Luo Ou hadn't even had time to carefully observe Hanzo before he was struck by the sight of a silver-haired boy who suddenly entered his field of vision.
Short silver hair, dark green eyes, a clean and sharp look—this was unmistakably Killua's standard configuration. Luo Ou had actually already sneaked a glance at him earlier at the steakhouse, but back then the bar counter had blocked the view, so he hadn't been able to get a good look. Now, someone please explain to him why, at a single glance, Killua looked at least a head taller than Gon.
Luo Ou felt as though he could sense the deep malice of this world.
Wasn't Killua supposed to be the same height as Gon? And with Gon's spiky hairstyle, he should even look slightly taller than Killua.
But the reality right now was that Killua was at least half a head taller than Gon. Half a head. And Luo Ou himself was another notch shorter than Gon. When the three of them stood together, it looked like an iFi signal bar display. The image was so beautiful that Luo Ou didn't even dare look at it directly.
Could he really only regain his confidence once they reached Feitan?
Luo Ou started wondering if, when they got to Greed Island, he should cooperate with Feitan to take down the Elder and obtain some height-increasing medicine—just to be safe.
Otherwise, he'd end up like this again: originally wanting to use Killua as a reference point. Sure, Killua was a reference—but one that constantly reminded him that he was the shortest. Even with excellent mental fortitude, this kind of torment was a bit too much.
Killua had also noticed the two boys nearby who were about his age and was about to take a closer look—when the sudden disturbance cut him off.
——————
Wherever Hisoka was, things were never peaceful or quiet. If he didn't cause trouble, it would be an insult to his reputation as a deranged magician.
"Ah————!"
A shrill male scream sliced through the air.
"Oh?"
A playing card was suddenly embedded in the wall right in front of the screaming man's wide-open mouth.
"Help! Help!"
The man clung tightly to the wall like it was his lifeline, crying out desperately.
"Be careful. If you bump into someone, you should apologize."
Hisoka's voice was unmistakable. Even without seeing him, just hearing that voice was enough to identify him. He casually walked over, pulled the card out of the wall, and spoke in a tone that sounded almost friendly.
Luo Ou felt uncomfortable all over.
"As expected of that perverted Hisoka—just hearing his voice already feels dangerous."
As for the man who had received Hisoka's "personal attention" up close, there was absolutely no sense of relief. To him, hell had opened right in front of his eyes. Even after Hisoka strolled away, the man didn't recover at all, still clinging to the wall, unable to calm down. He had clearly been scared out of his wits.
Once again, Hisoka had saved the examiners some trouble by eliminating one more examinee.
"That dangerous guy has appeared again—No. 44, the magician Hisoka. He should have passed last year, but because he disliked the examiner and beat him nearly to death, his qualification was revoked. He also seriously injured ten examinees last year. You'd better be careful and stay away from him."
Tonpa explained the recent chaos to Luo Ou and the others with a cautious expression.
"Someone like that is still allowed to take the exam?" Leorio asked nervously.
"The examiners change every year, and the content of the test is entirely up to them. As long as the examiner approves, even a devil can pass. That's the Hunter Exam."
Tonpa spoke solemnly, like a caring big brother, laying everything out—what could be said and what couldn't—so they could better guard against danger.
"The Hunter Exam really does have a lot of unexpected elements. You only understand once you experience it yourself. Thank you very much, Brother Tonpa."
Luo Ou thanked him meaningfully. Under his lead, the other three also expressed sincere gratitude for Tonpa's shared information. For people who knew nothing about the Hunter Exam, this intelligence was genuinely useful.
"Hah… idiots are really easy to fool. Just wait and see."
Tonpa let out a sigh of relief internally. On the surface, he wore a shy, smiling expression and encouraged everyone to keep their spirits up for the upcoming test.
"The exam will be starting soon. You'd better get ready," Tonpa reminded them.
"Okay, thank you," Luo Ou and the others replied politely, all thinking to themselves:
"Next… it's my time to perform."
Ding—ding—ding!
A sharp, piercing bell rang out from above, signaling the official start of the exam.
Luo Ou looked up and saw the distinctive examiner Satotz—mouthless and peculiar—slowly flying over while dragging along a strange, long-tongued bird.
The loud ringing came from the bird's mouth. Even bells in the Hunter world had to be rung manually.
"Registration is now officially closed."
Satotz released the stretched-out bird, and the ringing stopped immediately. After finishing his announcement, he began descending slowly.
That entrance was something else. Even more impressive than a martial arts master's lightness skill. Clearly without wings, yet he floated like a birdman—able to stay in the air at will and descend smoothly when he pleased. Chairman Netero's later entrance would be much the same.
"It's probably the application of Nen."
Luo Ou guessed. He was still unfamiliar with Nen, and Gon and the others didn't even know what Nen was yet. It looked like they'd have to wait until after passing the exam and learn properly from Wing at Heaven's Arena.
"The Hunter Exam officially begins now."
Satotz spoke the moment he landed.
As soon as those words fell, everyone held their breath and heightened their vigilance.
Of course, there were exceptions—like the nail-covered man casually leaning against the wall, or Hisoka in the corner playing with cards. To those two, the Hunter Exam was nothing worth mentioning.
While scanning the crowd, Luo Ou took another glance at Illumi disguised as Gittarackur.
A face full of nails, swollen cheeks, a distinctive rooster-comb hairstyle—nothing at all resembling one of the "Three Beauties of Hunters." A full-on cross-dressing enthusiast.
Luo Ou didn't dare look too closely. Someone raised from childhood as an assassin would be extremely sensitive to being stared at. If his curiosity drew Illumi's attention, Luo Ou didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
"The Hunter Exam has finally started! Luo Ou, I'm so excited!"
Gon was, as always, bursting with energy.
"It's finally starting."
Luo Ou also felt excitement rising inside him at the prospect of witnessing the Hunter Exam firsthand.
Kurapika felt tense as well—his pupils contracting slightly as his lake-green eyes stared fixedly at Satotz.
"This is bad… I'm actually getting nervous."
Leorio felt his breathing tighten and subconsciously loosened his tie.
"Relax. Everything will be fine."
Luo Ou's confident tone unconsciously eased Kurapika's and Leorio's nerves.
Tonpa stood not far away and didn't come over this time. He knew timing well—when to step in to achieve the best results. The title "Rookie Crusher" wasn't something people gave him lightly. It was earned by personally ruining countless newcomers.