"If you can't beat your opponent... then make them admit defeat?"
Menchi froze for a second.
"President, are you testing their ability to torture others into submission?"
"But what if some reckless kid isn't afraid of that at all?"
The image of Gon popped into Menchi's head.
She just couldn't picture that boy ever giving up of his own will.
"That's their problem."
Netero shrugged. "I've already laid out the rules. If they can't meet the conditions, it just means they haven't figured out the key to them."
"Besides, eleven people are entering the final phase. Ten will pass."
"With odds like that, what more do you want?"
Menchi considered this for a moment.
"With this extra condition, it doesn't seem so childish anymore."
"Everyone will be forced to think more about the 'five zeros' of human nature."
Once human nature is involved, things get complicated fast.
Compared to that, numbers don't matter as much.
...
The airship landed.
Guided by staff, the candidates were led into a large building that resembled a dojo.
Inside, the space was wide and open.
Eleven candidates stood in a line.
Netero walked to the front to face them.
"First of all, congratulations to everyone who made it through the previous rounds and arrived at the final test."
"I hope each of you can pass smoothly."
"Let's get straight to it. I'll now explain the rules."
A staff member rolled in something like a mobile board, covered by a white cloth.
"For this final test, it will be a one-on-one knockout tournament."
As he spoke, Netero pulled away the cloth.
A battle bracket was revealed underneath.
It looked like a step-shaped tournament chart—six candidates on one side, five on the other.
When the candidates saw it, they froze.
"A showdown...?"
"Elimination matches... so only the last one standing becomes a Hunter?"
"Eleven people, one winner?"
"That's way too hard."
Despair immediately set in for some of them.
Even if they weren't sure how strong Kaizen or Gittarackur were, just facing someone like Hisoka was enough to kill their chances.
"This is brutal..."
"So this is what it means to be a Hunter..."
Leorio's face turned pale.
He felt like all his hope had been ripped away.
There were plenty of candidates stronger than him.
"No, no, no."
Netero looked at Leorio.
"You misunderstood something."
"To pass the final test, you only need to win one match."
"The ones who'll fight twice are actually the losers of the earlier matches."
"Only one person will be eliminated."
The atmosphere among the candidates shifted in an instant.
Where there had been tension and dread, there was now surprise—and relief.
Ten out of eleven would pass.
Everyone believed they wouldn't be the single one to fail.
But a few candidates still felt uneasy.
"That's a lot..."
"Ten licenses? That's more than any Hunter Exam before."
"Are you sure this is okay?"
"Could it be that something happened? Is the Association short on manpower?"
Another candidate muttered in response,
"Whatever. If we can get a license, that's all that matters. Whether the Association needs people or not has nothing to do with us."
"The Hunter Association's a loose organization anyway. Becoming a Hunter doesn't mean you're obligated to work for them—you still have plenty of freedom."
Netero gave a little cough.
"Now then, allow me to announce your matchups."
He peeled off the tape on the bracket board.
Below the ladder-like chart were headshots of each candidate, matched with a number and slot.
On one side, the order was the same as Kaizen remembered from the original bracket.
Hanzo vs. Gon.
Then Gittarackur.
Then Illumi.
...
On the other side, the matchups had changed more noticeably.
Kurapika vs. Kaizen.
Then came Hisoka.
Then Alita.
Then Bodoro.
Leorio was placed at the end.
"Any questions?"
"Excuse me, examiner..."
Pokkle raised his hand. "Isn't this setup a little unfair?"
"Kurapika and Kaizen both get six possible matchups."
"Hanzo and Gon only get five."
"But the rest of us? We barely have any."
He was mainly referring to a few specific people.
Pokkle's position was still decent.
But Illumi and Leorio? Only two chances each.
Compared to the others Pokkle mentioned, their odds were far worse.
Illumi didn't react.
But Leorio definitely noticed.
"...Because I'm the weakest?"
"But is that guy Gittarackur really stronger than me?"
Netero nodded calmly.
"Yes."
"I made this arrangement based on your performance throughout the exam."
"The Hunter Exam tests three main aspects."
"Physical ability."
"Aura control."
"And your potential as a Hunter."
"Since you've all made it this far, I can assume your physical and aura levels are satisfactory. So this final stage mostly evaluates your potential."
As Netero's words sank in, many candidates frowned.
Most people can accept being told they didn't try hard enough, or that they weren't skilled enough yet.
But talent? That's a different story.
Being told you simply don't have it is hard to swallow.
Sometimes, people can only admit it after they've bled for it—literally.
And now, the bracket laid that truth bare.
Gon, Hanzo, Kaizen, Kurapika, Hisoka...
None of them looked particularly bothered.
Ilumi didn't care either.
But others? They weren't so composed.
People like Pokkle, Killua, and Leorio.
Pokkle had Kurapika as a benchmark.
Killua had... someone else in mind.
And Leorio?
Being ranked dead last was a hard pill to swallow.
It meant, according to the Association, his potential as a Hunter was the worst.
And that was something Leorio found very hard to accept.
------------
+475 chapters on patreon.com/FanficsHub