In the hall, the examinees stood before Netero, waiting for the chairman to give the command, "The exam begins."
"If there are no objections to the combat groupings, next is a supplementary explanation regarding the battles."
As he spoke, Netero raised three fingers.
"First, any techniques and weapons may be used during the battle, and the method of fighting is not restricted."
"Second, the battle must not result in the death of an examinee."
Netero narrowed his eyes and addressed the crowd, whose expressions varied.
"If anyone kills their opponent during the fight, or causes fatal injuries that lead to their death before the exam ends, their qualification will be immediately revoked."
"Well, since all of you have made it this far, you are already exceptionally talented individuals, so this rule is meant to protect everyone."
However, for some examinees, such a rule probably felt more like a restriction.
Netero smiled faintly at the crowd and remained silent for a while, until one of the examinees finally spoke up.
"What about the third rule?"
Netero laughed.
"As for the third… I'll add it once I think of one."
Everyone: "..."
"Oh, right."
Netero suddenly looked as though he had remembered something important.
"Even if you encounter an opponent you cannot defeat and end up eliminated, there is no need to worry. Before the next Hunter exam begins, you can obtain the address of the main exam unconditionally~"
Although it was indeed an important matter, no one felt happy hearing it.
—They had already come this far. Who wanted to hear such unlucky talk about "the next exam"?!
"Then, the first battle of the first round may begin."
After saying this, Netero stepped aside. From the row of staff members standing to his right—dressed in black suits and white gloves—one of them stepped forward.
"Everyone, I am the referee and proctor for the first battle of the first round. The four examinees of the first match, please step forward and prepare for the exam."
Following the command, Kisho, who had been lowering his head, finally lifted it. He didn't dare look at C·L, instead observing the opponents for this match.
No. 74, John.
And examinee No. 458, Fizelle.
Fizelle looked at the referee, then opened the long, narrow package she had been carrying on her back, revealing the pitch-black object inside.
Inside the bag was clearly a rifle.
The other examinees who saw it clearly: "..."
Everyone else was using cold weapons, and suddenly she pulled out a gun—
A dimensionality reduction strike, huh?!
Fizelle looked toward Netero.
"You did say weapons weren't restricted before, right?"
The one who answered her was the referee.
"That is correct."
Ignoring the horrified looks that appeared on the faces of the other examinees after hearing the referee's words, Fizelle said firmly:
"In other words, this can be used."
Cold sweat appeared on the referee's forehead.
"...Naturally."
Fizelle happily withdrew her gaze and looked toward Kisho with certainty of victory.
But what surprised her was that the white-haired kid actually looked completely indifferent.
Fizelle's gaze darkened.
Noticing her stare, Kisho shrugged.
Fizelle sneered coldly in her heart, slung the rifle over her shoulder, stood up, and walked into the open space.
John followed closely behind her, though he deliberately kept his distance, seemingly afraid her gun might go off accidentally.
Kisho stepped forward to stand opposite the two of them. His expression was calm, but when C·L approached him, that calmness became somewhat forced, and even the smile on his face could no longer hold.
"How should we fight? Do you have any ideas?"
C·L looked at Kisho with a slight smile.
Kisho: "..."
He really wanted to say, "How about you fight and I just watch, leader?"
But—
First, he didn't dare. He was afraid of being settled with later.
Second, he still wanted to wait for the one-on-one match after the two-versus-two and beat up that annoying leader properly!
If he pretended not to know him, then once they fought he wouldn't have to hold back.
If he didn't have to hold back, he could happily take revenge!
Perfect plan!
"I'll do it, C·L..."
When he said the name again, Kisho sounded like he was gritting his teeth.
Grinding his teeth, he continued,
"Mr. C·L, how about you go rest on the side?"
C·L paused slightly, seemingly not expecting such an answer, and smiled.
"If that's the case, will you be alright?"
Kisho: "...No problem. As long as you agree."
C·L smiled faintly.
"I couldn't ask for more."
Kisho: "..."
He turned to the referee.
"I'll fight two alone. That's fine, right?"
Before he finished speaking, John and Fizelle—who stood across from him—seemed to feel they were being looked down upon. Their expressions darkened, and their eyes turned cold.
The referee frowned and looked toward Netero.
Netero laughed.
"Of course there is no problem—more precisely, in this exam only killing others is forbidden. There are no other restrictions."
Kisho nodded.
"Then for our group, I alone will participate."
Fizelle angrily shouted,
"Kid, don't underestimate people!"
John sneered, then said to Fizelle,
"This was his own choice. As long as the two of us defeat this kid alone, it means their entire group loses."
Fizelle snorted coldly.
C·L stepped aside.
Facing the two alone, Kisho still maintained a relaxed attitude.
"One against two? That's a bit too confident."
The waiting examinees began whispering among themselves.
Among them, Togari's face was dark.
Amos glanced at him and helplessly smiled, shrugging.
This man who had fought Kisho in the underground passage had probably realized by now that the white-haired kid not only liked to provoke opponents with a calm attitude, but also liked to spout nonsense and fabricate things.
Meanwhile, as the referee shouted "Start," the battle erupted instantly.
The first to attack Kisho were three darts shot by John, forming an inverted triangle—two above and one below—sealing off Kisho's frontal escape route.
"Clang!"
However, Kisho, the target, merely tilted his body slightly and easily avoided two of the darts, then used a triangular spike drawn from his sleeve to knock the last one away.
The attack missed, but John's expression did not change at all.
He slightly curled the corner of his mouth, because...
In a place where the light could not reflect, a blackened needle-shaped dart curved at a strange angle and shot straight toward Kisho's temple.
At the same time, Fizelle—holding a dagger—rushed to Kisho's side from the other direction and swept a kick toward his knee.
Thinking their perfect coordination would at least make the annoying white-haired kid suffer a big loss, John in the distance curled his lips.
However, the next second, his smile vanished.
A "bang" sound rang out.
Along with the drastic change in Fizelle's expression, Kisho had already flashed a foot away. His left hand was pressed against his temple, and between his fingertips was the nearly invisible needle dart.
"...Sorry about that."
Kisho looked at Fizelle, shrugged, and thought silently.
When Fizelle attacked him earlier, he had subconsciously used Ken.
If he hadn't reacted at the last moment and switched to Ten, Fizelle's leg would probably have fractured completely instead of merely cracking the bone.
...Using Nen abilities against ordinary people made Kisho feel like a college student bullying kindergarten kids.
Under John's astonished gaze, he flicked the needle dart in his hand outward. It pierced straight through the wall, leaving behind a tiny hole of light.
John looked at the small hole in the wall and fell silent.
What kind of terrifying strength and control would it take to make a needle pierce through an entire wall...
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.
Fizelle was half-kneeling on the ground, enduring intense pain. Taking advantage of Kisho not paying attention to her, she raised the rifle, aimed at the kid's shoulder, and without hesitation pulled the trigger.
The shoulder avoided the heart's vital point—as long as it didn't kill him, it was fine.
Even if the metal bullet crippled the kid, it had nothing to do with her.
After all, this was the Hunter exam. No one would feel sympathy for a competitor.
The metal bullet shot through the air, producing a tearing sound that split the atmosphere.
But its target had already disappeared from where he stood.
Behind the scope, Fizelle's face turned ashen.
Because no one had seen when Kisho left his spot—including herself.
Clearly, the white-haired kid had been less than five meters from the gun barrel. In such a short time, how could he possibly...
Fizelle didn't find the answer.
Nor did she have the time to think about it.
A tremendous force suddenly came from the rifle in her hands.
The force was almost impossible to resist.
By the time she reacted, the rifle had already been snatched away by the white-haired boy who had appeared beside her at some unknown moment.
Holding the rifle, Kisho grinned at her.
Then he steadily aimed the dark muzzle at her forehead.
"Seems pretty fun."
As he spoke, Kisho reached out and pulled the trigger.
"Like this?"
Fizelle's eyes widened. "..."
Only when a gun was pointed at her did she understand what kind of terrifying feeling it was.
Watching Kisho's finger slowly press backward, Fizelle immediately shouted:
"I surrender!"
Kisho responded with an "Oh," then pointed the gun at John.
"And you?"
John: "...I surrender too."
Kisho shrugged and deliberately put on a disappointed expression to scare them.
"How boring."
Everyone: "..."
"Well~"
Kisho thought for a moment, then grabbed the barrel of the gun with one hand and gently twisted—
Accompanied by a creaking sound, the rifle barrel twisted in his fair palm like a rope.
Everyone: "...?!"
Kisho released his hand.
With a clatter, the twisted rifle fell to the ground.
He spread his hands, looked at Fizelle as if giving advice, and smiled.
"You shouldn't use cheating weapons like this~"
Fizelle looked at her gun, almost on the verge of tears. Yet she didn't dare say anything in anger.
She glared viciously at Kisho and thought to herself:
The one who really turned on cheat mode was obviously you!
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