicking once, and entered the conference room.

Another five minutes passed.

Gittarackur came out and returned to his corner, his expression unchanged-if it could even be called an expression.

"Mr. Hanzo."

Hanzo went in and came out, his expression largely unchanged too.

"Mr. Odin."

Odin stood.

Ponzu glanced at him and whispered, "Good luck."

Odin nodded and followed Beans into the conference room.

The cabin door closed behind him.

The conference room was spacious, with large windows. Sunlight poured in, making the entire room dazzlingly bright.

Netero sat on a cushion, holding a notebook and pen, earnestly writing something.

"Sit," Netero said, pointing to the cushion opposite him.

Odin sat down.

Still writing without looking at him, Netero casually asked, "Why do you want to become a Hunter?"

Odin paused.

He had expected this question, but now that he was actually being asked, he still had to think about his answer.

Should I tell the truth?

That I want to get stronger? That I want to survive in this world? That I want to see the limits of Nen Abilities?

Any of those would work, but he didn't particularly want to say them.

After a moment's thought, he said, "To see more interesting things."

Netero raised his eyebrows.

"Interesting things?"

"Yes," Odin said. "There are lots of things in this world I've never seen. Strange creatures, unusual places. I want to see them with my own eyes."

Netero chuckled.

"That's a good reason," he said.

He took another sip of tea.

Netero asked, "Among the applicants who passed, who do you want to fight? And who don't you want to fight?"

Odin wasn't surprised. This question had appeared in the story.

He fell silent for a few seconds.

Who do I want to fight?

"I don't want to fight Hisoka," Odin said. "Or Gittarackur."

"If possible, I'd rather not fight Gon either."

Netero chuckled.

"Understood," he said. "That's all. You can go."

Odin stood and walked out.

As soon as he returned to his seat, Ponzu leaned over.

"What did he ask?"

"Why I want to become a Hunter, who I want to fight, and who I don't want to fight," Odin said.

Ponzu blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"So what did you say?"

"I said I wanted to see more interesting things," Odin said. "And that I didn't want to fight Hisoka or Gittarackur."

Ponzu nodded. She felt the same way, but compared with those two, she wanted to fight Odin even less.

Against him, she was certain to lose.

A little while later.

"Ms. Ponzu."

Ponzu stood, took a deep breath, and entered the conference room.

Odin leaned back in his chair, watching the clouds outside.

Less than five minutes later, Ponzu came out.

She returned to her seat with a slightly odd expression.

"What's wrong?" Odin asked.

Ponzu shook her head. "Nothing. He just asked why I wanted to become a Hunter and who I wanted to fight."

"What did you say?"

"I said I wanted to become an Insect Hunter and protect rare insects," Ponzu said. "And that I didn't want to fight Hisoka, Gittarackur, or you."

Odin paused. "Me?"

"Yes," Ponzu said. "I told him you were too fast. I couldn't beat you."

Odin didn't know what to say.

Ponzu continued, "The chairman just went 'ho, ho, ho' when he heard that, then told me I could leave."

"He didn't ask anything else?"

"No."

Odin nodded.

The interviews continued.

Pokkle went in and came out deep in thought.

Kurapika went in and came out looking serious.

Leorio went in and came out looking bewildered.

Gon went in and came out excitedly telling Killua something.

Killua rolled his eyes beside him.

Killua was the last.

He went in and came out looking relaxed and at ease.

Gon leaned over, and the two boys started chattering away again.

The airship flew on.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, shifting across the floor.

Odin glanced outside.

The clouds had thinned, revealing the outline of land below.

Mountains, rivers, plains.

And a city, tiny enough to look like a toy model.

"We're almost there," he said.

Ponzu followed his gaze outside.

"Is that where the final test will be?"

"Probably."

The airship began to descend.

It dropped lower and lower, leaving the clouds above as the scenery below grew clearer.

The city was small, its buildings low, with some streets straight and others winding.

An enormous building stood on the outskirts, resembling a castle.

The airship flew toward it.

As they descended farther, a vast stretch of flat ground came into view beside the building, large enough for the airship to land.

The sound of the engines changed as their thrust decreased, and the airship slowly sank.

The airship shuddered slightly as it touched down.

The cabin door opened, letting in a rush of cold wind carrying the city's distinctive smell.

Beans's voice sounded over the announcement system. "Applicants, please disembark."

The applicants stood and filed out of the airship.

Odin was the last to rise. He shouldered his backpack and followed them out.

The wind on the ground was strong, making their clothes flap.

The sunlight was a little dazzling.

The applicants gathered in front of the airship, waiting for further instructions.

Beans walked over, holding a folder.

"All examinees, please follow me."

He turned and headed toward the hotel.

The examinees followed.

The door opened onto a carpeted corridor with paintings hanging on the walls.

The corridor was long, with many doors on either side, all closed.

Beans led the way. After about three minutes of walking, a large set of double doors came into view at the end of the corridor.

The doors were at least five meters tall, with intricate patterns carved into their panels.

He pushed the doors open, revealing an enormous hall with a ceiling at least ten meters high and a marble floor. It looked vast and empty; all the tables inside were gone.