By the time the ship slowed, the mood among the examinees had changed completely.
The easy noise from the buffet, the muttering in the hallways, the forced confidence people wore when they were still on safe ground, all of it had thinned out. What remained was tension. Real tension. The kind that settled quietly into people's shoulders and stayed there.
Yuzuki stood near the railing with his sunglasses on, hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, as the first view of the exam site came into focus.
And what a site it was.
Ahead stretched a vast cluster of islands scattered across dark waters like broken pieces of some ancient landmass. Steam rose from cracks in the rock. Smoke drifted lazily into the sky from somewhere deeper inland. Jagged cliffs stabbed up toward the clouds. One island was smothered in dense jungle. Another looked half-swallowed by black-green swamp water. Farther out, he could make out the crumbling remains of ruined stone cities, while other islands were little more than shattered rock and cave-riddled slopes.
The entire place looked hostile.
Beautiful, in a dangerous way.
Yuzuki narrowed his eyes behind his lenses.
'So this is the Shattered Archipelago.'
The Hunter Association staff moved quickly, guiding examinees off the ship and onto the rocky landing zone of the first island. Wind tore across the coast in violent gusts, carrying the smell of salt, ash, wet soil, and something sulfuric from the volcanic vents farther inland.
Once all the candidates had assembled, a familiar-looking figure stepped forward.
Tall. Thin. Balding. Tiny mustache. Formal suit.
Satotz.
He stood on a rocky ledge with his hands folded neatly behind his back, calm in the face of hundreds of staring examinees.
"Welcome," he said, his voice carrying surprisingly well over the wind. "We have now arrived at the main exam location."
A murmur went through the crowd.
Satotz turned slightly and gestured toward the vast islands beyond.
"This place is known as the Shattered Archipelago. It is a cluster of ten unstable islands far from civilization. Due to volcanic activity, the geography of these islands is in constant flux."
That got people's attention fast.
Some examinees exchanged uneasy looks.
Satotz continued as if discussing the weather.
"Each island contains a different environment. Dense jungle. Poison swamps. Ruined cities. Massive cliffs. Underground caverns. If you wish to proceed, you will need to travel between them."
Yuzuki listened quietly.
Hanzo, standing not too far away, crossed his arms and muttered, "That already sounds annoying."
Tonpa, a few rows back, looked pale.
Then Satotz raised one finger.
"Phase One of the Hunter Exam begins now."
The crowd quieted immediately.
He smiled politely.
"This phase is called The Mapless Journey."
A long beat passed.
Then Satotz said, "There is only one rule."
He let the silence build.
Then—
"Reach Island Seven within twenty-four hours."
The crowd exploded.
"What!?"
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Seven?! Which one is seven?!"
"How are we supposed to know where anything is!?"
"Didn't he say unstable islands!?"
"Twenty-four hours!?"
Satotz waited for the shouting to crest.
Then he added, with perfect calm, "There will be no maps."
That somehow made the panic worse.
"No maps!?"
"Then how do we navigate!?"
Satotz adjusted his tie.
"You are expected to discover the routes yourselves. The islands are connected through hidden cave tunnels, rope bridges, and underwater passages."
The examinees stared at him in horror.
Some looked at the cliffs. Some looked at the sea. One man actually sat down on the spot and held his head in both hands.
Tonpa looked like he wanted to cry.
Hanzo clicked his tongue.
'No maps, unstable terrain, hidden routes. Fine. This is finally starting to feel like an actual Hunter Exam.'
Satotz gave them all one last pleasant smile.
"I wish you luck."
Then, to everyone's complete disbelief, a helicopter descended from above.
The wind from its blades blasted dirt and loose gravel everywhere. Several examinees had to shield their eyes. Satotz calmly stepped toward it, coat fluttering, and climbed in as though this were the most natural exit imaginable.
One candidate pointed in outrage. "You're leaving!?"
Satotz looked down at them through the open door.
"Correct."
And then the helicopter lifted off.
The entire crowd watched as the Phase One examiner flew away.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Then the panic really started.
People began shouting over each other, arguing about which direction to take. Some ran immediately into the jungle, hoping confidence could substitute for information. Others clustered in groups, trying to make plans that sounded solid but were based on absolutely nothing.
Tonpa spun in place, eyes darting.
"This is bad," he muttered. "This is really bad."
Then a voice beside Yuzuki purred, "How exciting. ♠"
Hisoka.
Of course.
Yuzuki didn't look at him right away. He was busy watching the chaos unfold with a calm that only made him stand out more.
Around them, examinees were unraveling.
Hisoka smiled faintly. "Everyone else is already wasting time."
Yuzuki glanced at him now. "And?"
Hisoka tilted his head, hands in his pockets, utterly at ease. "We could go together."
Yuzuki's expression flattened instantly.
"No."
Hisoka's smile widened. "Such a quick answer. ♥"
"I don't want to travel with you."
"You wound me."
"I'm being clear with you."
Hisoka laughed softly, clearly far more entertained than offended. "You really do hate me."
Yuzuki turned away from him and began scanning the terrain.
The coast curved inward to the left, where black rock formations jutted out at odd angles. To the right, the jungle thickened into a wall of tangled green. Behind the starting area were cliffs and broken ruins, old stone half-swallowed by vines and volcanic ash.
He crouched briefly, running a hand along the ground.
Loose grit. Damp rock. Wind direction from the east.
Then he looked up toward the ruined structures.
'If there are hidden routes, caves are the most likely start point. Rope bridges would be visible from height, and underwater passages are only useful if I know where I'm going.'
Hisoka was still standing there, watching him think.
"How cold," the clown said. "Not even tempted?"
Yuzuki rose to his feet. "Not even a little."
Then he started walking.
Not toward the jungle like most of the crowd.
Not toward the swamps in the distance.
Toward the broken ruins and cliffs.
Hisoka watched him go, a strange little smile tugging at his lips.
'Good choice.'
Then Hisoka looked toward the examinees rushing blindly into the wrong directions and chuckled.
'This exam should be fun. ♦'
Behind Yuzuki, voices still rang out in confusion.
"Wait! Which way are you going!?"
"Does anyone know where Island Seven even is!?"
"Should we form a team!?"
Hanzo glanced from the panicking crowd to Yuzuki's retreating figure, then to Hisoka.
He smirked.
"Well," he said to no one in particular, "I'm definitely not following the idiots."
And with that, Hanzo took off in his own direction.
Tonpa, meanwhile, stared at the jungle, then at the cliffs, then at the swamp, then at the sky as if divine guidance might intervene.
It did not.
Back near the rocky ridge, Yuzuki jumped onto a broken stone wall, then to a higher ledge, quickly putting distance between himself and the main crowd.
He didn't look back.
The exam had begun.
---
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