The examinees disembarked one after another, twenty-six in total.
As the Examiners for the first two phases, Menchi and Satotz did not get off the ship. Netero was the same.
After dropping the examinees off here, they would head straight to the venue for the final test and wait for the examinees who passed the fourth phase to arrive.
The site of the Fourth Phase was a solitary island shaped like a pair of glasses, called Glasses Island, or Zevil Island.
After unloading the examinees, the airship took off and left.
Lippo did not waste any time and went straight to the point. He raised a hand and hooked his thumb toward a tiny black dot of an island on the sea behind him.
"The Third Phase test will be held on Zevil Island."
"Before that, please draw lots."
One of the examinees asked, "Why do we have to draw lots?"
Lippo gave a sinister grin and replied, "To decide the hunters and the prey. There are twenty-six number tags in this box, each one bearing the examinee number corresponding to one of you."
"Now, each of you will draw one."
"Please draw in the order you passed. First is…"
Lippo glanced at Roy.
"At this time, Mr. Roy, please draw first." At that moment, a girl in a purple long dress with headphones on, having heard what Lippo said, directly called up the first person.
Roy understood immediately. He walked forward, reached in, casually fished out a number tag, gave it a quick glance, then made it disappear.
The examinees watching closely did not see at all how Roy had made the tag vanish.
"384? If I remember right, that's that dark-skinned guy with the curly hair."
In the original story, the pitiful fellow who used a blowgun, whose target was Gon, and who ended up getting killed by Hisoka.
"Second, Ms. Android 18, please come draw."
The girl called each examinee up one by one in a crisp voice.
Roy stepped back, and then it was Android 18's turn.
Only after every single person had drawn a number tag did Lippo suddenly pat the lottery box and say, "This machine has already recorded the tags each of you drew. You may dispose of the tag in your hand however you like."
"But the examinee corresponding to the number on that tag is your prey."
At that, Lippo revealed a fox-like gaze and said seriously, "You must seize the number tag on your prey. If you obtain your prey's number tag, that is worth three points."
"If you keep your own number tag, that is worth three points. Any other number tag is worth one point."
"If you want to advance to the final test, you must score at least six points!"
"The time limit is... one week!"
As he spoke, Lippo's fingers also formed different gestures as the numbers changed.
Once the explanation was over, nearly all the examinees who heard these rules immediately chose to hide their number tags. Only a small number, confident in themselves, continued to wear their tags openly without a care.
In the original story, Killua also belonged to the group that did not care. But this time, after witnessing experts from every direction, especially after the shock Roy had brought him, and being determined to pass the Hunter Exam, he obediently hid his number tag.
The tension of the test became unmistakable at this moment. Every single person was observing everyone else.
"All right, Clara, I'll leave the rest to you."
After explaining the rules, Lippo spoke to the girl in the purple dress.
Then he simply stepped back, looking very dashing in that hands-off-shopkeeper sort of way.
"Yes." The girl in the purple dress, Clara, nodded respectfully in response.
"Next, I have a piece of very good news for everyone. Every examinee present here will receive an unconditional one-rank promotion in every phase of next year's Hunter Exam, so even if you fail this time, you can come challenge it again next year!"
Clara spoke excitedly, sharing what she considered good news with the examinees present.
Unfortunately, no matter how lovely her smile was, the examinees on site were not buying it at all. If something could be passed in one go, who would want to come a second time? And to say this in such a tense atmosphere before the test only made the silence on site even heavier.
And as an aside, even if they came back the following year, in the original version they would just be flattened by Killua in the first phase. People like Tonpa and the Amori Brothers, who had made it all the way to the Fourth Phase, still went down in the very first phase. There was no such thing as an unconditional promotion at all~~~
"..."
"..."
The scene became awkward for a while.
"These people are really no fun," Clara muttered inwardly, though she did not say anything on her face and still kept that sweet smile.
"Ahem." Clara coughed lightly, cleared her throat, and continued, "Next, there are still two hours left before we arrive at the hunting grounds, so please rest for now."
"Even if you know who your target is, there's no way of knowing who is hunting you. It might even be that your hunter is the closest companion by your side. Heh heh heh... I think the battle can start already."
(End of Chapter)
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