HeeJin was making her way through the half of the island where the mountain rose, heading in the direction of the other half, when she saw a glimpse of light-blue far ahead of her.

Immediately, she tensed and took cover in the thicket of young sprouts by one of the trees, peeking out cautiously. 

The figure in the distance seemed to be in the same position, crouching and hiding from something ahead. Their back was left completely open for any observer from behind and his sweater’s obscenely prominent color did nothing to help with camouflage.

Help him, she meant. Because HeeJin just struck gold.

One of the Amori brothers, the lankiest, clad in a ice-blue sweater, was oblivious to the world.

She waited until the man partially straightened, hurriedly moving some distance forth. It was pretty obvious he was stalking someone.

Hm. That left her in a precarious position.

HeeJin might have waited until the brothers reunited and easily get her target found... if only that didn’t mean she was against three of them. It was unlikely they would often leave each other wandering by themselves. Strength in numbers and all that.

Would it benefit her to strike a temporary alliance with the man’s target and get rid of him? Or would it be better to wait until he was weakened in the struggle against his target? 

Or HeeJin could not stuck her nose while there was any conflict brewing and just wait for a more opportune moment-

The other two might rejoin and overwhelm both her and his target.

First things first, she needed to close the distance and find out who the target was. When the man stood to close the distance once again, almost disappearing from her field of view, HeeJin carefully creeped forward until she caught a glance of puff of white hair over a child-like figure.

Oh. 

…Unfortunate. HeeJin liked Killua. A rude and spoiled brat, to be fair, but in a tiny angry kitten’s way. 

He was a nice kid and there was no reason for him to fail. 

HeeJin admitted, he carried himself with assuredness and ease here that sent off all the alarm bells in her seen-her-share-of-unsavory-people head, but that… Killua was just a boy. A kid. There was something wrong with the vibes she got from him, but not any more than in passing and not in a way she could decipher - that was the part of social circles she was banned from, after all.

She couldn’t point a finger at the problem, but HeeJin couldn’t forgive herself to just leave this situation be. 

Maybe she could help Killua out with his hunter and leave on her way? Or lay in an ambush?..

The best option right now was to follow and wait for an opportune moment.

---

Minute by minute, Killua’s boredom was slowly getting replaced with mild annoyance. 

This was morose , how was there another person stuck to him? That was seven people in total! This was not a ing conga line!

---

Choerry’s last victim was tied close to the river, just like the others, so he won’t die from thirst.

Unfortunately, he had no tags at all. Oh well. It was still the middle of the phase.

She might get her last point closer to the end of the phase, honestly. It was getting boring. By then, people would gather closer to the finish site, either as to finish soon or to snatch someone else’s tags. She might do just that herself, actually!

But if someone gets right under her hand, she would take them on, of course.

Choerry jumped up into the canopy, settling her leisurely pace.

Hmm, what should she do in the meantime? She would honestly prefer to train, grinding away the hours needed for polishing slower-progressing skills, climbing on a slow hill - even to a rare talent like her - of mastery. But putting aside the risk of other examinees not privy to nen stumbling at her, there were some other nen-sensitive people on this island.  

And - it felt kinda wrong to just lose her observer somewhere. They truly appeared to only be there to survey, they never went into contact with her despite numerous invitations. Choerry even cooked a second portion of food for them whenever she prepared something over fire. All was left untouched. 

Alternatively, she could sit the phase out somewhere safe and boring. Maybe annoy JinSoul. Or get bantering with Shark-Shark. Or Choerry might go out and search for other girls. She doubted Chuu would be easy to find, but the other two might be! Or, or! Choerry could search for the boy’s quartet. Except for Kurapika. His suspicious mind, bless him, wouldn't let her anywhere near without confirming she wasn’t after him aaand she could have taken a plate with another target's number from one of the men she defeated, damn it! 

Well, defeated was a rather loud word there. Choerry constantly forgot that she was usually surrounded by way, way stronger people than most contestants here could ever dream to be.

Maybe she should come back to one of the defeated ones and just take it? Choerry snickered - she knew precisely where they would be until the end of the phase, after all!

Lost in her musings, Choerry missed how trees became shorter, and sturdy branches sparser. Similarly to overlooking a switch in foliage, she unknowingly skipped over a subtle change in atmosphere. Choerry’s subconscious only managed to rear its head when she was already flying into a clearing, oddly absent of any saplings, but it was too late.

She was snapped out of it when she caught an icy-blue and pink shape in the corner of her eye.

---

Sitting under with Hemotropic butterflies fluttering around, Hisoka was contemplating benefits of going on a murder spree right now - he was getting desparate here, lovelys - over waiting a bit more and then finding a target, when something soundlessly landed on the ground to the left of him.

Opening his eyes, he turned slightly more towards the presence (please be someone alive) and saw purple hair before blinking and raising his head higher, a thin smile creeping over his lips. 

Choerry, was it? 

He would absolutely revel in fighting her, Hisoka knew this as sure as he knew that he was able to wait a little bit more and not ruin his long-term plans. Thoughts of rationality and bloodlust were gnawing at each other inside his head, making a sigh slip past his lips.

A playing card habitually appeared between his fingers.

Choerry already recognized him and Hisoka could see her analyzing the situation and building plans in her eyes and semi-relaxed limbs. It was less half of the second since she landed, not getting up from her position. Sharp girl.

Hisoka could see it in her reactions throughout the exam, hear in the hum of her aura, in motions that left not a single movement uncontrolled or wasted, in the delicious loose bloodthirst the single time she lost her head, in the direct order issued to not touch the others’ people of interest… The grin on thin lips grew wider, left corner turning up in a too-wide smirk, crinkling his eyes in crescents of moons. 

He would definitely savor a fight with a ripening fruit like her...

His desire clawing him in the back of his mind, he slowly raised now empty hand and made a small friendly wave.

… another time.

---

The tensest heartbeat of the entire exam pumped her blood through a body almost parallel to the ground.

Choerry was booking it at top speed.

Her enhanced legs carried her away from the clearing, to the other half of the island and weaving around some more after dropping in Zetsu. She covered much ground and then more, messing her pathing and losing any tails Choerry had, her observer long left behind.

She paused only after that, her attention zeroed on the surroundings and her sense of danger.

Choerry pressed down her stressed breathing and leaned her back against a rock. 

God.

That was awful. Straight-up horror film stuff. A jumpscare.

She aged several years right there. Her joyful teenagehood wheezed and died. Choerry was going to have a middle age crisis any moment now. She might need to think about retirement soon.

. What the hell.

Returning to a thought Choerry had as her shiny, thoughtless 17-year-old self - mingling with such notorious, top of the crop people might’ve messed some settings in her. Probably desensitized her to a lowkey bloodlust. Jerks.

Yes! Rationally, it was totally their fault.

 

[fruitBat] created a temporary dialog with [angelicImage] at 15:47

[FB]: you are a terrible influence and despicable role model u I almost died there hgldhglfhhdffdahgaslgaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[AI]: awwww but I am YOUR despicable role model <3

[AI]: jk jk

[AI]: what happened over there

[AI]: I mean you arent wrong

[FB]: nm

[AI]: man Id love me some context there :D

[fruitBat] left the chat. Awaiting.

[AI]: I am confusion

[angelicImage] closed the dialog with [fruitBat] at 15:53

Dialog is being deleted.. .

 

She forcefully breathed out, putting the phone away. Gosh. Diggity. Darn it.

Whew.

Her blase "despicable role model" shaved the peak of her stress off somewhat, the loveable jerk.

Choerry bore no delusions about her abilities - her extensive nen training and sparring raised her onto an enviable level. But not equal to Hisoka level. She could feel it. And her Conjuration hatsu was impossible to use in combat, it was purely for utility!

If she ever got into a fight with the Magician, it would be a fight for survival with nothing but her measly maximum sixty percent Enhanced fists. All her Ko and Ryo skills wouldn’t be enough there either.

That asked too much of her.

She consciously uncoiled her still taut muscles.

Choerry shakily stood up.

Now. This didn’t fix the wrongest piece of this bloodthirsty puzzle: why didn’t he attack her?

---

HeeJin was thinking of an admittedly terrible decision - to take the matters into her own hands just to escape this secondhand embarrassment.

She was honest with herself about her skills - her tracking and stealth were rather underdeveloped and low considering the crowd and their purpose here.

The man tracking Killua was her equal in terms of those.

And if she was embarrassed and contemplating stepping out, the whitehaired boy was set on ignoring his hunter all this time, even as the latter laughed to himself over something.

HeeJin sighed internally and began creeping through the bushes, circling the duo counter-clockwise, trying to spot a better position for a sneak attack. It was unbearable.

Suddenly, Killua decided to drop all pretense at the same moment.

“You’re just wasting time.” Killua lazily turned around, addressing the bushes one of the Amori brothers was sitting in. “Follow me forever, you still won’t catch me out.”

HeeJin choked down a surprized sound and ducked behind next cover, freezing behind a tall bush.

Unlike her, the man fell back, shoulders raised to his ears, caught in so much surprise, he even half-raised hands in self-defense. 

HeeJin could swear Killua’s gaze landed on the bushes she was hidden in, before shrugging and turning fully towards his hunter. Was she close enough for Killua to pinpoint her spot? She hoped not. It must’ve been her imagination and poor view at the boy’s face.

“Man, if you do not want to come out, I can come closer,” drawled Killua, slowly approaching. He looked thoroughly uninterested in the man. “It’s annoying, y’know. You’re probably just a one-pointer.”

Entranced in Kilua’s measured steps as he seemingly was the one who cornered his hunter and not the other way around, HeeJin missed the moment when three became five.

“So how’s it going, Imori? Finished already?”

HeeJin nearly jumped out of her skin.

Oh no.

Thank Lord the bush covered her from the incoming men. 

A small bunny wove itself out of the air near the scene and HeeJin bit her lip.

It was way too risky. Two brothers approached the scene from the opposite direction than she circled, a chance choice that most likely saved her.

The one in the burgundy sweater, who voiced that question, finally noticed an unimpressed looking Killua and came to a halt.

After a couple seconds, they came to a realization and weak mumblings coming from apparently-Imori were cut short by blows from his brothers, loudly reprimanding him.

The critter turned around and hopped towards Killua.

Looked like this situation quickly turned into a three versus one kind of deal.

And even if HeeJin intellectually understood that Killua was at least an equally adept examinee and had passed all the same phases as her, she couldn’t overlook how unfair the tides have turned. Even if he himself told them the Exam was just a challenge to him, she couldn’t possibly sit this one out.

Keeping herself hidden, HeeJin rose from her crouch and pulled her sable out, the familiar weight in hand grounding her.

As soon as they made a move, she would ambush them.

Killua, on the other hand, seemed less and less impressed by the display.

Concluding the berating of their brother, Umori turned towards Killua, still addressing the blue-clad man. ”Finish what you started.”

With little hesitation, Imori, despite just being roughed up by his brothers, stood up with surprising confidence in his movements. He said something to the boy quiet enough for HeeJin to miss. Judging by his posture, maybe a threat.

The hunter began brazenly approaching Killua.

On her tiptoes, half-turned with her sable at the ready, HeeJin moved from behind her cover. As soon as she did that, she felt Killua’s eyes land on her, his face adorned with an expression of thorough boredom.

To be fair, it was hard to hold Imori in high regard after witnessing the man be thoroughly chewed out by his brothers.

HeeJin mouthed, “Help you?”

Killua arched eyebrow in surprise. He looked away and upward, shaking his head.

HeeJin pursed her lips, but stepped back behind the bush, lowering her blade slightly. Let him do his thing for now.

“Hand over yer badge, kid an’ you won’t get hurt, right?” proposed Imori with an audible smirk.

Killua looked back at the sorry hunter.

“Idiot.”

His truth earned him a kick to the stomach and HeeJin gasped. It was quite notable - the force was enough to send the boy flying three meters back.

She immediately moved back into her “ready” position out in the open. This situation was no joke!

Against her expectation, Killua still had hands tucked into pockets even as he jumped to his legs from the lying position. Only then he took one out, something clasped in his hand.

“Number one hundred ninety-eight, huh?”

It was a tag!

Imori cursed and rummaged through his pockets with a dumbfounded expression.

“Almost, but not quite. Can it be,” the boy smiled devilishly and looked up at two others, “that number one hundred ninety-seven is one of you two?” He flipped the tag in the air.

As he caught it, he made a vague shooing motion without breaking eye contact with the bigger man. Brothers ignored an out of place motion, but it was obviously addressed to her.

This time, she wasn’t so fast in following his command - the air grew heavy as soon as Killua revealed he pocketed Imori’s tag.

The biggest one humorlessly declared, “Standard formation.”

The three of them fanned out, slowly flanking the motionless Killua.

HeeJin, in turn, swiftly moved closer, hiding behind a wide enough tree, her sable held close and pointing upward.

Killua sighed and said up in the air, “You three should just give over your tags. You are no match for me.”

HeeJin couldn’t tell if he was bluffing. Given her generally good read on one’s words, she decided to believe his self-confidence (she believed in his belief or how that one went?..) and not interrupt his plan for now . She lowered her sable towards the forest floor, the arch partially unhidden, to convey that to the boy.

Didn’t mean she would stay behind if Killua overestimated himself.

He looked somewhat amused by both hers and the brothers’ actions, letting himself be surrounded. The brothers slowly flanked him, forming a triangle with Killua in the middle, cutting away escape routes. They stopped and it was tensely quiet.

Then, Killua snapped into motion.

By which HeeJin meant - she didn’t see him move .

He was standing there, then everyone was looking madly around searching for him, the boy nowhere in sight.

Faster than HeeJin could blink, he reappeared behind the biggest one, in yellow polo, kicking him under knees, causing the man to pliantly drop on his knees. Killua was so fast, the examinee didn’t have time to make a sound before Killua’s claws (what and how, since when did he have those?!) were put against the man's throat. A thin blood trail ran down, coloring the sweater.

“Don’t move,” apathetically warned Kilua. “My nails are razor-sharp.”

There were no protests as he dug through the man's pockets, fishing out a tag. Two others simply watched, one with shock and the other gritting his teeth.

“One hundred ninety-nine? That's a shame. Hey!” he called the last one, Amori. “Are you one hundred ninety-seven?”

“Uh. Yes,” answered the man, subconsciously leaning away from the young boy.

Killua held out a hand, making a grabbing motion. “Gimme.”

Amori tsked in irritation, but had nothing else to do but comply.

As soon as he got his unexpected bounty, Killua grinned, holding two extra tags.

“Hmmm, what shall I do with the other two?”

HeeJin was deeply invested in the answer as well.

“I think I’ll do half and half!” and the boy made a winding throwing motion.

No !

The air whistled as the tag tore through it, flying away and out of sight with enviable speed.

HeeJin felt her heart drop six feet below.

“I’ll be taking the other one. You have four days to find it. Good luck!” Kilua waved jovially to the flabbergasted brothers before exiting the unbelievable scene at that same speed that HeeJin didn’t know a human body could accomplish.

Gears in her head creaked and return to their motion. Come on. This was her que to get moving as well. She had to push through the shock of watching her chances getting flung away.

One of the brothers dropped to his knees and punched the ground, swearing to high heavens, and HeeJin sheathed her sable while he not-so-eloquently tested his breath.

Before he could find his limits, HeeJin booked away. There was not a bone in her body that wanted to get under a heavy hand of the thoroughly irate brothers.

She sprinted away, hoping for enough lead to outran them. Faster, not longer. She didn’t stop until her breath got all ragged and impossible to control, changing her direction several times, almost loosing the sense of direction at some point herself.

HeeJin almost fell into a little depression in the ground by the roots of one of the older trees, curling onto herself. She swallowed down noisy inhales, catching her breath as quiet as she was physically able.

Now what? Did she just fail?..

Something light landed on her head, startling HeeJin, and dropped to the ground.

She immediately jumped to her feet, hand on the scabbard.

Forest stayed still.

A glance back at the mysterious object and HeeJin couldn’t stave off a gasp.

A tag laid there face down. 

A disbelieving smile grew on her lips. Killua! He followed her! She looked around, not seeing a glimpse of white or blue anywhere either on the ground or trees.

“Thank you, Killua,” said HeeJin, feeling relief and gratitude wash over her. 

She took the tag and flipped it. Her smile froze. 

198.

It was the wrong tag.

---

It was time to admit that HyunJin must soon make a decision. It was almost a halfway point of the phase. 

She might have to open her options to random one pointers. Given she hasn't found anyone the whole day, it might turn into a problem.

New smell trails were absent too.

On the upside - her hunter’s scent, which HyunJin paid special attention to, was nowhere to be found as well.

After having lunch in a small appletree grove by the river, she headed downstream, eyeing possible sleeping places close by. She would like to have water close but not too close - insects. It was then when she noticed something glinting ahead in the rays of the setting sun.

She jumped up in the branches, wariness activated at the sight of something standing out. Most likely a trap of sorts.

Cautiously coming closer, HyunJin crouched on the branch, overlooking a curious sight some distance away and beneath. She blinked, surprized.

Several coils of chains were tied securely around the tree, connecting to a figure beneath it, some of the chains’ length laying on the ground.

What the hell was this.

HyunJin jumped down, stepping closer with an utmost care.

What looked from the distance like a nasty bruise on the side of the man’s neck turned out to be a raven tattoo. Seemed to be alive if his breaths were any indication. HyunJin rustled the young underwood near her to check if the man would react to the noise.

He did. Hearing her approach, he opened tired eyes, focusing on her with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.

Several long seconds passed between them.

The man, who had chains looped around his midsection, leaving his arms free, raised a hand and half-heartedly made a wave.

…This was strange.

HyunJin focused on the scents. Who in the world would have arrived here with this many chains and left people around tied by them?..

Choerry did. Apparently.

Huh.

Well. If she wasn’t yet ambushed by her friend, HyunJin could rule out this being a trap.

She scrunched her nose. But where did Choerry get chains from? Her backpack was too small and quiet to have had them. Did she take them from somebody else? Unlikely. HyunJin also would’ve seen or heard them on someone at the base of the Tower.

She stepped back and the man dropped his hand on lap dejectedly.

HyunJin continued backing out of the man’s field of vision, before turning around and going further in the forest.