There was something about realizing you were going to die that was liberating. It was comforting knowing that there was a 99% chance his family, Father most likely, would end his life as soon as he refused to kill someone, a milestone that was bound to appear sooner or later in the Zoldyck Family.

Milluki was a dead child walking, and it helped.

The needles he was poked with no longer get as daunting. The daily torture was less scary. Even after 296 Illumies of endless poisons, Milluki no longer felt dread every time he woke up. He felt lighter. Even the physical training he'd started twenty Illumies ago no longer filled him with dread.

He was really glad that those sessions didn't fill him with dread anymore.

They would have sucked a lot worse otherwise.

"This is the worst." Milluki gasped as he lay on the ground, flat on his back. He wiped the vomit from his mouth. His vision danced with spots as he heard Illumi say something. It was hard to make out with his ears ringing, but he got his eardrums back in order after a few moments. His eyes blinked away the iron as he looked up and saw Illumi looking down blankly.

"You are impressively pathetic," Illumi observed as Milluki snorted. It had been 215 Illumies since his brother had taken over his daily training, and Milluki had learned to appreciate Illumi's blunt dialect. Every sentence uttered was flat, without any fluctuations or expressions. Milluki could see why Killu was scared of Illumi. Having someone poison you with the same look on their face as when they had breakfast was probably a hard pill to swallow.

But if Milluki had to choose between Illumi or Mother, he'd choose Illumi in a heartbeat. Maybe it was just personal bias, but between Mother, who loved to torture him, and Illumi, who didn't feel anything about it, one way or the other, Milluki preferred the latter. It made it feel less scary.

"Thanks, Illu," Milluki said with sarcasm that wasn't lost on Illumi. Illumi frowned, and Milluki ignored it as he mentally ran through his muscles. His body was still working, wonderful.

"Don't you have any compliments you could give me for once?" Milluki asked jokingly, heaving himself up as his muscles squirmed in protest. His infant body screamed as Illumi replied as he always did, with a blasé everything. "Physically, you've improved from the beginning, but that's not noteworthy."

Milluki would've laughed if it wasn't so ridiculous. He was 247 Illumies old, around two years old if he had to give a rough estimate, and sitting in the Zoldyck Manor weight room. He had finished pushing more than any normal 2-year-old had the right to. It was insane how much he pushed.

"That was only 100 pounds."

It was also insanely annoying how easily Illumi brushed it off. Milluki had gotten used to it, but it was still annoying. How a 2-year-old, freaking knee-cap level in height, was pushing 100 pounds, and to the family's standard, was considered disappointing. Milluki would've screamed if he hadn't watched the show and understood that yeah, he was kind of disappointing compared to other Zoldycks.

I.E., Killua's crazy strong ass.

Killua pushed however many tons when he opened those gates after the hunter exam. He was like twelve? Yeah, 100 pounds is lame in comparison.

It was especially lame, considering he had been at 100 for about three Illumies. His physical strength and growth, which would have put him above literally every other infant from his old world, weren't enough. According to Illumi's estimates, he was less than average for a Zoldyck. If his physique was a test and 50 was failing, he would be at 55 and struggling.

"My bad, Illu."

But Milluki brushed it off, standing up as he huffed and looked back to the box of metal weight he had to push. Sweat dripped down his face as he put his hands against the box again and pushed, as he'd been doing for hours. He probably wouldn't be allowed to stop until he fainted. Again.

"I'll keep going."

It's not like he has anything better to do till he dies.

Illumi thought over the day's training as he tilted his head, dodging the needle held tightly in Milluki's grip. It was aimed at his jugular, a good sign, but Illumi didn't let that distract him from Milluki's mistakes. He was holding the needle too tight.

"Loosen up, Millu," Illumi said as he stepped leisurely to the side, allowing his brother to lunge in the air and fall to the ground with a roll. They had been doing this particular exercise since the box training ended. Illumi would let his little brother try to stab his vital points, watching Milluki jump with each jab to try to reach the points in his neck and face.

"Loosen up, my butt." Milluki huffed, panting from exertion. Illumi noted that Milluki got angrier with each failing attempt. He'd fix that habit later. For now, he moved to the side and kicked his little brother in the face. Milluki bounced across the sparring arena and into the wall, ending that day's sparring session. Milluki fainted instantly, slumping against the wall after only a few hours of conditioning and half an hour of sparring.

It truly was impressive.

How bad his brother was at anything remotely physical.

"Get up, Millu. You're not done," Illumi said as he walked over and kicked his brother in the stomach, waking him up with a pained gasp. Illumi backed up slightly as Milluki threw up. Illumi had a busy day ahead, and he didn't want to waste it by getting Milluki's vomit all over his shoes.

Today is a busy day for me...

Cleaning them would take longer than his current schedule allowed.

It's a busy day for everyone actually.

Illumi hummed as he watched Milluki get to his feet. Today was a big day. Milluki would take his first test, and Illumi would be accompanying Father and Grandfather to see the results of Mother's nearly year-long mission, the reason he had been tasked with watching over Milluki's training on top of his own for the last seven months. A process that was tedious, to say the least. Milluki was making his last 7 months busier than he would have liked.

At least after today, everything should be resolved.

After today, Mother will return to training Milluki, and Father will progress Illumi's training to its latter stages. Apparently, Illumi will begin torture training, during which he will be in isolation, unable to watch over Milluki's lack of progress.

Assuming Milluki didn't die while Illumi was in isolation, a probability looking more unlikely as the days went on, it could be a couple of years before they saw each other again.

"You'll be running to the servant's quarters today, Millu. You have 5 hours to make it there."

Illumi didn't feel any particular way about it.

"You can start now," Illumi said as he turned to leave, glancing at Milluki. The child groaned and began limping towards the door. Illumi stepped out of the room, giving one last thought to Milluki before making his way to Father and Grandfather.

If he doesn't pass Gotoh's test, it's improbable I'll see him again after isolation.

Illumi momentarily wondered if Milluki would pass before shaking his head. The answer was obvious.

That is... unfortunate.

Illumi remembered the face Milluki made when first killing a simple bird and knew he wouldn't.

Milluki felt like his legs would explode when he reached the servant's quarters halfway down the Zoldyck mountainside. He ran straight through the time limit, making it to the front door one minute before the deadline. Five hours was such nonsense. What kind of monsters could make it halfway down the mountain like that?

Oh yeah, my family, that's who.

Milluki scoffed through pained gasps as he sat in an off-brand guest room. He'd been told to wait here as Gotoh, freaking Gotoh, by the way, so cool, got his tests ready. Tests. Milluki hated tests. Especially pop quizzes that probably involved something painful.

Wonder if I already passed the first one? Definitely felt like a test.

Milluki chuckled breathlessly as he sat, waiting at a table in the center of the room for Gotoh's test to begin. He couldn't get a good read on the man from their brief interaction when he first arrived, but he reminded him of the HxH counterpart, serious through and through. However, in Killua's case, it seemed to be genuine care hidden beneath a somewhat thin layer of tough love.

"Sorry for the delay, Little Master."

If Gotoh had any love for Milluki, it must've been hidden beneath the freaking ocean. That was Milluki's assessment as Gotoh walked into the room, another servant trailing behind him, holding a box covered with a white cloth. Milluki watched curiously as Gotoh sat across from him, serious as always, and laced his fingers on the table.

"We will now begin your tests to see how you're progressing through your training regimen."

"Seems like overkill." Milluki joked, snorting as he watched Gotoh's eyes twitch. Milluki might've thought Gotoh was too serious and probably didn't care for his presence compared to Killua's in the anime, but at least he was better than Tsubone. Milluki couldn't help but feel like she enjoyed watching his pain. Gotoh didn't seem like the type to do so. He was just a buzzkill.

"Oh, come on," Milluki groaned playfully, "Give me that one at least, Gotoh. It was punny."

"Let's begin," Gotoh said, stone-faced as always, while Milluki sighed and leaned back. His eyes were glued to the box as Gotoh seemed to start with the basics. He asked a series of questions, to which Milluki gave the answers Illumi had drilled into him. He had them memorized at this point. He wasn't fazed as Gotoh began his line of questioning.

"What is the first rule of an assassin?"

"The mission comes before all else."

"How do we balance this with our survival."

"We only pick misssions we have 100% confidence in completing."

"What are the only times a Zoldyck is allowed to abandon a mission."

"If the client dies or another member of the family is involved. If the head of the family gives permission, a Zoldyck can also choose to forfeit the mission along with the pay, albeit they will have to give the client substantial compensation."

"How do we assure our clients can pay us for our work."

"Verify the pay upfront."

"And if they don't allow us to?"

"Don't take the mission. No work is free."

"What if a mission turns out to be harder than expected."

"Pursue only to the point one's life is no longer guaranteed. Once that point is reached, call the head and ask to abandon the mission. He will most likely agree."

"And if he does not."

"Do everything to survive and complete the mission. If you cannot, find a way to die while completing the mission. Dying on the job without fulfilling the expected task is considered a professional failure for the Zoldyck Family and will reflect poorly on our professional record. Avoid doing so at all costs."

"How much is a life worth?"

"However much the pay is."

"Do we kill senselessly?"

"No, we kill however many we need to fulfill our client's request."

"That will be all for the questions," Gotoh said, jotting a few notes down on the notepad in his lap. Milluki sighed. That was annoying. He hated spitting out those lines repeatedly when Illumi drilled those rules into him—especially the last one.

"Now, Little Master Milluki."

He didn't want to kill anyone.

"We will move on to the second test."

He wouldn't, and he'd probably die for it.

"Kill this rabbit."

Animals, on the other hand, not so much. Sadly, he refused to die for an animal. It was nothing personal, and at first, he felt disgusting. He was nearly sick for three days after stabbing his first Dove, but Illumi had made him kill so many animals since then that it was... easier. Especially since arguments about it always came down to his logic of trading lives.

Illumi would say something along the lines of: I will kill this (insert small defenseless animal) if you refuse to, then I'll give you another one. And Milluki would cave and kill it.

Needless to say, Milluki had slaughtered quite a few animals and spared quite a few more with that logic, so when the servant removed the shit cloth over the box and revealed a shocking white rabbit, Milluki didn't shake when Gotoh gave him a knife.

"Keep the blood to a minimum, Little Master."

Milluki did so. This wasn't new, and when Gotoh made him look it in the eyes after he looked away from the first one, he could do that too, with only a dull pang in his chest to remind him of his past hatred for the act. Milluki guessed there were only so many doves he could kill before he started growing numb to the entire process. Everyone had a number.

"Good job, Little Master Milluki. Now on to the next test."

Milluki wondered what his would be for a human.

Milluki didn't have to wonder long.

"This is your final test," Gotoh said, his eyes cold as the other servant, the one with the yellow buzzed hair, dragged in a man tied and bound with chains. The man's eyes were blindfolded, and his hair was black. He looked around scared, muffled by a gag that made his terrified whimpers seem all the less threatening. Milluki watched as the man was set before him.

"Kill him."

He watched as the man's gagged whimpers turned to muffled screams.

"Unlike the last test, you won't be graded on proficiency," Gotoh said, adjusting his glasses as the other servant stood by the door. Gotoh watched Milluki expectantly. Since this will be your first kill, all that matters is the result, although limiting everything to one strike is ideal."

Well, this was it, then.

"We would prefer not to clean up more blood than necessary," Gotoh said as Milluki nearly laughed. Seriously, he knew his family was messed up, but this put it in perspective. Apparently, two years old is the appropriate time to introduce a Zoldyck to killing. That was hilarious. Milluki could laugh.

"No."

He enjoyed the minor ripple of shock that crossed Gotoh's face instead.

"No?" Gotoh asked, his face stone cold as Milluki nodded and tossed the bloody knife. Ah, that felt better. How many doves had he butchered with that thing? They must be cheering in the afterlife right about now.

"I said no," Milluki said, watching as Gotoh's glare seemed to turn to ice. Gotoh frowned and tilted his head as if explaining something to a toddler, "Little master, while I know this might seem like a waste of time at first glance, I can assure you this is a serious milestone all Zoldycks must go through."

"Cool," Milluki shrugged, watching the captive man's shoulders slumped with relief. "I'm not doing it."

"You are being unusually stubborn about this," Gotoh said, his eyes narrowed as if unsure why the 'obedient' little Milluki of the Zoldyck Family wasn't playing ball. Gotoh seemed to think it over before trying a different angle, "If your mother weren't preoccupied, she would be here, crying with joy at the thought of you having your first kill. Won't you reconsider? This is quite enough for a joke."

"It's not a joke. I won't kill him." Milluki shrugged. "You'll have to make me."

"You know I can't do that, little master," Gotoh said, a vein twitching in his head as he seemed to get close to his last thread of patience. Milluki put on his most obnoxious smile and put his hands behind his head, "Then I won't do it. So are we done here?"

"Little master." Gotoh said all pretenses lost as his face turned to stone, "I have heard rumors that your mental development is high for your age, so I will say this bluntly. This is not a joke. Zoldycks do not tolerate assassins that cannot take a life. Believe me when I say it is imperative you prove you can do so, without assistance. Or there will be consequences."

"Yeah, I figured." Milluki whistled lazily, "I still won't."

"I can not help you with this." Gotoh reiterated, a stern look crossing his eyes before he composed himself and adjusted his glasses, "If you can't kill this man by yourself, I will have to inform your father. There will be serious repercussions."

The words lingered, and Milluki felt his breath escape his lungs. A sense of relief settled over his mind as he smiled at Gotoh. He'd already decided on what he'd do. He couldn't let this be another Kye, the first in a long line of bodies, until he grew numb to it.

"I know."

Milluki wouldn't kill anyone. He meant it.

"I still won't," Milluki said, his choice clear as he watched Gotoh's eyes widen slightly before falling. Gotoh's face reflected nothing of his true thoughts, "Alright then, I will inform your father. In the meantime, you will be detained in a guest room and will not-"

Gotoh's words stopped as the butler flinched heavily, as did the other servant watching from the door. The two snapped their heads to the side simultaneously, eyes locked on a corner of the wall that, newsflash, wasn't going anywhere. Milluki blinked, confused, as he watched the man with buzzed yellow hair try to sprint out of the room before Gotoh grabbed his wrist, practically teleporting with how fast he was going.

"No, Hishita. You handle Master Milluki's detainment." Gotoh said, turning from the other servant, Hishita Milluki guessed, and leaving the room faster than he'd entered. His words echoed like a death sentence, "I'll be back with Master Silva after everything is settled."

Milluki could laugh at the irony of that.

The room that Hishita ended up locking him inside was familiar. He recognized the walls and the single large window from his time in the crib, but the rest of the decor differed. The crib was gone for one, replaced with a bed in the corner and a few beanbags to the right. A desk sat on the wall across from the large window, with a large computer and keyboard atop it.

I guess this isn't a bad room to die in...

It looked old.

At least there's entertainment.

Milluki grinned, his nerves oddly calm as he moved his aching body to the desk. His fingers ached as he scaled up to the desk's surface, facing the monitor as he pushed the power button. The computer whizzed as Milluki waited, watching the screen slowly flicker to life. He was pretty sure he heard some creaking after it started. This thing was so old.

Our family really does things old fashioned huh...

Milluki chuckled at the thought.

Seriously, they're way too paranoid.

Milluki shook his head as he accessed the internet. He already knew why this computer was so old, and it wasn't because the technology was less developed in this world than his old one. As far as he knew, they were comparable. TVs were common, computers were around, security cameras existed, and handheld phones were in use. The only thing he wasn't sure of was if smartphones were a thing, but if they weren't, they would be soon.

It's not like the Zoldycks would be in line to get one.

Zoldycks didn't believe in using tools they couldn't trust completely. Hence, with all the money in the world, they still had a computer model a couple of years outdated. The latest thing they could trust and Milluki's only form of entertainment as he waited for someone, probably Father, to end his life. Milluki decided to make every minute count.

Do they have YouTube here?

No, but they had something similar: Newtube. Many things in this world were similar to his old one, albeit just as many things were insanely different. Milluki checked it out, saddened to see an older model than the one he was used to. Most videos were blurry or choppy, but at least it was something. Milluki barreled through a few things that caught his eye, then left for the next source of information.

Let's see, let's see, ah, there it is.

Milluki grinned as he reached a website with what he was looking for—the crème de La crème of free interment games he could play while in the hospital. It was the easiest way to pass time without having access to a desktop or an actual gaming system.

Zombie Defense 5

Did it kind of suck that the iconic balloons were gone and replaced with basic zombies, possibly. Was he going to complain? No. He played for at least an hour, grinning as he watched the Zombies' heads pop off, a nice consolation for the missing balloons. He reached round 100 on a decently challenging map and changed to a different media. He wasn't dead yet, so Father must be busy. Milluki wouldn't waste the extra time.

Come on, come on, there's gotta be something else.

Milluki frowned as he scanned a list of anime in this world and didn't find many good options. It seemed like this world didn't have a lot of interest in anime, and Milluki groaned as he realized that, duh, no crap. Dragons actually existed here. Why would they watch anime? If they wanted a fantastical adventure, they could go outside and explore. Fight a giant fish or something. Hell, they could even become a hunter.

Or try to, at least.

Most would drop out or die by the end of it.

I know that anime made them out to be popular, but how are hunters in this world, actually?

Milluki hadn't seen the public's view of it, being locked up in Zoldyck Estate forever, so he figured he'd check it out now. He hummed a tune as he typed in Hunter into the search engine and was greeted with shockingly few results—20, maybe ten at best—less than Milluki expected for something so many people wanted to become that the test sacked or killed 99% of its applicants.

Maybe the anime was wrong?

Milluki considered it as he scanned the few articles, finding a few in past exams and many speculation forums, before coming across a basic encyclopedia answer from one of the Hunter Association's officially partnered websites. It said.

Hunter: a profession held by incredibly skilled individuals. Each hunter is given a Hunter's License that acts as a free Visa to any country and permits free access to public facilities and transport worldwide. All governments that are currently active recognize the benefits of Hunter's licenses.

The definition was pretty textbook, and after scanning a few more articles, Milluki failed to find anything. Eventually, he checked some social media websites and was blasted by way more people talking about Hunters, vaguely in most cases.

A few about someone wanting to become a Hunter or how they might've met one at a bar. Or how this Hunter might like this show or even have this secret relationship. It was like a pastime, but no matter how much Miluki looked, it was hard to find pictures that weren't from the few Hunters who had decided to become celebrities with their status. Actors and Singers were the most popular route, albeit Heaven's Arena had a giant following. Anything else was practically a ghost story, and he couldn't find anything on Nen.

Are they just hiding... oh, wait. Here we go.

Milluki grinned as he found the official account for the Hunters Association and clicked on it. He checked out the profile but found only one post.

Every year in January, there is a test to decide who will become a Hunter, with the Hunter Association switching its proctors each year to ensure fairness for repeat applicants. The rate of successful applicants is roughly 1 in 10,000. Those who wish to try should be well prepared to fail. Good luck :)

Any additional information will be found on the official Hunter Association's website.

So that's why. Milluki thought as he slumped back in disappointment. It's not that it's not popular. It's just that information is being limited. The association's probably responsible... ha, classic Netero.

Milluki chuckled as he tapped his finger, searching up the Hunter's Association website and getting the answer he expected. Denied Access. He probably needed a Hunter's License to access it.

Welp, there goes that cookie trail.

Milluki sighed as he leaned back in his chair and exited the application. He thought about trying to hack the computer, maybe see if he had some of that hacker extraordinaire. Still, when he put his fingers on the keys, nothing happened. No magical instinct on how to hack a freaking computer or an international network came flooding into his mind.

Computers are fun. Keyboards go click. Videos go broom. Zombies go boom. I enjoy Internet.

That was the sum of his computer knowledge. It was pretty average, if not abysmal. There were not many chances to waste time on a laptop when he was wasting away in a hospital.

That sucks... you couldn't give me one good thing, old Milluki? You really were the worst.

New Milluki sighed, giving up on the stupid hacking thing as he recalled the Hunters Association's last message. In his old life, he hadn't been a hacker, and while it sucked that the old Milluki's genius didn't stick around, he also knew that not every Hunter was a hacker either. There had to be some other way to find the test.

This is tougher than I thought it would be...

The question was how?

The selection process for the Hunter Exam is brutal, now that I think about it.

Anyone trying to become a Hunter would have the month it took place, and that's it. There was nothing else to work with when trying to find the Hunter Exam.

Hell, the month might not even be correct.

Milluki considered the possibility of the month misleading before deciding it was probably correct. Hard to find was one thing. That could be solved with skill, but looking for a test in January that might start in May wasn't testing anything but luck. Besides, worst come to worst, he could just look up when the last couple of exams took place. If they were all in January, then the problem was solved.

How do people get there, though?

Milljki was a little fuzzy on the first couple of episodes of Hunter x Hunter. It had been two years plus tax since he'd watched the thing, but if he had to guess, there were probably a boatload of those first wave proctors from the anime, the ones on the boats, funnily enough, running around each month the test was in effect, guiding any potential applicants they discovered to the next steps.

That's smart... but man, this kind of blows.

Many people on one of the forums thought it would be in Zaban this year.

If I weren't going to die, it would be cool to try my luck.

Would Milluki die in the exam, most likely. Would it be cool, most likely. Milluki's first life was boring, and so was his death. If he had a choice, he'd rather die in a cool way in a cool world. It would be better than 'deceased hospital patient #3000', that's for sure.

Although it wasn't like 'flunked out of assassin school' was much better.

Where is everyone? It's been hours.

Milluki turned back to the window, watching the sun dip below the horizon as he wondered why his father wasn't here yet. Did he not see the need to come? It wouldn't be surprising. Milluki hadn't seen the infamous Silva Zoldyck since he was born. Zeno was a ghost too, but Milluki was pretty sure the old guy was just busy. Apparently, Illumi didn't see much of Zeno either. He was probably out there, killing targets on his giant dragon or something.

Or something, if Milluki had to guess.

Milluki doubted he took his dragon everywhere.

Damn, there goes another thing I don't get to try out. Riding a freaking dragon. What a waste.

Milluki huffed as he pulled his chair over and sat by the window, looking over the forest and recalling the ravenous Azaleas he'd almost wandered into. The strange butterflies he'd followed—things he'd never seen before and would probably never see again.

It was... nice.

This world really is cool, isn't it...

Nice to just enjoy this view one last time.

I'm gonna miss it.

Milluki sighed wistfully as he leaned his bruised arms on the sill. His chin lay on his hands as he watched the outside world. Eventually, he'd have to go to sleep, and if he was lucky, he wouldn't wake up. If he wasn't, then he'd probably be in so much agony he wouldn't remember this view anyway.

I hope that the next world...

But for now, Milluki could enjoy it.

Is at least a little bit as cool as this one.

The crazy and exciting world of Hunter x Hunter.