"The only ones to pass."
Those words weighed heavily.
They pressed down on everyone's hearts.
Leorio lowered his head, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.
The faces of the applicants who had taken another fatal path because of his wrong choice still seemed to linger before his eyes.
If Luo Ye hadn't discovered the hidden passage...
If they hadn't chosen that route with its "slim chance of survival" at the end...
Would they have met the same fate as those people?
Guilt and lingering fear tormented him.
"Hey, genius."
Luo Ye's voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"Stop looking like your parents just died. What the hell do those people's lives have to do with you?"
"But..."
"But what? They chose their own path and stepped into those traps themselves. Who do you think you are? Their savior?"
Luo Ye ruthlessly tore through his delusions.
"Put away that worthless sympathy of yours."
"In the hunter exam, staying alive means winning."
"Whether anyone else lives or dies is just background scenery that reminds you you're still alive."
Those words were cruel, but true.
Kurapika glanced at Luo Ye, a complicated look in his eyes.
Although he disagreed with Luo Ye's values, he couldn't refute him.
Gon walked over to Leorio and patted his back without saying a word.
Some comfort needed no words.
Killua, meanwhile, looked utterly unconcerned. He cared more about what came next.
"Hey, examiner, we passed, but what about everyone else? Is the exam just over now?"
"Of course not."
Lippo smiled.
"The chairman anticipated this long ago."
"A lot of applicants would die this year."
He took a communicator out of his jacket.
"So the rules for the fourth phase have been adjusted as well."
Soon, an enormous airship descended from the sky and landed in the clearing at the base of the tower.
The hatch opened, and Beans stepped out, wearing a suit and glasses.
He was the Hunter Association's secretary, responsible for overseeing the next phase.
"Thank you for your efforts, everyone."
Beans bowed to Luo Ye's group of five and the handful of other applicants who had made it out of the other passages alive.
Luo Ye glanced around. Aside from the five of them, fewer than twenty people remained.
Hisoka and Illumi beside him, the skilled ninja Hanzo, the bow-wielding Pokkle, and a few nameless extras.
Twenty-four people in all.
From over four hundred at the start, only twenty-four remained.
That alone showed how brutal this exam was.
"We will now proceed to the fourth phase. All applicants, please board the airship."
After speaking, Beans turned and boarded the airship.
Inside the airship was a spacious conference room.
Once everyone was seated, Beans stepped up to the podium and began explaining the fourth phase's rules.
"The fourth phase will take place on an uninhabited island-ZIBI Sweat Island."
The large screen behind him lit up.
It displayed a map of an island.
"You will spend seven days on this island playing a 'hunting game.'"
"The rules are simple."
Beans took out a box.
"Each of you has a numbered badge. This box contains the corresponding numbers for all applicants. You will come up one at a time and draw a number at random."
"That number will be your 'prey.'"
"Your own badge is worth three points, your chosen prey's badge is worth three points, and anyone else's badge is worth one point."
"Collect six points within seven days, and you pass."
"There are no restrictions on how you hunt. You may steal, deceive, or, of course, kill."
Beans delivered the cruelest rule with a smile.
"In other words..."
"The simplest method is to find your prey and take his badge."
"That will give you all six points at once, letting you finish early."
"Oh? That sounds very interesting."
Hisoka let out a deranged chuckle, sticking out his tongue to lick his lips.
His gaze swept back and forth between Gon and Luo Ye.
The undisguised hunger to hunt made Gon's skin crawl.
Luo Ye, on the other hand, met his eyes with interest.
Good.
Very good.
Luo Ye began making plans.
A free-for-all sounds great.
My favorite.
Now I can openly look for people to beat me up without worrying about breaking the rules.
Isn't ZIBI Sweat Island practically an evolution paradise made just for me?
Which raises the question.
Who will be my "prey"?
And who will draw an "unlucky bastard" like me?
"The drawing will now begin."
Beans opened the box.
The applicants stepped forward to draw in order of their badge numbers.
Hisoka went first.
He reached into the box with an eerie smile and pulled out a card.
After glancing at the number on it, his smile grew even more delighted.
Next came Illumi, Hanzo, and Pokkle...
Soon, it was the main cast's turn.
Kurapika remained composed after drawing.
Leorio looked nervous after his draw.
Killua glanced at his card and casually stuffed it into his pocket, as though he didn't care who he got.
Gon stepped forward, took a breath, and drew a card as well.
He nervously turned it over.
[44]
Hisoka's number.
Gon's face instantly went deathly pale.
"What's wrong, Gon?"
Killua leaned over to ask.
Gon instinctively hid the card and shook his head.
"Nothing."
Naturally, that little gesture didn't escape Luo Ye's notice.
Tsk, that spiky-haired kid's luck really is something else.
He went straight for the current meta's top-tier boss.
Now this is going to be fun.
As Luo Ye gleefully anticipated Gon's misfortune, his own turn came.
He casually reached into the box and pulled out a card.
[199]
Kurapika's number.
"Oh? One of our own."
Luo Ye glanced at Kurapika and whistled.
"Well, that's no fun."
He was about to pocket the card when he caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye.
Pokkle, the bow user, had averted his eyes upon seeing Luo Ye's badge number.
He couldn't hide the fear on his face.
"Hmm?"
The corners of Luo Ye's mouth lifted slightly.
"Looks like the lucky winner who drew a 'grand prize' like me has already shown himself."
"Poor guy. I hope you can give me some decent entertainment."
Before you continue