As they ventured deeper into the Wetlands, mist began to obscure their view.
"What's going on now?" Kaya asked, giving the Man-Faced Ape guiding them a kick.
"The Wetlands are always like this. There's thick mist. Just follow me."
The Man-Faced Ape felt wronged. It couldn't stop the mist from forming.
Sure enough, under the Man-Faced Ape's guidance, they successfully avoided the Strawberry Turtle's ambush.
Many candidates had been suspicious of the magical beast at first and hadn't dared approach.
Seeing this, the candidates immediately drew closer to Kaya's group.
Killua watched Hisoka's back and tugged at Gon.
"Let's move up ahead and get away from Hisoka. I have a feeling he'll use the mist to go on a killing spree."
"How do you know?" Gon looked completely puzzled.
"I can smell his bloodlust. We're the same kind of person."
Killua's face remained expressionless as he frowned, watching Hisoka's every move.
"Kaya, Kurapika, Leorio, Pokkle, hurry and catch up with the main group! Killua says it's dangerous here!"
Gon didn't doubt him for a second. He immediately turned and shouted to Kaya's group.
"Uh..." A huge sweat drop appeared on the back of Killua's head. This idiot really doesn't have a clue.
"What are you babbling about? If I could run, I'd already be up front."
Leorio had already been exhausted. Now he was gasping for breath and couldn't pick up his pace at all.
Kurapika glanced at Leorio, who was panting like an ox, and called, "Gon, take Killua and go ahead. We'll be right behind you. Don't worry."
As the mist thickened, visibility dropped sharply.
After a moment's thought, Kaya asked, "Pokkle, can you keep up with Gon and Killua?"
"I should be fine. I think I can," Pokkle said with a nod.
It seemed he hadn't slacked off over the past few years either. His endurance was far better than Leorio's.
Kaya knew that he and Kurapika had slowed down for Leorio, while Pokkle had slowed down for him.
"At our current speed, we're probably going to fall behind Gon and Killua," Kaya reasoned.
"How about we split into two groups? Pokkle, catch up with Gon and Killua. They have the Man-Faced Ape as their guide, so they should reach the destination sooner."
"Kurapika, Leorio, and I will follow."
It was a sensible arrangement.
Two groups of three: Gon and Killua would take Pokkle, who was slightly weaker, while Kaya and Kurapika would look after Leorio.
"Will you be all right?" Pokkle asked, looking at the ever-thickening mist. Even Kaya, right beside him, was becoming hard to make out.
"If you'll be fine, why wouldn't I be?" Kaya said, then shouted ahead, "Gon, where are you?"
"We're over here!"
Gon's voice came from ahead. Though somewhat muffled, it was still clear enough to tell the direction.
"Wait for Pokkle! Leorio, Kurapika, and I will be right behind you."
"No! Kaya..." There was no way Gon would leave Kaya behind like that. He refused outright.
"What do you mean, no? What did you promise Aunt Mito before we left?"
That single question silenced Gon. Before they had set out, Aunt Mito had specifically told him to listen to Kaya whenever something happened.
Adults really did have a good eye for these things.
After all, Kaya had far more experience than Gon and was quicker on the uptake.
Killua also tried to persuade him. "You have to trust Kaya. He can definitely handle it."
Hearing Killua say the same thing, Gon finally nodded in agreement.
Once Pokkle reached Gon, the three picked up speed and ran in the direction the Man-Faced Ape indicated.
The mist grew thicker still.
Without the Man-Faced Ape's guidance, Kaya and the other two began to lose their bearings.
Screams and cries for help rang out endlessly around them.
The smell of the mist and weeds completely overwhelmed Kaya's sense of smell, leaving him unable to locate Gon by his scent.
After all, his nose still wasn't as keen as Gon's.
In these conditions, Kaya could only rely on his sixth sense to lead the other two onward.
But his sixth sense seemed to have developed in entirely the wrong direction. It led them straight toward danger.
After they wandered aimlessly for a while, the mist thinned a little, making their surroundings slightly clearer.
The scene before them brought all three to an abrupt halt.
Hisoka was blocking the path of a small group of candidates.
"Hisoka, what exactly are you trying to do?"
A burly martial artist stepped forward, his tone forceful.
Hisoka seemed to pay him no mind. He didn't even glance at the man, merely looking down as he toyed with the cards in his hand, an eerie smile playing on his lips.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How rude." Hisoka shook his head disdainfully. "I only wanted to play examiner with you."
Kaya's earlier attack had left him wildly excited.
Even faced with these candidates who couldn't withstand a single blow, Hisoka had become indiscriminate, wanting only to satisfy his urge to kill.
"Play examiner?"
"Cut the crap. What do you really want?"
"This guy is completely insane."
The martial artist frowned and motioned for the restless candidates to quiet down.
"There are more than a dozen of us. No matter how strong you are, you can't beat us all. Besides, wasting time here won't do you any good. Do you want to miss this year's exam?"
"Hee hee... Hahahahahaha!"
From restrained chuckles to unbridled laughter, Hisoka's sinister laugh echoed through the damp air, sending the birds in the woods fleeing in panic.
"Don't lump me in with you. One card is enough to deal with the lot of you."
Hisoka reined in his sinister smile, his expression turning icy in an instant. He calmly drew a card and held it lightly between his fingertips.
His figure flitted among the candidates like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen candidates collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Hisoka licked the blood from his card, then fixed his gaze on Kaya and the other two nearby, his face full of lingering hunger.
"Ah~ It's you."
Hisoka looked at Kaya, his voice rising theatrically.
"Why did you show up before I'd satisfied my urges?"
Kaya frowned deeply and gave no answer.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Leorio raised his voice.
Hisoka stared fixedly at Kaya, completely ignoring Kurapika and Leorio beside him as he approached them step by step.
Kurapika whispered, "The gap between him and the three of us is far too great. Attacking recklessly now would be suicide."
"Don't be ridiculous. I haven't sunk so low that I need to run away."
Despite his words, the sweat streaming down Leorio's temples showed just how nervous he was.
"Calm down, Leorio. We all have reasons we have to become Hunters. Don't try to act tough at a time like this," Kurapika snapped.
"On my signal, we'll run in three different directions. That might give us a chance to survive."
Kaya said nothing, merely nodding slightly in agreement.
Watching Hisoka slaughter those candidates had made him feel this world's cruelty for the first time since he had crossed over.
So lives without strength really were this insignificant and helpless.
Kurapika's escape strategy wasn't wrong, but looked at another way, one of the three would inevitably suffer.
At Kurapika's signal, the three spun around and vanished into the thick mist with a rush.
Hisoka froze briefly, then smiled. "A very clever choice. As a reward, I'll give you ten seconds to run for your lives."
Elsewhere, Kaya's footsteps felt especially heavy in the dense mist, his heart pounding like a rapid drumbeat.
He knew Hisoka was an opponent he couldn't possibly defeat at present.
But deep inside, an inexplicable yearning made him stop.
He recalled his first encounter with Hisoka, when that aura of terror had nearly suffocated him.
Now, however, Kaya felt his blood boiling, like a beast unleashed. It was the excitement of being eager to try.
Gripping his long whip, Kaya took a deep breath, turned, and ran back.
Meanwhile, Hisoka really was obediently counting down where he stood. Killers who kept their word like that were rare these days.
"Four."
A sudden whistle cut through the air. A long whip burst from the dense mist, hurtling straight toward Hisoka.
Before you continue