Chapter 18 : The 286th Hunter Exam Officially Begins
Germain didn't want to waste time with the man before him.
He reached into his black cloak and used his Hunter's Badge to materialize a musket pretending to pull it from inside his sleeve.
The dark barrel gleamed as he raised it and aimed straight at Tonpa.
Tonpa had just reached into his bag to pull out a bottle a drink laced with strong diarrhea powder intending to trick the black-haired young man in front of him into drinking it.
But in the blink of an eye, he found himself staring down the black muzzle of a gun.
His face went pale. He raised his trembling hands, sweat pouring down his temples.
W What are you doing? I was just trying to be friendly!
You'd better drop that idea, Germain said quietly.
He lowered the gun's barrel again. His expression remained calm and unbothered not at all like someone making a threat.
I have terrible aim, Germain continued casually. That's why I use shotguns.
They leave horrible wounds when they hit.
Tonpa swallowed hard, forcing a shaky grin as he backed away with his hands still raised.
I I understand… got it…
After putting some distance between them, he lowered his hands, muttering curses under his breath before hurrying off.
Many of the other examinees had noticed the commotion.
Some who recognized Tonpa as the infamous Rookie Crusher had been eagerly waiting to watch him torment the newcomers.
But to their surprise, the veteran had been completely shut down before he could even make his move.
This guy Germain wasn't someone to mess with.
That thought spread among them silently, and the smirks on their faces disappeared.
Suddenly, Germain felt a sharp, unmistakable killing intent behind him.
He turned, and there leaning casually against a gray tombstone stood a familiar figure.
Just as he expected.
It was his comrade from the Phantom Troupe Hisoka.
His presence wasn't surprising.
In the original timeline, Hisoka had also participated in the Hunter Exam and again the following year earning his Hunter License then.
And just as in that time, people here viewed him as someone not to be trifled with.
Once, a man disgusted by Hisoka's makeup had challenged him only to have his left ear and several fingers sliced off by a single playing card.
The would-be challenger fled in terror, never even showing up for the Hunter Exam again.
Hisoka tilted his head slightly, those peach-shaped eyes locking onto Germain's with a knowing, teasing smile.
He licked his lips slowly, spinning a card in his fingers from the Four of Hearts to the Eight of Hearts.
Then, parting his lips, he silently mouthed something in Germain's direction.
Germain couldn't read lips so he ignored him.
Hisoka didn't press further. He simply chuckled softly, closed his eyes, and continued shuffling his cards.
An hour and a half later, the waiting finally ended
the Hunter Exam was about to begin.
A total of 353 candidates had arrived. One had already withdrawn early.
The bean-faced man, Beans, had disappeared quietly his role complete.
The candidates waited, but no one seemed to be paying attention to them.
A few began to grow restless.
Is anyone here?
Where's the examiner?
Their shouts echoed across the foggy cemetery.
Germain showed no impatience at all.
He sat cross-legged on the red brick path, pulled a strip of jerky from his pack, and began chewing leisurely as though he didn't mind waiting another hour.
The others watched in disbelief as he finished one strip… then another.
Before long, the smell of dried meat had their own stomachs growling.
Is he doing that on purpose…?
Then, finally slow, steady footsteps echoed through the mist.
A man emerged from the foggy cemetery.
He had short black hair, a faint stubble on his chin, carried a small cloth bag, and wore wooden clogs.
All eyes turned toward him.
The man scanned the crowd, then spoke in a flat tone:
Apologies for being late.
I am Izenabi, examiner for the first phase of the Hunter Exam.
Izenabi…?
Germain bit into his jerky, studying the man carefully comparing him with the faint memories of a name he knew.
In the story that would one day unfold, Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio the protagonists would each meet mentors who taught them the power of the mind.
Kurapika's mentor, of course, was none other than Izenabi.
Many candidates bristled at the examiner's indifferent tone.
But Izenabi didn't care.
He dropped his small bag at his feet and declared:
Then, I now officially announce the start of the 286th Hunter Exam.
A low murmur ran through the crowd.
Many were furious about his late arrival, but none dared confront him he was, after all, the examiner who decided whether they passed or failed.
Without further delay, let's go over the rules of the first phase.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a stiff card, holding it above his head.
It was nearly white, stamped with the double-X emblem of the Hunter Association.
I have hidden 360 of these cards throughout Yanisha City, scattered randomly and with varying levels of difficulty.
Retrieve just one and bring it back to me and you'll pass the first test.
The crowd blinked in disbelief.
Yanisha City was huge a maze of towering buildings and endless streets.
No hints. No clues. Just chaos.
And instead of helping, Izenabi added casually:
The time limit is 360 minutes six hours.
And every minute that passes, our staff will retrieve one of the cards.
So not only was there a time limit but as time ran out, there would be fewer and fewer cards to find.
Was that what he meant…?
Germain stayed seated, calmly chewing on a biscuit he'd pulled from his pack, lost in thought.
Izenabi's eyes flicked toward him briefly then looked away.
Oh, by the way, he added, raising one finger,
the countdown for the first phase began twenty minutes ago.
That means you now have 340 minutes left and 340 cards remaining.
What?!
The crowd erupted.
The test had started twenty minutes ago the exact amount of time he had been late.
Did that mean they'd already lost twenty minutes?
He'd done it on purpose!
There were 340 cards… and 352 candidates.
That meant at least a dozen people were destined to fail before the test even began.
Some examinees immediately turned and ran off toward the city to search.
But the majority stayed behind, furious, shouting at Izenabi:
What do you mean 'it already started'? You were the one who was late!
How can an examiner make up such an unfair rule?!
We demand a new countdown starting now!
(End of Chapter)