Title: The Path of a Predator

Chapter 1: The X Exam X Begins!

There was an art to disguising oneself in a crowd of many eyes. Finding the small gap between the sets of wandering eyes that always seemed to be watching at any given time always sent my heart into a flutter. The moment of hesitation, sensing whether my movement would draw the attention of others after fading into the background, before committing to the movements fully. It was more of a nod to my brother, though. Hesitation described him perfectly – he was frustratingly slow with everything. He wouldn't move unless he knew it would be a successful one. While he introduced me to the world of disguises and blending in – among other things – we couldn't be more different with how we lived in that world. He liked to time events down to the second, every action prepared carefully, and every ending was considered… Which is why he took so long getting anywhere.

Mannerisms and confidence were my poison of choice.

Restricted areas, strange places for someone of my stature and age to be, the homes of others, discretely listening to conversations across the room… Such things were open to me with the right disguise – the diligent strokes of a refined brush painting me into whatever scene I desired and appearing as if I belonged with ease. Admittedly, when he first began teaching me, it was difficult to pull off. But now?

Now it was simply a game – one I excelled at.

The place I wanted to get into now required a more casual look. It was different than previous jobs, such as infiltrating a private estate with numerous highly trained guards patrolling the grounds, but one I had to take just as seriously. Luckily, my usual outfit consisted of such a look: a ponytail sticking out of my green and black baseball cap, an oversized turquoise sweater in which there was one large pocket in the front of the material, brown shorts and obviously worn sneakers.

With another glance around the room, I quietly took in the patrons and where their attentions were directed. There was a lone person sitting at the bar, glancing every now and then towards the door as he waited for a someone to step through them. The owner of the restaurant gave carefully looked around at those in his restaurant (I diverted my eyes towards my chocolate milkshake as his gaze swept over to me) and then started up another dish, turning his back to the restaurant as he called out cheerfully to his employee. The waitress who had served me rushed out of the back room and exchanged a few words with him happily before heading back into the room. The wandering eyes belonging to the woman in the corner were glued to the ceiling for the moment.

The exterior of the restaurant was covered in ivy above its awning, but the inside seemed to have been completely renewed – there were no scratches on the tables (and they didn't suffer from uneven legs), and the floors beneath the chairs had no marks to be seen scratched into its wooden veneer (an odd fact, as the bubbly waitress said that the restaurant had been running for almost five years). Business had been incredibly slow, and even now, when it was around lunch time, there were still several empty tables that rose my suspicions of how the steakhouse got enough money for an entire remodelling job.

But, the building had nothing to really do with the reason I found myself sitting in one of these tables, so far away from home. After my brother directed me to this general area of Zaban City, it wasn't difficult to notice groups of well-trained fighters being led by quirky guides who all kept their eyes on a scrap of paper they held in their hand. The groups stood out – large or small – as while the city was home to numerous dens of crooks, well-trained fighters (some who looked like they had been through hell) weren't a common occasion.

Tailing one of these groups led me here, and after checking out the perimeter of the building before observing group after group disappear into the building, I decided that this was definitely the place I was looking for. This hole-in-the-wall, unassuming, restaurant was exactly where the entrance to the Hunter Exam was located.

Keeping track of everyone who entered, exited, and remained in the restaurant while enjoying a chocolate milkshake that tasted more like chocolate water than milk, I overheard the owner and the guides exchanging the same password each time a new one entered. With that coded conversation, the groups were allowed into the backroom and never came out.

The number of groups that came through those doors was staggering, but they were spread out enough to not attract the attention of the other patrons. Who, at this point, seemed unaware of the disappearance of these groups, as they simply ate their fill and left before they took notice.

With the glass of my milkshake streaked with a thin chocolate sheet, I decided that now would be a good time to continue my search inside the building. Any longer, and the cook who was undeniably set up by the Hunter Association would know I didn't come here just to get a milkshake. So, as I waited for the waitress to come out of the back room, I pulled my phone from my sweater's sole pocket. Taking a quick second to admire the adorable cat ears that decorated the top of the black remote-like phone (which also conveniently doubled as a taser and encrypted communication device, thanks to my slow older brother, Lance, who tended to spend a lot of his downtime tinkering with all sorts of cool stuff) before looking at the time displayed on the small display screen.

It had been about a half-hour since the last group headed in, and the first group I saw after I set myself up for surveillance had been missing for around three. Idling any longer, and I might miss the start of the Exam, seeing how the one thing Lance couldn't uncover for me was the time it took place (which was part of the reason I had been in Zaban since the New Year – the Exam took place in the second week of January each year).

So, this was either the Hunter Examination Site, or some sort of underground smuggling ring – either of which I could no doubt handle easily, as my family trained me for both since birth. But as Lance's information was never wrong (with the time he took to triple-check things, it's no wonder why), the former was far more likely. While slightly disappointed that I would not be interrupting some sort of secret black-market meeting, I reminded myself that there was going to be more time for that sort of fun after my name was linked to a Hunter licence of my own.

Silently pushing clouded empty glass to the middle of the table, my fingers fiddled with the handle of my backpack. Discretely glancing down the hallway that split into two directions, I went over my plan once more before the waitress could return to the front.

Taking the hallway and turning left would take me to the bathrooms. Turning right would lead me further into the building – the obvious route, as there was no other entrance into the back of the restaurant. The small alleyway beside it only led to the large garbage bin for the restaurant's waste – and there were no windows or doors to speak of that led inside for an easier way to dispose of garbage. While Zaban was hardly the largest city I'd travelled to, it had the same cramped buildings, pressed as close together as possible besides the main 'tourist' street. The alleyways were easy to hide in and losing a pursuer would never be easier than in the maze of a city… But it also meant there were fewer unseen entry points.

The only windows were facing the front of the building, which, conveniently, was at the end of a 'tourist' street that was bustling with people. And it only took one to blow my cover – someone who looked the wrong way for the wrong second for some stupid reason. And, from my quick inspection, the windows were locked shut – something that would take more than a moment to shimmy open, enter, and close behind me. Not to mention the fact that I'd have to scale the front of the building first. Breaking the window would alert more people to my unwanted entrance and lower my chances at finding my way to the Exam Site myself.

There was no roof access, either.

It was a clever placement for the entrance to the Exam: a run-down building next to a fancy one that overshadowed it immediately, one with only one point of quiet entrance to funnel the applicants through (which means that there was only one path to the Exam), and would certainly require a guide for you to gain access to the entrance (which was unmistakably also hidden well within).

All in all, I would have saved myself a lot of effort to have just followed the instructions sent to me after applying to the Exam… But, there was hardly any challenge in that. With all the stories of my older siblings told me of their Hunter Exam there was one comment they all shared: it was easy. Even though I hated the slow pacing mom and dad set me at, the ones they got around to teaching me seemed to outclass a lot of the other examinees. But what kind of fun would easy be?

Figuring out where the entrance was from limited information? That was where the true challenge began.

So, my preferred method of entrance was the only stealthy option available: walking through the front door. Something that Lance would've hated doing, had he chosen to track down his own Hunter Examination.

The waitress came from the backroom with black garbage bag in hand and made her way to the front door. I waited until she closed the door behind her to silently stand up from my seat, slinging my black backpack over my shoulder. Having already paid for my watery milkshake, which I had easily convinced the waitress to prepare for me after a small sob story that had her soft heart tremble at the sound of (promising to try her best even though they had the ingredients but no real way of making a milkshake), I made my way down the hallway when the Hunter-cook was distracted. My sneakers made no sound as I went unnoticed: the sensation indicating watchful eyes didn't trickle down my skin.

Turning around the corner, I ignored the stairs that led upwards and decided to head further down the hallway for the moment – planning to loop around if I didn't find what I was looking for. It wasn't long until I came to a out of place redwood door on my left that had a peculiar-looking switch beside it and had no handle to speak of. With a curious hum, I traced the oddly coloured wood, which wasn't present anywhere else in the restaurant, and gently pushed open the door. No resistance met my hand, although a barely perceptible 'click' reached my ears as the door swung open. My muscles stilled instantly, and I assumed that opening the door had triggered some sort of alarm. Keeping an ear out for any approaching footsteps, I decided to get a scan of the room before finding a hiding place to escape the gaze of the Hunter-cook when he came to check on the door.

The peculiar room looked like it belonged to a different restaurant than the one I had just left. While the chairs and the table set up in the middle of the room mirrored the one I had been sitting at, the intricate redwood doors and golden trim made my eyes narrow suspiciously. The clock-like device on the wall opposite of the door displayed the letter 'M' in yellow and hinted at the fact that there was more to this room than what a first glance would allow.

While I had heard of large elevators (as the 'M' indicated that this room might be one, the letter standing for 'Main Floor' or something) I had never imagined that an entire room would be turned into an elevator. While I raised an eyebrow at the rather showy elevator-room, I shrugged my shoulders lightly. It was probably foolish to expect a room to not have something hidden within it, the Hunter Association had enough money to throw around for these kinds of things – if the weird stages my siblings told me were anything to go on. They seemed to have a flair for the extravagant and dangerous: something that lasted throughout the entire Exam.

The energy my small push exerted on the door ran out as it changed directions and swung back towards its closed position. I let it shut (which sounded another barely audible 'click') and allowed myself a quick look at the switch set up beside the doorframe. It looked like a regular light switch, but with the room being some sort of elevator and not having time to enter the room and look around fully, anything near the room was worthy of closer inspection. If the switch was linked to the function of the elevator, I would need to flip it and run into the room – if having the door open prevented this, I would need to set up some sort of contraption to do so while I waited in the room.

If the controls to the elevator were in the room, I wouldn't need to worry about anything, but if they were in fact controlled by the Hunter-cook out front…? I could try to persuade him to let me through, but as he was guarding the entrance to the exam, he was probably chosen for a reason – one that probably included not letting cute little kids into an elevator because they asked nicely. I could always kill whoever went down as a group of one, I just had to wait until one showed up. But how many others had made it through to the actual starting phase of the Exam? If I kept waiting, then I might be waiting long after the application process ends… Maybe killing an entire group wouldn't disqualify me?

My lips pulled themselves into a thin line.

When the groups came in, the leader spoke with the Hunter-chef and used a code-phrase in order to gain access to the back room. In that, the number of participants going through was stated clearly. If that was relayed to wherever the first stage was taking place, having an extra person in the mix could potentially end poorly for me. Plus, the group that I joined would know that I hadn't been with them – having too many people knowing information best kept private was a terrible idea. My family's… 'private' career revolved around gaining private information and exploiting it for all it was worth. Sometimes it ended as blackmail, but mostly it ended in death – a valuable lesson to learn when deciding how many people would know your secrets...

Perhaps I was over-complicating things.

Even if I was disqualified for killing other examinees, each year the rules the Hunter Exam played by changed. Since I was already doing it a year or two earlier than I was supposed to due to my older sister's request… I could wait until I was thirteen and try again, but since my siblings had all gotten their Hunter Licenses at fourteen (except for Emelinne, who was the youngest of us all) I probably wouldn't be able to try again until then if I was disqualified this year.

So, the worst that could happen if I got disqualified was…

Mom and dad getting mad, both at Neireniet for opening up some of my 'Nen' channels (or whatever she called it) too early and potentially endangering my life (according to her eventual panic, anyway), and at me for taking the Hunter Exam without their approval. But the most they would do would be grounding me and not letting me go out on missions, while Neireniet could worm herself out of a severe punishment – she was the golden child, after all…

Neireniet would probably be angry at me for a while. Well, angrier than usual. She would also probably refuse to teach me anything new without some heavy bribing. Hell, getting her to train with me this recent time took a lot of bargaining that mostly dealt with keeping our mother from disturbing her as she worked on her paintings. And now that this training session of ours nearly killed me (apparently, anyway), the price would only increase…

Other than being abysmally bored from not going out on missions or training in anything new until the 'real training' began – which was supposed to happen when we turned thirteen – there wasn't too much of a risk to getting disqualified.

With a nod to myself, I decided that I would at least try all the options – murderous or not – to try and get into the Exam on my own. Now I only needed to figure out what options came first. I should probably resort to murdering people for last – bodies were incredibly difficult to get rid of on my own…

So then first I would have to do some reconnaissance. I'll find a hiding place down the hallway – or possibly upstairs – and wait to see how the elevator was operated when another group came by. If it turns out that its controlled in the front, I would kill the next group and head down in their place. The Hunter Association wouldn't mind. After all, just signing up to the exam had a lengthy and constantly reinforced disclaimer that your life was going to be on the line to pass. It was a pretty brutal place to–

The sound of approaching footsteps broke off my thoughts.

With silent steps, I ran around the next corner and pressed myself against the wall, listening closely for whether the footsteps would stop by the door or continue down the hall. While it could be just a restaurant-goer, the alarm that was attached to the door definitely alerted the Hunter-chef, who would do a much more thorough search of the area. Looking around as I still tracked the slow footsteps by sound, I searched for the next hiding spot to take cover in.

There were doors further down the hall, and the closest of which was within arms' reach of my current position… Easy enough to open and enter quickly. If it turned out to creak, I would just trick the Hunter-chef and instead just climb up the walls and wait for him to enter the room. While the ceiling wasn't too high, someone focusing on a door wouldn't think of looking up… unless they had training… would he?

My mind went to the paintbrush and pocket mirror I kept tied to my lower back, feeling the weight press against my skin. I thought of the new ability Neireniet 'helped me' create with my Nen's awakening.

To be safe, I could always change my appearance into someone else's… But who would I turn into? And I wouldn't be able to mimic the target's voice… which, now that I think about it, I could try and learn somehow. Maybe whatever Nen was could do that as well?

Brushing off the thought for later, I went through the possible uses I could use for now.

The bubbly waitress was a possibility, until I considered the fact that she had left the restaurant to take out the trash. The Hunter-chef would have to see her come back in to explain her presence in the hallway… Now that I think about it, I could change my appearance to that of someone in another group…

"I know you're there."

I stilled my thoughts, pressing my back against the wall. Without a doubt, the voice belonged to the Hunter-chef. He hadn't seen me, but the Hunter Association wouldn't hire him to guard the entrance to the Exam if he couldn't figure out that the door to the elevator room wouldn't open on its own. My hands dove into my sweater's pocket, locating my phone and sending a simple message with one hand to my brother (thanking for his valuable information, though he never responded to texts that he didn't need to, so I wouldn't be hearing back from him for a while) as my left hand wrapped around the handle of the foldable blade nestled in the warm fabric.

While my original plan to sneak in unannounced failed, this situation provided some more opportunities than waiting around for something to happen.

My thumb found its way to the button that would flip open the blade and lock it in the usable position, as my other hand left my phone. A small and sweet lollipop made its way to my mouth as I stepped out of the hallway, prepared to either kill the Hunter-chef or talk my way into the Exam.

"I'm a little lost, mister." I rocked on my heels, taking out my lollipop to speak with my left hand while my other folded itself behind my back – slowly positioning myself into a stance that could quickly become a fighting stance at a moment's notice, "Would you be able to help me find my way into the Exam?"

His gaze wasn't on me immediately, as he seemed to be inspecting the door idly, but after a few moments of standing in the open, he turned towards me and completely ignored my question, "Only one in every ten thousand applicants make it to the Hunter Exam. The chance of applicants finding their own way into the Exam are even slimmer." He didn't seem to be hostile, and as I chose to continue watching him carefully instead of responding, he continued, "Only a handful or two, that I know of. You know what the protocol is for those cases?"

He seemed to be more impressed than angry at my presence in the back of his restaurant, a small upwards curl of his lips indicating he was amused by the situation. His body language revealed no hostile intentions, his hands by his side and his body directly facing my own (positioned so that my left side was angled towards him, disguised with my right foot wrapped around my left and tapping the ground as I stared him down) which meant his body was completely open to any attacks I could through at him. Not that it mattered, as I could create my own openings, but it only made my escape that much easier if it came to it.

"Well, I tried my hardest to get here on my own… Would you consider letting me into the exam, mister?" As he failed to respond, I chose to repeat the password I had memorized as I rolled the white stick of the strawberry lollipop between my fingers, "…Is the back room open?"

His grin widened, and he gave a slight nod, alerting me to my correct response, "What will you have?"

I swung out my foot from behind my leg, enjoying the momentum that came with it as I kicked it forward to start my silent steps towards him. Seeing as he was complacent in taking my 'order', I continued with a small smile of my own, "The steak combo that opens your eyes to the light. For one."

"And how would you like them?" He gazed down at me as I stood before him, the door to the elevator room directly to my right as my hand still held onto my bladed weapon.

"Grilled over a low flame, until cooked."

A much bigger grin broke across his face as he took the few steps required to reach the door and opened it with a push, revealing the inside to me once again as the light 'click' sounded. He gestured towards the room with an open hand, holding the door open for me as he spoke, "Got it. Let yourself into the back room."

Cautiously looking into the man's eyes before flashing them towards the elevator room, my hand still rested on the switchblade as the other shifted the strap of my backpack on my shoulder. I followed his instructions and entered the room. Hopping up onto the table there and claiming it as my seat, I stuck my lollipop back into my mouth and let the sweetness envelop my senses. Setting my backpack down on the smooth surface I then turned my attention back to him, waiting to see how he would activate the elevator and if the switch beside the room was the answer.

"As you didn't come here with a guide, I need to record you as having reached the Exam Site. What's your name?" As I took out my lollipop briefly to answer him, but he cut me off with a warning, "And I need the name you signed up with, or else you won't be counted as present and therefore you wouldn't be allowed to continue."

I considered his words, wondering if I could go by an alias as soon as I descended to the Exam Site to conceal my identity for at least the beginning stages. Lance advised me to do, as that's what he did when he came through…

"My name is Everly Luchia. Pleasure to meet you." Rummaging through my bag and finding all sorts of bagged sweets, chocolates, and assortment of poisons, their antidotes, rope, and my handheld gaming console with its own bag of game cartridges, I pulled out the type of chocolate that I liked the least and offered it to him, "Would you please give the nice lady this for me?"

His eyebrow raised, but he stepped forwards to accept the gift, letting the door swing closed behind him, "A Luchia? Figures." He gave me a curious look, and I mirrored it as I tried to figure out what he was thinking. Unfortunately, I didn't have very long to decipher his words, "Word is it was going to be a few more years before one of you came through again."

I shrugged nonchalantly, "You shouldn't believe everything you hear, mister." And a sly smile appeared on my face as he realized I wouldn't say any more on the matter.

"None of my business, anyway." Oh, he really wanted to know. Too bad for him, "I would wish you good luck on the Exam, but I don't think you'll need it." He carried the chocolates in his hand as he left the room and brought the door to a close without another word. I heard the flip of a switch before the room lurched downwards.

The door, to my surprise, descended with the room. As I twisted my body around to view the box on the wall, I saw it now displayed a 'B 1' and the number was steadily increasing.

While I wasn't sure how far down the Exam Site would be, I was more than willing to take a random guess for fun, "Hmm… let's go with… seventy-two floors below ground level!"

With that, I bit off the candy of my lollipop and pressed the stick back into the wrapper before shoving it in my pockets. Moving the ball of candy around in my mouth, the sweetness bringing a happy smile to my face and refusing to let me drop it, I released my grasp on my knife. Lifting up the back of my overly large sweater, I reached for the paintbrush and pocket mirror strapped to my lower back. The wooden paintbrush that had intricate carvings covering the full length of it was positioned horizontally, so it wouldn't interfere with the bending or twisting of my back. Having the mirror strapped alongside it didn't seem to be the best way to transport it, and adjustments might have to be made in the future once I got used to my new abilities. With a swift tug, I pulled the two items from their restraints and popped open the mirror (which had a sturdy reinforcement case to protect it in case it was a rough-and-tumble day).

Dark brown bangs poked out from under my black and green baseball cap, the left side reaching down to the side of my green eye. A small mole by the corner of said eye peaked through the bangs when I brushed them to the side. As for the right side, I usually tucked the brown strands behind my ear because they were too short to be pulled into the ponytail that flowed out from the back of the cap: a secondary defence to keep the sun out of my eyes on a windy day. Said ponytail reached down to just past my shoulders, and when I took my hair out of its confinement, it only fell an inch or so lower.

Twirling the fancy paintbrush around in my fingers for a moment, I considered what kind of disguise I wanted to go with. I was about to enter into the Hunter Exam, where all sorts of (hopefully) powerful examinees would eventually face off against me for the chance of getting a Hunter License… While the Luchia family name was well-known to the common folk as the owners of a company that manufactures rather popular – and tasty – sweets, not many knew about the family's role as Hunters. Dad had made a name for himself when he was younger, but as he went by a pseudonym, not many knew the one who hunted down dangerous criminals and other deadly work also made delicious sweets and recently expanded into making toys for children.

As such, he encouraged my siblings to do the same, in case their actions spread to other criminals who wanted some revenge.

It didn't stop the more determined ones, but it did thin the herd.

Feeling a smooth warmth coat my hand, the air feeling thick and heavy around the fingers that stopped the paintbrush's motion abruptly, I drew the unused hairs over the surface of the mirror.

"Disguise my true image from the eyes of others. Show those who look at me the one contained in this mirror instead."

With each sweep of the brush, the mirror's image grew more distorted. As I finished my 'order', the mirror reflected a different image than the one I had stared at previously. Instead of a green-eyed girl with a dark-brown ponytail looking back at me, my gaze was met with the one I had pictured: a brown eyed girl with a black ponytail.

It wasn't too much of a change, as my body shape hadn't changed, and my hair was still in the same style as before (it was only a visual effect, so if my hair wasn't where it should be, it would alert those that tried to touch it)… But it was still a new ability that I wasn't entirely sure how to use properly yet. Neireniet failed to really explain anything that she had done to me, or what it meant. Probably to stop me from knowing how badly she screwed up…

The only thing she had me do in the few days that we had before our parents came home, as she didn't want me there when they arrived – they would know immediately that something was up, apparently – was look at a leaf floating in some water. Then she had me 'pull the warmth closer to my body', and then forced me to try out the ability she came up with. Apparently, this ability got stronger with 'limitations', and she gave me a few to get me started as she practically dragged me to the training room. Snapping the mirror closed and returning it and the paintbrush to their holster position on my back, I went over said limitations in my mind.

Mirrors other than the one used to start the illusion show my original form.

Once someone realizes it is an illusion, the appearance won't work on them anymore until I re-paint myself.

If someone says my full name when the illusion is active, the illusion will end.

Once the illusion has been dropped, either on purpose or by circumstance, I must spend three days in my original appearance before I can use it again.

I shrugged lightly at the numerous limitations my sister had given my ability. At least I got to name it: Appearance Impression. It was the cool name of a good book my sweet little younger sister told me about. It was a much higher level than what someone her age should be reading, but she's always running out of interesting things to read in her age group (not gonna lie, there's not a whole lot going on for bookworms at the ripe age of eight – and if there is, she's already read them all).

Anyway, Neireniet said that after I passed the Exam, it would make a lot more sense, and that I would be able to create my own abilities and strengthen the one she created for me… Which made the Hunter Exam much more exciting than already thought it would be.

Ding!

The elevator came to a stop, and as I looked behind me, I saw that it had brought me down to the hundredth floor below ground. Hopping off of the table and swinging my backpack over my shoulder deftly, I stood in front of the door I came in through, hand outreached to push against the wood when the sound of something sliding behind me caught my attention.

What I thought was decoration before seemed to be doors: the red-wood panels with a nice looking gold trim slid open. Quickly making my way around the table, I left the room behind with purposefully audible footsteps and found myself in what seemed like a large tunnel system that smelled like it hadn't seen visitors in quite some time. Pipes and vents lined the walls and travelled further into the darkness that the dim lighting created. Red lights blinked along the rust-coated panels every few feet, following the pipes into the darkness. As soon as I stepped into the cold air, I could feel many pairs of eyes on me.

Shadowed figures were given shapes as my eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, and while some were clustered together out of lack of space in the tunnel – as there seemed to be some sort of invisible boundary that prevented further delving into the shadows. But even with the clusters, it was easy to see that there were no friends here. The spacing, the angle of their bodies, the guarded weight in their stares and how they practically radiated impatience.

After they all sized me up, from what I could tell I was the youngest here so far, I quickly grasped for my currently play.

As of now, these people were my enemies. While some temporary team-ups might happen, the further the Hunter Exam goes, the more competitive things would get. So, I'd want to keep as low a profile as possible and keep my skills a close-guarded secret until it was too late. With this group of aspiring Hunters, it was almost guaranteed that at least one set of eyes would be on me even with my skills of blending in.

After all, we all made it here because we're more skilled than the thousands that applied. The longer I continued through the phases, the more I would automatically stand out… especially if I was blending in. So, what would be the best way to combat that?

I scanned the figures of the clusters of people, and I could see exactly what the play was.

"Heyo!" With a friendly wave, eyes were averted, and quiet chatter started up between the groups.

I'd scope out the competition and join up with some stronger-looking people. For now, I was fine to go on my own, but staying without a cover for too long and it would become suspicious when I tried to join a group later – when the competition got serious. That means that in the first stage I needed to find someone who stood out to draw the attention away from myself and my abilities. And one that would let me do so. If possible, this would also go unnoticed by them. But, I would take what I could get with this group of well-trained fighters.

"Hello. Please take this number." A little green coloured… man? In a suit appeared before me, handing me a large circular pin with the number eighty-eight engraved onto it. Taking the pin, he explained further, "Be sure to wear this on your chest at all times. Be careful not to lose it."

He turned on his heel and walked away, taking his position next to the elevator doors, which had already closed and probably started its upwards journey back to the steakhouse. Before I could think to question the weird man further as I clipped the pin to my turquoise sweater, opting to pin it in the middle of my chest to keep my outfit somewhat symmetrical, another examinee approached me.

"Haven't seen you around here before!" A short and rotund man with tan skin approached, giving me a friendly smile as he waved. His short brown hair was pushed back, and his thick eyebrows were a shade or two darker the brown of his hair. Light hairs that hinted at the start of a beard dotted his chin. The pin with the number sixteen engraved on it was attached to the left side of his large blue v-neck shirt he wore over what looked to be grey sweatpants and sweatshirt. A satchel was thrown over his right shoulder, not interfering with the pin's visibility.

Overall, he looked pretty average. But, like I had already thought out, average was suspicious here. This man was no exception to that rule.

"You look a little young to be here… I noticed you came in alone, how hard was it for you to find the place?"

I could practically smell an ulterior motive coming from the guy.

"Mm. I wasn't expecting it to turn out to be as hard as it was. Guess everyone was right when they said that the Hunter Exam was no joke!" He gave a short laugh at that as I continued, "What about you? Was it hard for you to get here, Mr…?"

"The name's Tonpa. Nice to meet you." He held out a hand, and as one hand delved into my pocket to wrap around my knife once more – with my thumb ready and waiting on the button – I shook his hand with the other, "It wasn't too difficult for me. I kinda knew what to expect…"

"Good for you!" I could see his teeth clench together as I didn't follow along with the question he was leading me into: something along the lines of 'how do you know what to expect?'.

But, based on how he recognized that he hadn't seen me in the Exam before, he had probably taken it more than a few times in succession. As easy as it would be to get him to tell me everything he knew about the contestants this year, it would only prove to make it more boring. I had plenty of practice getting all sorts of people to tell me the information I wanted, but I could always do with honing my own skills of determining who's a threat and who's not.

"Well, I'm afraid that the trip here really tired me out so I'm going try and get my energy back up for when things get moving. Good luck, maybe this time you'll pass!"

Patting Tonpa on the shoulder and sending him a beaming smile, I made my way further into the darkness, eyeing a good vantage point on the vents above for observing those below me. I struggled to resist the urge to turn back towards Tonpa, who was one of the few people who still had their gaze on me, and give him a cheeky grin that would let him know I refused him his spiel on purpose… But thankfully his gaze soon left my figure as I made it to the wall, waiting a moment longer for the last gaze to leave me before silently jumping up onto the metal.

Noting the thin layer of dust that had collected on the pipe, but not bothering to wipe it from the surface before I sat down, I began my observation – making sure to note the numbers associated with interesting characters and reading the lips of whoever I could see talking for additional insight.

It wasn't long before I realized that there was a small sensation tickling my spine: only noticeable because I was on high alert, watching for anything and everything.

My eyes met those of a red-haired man who looked like a cross between a magician and a joker, and he didn't even attempt to remove his gaze from me as I met his eye. A shiver ran down my spine at the grin he sent me from across the tunnel – there for only a moment before the intense feeling disappeared as he raised a pale hand to send a small wave my way.

My eyes drifted to the number attached to his chest: forty-four.

The flash feeling of immediately sensing his danger nearly made me start reconsidering leaving the schedule the Luchia family followed for entering the Hunter Exam… But as he was the only one to cause such a reaction from simply meeting his eyes, I found myself wanting to find out exactly what this 'Nen' thing was. Because this joker set off the same reaction my sister did before she nearly killed me – something she attributed to Nen.

"Hm… this might be more interesting than I thought."

Maybe this guy would be a perfect example for how deadly it truly was.

All I had to do was catch him in the act.


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- Disclaimer -

The only thing I own are my OCs


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Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, fireflies!

-Love, Ember ;3