Killua still had about ten more minutes until the exam so he quickly walked up and down the stalls, briefly glancing at every one. Eventually he found Jess's stall and set the large chest of winnings down on the ground as he leaned against the counter. "Hey Jess." Jess blinked and looked up at him. "Oh, hey killua. Aren't you going to the exams?" Killua hoisted the chest up again, then leapt over the counter and into the stand, before setting it down inside. "Hm? Oh yeah. But I need a bag because I can't exactly lug this around with me everywhere." Jess let out a sigh. "I can't just loan you tons of items you need to pay for them-"

Killua grabbed a bag from the display, it was white and matched his outfit. "Don't worry about that." He said. Then he opened the lid of the chest, and started filling his bag with as much Yule as he could. Jess's jaw dropped. "W-what- how did you get that much money!?" Killua gave her a sly grin. "Gambling." he replied, before closing up the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. Jess blinked down at the chest. "There's still some money left in that-" Killua shrugged. "Ah, keep it. It was a hundred thousand Yule in all and I don't really know how this currency works but..." He looked down at the mass of silver, gold, and bronze coins, mostly bronze. "Perhaps you could ask for a conversion? I'd feel guilty taking that much money from you." Jess admitted.

Killua took Jess's advice and converted his money into a more manageable size, the gold coins now fit pretty neatly in his bag. He made a point to leave a couple hundred in the chest for Jess as well. Killua swore under his breath as he realized he'd forgotten the time, and had no idea if he was late or not. Killua ran towards the exam site, hoping he wasn't late again. Killua slowed his pace once he got in sight of the building, attempting to make it look like he wasn't in a rush. The guy's eyebrow raised when he saw Killua. "You're pretty late." Killua handed over his grimoire. "The name's killua, I apologize for my tardiness, something came up." he apologized. Not that I really care about passing, I just want to participate.

Killua didn't particularly care about getting into a Magic Knight squad, or the whole premise of the job in the first place. But that never stopped him from taking exams for fun. Killua activated zetsu as he strolled in, so attention wouldn't be drawn to him. He took a place randomly in the crowd, not too close to the front but not too far in the back. There was a group of people who seemed pretty important elevated in the arenalike enclosure. A man with a bird mask was speaking, and Killua was only half listening. Out of nowhere wind buffeted his face and hair. 

A tree started...growing from the sky!?

Killua had to admit he was a bit intimidated, unable to use his Hatsu in a world where everybody had magic. Most magic users didn't pose much of a threat to him, but being faced with nine different people with tremendous magic power did make him feel quite small. I suppose I've gotten a bit too used to being the bigger fish in the past few months, this isn't new. Killua slid his hands into his pockets as he put on a deadpan expression, acting as if he was unfazed. He had a feeling that confidence would work in his favor. Each branch grew into a broom, positioning itself right in front of each candidate. Killua nearly groaned. A broom? Really?

Killua had no chance at any of these tests. He just used Zetsu and leaned against the wall, hoping he wouldn't attract attention. It seemed to work. As he was concealed, he decided to watch. There was one guy who was standing up on his broom and gliding past effortlessly. Then he heard someone straining and blinked, looking down. There was a guy who was trying his hardest but he couldn't get off the ground. That's kind of pathetic. He thought, as he watched the same two guys have very opposite performances in the next test, and the one after that as well. He had to admit it was amusing to see the short gray haired one struggle and yell. He seemed determined, even though each of his attempts failed.

Then came the last test, a duel. Killua strolled over to the front, then deactivated Zetsu. This, was something he could do. There was a yelp and the short teen who he'd been watching struggle this whole time jumped a little as killua seemingly appeared beside him. "W-Where'd you come from!?" He exclaimed, in shock. What an idiot. Killua thought, looking away without a word. "Rude." The guy huffed, before trying to find a partner. Killua watched with amusement as nobody even looked in his direction. The first bout started, a water magic user versus an earth magic user. The battle was intense.

Killua tried to plausibly think of a way to defeat each opponent, the water one was doable but it would be irritating, since he couldn't exactly punch water. Well, he could but it wouldn't be very effective. Soon enough, the bout ended. The next match was between a blonde male and the guy he'd seen standing on the broom earlier. The match was over in seconds, with a single move. A whirlwind of electricity took over the stage, which gave Killua an idea. He quickly hopped up onto the stage and stuck his hand into one of the lightning bolts, before returning to his spot in the blink of an eye. I don't know how much charge that gave me, but now I have some if I need it.

Killua let out a huff as he realized the tornado had messed up his hair and started brushing through it with his fingers, trying to tame his curls. He didn't pay attention to the other matches as he fixed his hair. People were muttering and looking at him but he didn't really care. Killua had developed an slightly problematic need for his hair to be perfect over the years for a reason he couldn't quite deduce. He brushed it every morning, and never failed to use expensive shampoos on his fluffy white locks to keep them healthy and shining. He heard people muttering about what a vain person he must be, and how stuck up he probably was. Is it so bad for me to want my hair to look good?

Soon enough, every pair had fought. It was just Killua, and that really obnoxious dumbass who seemed to do nothing but yell. He sidled over to him. "Hey uh- this is a bit awkward but we're kind of the last two people so.." Man, I'm disappointed. I thought this would've been a lot more fun. He thought. Fighting this weak dumbass would be the most boring outcome that could've possibly happened. This sucks. He sulked internally. "Alright." he grumbled, walking up onto the stage. He set down his Yule bag, keeping a relaxed stance.

The short male took his place opposite him, with an excited grin. "Aright! My name's Asta by the way. What's yours?" Killua stared deadpan at him. "Let's just get this over with, I'm already in a bad mood." Asta blinked. "Huh? Why?" Killua let out an exasperated sigh. "Because I have to fight you of all people. It'll be so damn boring." Asta looked a bit offended. "Hey! Just because I'm a commoner doesn't mean you'll win so easy! Bring it on!' He yelled, getting into a fighting stance. Killua blinked. "Where's your grimoire?" Asta hesitated, then sighed. "I...well...don't have one? But that won't stop me from beating you!"

Killua blinked. He doesn't have a grimoire? There were whispers and murmurs from the crowd, but Killua ignored it. They weren't important. Killua chuckled softly in amusement, then slid out his own grimoire, and tossed it to him. "Here, you can use mine."

1357 words

To be continued...