A smile curled at Lippo's lips. This was exactly the kind of scene he, the man chiefly responsible for Trick Tower, loved to see most.
It really was something to look forward to.
Soon after, a boat took all the examinees aboard and headed for Zevil Island.
…
The weather was clear, and the ship cut through the sea with the wind at its back.
All the examinees were scattered across the deck. On the surface, the exam had not officially begun yet, but beneath that calm appearance, it had already started.
The number tags used for the drawing were square, to distinguish them from the round number badges worn by the examinees themselves.
After the drawing was over, the examinees were free to deal with their square number tags however they pleased. Hiding them or simply throwing them away were both valid choices.
However, most examinees chose to keep them. After all, so long as they could keep their prey's identity concealed, there might come a moment when revealing the prey's badge could help them avoid an unnecessary fight.
The examinee number badge on one's own body also had to be hidden. Not only would that reduce the chance of it being stolen, it also allowed one to cling to a bit of luck and hope their hunter would fail to notice it.
The deck was silent.
The examinees' gazes crossed one another in the air. Some stared openly and without restraint, while others lowered their heads and avoided eye contact.
Roy had drawn No. 384: Geretta.
Android 18, meanwhile, had drawn No. 198.
The second of the Amori Brothers, Imori.
"Roy, what number is your target?"
At that moment, Killua came over to Roy's side and dropped down to sit beside him.
Roy opened his eyes and glanced at Killua. With a casual flip of his hand, he showed Killua the number tag for an instant before slipping it back into his pocket.
Killua had seen the number.
"You know who that is, right?"
"I do."
Roy tilted his head back to look at the blue sky above and answered flatly,
"What about you guys?"
"As for me, I forgot."
Killua was quite confident in himself. He clearly remembered the number badges of the strong ones, like Hisoka and Hanzo.
As for the weaklings, they did not even qualify to be remembered by Young Master Killua.
Gon and the others also walked over.
"I got No. 80, but I don't know who it is."
Leorio had no idea what kind of opponent he had drawn.
"No. 80, Siper. A female sniper wearing sunglasses and a black suit-like work outfit."
Roy gave the answer immediately.
He remembered every single examinee number on the ship perfectly clearly.
"Oh! That's the pretty one with the amazing figure, right?"
Leorio immediately recalled her, and a knowing grin that all men understood spread across his face.
"Never thought such a pretty young lady would be my prey. This feeling… heheheh~"
Roy shrugged and paid no attention to Leorio's lovestruck look, though beside him, Android 18's eyelid very obviously twitched.
"Mine is No. 16. It's Tonpa."
Kurapika knew his opponent very well.
"M-My number is 89."
Gon raised his hand as he spoke.
Unlike in the original story, Gon had been one of the earlier examinees to clear Trick Tower, so the number he drew in advance was naturally no longer Hisoka, Magician No. 44.
"No. 89, Shishito. He's carrying a stone spear and dressed like some kind of tribal chief. There, the one in red to the south, not the one in blue."
The group looked over, only to discover that the man called Shishito kept glancing in one direction from time to time.
"No. 301… Gittarackur? Not even hiding his number badge. Is that confidence in his own strength?"
Although they had already learned Gyo, Illumi's aura was not something that showed itself so easily, so none of them could sense it directly.
Still, by instinct alone, they could vaguely feel the danger coming from that person.
And at the very beginning, Roy had already said it: this was a powerful Nen user not inferior to an Examiner, someone strong enough to kill an Examiner instantly!
"No. 301 is currently the strongest person among the examinees here, aside from me and Android 18."
"The strongest?!"
"Stronger than Hisoka?"
The group froze at once.
They already knew Hisoka was strong, but they had never expected this unremarkable Gittarackur to be even stronger.
They had never once doubted Roy's judgment.
"Yeah. Very strong. Even across the Six Continents, he would count among the top tier."
The looks in everyone's eyes changed immediately.
If someone could earn Roy's recognition, then that person was absolutely dangerous.
While they became wary of him, they also felt a trace of sympathy for No. 89, Shishito, for having drawn such an opponent.
Killua, however, stared at him carefully and began to feel a strange sense of familiarity he could not quite put into words.
"Oh, right. I forgot to mention this. His real name isn't Gittarackur. Gittarackur is only an alias. He has another name—one that Killua knows extremely well."
"A name I know really well?"
Killua grew curious.
"Yeah. That guy's surname is Zoldyck too~"
"Nani?!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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