The moment I stepped through the door, I was greeted by shouts and screams from every direction.
"If there are traps around here, then I must've gotten incredibly lucky.Then again, maybe it's just participants breaking down under the pressure and losing their minds."
I found myself in a wide corridor — about 15 meters across and roughly 40 meters long — ending in a massive sealed gate.
After scanning the area for a few dozen seconds, I spotted Ponzu sitting quietly against a wall a little ways past the entrance.
She noticed me too and gave me a small nod with a faint smile.
"I hope you don't mind — I gave one of the clues to someone. If he manages to pass, I'm sure he'll repay the favor. He's a martial arts master, and I know who he is, so there's no need to worry about him until the final stages."
Her expression darkened halfway through, but then she returned to a neutral face.
"They were yours to begin with, so I have no complaints.But I don't trust strangers."
With that, she closed her eyes and stopped moving.
It felt… awkward.I still wanted to talk to her more.
Letting out a sheepish chuckle, I scratched my cheek with my index finger and, not knowing what else to do, sat down next to her — leaving about one-person's worth of space between us (30–40 centimeters or so).
Over the next few minutes, seven more people joined us — including Bodoro.
I waved to him, and he gave me a grateful bow before heading off to sit by himself.
I glanced at Ponzu, still calmly sitting with her eyes shut, and let out a quiet sigh.
Then I asked the system for the results of the First Phase, paying a symbolic amount of Nen for the info.
[ Passed: 108; Eliminated: 360 ]
"Yeah… that seems about right.In the next exam, around 150 people make it past Phase One… Brrr…"
A chill ran through my body — cold enough to snap me back to the present.I glanced around… and what I saw made my stomach drop.
Hisoka was staring directly at me — his twisted smile hidden behind a fan of playing cards.
I could tell.I knew that crescent-moon glint in his eyes — and they were pointed straight at me.
"Crap, I totally forgot!If this ability of mine is Nen, then he might've felt it!I'm so unlucky that he happened to be nearby when it activated…"
No.Stay calm.
He might just be watching me out of instinct — he's the type who acts on a gut feeling.There was no way I wouldn't have noticed him among this crowd.
It's flattering to know I have potential…But now I really get what Killua and Gon felt under his gaze.
Raising my hand, I gave him a stiff, nervous wave and forced a smile — which only made it worse.
His eyes narrowed even further. I hadn't even thought that was possible.
"Okay… he looks a little too… excited.Why is he acting like this?"
I tried to act like I hadn't noticed him and distracted myself for a few minutes, but then… a jolt of realization hit me like lightning.
"System — is this the exam that happens before the events of the original story?"
[ Yes. This is the 286th Hunter Exam.The main story begins with the 287th, when Gon receives permission to take the exam from Mito. ]
Gulp.
I swallowed, already dreading the answer to the question I knew was coming.
"What's the most significant event in the 286th Hunter Exam?"
[ Hisoka kills 20 participants and severely injures the examiner.The Hunter Association intervenes just in time, saving the examiner's life and disqualifying Hisoka from the rest of the exam. ]
"Shit…Shit-shit-shit!Why this year?!I would've taken 285 or even the start of canon instead…No, wait — back then I would've just collapsed in the tunnel from exhaustion…"
I panicked for a good two minutes before finally managing to calm down.
"Right. This is just a dream.If I really wanted to… I could just knock Hisoka out with a single punch."
(Naturally, it's not a dream — and the protagonist is walking on dangerously thin ice.)
"Better not look him in the eye… no point in provoking the beast.Not even the cops would help me here.I've had some pretty wild dreams before — and one hazy memory of being a femboy, which was thankfully interrupted when my girlfriend woke me up mid-dream."
Another ten minutes passed before the next examiner finally spoke to us — again through the speakers.
{ Greetings to all 108 participants who cleared the First Phase.I am the examiner for Phase Two — my name is irrelevant to you.The next challenge is what I call the Obstacle Road.As per Association protocol, I must warn you: unlike the previous trial, here you can get injured, crippled… or die.Anyone want to back out now? Life's short, and there's always next year… }
Silence.
The examiner chuckled darkly.
{ Wonderful. Just wonderful! This'll be delightful to watch!The test will last three days. So don't expect a quick jog with a few traps thrown in.Here's a hint: inside, there are no rules. Feel free to kill each other if you want — I don't care if a bunch of you make it out, just one, or no one at all.You can form alliances or stab each other on sight.And traps? They don't have to be lethal.Some might bind you, poison you, cripple you, or make you bleed out — just enough to weaken you for the others.What they'll do to you after that is up to them.No laws apply here. You all signed waivers — the Hunter Association takes no responsibility for your lives.In short: what happens in there… stays in there.That's all. Please approach the gate. It'll open automatically in five minutes.Good luck to you all — you'll definitely need it. BEEEEEP }
"Well. That's… reassuring.The chance of a violent death just went from zero to damn near 100%."
His speech set a grim tone from the start. The atmosphere turned suffocating — everyone's gaze sharpened like knives, and people instinctively kept a good meter of space between themselves.
No one rushed the gate.The examiner had made it clear this wasn't going to be a sprint.Judging by the name of the test, most figured it'd be wiser to let others go first — to clear the traps for them.
I positioned myself just behind the middle of the crowd, sticking close to Ponzu — and Bodoro, who had finally joined us.
Tension gripped the room. People were sweating bullets. This was the start of the real Hunter Exam — the one with the infamous mortality rate.
Even I felt a bit of a tremor building in my gut. But when I looked over at my two companions, a wild grin spread across my face.
"I think I get what Gon meant…When Hisoka nearly choked him out during the First Phase.This feeling — this thrill of danger — when your own life is the stake, and you want to get everything you can out of it."
{ Mic check — can you hear me?Just over ten seconds remain, and I simply can't resist counting you down myself!Here we go…10!9!8!7!6!5!4!3!2!1!Aaaaand— }
BRRR-RUUU-RUUUUU!
"Aaaaaah!""HELP!""A-ahhh! What's happening?!""Why's the floor tilting?!"
As the countdown hit zero, the floor beneath us began slowly tilting inward like a giant trapdoor.
"Oh crap! The floor's super smooth — just like the walls!I didn't think much of it earlier, but now it all makes sense!"
A few participants near the front lost their footing and slipped in, dragging others down with them as they scrambled in panic.
The floor wasn't slick enough to make you fall instantly — but with the tilt increasing, holding your ground was getting harder by the second.
Some people tried to backpedal toward the rear — only to find themselves slowly sliding back again.
Now no one dared to move, as the mechanical roar of the shifting walls echoed all around us.
Terrified by the unknown, I sent a quick mental command to the system.
"System — can you attach my feet to the floor like Hisoka's Bungee Gum, or something similar?"
As I felt a clump of Nen separate from me, I couldn't help but feel excited — but the system quickly brought me back to reality.
[ The material of this chamber has recently been treated with a Nen technique that both reinforces it and creates a Nen-repelling effect.Damage or interaction is impossible due to a pact layered with numerous conditions and restrictions. ]
"We are so screwed!Not even Hisoka can get out of this one!The examiner — or whoever's behind this — is most likely a Manipulator.Give a Manipulator time and control over the environment, and no one can match them — they're terrifying."
An image of Kurapika flashed through my mind — burying Uvogin, one of the strongest Enhancers in the world — and doing it shortly after awakening his Nen.
Sure, Kurapika had that unique Emperor Time ability, and Uvogin was still weakened by paralytic poison and drunkenness…But still — pulling that off was insane.
The floor began sloping faster, and the room echoed with screams — some frightened, others threatening.
Then, once the incline reached a certain angle, the platforms — formerly the floor — began to vibrate…And suddenly launched people upward with short bursts.
Everyone started losing their balance, slipping and sliding.Some outright fell — tumbling into the unknown below.
One of them… was me.
I lost my footing and began sliding like a helpless penguin straight toward the abyss.
"No, no, no, no! NO! I don't wanna fall!" I shouted as I plunged headfirst into the terrifying darkness below.