"So you are not my master?" Leroute asks Auren, then looks at Vanessa with curiosity. Almost immediately, her expression changes into one of shock, then delight.
"I... know you as well!" Leroute yells, grinning widely. "You're Vanessa Chester... and you're Auren's student?!"
"You missed the last Battle Olympia, it seems. Well, you can always rewatch it; I got a bunch of official and unofficial recordings," Vanessa says proudly.
"Enough of that..." Auren says. "Lippo, I take it I wasn't too soft?"
"No... your task was frankly more of a challenge than Johness would have been... that boy is special," Lippo says. "I'm interested in how this phase ends... they'll be pressed for time."
"I guess so," Auren replies. "Let's just wait and see."
Auren, Vanessa, Neffi, and the newly recruited Leroute spend the next two and a half days spectating the other examinees. When nothing much is going on, they spend some time in the room prepared for them.
Suspiciously, Vanessa spends a lot of time with Leroute and seems to be in a good mood.
"You're teaching her already?" Auren asks Vanessa, confronting the two of them almost immediately. "We haven't signed a contract yet."
"She can't escape... and she'll sign one soon," Vanessa states. "Don't worry. I'm taking responsibility as well. If she escapes... I'll hunt her, and she knows that. Just teaching her the very basics, starting with Meditation."
Nodding, Leroute looks quite determined.
"Fine," Auren relents, not caring too much at this point. "I'll hold you responsible... personally. If she escapes or leaks this info, you'll be the one hunting her down, though I hope it doesn't come to that... but remember, we signed a contract. If things go wrong, I'll have to take legal responsibility, and I intend to accept it without trying to find a convenient way out."
"No. We'll create that document under my name; that way you won't have to take responsibility. We'll be fine, right?" Vanessa asks, smiling at Leroute, who indeed seems to be more than happy with the situation.
Lippo, under Auren's insistence, speaks with Beans and then, reluctantly, shortly before the three-day trial is over, hands Vanessa, who, unlike Neffi, has a clean sheet, a document officially handing Leroute over into her care.
"Only... because of your promotion and your reputation," Lippo clarifies... "you are lucky. Also, Beans seems to like Vanessa somehow... that perverted green midget."
Leroute smiles, finally recognizing that she's just, through sheer luck, regained her freedom, along with a priceless opportunity: the paper just handed out to Vanessa confirming it, making it impossible to deny.
As the exam slowly nears its end and more and more examinees pass, the group of five still hasn't cleared it.
To Auren's surprise, much like he vaguely remembers, with just an hour to spare, Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, and Tonpa argue among themselves. Confronted with a decision to either take a short route to the goal that takes just minutes by sacrificing two members, or take a long, arduous route together that requires at least 45 hours, the group can't find a consensus.
"I am sorry, I'll fight you if necessary, but I need to pass this exam," Kurapika declares, his tone completely serious, carrying a quiet intensity. "I have a goal... and I have discovered something unbelievable. To learn more, I need to pass."
"Me as well... this isn't just a game for me anymore..." Killua says, his playful attitude long gone. "I want to pass... that damn Auren did that on purpose! He dared me to take this exam more seriously and then disappeared. Obviously, I can only find out more if I pass and move on."
"I need to become a doctor!" Leorio exclaims, almost yelling, quite serious as opposed to his usual behavior. "I will pass!"
Finally, Gon speaks. "I'm going to vote to go together. We've all come this far together; we should all finish together. Whatever chance that leaves us, it's only fair... also, I have a plan. Please trust me."
He then bows his head, causing the other four, even Tonpa, to stare at him in shock.
Just a few minutes later, Lippo's eyes widen. "They are destroying the wall! They are trying to get onto the shortcut route with all five."
"It isn't against the rules... it's just bad design," Auren comments. "You didn't explicitly forbid that behavior."
"He...hehehe," Lippo laughs, causing Vanessa to move a step away in disgust, Leroute clinging to her arm like a child to her mother.
"That way of thinking... is exactly how a true Hunter should act. You know what? I like it! Let them try," Lippo says. "Number 405... he might be quite the talent. I see no hint of greed or selfishness... what a rare sight."
Is that really true? Isn't it the height of selfishness to unreasonably want to pass as five, despite the odds? In this case, it worked out... but in the future... I believe Gon might be one of the most selfish and self-centred people I know, but I'm a little fuzzy on the details.
Finally, with just minutes left, all five emerge at the bottom of the tower.
Just a short time later, Lippo speaks through the speakers. "Time's up. Applicants passing the third phase: 28, including one deceased."
28... no... 27. I don't remember the exact number. But things should have gone the same... right? Not that it matters.
I guess it's finally time... for my exam!
"I guess it's over," Lippo says. "I'll announce the results in person, and then it's your turn... Examiner Auren."
"Hmph," Auren harumphs. "It's not like I was given a lot of possibilities. In fact, the exam was decided for me. The only thing I could do was slightly tweak it to make it more complex, fair, and fun."
"I was told you were supposed to just go with the initial hunting simulation... I've prepared the boxes, and some of my people are setting up the system with the 27 people who will be participating in the fourth exam. In any case, I'm quite interested in finding out what you came up with on the fly," Lippo says. "Let's go."
Exiting the tower, the group, excluding Leroute, of course, is still wearing their suits, not exposing their faces yet. Also notably, Auren now has Eternity at his side, his broken and fake katanas long since disposed of.
Together with Lippo, the remaining 27 examinees walk to the edge of the mountain that Trick Tower is built upon, a small island clearly visible in the background.
Lippo intentionally stands next to the island, Auren, Vanessa, Neffi, and a confused but bright-looking Leroute standing next to him.
"Hey... isn't that the prisoner?" Leorio yells, pointing a finger at her. "Thanks to her, we almost failed... why is she outside? You there, Mohawk guy, what is this?"
"... not that it's any of your business," Lippo replies, glaring at Leorio. "But because of your frankly embarrassing performance, her remaining sentence is not that long anymore. A Hunter decided to offer her a chance to work for... her. Depending on her performance, she might be granted her freedom earlier instead of sitting out her sentence in Trick Tower."
Blushing, Leorio rubs the back of his head, while Leroute stares at him with contempt and arrogance.
"Anyway. Congratulations on your successful descent of my Trick Tower and for passing the third exam. I have good news for you. Only two more phases lie ahead."
He then glances at Auren. "I guess it's your turn..."
Auren and Vanessa both take off their helmets, while Neffi does not do so, choosing to remain hidden.
Immediately, a few people stare at Auren, but then at Vanessa in shock.
Notably, Examinee No. 294, Hanzo, Examinee No. 191, Bodoro, as well as Killua, who glances at Auren and Vanessa, stand out. Quite a few others are showing strong reactions as well, mostly to Vanessa and her striking appearance.
"Some of you might know me and my student, who by now is independent, has reached the rank of Single-Star Hunter, and has just begun training a student of her own," Auren announces.
"For those who don't... you are not missing much, and our identities do not matter. I am Auren, this is Vanessa, who will be helping me out with the next exam, and this is another student and fellow Hunter of mine," Auren explains.
Immediately, multiple people stare at them, quite a few recognizing Auren, Vanessa, or both of them.
"For those questioning my ability to serve as an examiner... this isn't the first exam I've conducted. However, I have bad news for you. I joined this exam quite late, when this phase was already more or less finished."
"The initial plan was to simply play a game of Hunter and Hunted. You see, you should have been tasked with keeping your own nametag safe and also hunting a target, both of which were worth 3 points, requiring you to obtain 6. Alternatively, you could also hunt other examinees for a single point."
"While this task tests a few important skills, it lacks depth and allows for cheap strategies, and it is also largely reliant on luck... which I disagree with heavily. Though to spare you exam policy... my task will be significantly altered, using this system as a base to not totally disrupt the exam."
"The task will still take place at the same location... Zevil Island, just behind us," Auren says, pointing to the island. "The island is large enough to allow for an interesting survival game."
"For now, openly display your name tags and then draw a tag from this machine," Auren continues.
Exactly on command, a bunch of Lippo's subordinates carry over a small box on wheels and place it next to Auren.
"As you might have guessed, this part doesn't quite change yet... you'll draw your target," Auren announces.
"Go ahead, the order doesn't matter," Auren says. "I've been told this system is smart enough so that you don't draw your own number, but color me skeptical... if you do, put it back and draw again."
One by one, the remaining examinees draw their targets.
When it's Hisoka's turn, he stares directly at Auren.
Ready to draw Eternity at any moment, Auren calmly returns his gaze.
Does he still need another lesson?
However, he does not say anything and simply returns, the frostbite from a few days ago no longer visible, appearing completely healed, unlike his arm, which has been permanently shattered and is missing a large part, including his entire hand.
Fine.
"Now, you've drawn your target," Auren states. "I'll give you 10 minutes to look around. Don't even try to hide or manipulate your tag, or I'll disqualify you and give whoever needs to hunt you a free ticket to the fifth exam. During the entire exam, I'm ordering you to carry it visibly on your chest. If you don't, you'll be disqualified.
"Now, my task varies a little from the one you were originally supposed to do. You require ten points in total to pass. The value of the tags doesn't change from the system I explained earlier... you'll learn more once we reach the island. For now... we'll take a relaxing boat trip. Since the exam will last one entire week, I suggest using this time to relax. You won't be able to sleep much later."
Under Lippo's supervision, a small airship transports the examinees to a small harbor not far away from Trick Tower, as the latter itself is located on a steep mountain and the water is quite a distance away.
Finally, they enter a somewhat boring medium-sized boat, suitable for short trips only.
After a more or less relaxing boat ride, lasting over two hours and giving the examinees some time to rest, the boat arrives at a rocky landing zone on Zevil Island. Of course, most examinees also use the name to remember each remaining candidate's number. The rest of the island is covered in thick woods, making this the only viable landing spot.
To the examinees' surprise, the landing zone is not empty, but occupied by a modern, medium-sized airship.
"Nice ship," Killua mutters, staring at it.
"My ship," Auren immediately replies, looking at it.
"Tzz... should have figured," Killua complains.
He then sees a few Hunters wearing black suits rushing over to him.
In their possession, they have small scanners, none of them larger than a card.
"Now, gather around and listen," Auren yells, causing the examinees to gather.
It's time to reveal my plan... without revealing my true goal, which won't become clear until a few years in the future!
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A/N: Always thankful for Power Stones, Comments, and Reviews. Thank you for reading!
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