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The airship was supplied with all kinds of comfort, from the cafeteria where one could order almost any food to their liking and some other amenities meant to pass time.
After the "welcoming speech" from the chairman, everyone was free to spend the night hours however they fitted best to. Resting was the most natural thing to do for most, especially after filling their stomach with food.
Eirene, too, chose that option in a way: after a quick snack and a cup of black coffee, she slipped out on a secluded balcony at the far end of the ship. The night, cold wind sent her blonde locks swishing all over the place--that is, until she opted to tie them in a messy braid.
Waiting often proved to be a challenge for her, her occasional mood swings not working in her favor, but if Zeno taught her a way to fight that, it would be meditation.
Folding her legs under herself on the floor, back straight and hands resting on her lap--"the sitting posture for a proper lady", her mind supplied in Kikyo's voice--she let her mind go blank, focusing only on her senses and perceptions.
Sure, training with En wasn't really a relaxing activity, but it helped burning a good amount of energy.
Starting slowly, the woman extended her aura meter by meter with ease. Every day, she repeated the process and forced her aura to expand just a little more each time--to be able to master the technique and reach a 50 meters sounded nice, but to surpass even Zeno's record of 300 meters sounded even better to her.
She made a bet with the man: if she managed to reach and surpass him before she turned 30, he'd listen to one of her request unconditionally. The fact that he accepted (clearly expecting her to fail) only stroked her competitiveness further.
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[ 287th Hunter Exam | Current number of examinees: 40 ]
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When morning came the assassin woman rejoined the rest of the group as the zeppelin landed on top of tower in the middle of nowhere, stretching her limbs and back like a cat.
Admittedly, her personal training session left her with both satisfaction and crankiness equally divided, but she readily dismissed the fact when the little magical creature started explaining what the next phase would consist in.
«We're on top of the Trick Tower. This is where you'll enter the third phase. As for the test itself, the examiners have informed me that you have 72 hours to reach the base of Trick Tower alive.»
«I have a question. Will I be able to pass if I climb down?»
«Why, of course you will. There are no limitations as to how you get there, but I advise you all to ponder well about your actions.»
With those final statement and a few other words of encouragement for the applicants, the magical beast departed once again on the airship. Some of the forty remaining examinees kept looking up for a few more moments, before they actually started looking for a way down.
Eirene walked idly towards the edge of the tower. A gust of wind met her face, making her squint her eyes a bit.
A jump like this could end up very bad, even using nen to enhance my legs. Still, climbing down sounds like a little too easy...
As if on cue, a scream echoed in the air; the woman looked in that direction for a moment, noting the presence of giant, ugly, winged creatures that were already figthing over an applicant's body.
And there you have the catch.
She rolled her eyes before closing them--with that, she expanded her En again just to confirm her suspicions: there were secret passages all over the place and, from what she could sense, quite some applicants already found theirs.
Satisfied, she walked up to the closest hidden trap door and jumped down, without much of a sound.
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The Trick Tower surely lived up to its name.
Eirene began her way down, wearing a little wristwatch with a timer that shower how many hours she still had. A large screen had greeted her and explained the rules of her route.
«Welcome to the Route of Judgement! In order to make your way down, you will have to fill in the shoes of Judge, Jury and Executioner! For each room you'll walk in, you'll be requested to choose between Innocent and Guilty for each person you meet. Bear in mind, should you choose Innocent, you'll be able to proceed to the next door without a fight at the cost of some of your Time. Should you choose Guilty, instead, you'll have to fight until one of you isn't able to fight anymore.»
The altered voice of who she deemed to be the examiner was followed by the bright letters on the screen in front of her.
For once, Eirene really couldn't believe her utter luck.
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In the poorly lighted control room, Lippo and his fellow examiners looked at the screens with passive curiosity.
One of the two men standing appeared to be much more interested in one specific applicant than the group as a whole, but the main examiner didn't seem to mind. He chuckled as he saw the last examiner find a trapdoor--it was a little past four hours since the beginning of the test--and settled in on his armchair in a more comfortable position.
«This year's batch seems to have promising elements, don't you think?» he commented, turning slightly to the fellow examiner on his left. The man nodded, folding his arms at his chest with a light smirk on his lips.
«I'm sure the convicts will be able to thin down their numbers, though. Except, there are a few applicants that are above their league.»
They all noticed, or remembered, #44. He was the infamous examinee that even their fellow hunters and examiners mentioned before; moreover, the scarred man on the prison warden's right was the still living proof that he was not to be underestimated.
Though more discreet than the magician, were #301 and #369. They all felt like #301 would be one of those who'd reach the base with little to no efforts--he, for one, already knew about Nen and Lippo suspected him to be a master of it already.
Those three were possibly the strongest, not to say most dangerous, of that year: the other participants held potential, but it still was like comparing a cub with an adult beast.
One of the screens flickered with static for a moment. The next thing that appeared on it was the image of one blonde woman, dressed in black from head to toes, looking down at what once was a living human disappointedly.
Lippo tsked, snatching up another handful of chips. That was her sixth victim, which meant she was past halfway down her route already.
The Judgement Route, as the name implied, was meant to test one's own judgement skills: not knowing how many hours they'd have to sacrifice to avoid fighting nor how many fights awaited them, nor how long it will take to get at the base at all--usually, these were the main reasons why examinees tended to use most of their time to avoid fighting, unless their victory was certain, or to have as many fights as they could and then rest for a while with a verdict of innocence.
#369 ignored all of that and rushed down the route, always choosing guilt and striking his champions down without even blinking. She even killed one of his best convicts, which he had placed there as an "obligated choice" for the examinees who tended to thread a tad too carefully for his liking.
Hours passed between snacks and providing guidance here and there to the applicants, especially those who ended up in a group or pairs (oh, those routes too were very interesting to watch rather the single-player ones!), until a light beeping called for his attention. The alarm was supposed to go off whenever an applicant reached the end of their route.
Lippo looked over to the monitor of the fourth passing examinee, smirking at the third person that caught his interest. He pressed a button, turning on the speaker of that specific room.
«Congratulations on clearing the Judgement Route, #369! It's been a while since I witnessed such a merciless judge.» She completely turned to face the monitor hanging above the exit upon hearing his voice. The hunter snickered quietly, hiding his mouth behind his joined hands. «There is a room at the end of the corridor provided with food and drink. A restroom, too, should it be of use.»
«How thoughtful, mister examiner.» the blonde replied, her voice slightly altered. As he expected, her voice sounded mildly bored. «I really hope the actual waiting room will have such comforts, too. I'd hate to damage your playground too much to just go back and freshen up before the seventy-two hours are up.»
«Of course. My guests will never say that they've been treated badly.»
#369 chuckled, resting her right hand on her hip. «Don't worry, your efforts are as clear as the day. Sadly, the same can't be said for your friends over here. A bit lacking in resilience, if I may?»
«Should you really be surprised? These convict are mostly common people. Could they really stand a chance against a trained assassin and nen user?» He saw the woman bow her head a little, shoulders shaking in what he supposed to be laughter. When she didn't reply, neither to confirm nor to deny, he continued. «Well, I kept you enough. Go on, go on, and enjoy your rest until the time is up.»
Admittedly, he had grown quite curious with #44, #301 and #369 in such a short time. Surely, the fourth phase would be even more interesting than the third if they ended up picking each other's number.
Part of him really hoped for that.
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«Fourth to pass the third phase--Eirene, #369! Time elapsed: twelve hours and forty-six minutes!»
The three people already in the large, round room looked up for a moment--the bald ninja she didn't remember the name of spared her a glance from where he was resting, his back leaning against the stone wall; Illumi clinked as he simply turned his head towards her, nodding in a stiff way; lastly, Hisoka waved his hand gleefully as if he was greeting an old friend.
The woman hummed to herself. «Fourth, huh. I spent too much time back there...» Sighing and then walking over to where her two acquaintances were sitting, she asked. «Who's been the first?»
«That would be me, little bird. Jealous~?»
Eirene rolled her eyes, looking down at the joker's appearance. «Of course it would be you. Also, jealous? Whatever for, my wounded friend?» the woman smirked smugly, marking her last two words.
Hisoka looked nonplussed. «They're just scratches, no need to ruffle your feathers. But if you're so worried for my health, should I strip for you to check?» he offered, his voice very implying.
«Please. If I was interested in your body, I'd have undressed you myself.»
Ignoring the clear discomfort on the ninja's face upon hearing that conversation, while the red-haired man removed the odd clothing around his upper body, Eirene took it as her cue to pull out a small medical kit from her waist bag.
«It's unusual for you to offer to stitch up someone.»
The two turned over to Illumi upon hearing his altered voice. He stood not far from them, appearing almost curious at the new development.
«Oh, nothing in particular. It's just--» she started with a light tone, going over the proper sanitization of the stitching materials. As soon as she was ready to start, Eirene placed a hand on the smooth skin of the joker's abdomen and, without much warning, pierced his flesh with her needle to stitch his wound close. With precision, but also with a rough touch. «--I've been meaning to get back at him for that stupid nickname for a bit?»
Hisoka just chuckled at that, the sound a little shaky, making her raise an eyebrow at him.
The other assassin sighed in what could be disappointment. «Your wits are becoming dull if you thought he wouldn't enjoy pain.»
She couldn't hold back a groan, but continued with her work. Her master taught her to always finish what he started, after all.
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«... hey, Illumi.»
«Yes?»
«How do you know about that exactly?»
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Waiting the remaining sixty or so hours with nothing to do proved to be way more boring than the test itself, or so Eirene thought to herself. Fairly enough, as the examiner said before, the large waiting room was connected to a little living space where the applicants could find what they could have needed after completing the task. The majority of them just waited in the common space, leaving just to relieve themselves every few hours, and simply passing time however they saw fit.
In the end, the blonde assassin decided to resume her training with En, not only to pass time but also to keep check of where the other participants were. She noticed the ninja shivering when she activated her technique, which surprised her a little, but other than that she dismissed the fact with a shrug.
«Now where were we...»
Closing her eyes, she let her aura flare around freely for a moment, before stabilizing it again.
After a little more than seven hours from her arrival, the huntsman with the large blowpipe had joined them and after him other applicants, one by one, gathered in the area: the kid that carried some poisons, then after a while the other youngun with the pineapple-style hair--soon, the number of applicants that passed the test counted up to twenty-one.
She was glad, in all honesty, to see the last door opening and revealing Killua and his little companions just before the time was up. A smile was painted on her lips as she walked over to them; to her surprise, it was the dark haired kid to react to her approach first.
«Took you long enough, Kil.» she said, patting the kid's head. He frowned a little, ducking away from her touch. «Well, at least you and your friends are alright.»
Upon mentioning them, Eirene turned her attention to the other teens. The dark haired one, who she guessed to be around Killua's age, greeted her first with a smile.
The younger assassin cleared his throat. «Iri, these are Gon, Kurapika and... Liorio?»
«It's Leorio!!» the other dark haired youth protested. Killua snickered silently at his reply--clearly enjoying teasing him.
She noticed that Killua seemed way more relaxed than before and the sensation she felt during their first interaction since the start of the exam came back thrice as strong. Especially considering how she felt a pair of eyes burning holes in the back of her head at the moment.
«Guys, Eirene. She's been raised by my people since I've memory of?»
«A little longer than that, Kil. Nice to meet you all.»
The group chatted for a few more moments before everyone's attention was taken back by the examiner's voice. The applicants that managed to pass the third phase were all guided outside, where the pro hunter awaited them.
«Congratulation on your successful descents. Only two more phases lie ahead.» Lippo had explained, snapping his fingers to signal the other examiner to bring forth a colored box with arrows decorating the top. «The fourth phase will take place on Zevil Island and the first step is for you all to draw lots. That will determine the hunter and the hunted.»
Each of the still standing applicants was about to become both a hunter and a prey--that much was quite obvious. One at time, following the order of descent from the third phase, everyone picked up a card from the box with trepidation.
Once everyone was done, Lippo resumed talking. «The tabulator has recorded the number each of you drew, therefore you may dispose of the cards if you wish. Now, the applicant whose I.D. is specified on your card has become your target.»
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While the remaining participants walked, following the examiner, towards the shore to take the boat to Zevil Island, Eirene fell in steps with her fellow assassin and tapped his shoulder.
When he turned to her, the clear 99 on her target tag welcomed his blank stare.
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