Zaban City
Gon, Kurapika and Leorio had finally passed the pre-Hunter tests and were being led by the Kiriko to the Hunter Exam site.
They entered a local restaurant much to Leorio's disappointment and the Kiriko took the three to order their 'special meal'.
"Three steaks grilled under low flame."
The server's eyes narrowed a bit but he replied with a smile.
"Please follow me."
The trio made their way towards the private room where surprisingly a young man was already sitting.
The man was wearing a casual black T-shirt with black sweatpants. He had two lockets hanging down his neck with the kanji for 'Life' and 'Death' inscribed in each of the lockets. There was a pitch-black katana sheathed on his waist.
Leorio and Kurapika didn't have much of a reaction but Gon instinctively tightened his grip on his fishing rod.
Kitse, the young man who was waiting for the elevator to start, opened his eyes and looked at Gon and flashed a smile.
"Very keen instincts, kid."
Leorio and Kurapika turned to look at Gon with some confusion but Gon kept his silence.
"No need to be so nervous, brat. My name is Kitse." Kitse extended his hands for a handshake.
This time Gon flashed a smile and shook Kitse's hands with a bright smile.
"Nice to meet you Kitse-san. I am Gon."
"Leorio."
"Kurapika."
KItse looked at the other two who introduced themselves and felt a weird sense of closeness with the characters he had followed in his past life.
Kitse asked them about their journey and engaged in small talk to lighten the mood while the elevator kept going downwards.
Finally after a while, the elevator reached the bottom and alerted the four inside with a thud.
The door opened to reveal a large, dark tunnel that seemed to go on endlessly.
Leorio, Kurapika, Gon and Kitse exited the elevator and were instantly greeted with stares and judgement of the large crowd in front of them.
Some had guns, some carried swords, some had weird appearances but everyone had a sharp aura around them.
"These guys are clearly different from the ones we encountered on our way here. Every one of them is a master in their own fields."
Kurapika was keenly aware of the tension in the air.
"Here you go." Beans stepped right up and handed token to the four of them.
"Make sure to have it on you at all times. If you lose it, you would be disqualified from the hunter exam."
'406, huh.'
Kitse looked at his token and chose to pin it to his chest.
"Hey! Looks like you guys are rookies!"
Gon was about to approach the crowd when a cheerful voice interrupted that thought. The group turned around and saw a middle aged man with a large belly approach them with a smile in his face.
"You can tell we are rookies?" Gon asked curiously.
"Of course." Tonpa's voice was smug in a way. "After all, I have given the hunter exam thirty-five times as of now."
The superiority in his voice was still rising.
"Thirty-five? Is that some thing to be proud of?" Leorio questioned.
"Well. The fact that he survived the hunter exam thirty-five times is kinda impressive no?" Kitse's voice came from the back.
"True." Kurapika sounded a bit unsure.
"A-Anyway. My name is Tonpa. Nice to meet you." Tonpa said as he extended his hands towards Gon.
"I am Gon. These are Leorio, Kurapika and Kitse. Nice to meet you too Tonpa-san." They shook hands with a smile on their faces but their intentions hidden behind.
"Are there others who have participated in the hunter exams before?" Gon didn't hesitate and asked.
...
Kitse watched from the sidelines as Tonpa carried his explanations about the hunter exams and the participants with quiet nostalgia.
He remembered the man and his intentions but for a broken soul like him, watching the interaction of two people that had amused him in his past life was oddly soul-soothing.
Just as he was reminiscing about the past a piercing scream echoed through the tunnel. The group turned around to see a knight-like man kneeling down on the floor.
The man was crying with both his hands in front of him but his hands were slowly fading into red particles in the air.
A pale man with an unusual getup was standing in front with a bright smile on his face.
"Tsk. He's back again." Tonpa's voice was uncharacteristically filled with fear at the sight of the man.
"Again? He was here last year?" asked Leorio.
"Number 44. Magician Hisoka. He was expelled from last year's hunter exam for murdering an examiner.