Comfortably seated against one of the walls, Nicolas took out his laptop to pass the time. The last candidate was number 250, there was still plenty of time.
After a few hours of waiting, a sudden scream caught his attention. Every candidate turned to look at a man dressed as a clown. Even though he couldn't see it from where he sat, Nicolas knew exactly what had happened. It also meant the trial was about to begin.
Closing his laptop, he placed it back in his bag and stood up. Glancing at the other candidates, he began scanning for Gon and his group.
Eventually, he spotted them. After confirming their presence, he quickly looked away so as not to attract attention.
LALALALALALALALA!
A few minutes later, a loud chime rang out. A man dressed like a British butler, with a neatly groomed mustache and slicked-back hair, turned off the alarm he was holding.
Pleased to have captured the candidates' attention, he spoke. "Time is up. The exam may begin. Please follow me."
Without further explanation, he started walking slowly down a tunnel. The crowd of candidates calmly followed behind.
After a few minutes of walking, the pace began to increase. Gradually, everyone had to start running to avoid being left behind.
Nicolas jogged steadily despite the weights strapped to his limbs. After eight months of training and awakening his Nen, even if the run lasted a whole week, he'd be able to finish it.
He saw Killua in the distance, cruising along on his skateboard. After a brief conversation with Gon's group, Killua abandoned the skateboard and continued on foot.
Oh, so this is the moment they meet… Should I take the opportunity to join them too?
He sped up slightly to catch up, but then noticed Killua turning toward him.
"Oh, you're the guy who saw through the big guy's trap earlier. Wanna run with us?"
Nicolas blinked. That was easier than expected. "Of course! I'm Nicolas. And you?"
At his words, the gazes of Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika all turned toward him. Feeling the eyes of characters he once knew only through a screen, he smiled faintly.
"I'm Gon! Nice to meet you!" Unsurprisingly, the main character responded first, quickly followed by the others.
"Why are so many kids taking the Hunter Exam?" Leorio muttered. Deep down, Nicolas agreed, but neither he nor the other two could really be called normal children.
The newly formed group kept running together over the next four hours. Nicolas was happy to have made contact so naturally.
Suddenly, Leorio, dripping with sweat, ran past him with all his strength. Nicolas watched with amusement.
If I remember right, the original me gave up around this point. But I'm not even sweating yet… I really have improved a lot.
His self-congratulations were cut short as murmurs rippled through the group. In the distance, he could make out a staircase that seemed to go on forever. The examiner's pace quickened.
After a hundred meters or so up the stairs, Gon spoke. "Nicolas, Killua, why do you want to become Hunters?"
Killua shot Nicolas a glance before answering. "I don't really want to be a Hunter. I heard it was super hard, so I signed up… but honestly, I'm kind of disappointed. What about you, Nicolas?"
"I don't really want to either. My father wanted me to do it. He threatened me, so… here I am."
Nicolas chose to answer honestly. With these two, lying wouldn't have helped. They'd just accept it and move on without much fuss.
Killua nodded. "Yeah, it sucks having to obey your parents. I know what that's like. And you, Gon? Why do you want to become a Hunter?"
Smiling, Gon answered, "My dad's a Hunter too! I want to be like him!"
He continued telling his story just like in the manga, but Nicolas only half-listened, keeping his focus on the run.
It's nice to be surrounded by people so carefree. I could probably tell them I'm not from this world and they wouldn't even react much… Still, I'd never do that. Honestly, it's kind of terrifying. These kids don't take anything seriously.
Suddenly, the trio saw the end of the tunnel. Nicolas smiled as the two kids started talking about racing. When they turned toward him, "We're going together! One, two, three!"
Hey, I never said I was joining in!
Yet, despite his inner thoughts, Nicolas suddenly picked up speed at the end of the countdown. It might be childish, but after all this training, he wanted to see how he compared physically.
The three of them ran neck and neck, but Nicolas kept a slight lead and ended up winning by just a few centimeters.
A wide grin spread across his face as he looked back at the others. "I win~ According to your bet, you both owe me dinner."
Gon accepted defeat with a sulky face, while Killua stared at his wrists.
Nicolas followed his gaze, curious. Oh! That's right, I'm still wearing weights. I almost forgot, I lowered them to 40kg each, but still…
Raising his hands in the air, Killua spoke up too. "Yeah, we lost. You can pick the restaurant once the exam's over."
Basking in his victory, Nicolas looked at the two boys in front of him. They hadn't awakened Nen yet. Once they did and their talents fully bloomed, he'd never be able to keep up with these two monsters again.