-Hunter Exam Round 1 Part 1-
-Renka's POV-
I had confidence I wouldn't fail this hunter exam. I was going to pass, and my dream would come true. I had gotten a tag with my candidate number on it from that green blob head from the Hunter Federation or whatever. I was #151. It was still early and it appeared we still had some time until the exam began. I spent my time observing the other candidates. Some of them would stare at me and start whispering about me. I couldn't blame them. After all, it must have been unusual to see a 12-year-old girl here. I could see in their eyes they underestimated me. I had a good eye for people, but among this mass I only spotted a few strong candidates. Most of them were not going to make it.
Someone from the crowd approached me. I knew right away this guy was no good. I could tell from the look in his eyes. His ugly potato nose didn't make my impression of him any better.
"Hey there, young lady! I'm Tompa. Nice to meet you!"
I decided to play nice. I would look like an innocent little girl. That way they might underestimate me. It could prove a useful trump card. "Hi, Tompa! Nice to meet you too! I'm Renka, but you can call me Ren-chan!"
"Ren-chan, huh? You must be new."
"How can you tell?"
"Easy! This is my 35th time!"
"Eh?!" I was surprised. He didn't even make if after 34 tries? Pathetic. What a loser.
"Yeah, I'm a veteran. I know all about the hunter exam, so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me!"
"Thank you! What can you tell me about the other candidates?"
He gave me a short briefing on a few of the candidates. "...And lastly there's the Amori brothers, #197, #198 and #199. Their teamwork is excellent."
"Thanks a lot for the information, Tompa."
"No problem... Say, what about a drink to celebrate our meeting?" He offered me a can of juice.
What was that slimy bastard up to? I wasn't going to take any unnecessary risks. "I'm sorry, Tompa-san. Mother told me not to accept drinks from strangers."
"Oh, yes." He looked a little defeated and awkward. I knew he was up to no good. "I'll be going then. Good luck on the test!"
"You too, Tompa-san!"
He disappeared into the crowd. Good riddance.
Not too soon after, a loud scream filled the tunnel. I looked up. Candidate #58 was on the floor, screaming and flailing around what was left of his arms. Someone had cut them clean off. In front of him stood a man who vaguely reminded me of harlequins.
"Oh, how strange.ยจ He doesn't have any arms. Just magic, ladies and gentlemen." It was candidate #44. Hisoka was his name, according to Tompa. He had a malicious look on his face. The air around him felt dark and heavy. He was strong. Very strong. I could tell. I made a mental note to avoid him.
"AAAH! MY...MY..." The no-arms guy screamed.
"You have to be more careful. And don't forget to apologize when you hit someone." Hisoka's voice sent shivers down my spine. Fuuuh... What a creep.
He walked away and the crowd calmed down.
We were called to attention by a man who appeared out of a passageway in the wall. He looked like a proper gentleman. Only, one without a mouth. But he made up for the lack of a mouth with the most amazing curly moustache ever.
"Here I am. The time for the reception is over. Now, the exam can begin. This way please." The crowd gathered in front of him. "Well. We'll begin with a short verification... It's an extremely difficult exam. Sometimes you can miss a chance and can end up hurting yourself, or can simply die..."
I wasn't bothered. I knew the risks.
"There are moments, like a little while ago, where we get irreparably hurt in an accident with companions. There are things that can't be avoided. Now, please follow me."
I walked along with the crowd. Next to me was a group of three. A boy around my age with spiky dark hair carrying a fishing rod, an older girlish looking guy with blond hair and a tall old man with sunglasses carrying a suitcase. I hadn't expected to find any other kids here. This should prove to be interesting.
"Count is ok," said the moustache man. "404 Participants for the first round of the exam."
"It seems obvious, but nobody abandoned yet," said the suitcase man. "Nevertheless, I hoped that..."
The people sped up.
"It's weird..." said the blond boy.
"What's happening here?" asked the suitcase guy. "They're all so rushed to get out of here?"
"I was right! The rhythm is getting faster progressively!" said the blonde.
"The ones in the front have all started running!" said the spiky kid.
I had to run to keep up now too.
"I forgot one detail," said the moustache man. "I'm Satotsu, and I'm in charge of the first round. So I must lead you to the place of the second round."
"The second round...?" said a bald guy whose name I believed was Hanzo. "You mean the first-"
"The first has already begun," said Satotsu-san. "If you're able to follow me to the place where the second round stands, you'll have passed the test. I can't tell you where or when we'll arrive. You must be content with following me."
"I see," said the blonde.
"This test is weird..." said Spiky.
"An endurance test?" said the tall guy. " I'm enjoying it! Where he goes, I go!" He grinned.
The spiky kid looked at me and smiled. "Hi! I'm Gon! What's your name?"
"I'm Renka, but you can call me Ren-chan!" I replied with a smile.
"Ren-chan, huh? You look kinda cute," said the tall guy with a grin. "I'm Leorio!"
The blonde introduced himself. "I'm Kurapika. Nice to meet you."
So he was Kurapika, huh. He seemed stronger than most other candidates.
"Nice to meet you too!"
"So, Ren-chan. What is a little girl like you doing here?" asked Leorio.
Taking the hunter exam obviously, doofus.
But before I could answer another kid sped past us on a skateboard.
"Hey! Kid! That's not allowed! That's cheating!" Leorio yelled pointing at him.
"Why?" asked the silver-haired kid.
"Why? 'Cause it's an endurance test!"
"You're wrong! He just asked us to follow him, didn't he?" said Gon.
"Gon! Which side are you on?!"
"You should conserve your energy. You're just noisy right now so... The principle is that there are no principles," Kurapika said.
The silver-haired kid looked at me. I sensed he was strong. I flashed a smile. He stared, then looked at Gon.
"Tell me... How old are you?" He asked Gon.
"Almost 12!"
"Hmm...? Just like me... Finally, I'm also gonna run." The kid flipped his board and caught it in the air and started running.
"Cool!" exclaimed Gon
"And you?" the kid asked me.
"I'm already 12," I answered.
"I'm Killua," he said.
"I'm Gon and this is Ren-chan!" Gon said.
"And you, mister?" Killua asked Leorio.
"Hey! I'm not that old! I'm from the same generation as you!"
What? No way! I almost tripped over my own feet. He looked so old!
"ARE YOU SURE?!" Killua and Gon yelled in unison.
"Argh! Gon, it's finished! I'm never talking to you again!" Leorio yelled.
I couldn't help but laugh. They sure were a lively group. These guys ought to entertain me. Yup, I was gonna stick around.
After three hours of running, Leorio wasn't doing so well anymore. He looked both exhausted and agitated.
"You ok?" asked Gon.
Leorio didn't answer. He was going slower and slower until he finally stopped and dropped his suitcase. He was panting heavily. I hadn't known him for very long and I wasn't particularly fond of him, but I felt sorry for the guy.
"Leorio!" Gon yelled and stopped.
Killua and I stopped too. "Come on. Here, we're not having fun, Gon," said Killua, motioning for us to continue. But Gon didn't move.
"Mpf. That's enough..." Leorio panted. "I'M READY TO DO ANYTHING TO BECOME A HUNTER! YES!" He screamed and shot forwards like he had been fired out of a cannon. He left us far behind. He had forgotten about his suitcase, though.
Gon was about to start running again when he noticed the suitcase still lying there. He grabbed his fishing rod. With one swing it caught on to the suitcase and he pulled it back with ease. Now that was some skill!
"Oh! That's cool, your trick!" Killua said. "Would you let me try after?"
"Only if you lend me your skateboard!" Gon replied.
"Can I try too?" I asked Gon.
"Sure!"
We caught up with the rest. After another 20 km we reached a very, very long staircase. Great...
"Well, let's pick up the pace," Satotsu said and sped up the staircase.
Gon, Killua and I were a lot faster than the other candidates. We now ran up front, right behind Satotsu.
"I didn't notice that we were in the front," said Gon. Even he was starting to get a little sweaty now.
"It's because the rhythm isn't very fast," Killua replied. "In fact, not moving the fastest way is more tiring. The hunter's exam seems very accessible in reality... It's not funny."
"Why do you want to be a hunter, Killua?" Gon asked.
"I don't really want to be a hunter... I've heard it was something extremely hard, and I thought it sounded interesting. But I'm disappointed." So he was just in it for the kicks, huh? This first test wasn't much of a challenge. So that's why he seemed so bored. "What about you?" he asked Gon.
"My father is a hunter! My goal is to become a hunter like him!"
"Your father, what kind of hunter is he?" Killua asked.
"I don't know!"
Killua laughed. "Haha! That's not ordinary!"
"You think so? My aunt took care of me, and I've only seen my father in photos. But a few years ago I met a guy named Kaito who taught me a lot of things about my father."
"And that's a super thing?" Killua asked.
"I don't know. But Kaito seemed so happy, and so proud to be able to speak of him. So I thought that I wanted to become a hunter like my father."
"Are you gonna go looking for him?" I asked. Gon was one special kid alright. He had a pure soul.
"Yes! After I become a hunter I'm gonna start looking for him!" Gon said with a grin. "What about you, Ren-chan? Why do you want to be a hunter?"
"Me? I want to be a treasure hunter. Not treasure as in gold and stuff. I mean rare items. Like the Scroll of the Stars and the Elixir of Pain. I love collecting stuff, nyaa... I'm going to start with a collection of all the rare candy of the world and I'll make my own candyland paradise!" I was getting carried away again. Talking about treasure and food always filled me with joy. "Nyaaa... Chocolates..." I could talk about my candyland plans the whole day...
Killua laughed. "Candyland, huh? I like sweets too. Mind if I visit?"
"Hmm... I don't really like sharing, but I suppose I could make an exception," I said with a bright smile.
"Can I go too?" Gon asked.
"Of course!"
"LOOK!" someone screamed. "THE EXIT!"
Relief washed over the candidates when they spotted the exit. We stepped outside.
"Ooh!" Gon said.
We were looking at a broad landscape. From the looks of it, it was a marsh.
"The Numelle's Marsh nicknamed The Crook's Nest," Satotsu explained. "This is the place where the second round will stand. You'll have to go through here. The rare animals you'll find in the marsh eat humans for lunch. They're birds of prey as well as gamers. Follow me and pay close attention! Losing the way results in death."
