"Ryker-bro... you were in there for a long time. Did something happen?"
Ryker walked out of the interview room, and Gon's group immediately swarmed him.
"Nothing much. He just asked why I wanted to be a Hunter. Oh, and he gave me my license," Ryker said casually, pulling out the card.
"EH?! He just gave it to you?!"
Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika dropped their jaws.
"Yeah. Something about my performance being exceptional and meeting all the criteria already. I don't really know, it was the Chairman's decision."
Ryker smoothly shifted the blame to Netero.
"So envious!"
"That's awesome, Ryker! Lucky!"
"Man, I wish I was that strong."
"I'm sleepy. I'm going to take a nap. Good luck, guys!"
Ryker waved and walked away.
Time for Kenpachi to take the stage.
[The Corridor]
Ryker stopped.
Hisoka was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking bored.
"Hehe. Good luck," Ryker smiled, walking past him.
Hisoka's smile faltered. His narrow eyes flashed with danger.
He got the license early? Pity. I wanted to test him here.
"Tsk. Your fruit seems ripe, but you let it get away," Illumi's voice came from the shadows.
"Hmph. He escaped this time," Hisoka grumbled. "But the game isn't over."
[The Final Phase: The Briefing Room]
All candidates had finished their interviews. Netero stood at the front of the room.
"Ho ho! Everyone, I will now announce the content of the Final Phase. For this last test, we have invited a special Examiner to evaluate you!"
"You only need to gain his approval to receive your Hunter License."
"Oh, and I forgot to mention... Examiner Kenpachi is a secret 2-Star Hunter of the Association. He is very strong!"
Beans, the little green secretary, nervously gestured to the side door.
"Examiner Kenpachi, please..."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A towering figure walked in.
Black shihakusho. Eyepatch. Spiked hair with bells.
A demonic grin stretched across his face.
Kenpachi Zaraki (Ryker).
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.
The candidates paled.
Even Hisoka's smile froze. He sensed a thick, suffocating bloodlust radiating from this man.
Strong. Dangerous.
And that one eye... it felt like it was looking straight at him.
"Hiss... so scary! That's Examiner Kenpachi?!" Gon gasped.
"He looks like a monster!" Leorio shivered.
Ponzu was already shaking. Pokkle and Bodoro looked like they wanted to vomit.
"He's strong. Very strong," Killua thought, his assassin instincts screaming Run.
He had never felt such pure killing intent from anyone before. It was like standing in front of a natural disaster.
My, my... Ryker-kun is really getting into character. Maybe tone it down a bit? Netero thought, amused but slightly worried.
Kenpachi Ryker stood before them, scanning the crowd like a wolf looking at sheep.
"Listen up, maggots! I am the Examiner for this round. I decide who passes and who fails! Come at me with the intent to kill, or prepare to die!"
"This exam has a death quota! Heh!"
Ryker licked his lips, mimicking Kenpachi's signature quirk.
"If you don't want to fight, you can quit now. But if you step up and die... that's on you."
"I... I..."
Ponzu trembled in the corner. She wanted to quit. She had been carried this far; facing this monster was suicide.
Ryker's eye landed on her.
He felt a pang of... something. Pity? Or just remembering she was his loot mule.
"You! You pass!"
Ryker pointed a jagged finger at Ponzu.
Take the win. Consider it payment for being my maid.
"Eh?! Me... Eh?!" Ponzu froze.
"WHAT?! That's unfair! She hasn't even fought yet! Why does she pass?! This is rigged! RIGGED!!"
Pokkle exploded. He pointed an accusing finger at Ryker.
This was bullshit. Ponzu was clearly the weakest link. If she passed without lifting a finger, what was the point of the exam?
"Tch."
Ryker sneered.
Schwing.
He drew his sword.
[Divine Strength] (Red)!
[Swordsmanship] (Blue)!
SLASH.
A shockwave of invisible force blasted across the room.
Pokkle tried to block, but it was useless.
The force hit him like a truck. He was launched backward, crashing into the wall with a sickening crunch. His bow shattered.
[DING! You defeated Pokkle.]
[Rolling for Copy (10%)...]
[Copy Failed.]
Damn system. RNG hates me today.
Pokkle slid down the wall, covered in blood, unconscious.
"Medic! Medic!!" Beans screamed.
Pokkle was alive, but barely. One hit.
If Ryker had used a bit more force, he would be a stain on the wallpaper.
Silence.
Dead silence.
"Too much! That was too much!" Gon clenched his fists, angry.
"It wasn't too much. It was absolute power," Kurapika analyzed calmly, though sweat trickled down his temple. "He doesn't allow dissent. That is the rule here. Question him, and you die."
"Passing depends entirely on his mood. In that case..." Killua's eyes sharpened.
"Gulp... do we have to fight that?" Leorio whimpered.
Bodoro, the martial artist, was sweating bullets.
That slash... I couldn't even see it. He's a tyrant.
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