Finally arriving at their designated location, Zaban City, three of the Kirikos returned to the peak of the hill where the lone cedar tree sat while one of them, the son, stayed back to guide the group to the exam site. The said Kiriko returned to his human form and took out a piece of paper from his vest.

"Alright, let's go to the exam hall now," he said, motioning the applicants towards the crowd.

The group followed the man quietly to their destination; Kurapika close behind and looking ahead, Leorio behind the Kurta looking over to his left with his briefcase over his right shoulder, Kiyoko looking ahead following behind Leorio, and Gon right behind the girl, smiling brightly.

"The job of the navigators is to identify worthy challengers for the Hunter Exam and to lead them to the site," the man began to explain.

Gon began to look at his surroundings with excitement and awe, taking in everything he could with his two big brown eyes. The young boy tugged on Kiyoko's long flowing shirt, grabbing her attention, and began to point out strange looking items at random stalls.

"This also means that it would be exceedingly wearisome for a person to reach the halls without us navigators' help," the man finished, looking over his shoulder to look at the others, Gon wandering off.

"Hey, want to try one of these?" a man from a stand called.

Gon immediately dashed over to the stall and leaned over the counter in delight as he stared at the cooked panda-frog.

"It's Zaban's well-known Panda-Frog-On-A-Stick! A true delicacy!" he finished, Gon trying to push himself up higher to get a closer look.

The boy suddenly looked over to the front left and ran over to a young woman's stand to see her own products.

"Zaban's most precious and beautiful brooch! I bet you that it's a national treasure here," the lady told Gon.

"You know, this place is quite a shady place…." Leorio said, looking at the stalls and scenes before him.

"Profitable cities usually attracts all kinds of nasty people," Kurapika answered, dragging Kiyoko in between him and Leorio.

"Uwahhhh!" Gon let out as he began running around to check out other stalls.

"What are you doing, Gon? We're going!" Leorio said, everyone looking back to see the boy looking at more food.

"Okay!" the boy replied, running back to the group.

As they got closer and closer to the examination site, Gon told and explained all the displayed items and food he saw to Kiyoko, making hand gestures to emphasize the entire explanation.

"Tsubashi Town, 2510…. Let's see…. I found it. I believe that is the building of the exam hall," the man said as he looked at the paper in his hand and pointed blindly ahead.

"Huh?" Leorio said, everyone else grunting a little with surprise.

Gon's curious face expression switched into a wide smile as he looked at a tall fancy building before them all, sighing a little with awe.

"Uwahhhh! It's so tall!" he exclaimed childishly. "They have a really nice building!"

"Just like what I expected from the real hall! Even the entrance looks awesome!" Leorio exclaimed out of nowhere.

"It's so cool!" Gon chimed.

"So this is the exam site…." Leorio said. "This is what drags.."

"Tough hunter participants from the entire world…" Kurapika finished the sentence.

Kiyoko noticed the navigator walking away from the taller building and towards a shorter building, looking at everyone confusedly.

'Ah, uh.. Guys..? I don't…' the girl began quietly, sighing when no wonder heard her.

"My first shot to the Hunter Exam…. Was this how dad felt when he first set foot on site?" the boy asked, feeling adrenaline shoot through his veins.

"Hey, guys, that's not it," the navigator called.

Kiyoko looked away from everyone guiltily as the boys looked over to the navigator curiously.

"Hmm?" they all hummed confusedly.

"Over here."

"What?" they said again.

"The entrance is actually next door," the man said, pointing at a ramen shop.

Everyone looked over to the little shop curiously, disappointment rushing up to their chests as Kiyoko sighed at their reactions.

"WHATTT?" they exclaimed in sync.

"Whoa, wait. This isn't funny. Isn't that just an ordinary restaurant?" Leorio asked as he walked over to the man, the others tailing his back. "You can't be serious that Hunter participants from all around the world are to assemble here? Of all places?"

The navigator still had a smile spread across his face as they all turned their heads to face the shop.

"I do."

"Huh?" the boys said, jaws dropping open as they looked at the man.

"It's just that no one would think that the Hunter Exam, with the million plus candidates, is to be located in this ramen shop, right?" the navigator asked.

"T-that's true.." Leorio answered, everyone looking back at the shop.

The Kiriko walked up to the shop and slid the door open, motioning them all to come in.

"Welcome!" the chef called as the door closed shut.

"Good afternoon!" the woman at the counter greeted.

The customers looked over to the new visitors when they heard movement from the door and went back to eating right after. Leorio looked around the shop for a bit and frowned.

"Is the back room available?" the navigator asked.

"What will you have?" the cook asked, looking up from the frying food.

"The steak combo that open's your eyes to the light.. for four," he said, holding up his fingers.

Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Kiyoko stared at the two men confusedly and looked at each other for answers.

"For four….." he repeated slowly.

"How would you like them…?" the man in white asked as his face got serious.

"Grilled over a low flame, until cooked," the navigator said with a smirk, pointing a finger up.

"Got it, go ahead and allow yourselves into the back room," the chef accepted, looking back at the wide pan.

The navigator walked across the shop with the others following him through the aisle, Gon looking around curiously.

"Please, right this way!" the waiter said, showing the door to the group.

The navigator opened the door to the vacant room and allowed the four applicants to walk in first. The small room had a table in the center and three chairs surrounding it.

"Wait here," he said.

"Wait? Where are the others? Are you sure this is right?" Leorio asked.

"This is it. The appearance usually takes the participants by surprise."

"I can't wait for the steak combo!" Gon exclaimed, Kiyoko chuckling nervously at the boy.

"Gon, that was just a password for us to enter this room.." Kurapika told the child.

"Oh… So we don't get to eat anything?" he asked disappointedly, pouting a little.

"Looks like we don't," Kiyoko said, chuckling a little and patting Gon's shoulder lightly.

"One in every ten thousand…" the man suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Gon hummed, looking back behind him.

"That's the probability number of applicants who make it this far," the feminine looking boy continued, everyone looking behind them to look the man. "For first timers, you've all done extremely well. I'd be glad to help guide you again next year…. Catch these!" the navigator said, throwing a tag at all of them.

The four raised up their hands curiously; Leorio successfully catching numbers 403 and 406 and handing 406 to Kiyoko, Kurapika catching number 404, and Gon having number 405 land on his forehead. The group held their tags and looked at it blankly.

"Well, good luck."

Gon smiled at the man and stuck out his hand in between the two.

"Kiriko-san, thanks!"

The man looked at the boy confusedly and trailed his eyes to his stuck out hand, accepting the handshake and giving a smile at the four.

"You're very welcome. If we ever get the chance to, we'll see each other again. Good bye," he said, waving at them all and closing the door behind him.

'Huh, what?' the group muttered as the room suddenly began to shake a little and lower itself further down.

"It seems to be that this room is.. an elevator…" Kurapika noted.

'No really?' Kuromi muttered.

Everyone looked over to the boy's direction to see a count at the top of the elevator's back wall slowly adding up.

"I see…." Kiyoko said.

'That bastard… He meant that we're expected to fail the exam this year…' Leorio mumbled disappointedly, sitting in one of the chairs.

"Once every three years," Kurapika said, sitting down across from him.

"What was that?"

"It's the rate of which a rookie passes this exam," Kurapika answered.

"Eh?" Leorio said, leaning over a bit.

"It's that unusual?" Gon asked, sitting in the last empty seat after Kiyoko offered.

"Some can't tolerate the physical and mental strain in the exam. It's also no surprise for veterans to crush the rookies who inevitably never participate in the test a second time," Kurapika explained. "They can't deal with the physical beating they've gained."

'Physical and mental strains? Ha, those weaklings,' Kuromi said.

'Kuro…. They aren't like us where we deal with this every day, you know?' Kiyoko said.

"So I guess every attendees are willing to risk everything to become a hunter.." Gon said.

"That's pretty much it, Gon, and they all must have reasons to do so too," Kiyoko said, leaning onto the table.

"BUT OF COURSE, MY FRIENDS!" Leorio suddenly yelled, slamming his hands onto the table and causing the girl to remove her hands immediately. "HUNTERS MAKE THE MOST MONEY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

Gon and Kiyoko stared at the man confusedly and blinked as they both grabbed onto the straps of the bag and backpack.

'Here comes Smart Mouth and Pesky McBastard,' Kuromi sighed.

'Kuromiii…'

"No!" Kurapika suddenly butted in, catching everyone's attention.

Gon raised an eyebrow at the sudden shout and looked at the teen curiously.

"Hunters are the most virtuous and honorable in this world!" Kurapika countered, trying hard not to raise his voice as he stood up from his own seat and slammed his hands on the table next.

"Grr….. Glory hog!" Leorio growled.

"Money-grubber!" Kurapika negated.

The two leaned closer to each other angrily, shifting their weight onto their arms for support on the table. Gon looked between the two with a blank expression written on his face, an eyebrow still raised up high with his lips part to an 'O'. Kiyoko looked at the two boys worriedly and sighed, leaving them alone.

"Gon! Listen…" Leorio said as he ran over to the boy and slammed his hand back onto the rotating tray in the center of the table.

The man leaned in uncomfortably close to the boy, making him panic a little and move back against Kiyoko's stomach involuntarily, Kiyoko holding onto his shoulder. The boy's face was written with disgust as Leorio continued to speak and spit a little with every word he hissed.

"Every year, over fifty hunters make it to the list of the world's HUNDRED RICHEST PEOPLE!" he said, raising his voice.

Kurapika grabbed onto the tray and rotated it to get the man away from the young boy and the girl.

"O-OHHH!" he said, sounding like he just got kicked at a certain spot boys wouldn't like to get kicked at.

Gon returned to his original position, sitting up straight, and looked at Kurapika listening to his explanation as Leorio glared at the teen.

"Hunters are correlated with hunting wild game and treasure, but they are all second-rate," the boy said. "True real hunters work to protect people and the natural orders of life!"

Leorio suddenly pounced at the two candidates that had nothing to do with the debate again, making Gon flinch at his action and lean back onto Kiyoko again. The girl's hair slowly became messed up and slid off her shoulder, onto her back as the surprise hand slams kept coming.

"Now, look here…. Once you've become a hunter, most countries will give you a free pass!" he exclaimed, leaning in even closer to the boy. "And that means no charge for the use of public provisions! How about those conveniences?!"

Kurapika grabbed onto the tray again and rotated it to remove the man from his place, allowing Gon to sit back up straight once more.

"Awughhh!"

"Hunters have many strenuous and crucial authorities," the boy fought back, pointing a finger up into the air," such as preserving cultural artifacts and endangered species as well as imprisoning wanted criminals and disreputable hunters."

Leorio ran back up to the young boy for a second time and planted his hands back onto the rotating tray.

"The fame and money…!" he exclaimed, Gon backing up once again. "That's why people desire to become hunters!"

The man looked over to Kurapika angrily and stayed in the position a little longer.

"Overwhelming intelligence, a healthy mind and body, uncompromising stance. THOSE ARE THE TRAITS ON WHICH HUNTERS SATISFY THEMSELVES WITH!" the Kurta said, finally letting the rest of his rage out and leaning in really close.

The two older applicants growled at each other as they moved their face closer to each other.

"GON! KIYOKO! WHAT DO YOU THINK?" the both of them exclaimed at the two, turning their heads to face them.

Kurapika and Leorio slammed a fist onto the table and leaned in as close as possible to the youngest boy and the only girl.

"WHICH KIND OF HUNTER DO YOU HOPE TO BE?!" they asked, never breaking the synchronization.

The young boy nervously held onto his backpack straps tightly, a hand holding onto Kiyoko's periwinkle shirt mindlessly, as he gave them both a nervous smile. Kiyoko looked frightened at the two's outbursts and allowed Kuromi to take over temporarily.

"Me? Answer: it'll remain unknown. And quit yelling, it's bothering Kiyoko, bird brains," Kuromi said, looking away with attitude.

Kurapika and Leorio glowered at the girl and returned their attentions to Gon right after.

"…E-eh…? W-well, when you put it that way…."

'DING!'

The elevator finally reached to B100 and halted to a complete stop.

"I think we've arrived," Kurapika said casually as Kuromi returned to Kiyoko's appearance.

"We'll continue this later," Leorio said, finally calming down.

"Haaaa…!"

Gon finally broke into a regular smile and gave a long relieved sigh, Kiyoko rubbing her head tiredly. The elevator doors opened up before the four to reveal a dark room filled with hunter applicants both vacant and rookies. All eyes were now on the four first timers as their presence became know to them all. The group stepped out of the elevator room and into the dark tense room, stopping at a spot near the closing elevator doors and looked around the entire area.

"Strange place down here…" Leorio said casually.

"They clearly contradict from those other applicants we saw at the port and in the city," Kurapika said. "Each is a master in their own right…"

The girl in the group began to fidget nervously with her bag straps, trying to ignore the discomforting vibe lingering in the air.

"Excuse me…" Gon began, walking forward to the crowd and holding his hand out a little.

Everyone glowered at the new arrivers for a bit and ignored them, looking away.

"Everyone here is really tense…" Gon said as the group stuck their tags onto their chest.

Kiyoko looked around nervously and hid behind Leorio, peaking at the others once in a while.

'If only there weren't so many people…. It's getting hot in here….' Kiyoko thought awkwardly.

'More like you're getting uncomfortable with those glares. Calm down, Kiyo.'

"Scared or something, Black Cat?" Leorio asked the girl, glaring at her a little.

Kiyoko jumped a little at the man's question and looked up at him innocently, but obviously unnerved. Leorio noticed the amber hue in her eyes and widened his eyes a bit.

"A-ah sorry, Kiyoko. I thought you were still Kuromi," the man apologized.

'D-do you really think I'm bad luck and heartless?' she asked quietly, trying to stand up straight, but failing to do so.

"N-no! Not at all!" he excused.

The girl, clearly still hurt and anxious, didn't take Leorio's words and walked over to Kurapika, lightly tugging at his talbard a little.

"Hm? What is it?" the boy asked, looking behind him curiously.

"I-is it alright if I stick with you for a bit, Kurapika-kun?" Kiyoko asked awkwardly, still looking at her surroundings and now adding Leorio into her lookout list.

Kurapika remained quiet and looked over at Leorio to see him rub the back of his neck guiltily. The boy suddenly sighed silently and looked back at the girl to see tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"A-ah, what's wrong? Are you intimidated by these people? Did Leorio say something again?" the boy asked, putting his hands up in front of him frantically.

Kiyoko nodded an unnoticeable nod and rubbed her eyes, trying to calm down and get use to the atmosphere as the boy shot a glare at the man.

"Hmmm… You can stick with Gon or me if you like. Now calm down, you're too stiff," the boy said, patting the timid girl's head and giving a small smile.

"Be sure to wear your number tags on your chest at all times, guys, and be careful not to lose it!" a green being said, walking around the area.

"I haven't seen you guys around here before," a voice called, making an impotent Kiyoko jump and grab at Kurapika frighteningly.

"H-ha?! OOF!"

The four looked over behind them to see a fat man in blue sitting on a ledge at the top of the room.

"Hey!" he said, Kiyoko letting go of the boy and releasing a relief sigh.

"You can tell we're new?" Gon asked, everyone walking towards the big, but short man.

"More or less."

The man jumped off from where he sat and landed on the floor without a problem, walking over to the four.

"After all, this is going to be my thirty-fifth attempt," he told them, smiling brightly.

"THIRTY-FIFTH TIME?!" the group asked, Gon and Leorio practically yelling.

"Ah, well, you could say that I'm an exam veteran, so I know everyone's faces quiet well.." he said, putting a hand on his chest and the other up next to him.

'That's not something you should be bragging about….' Leorio muttered, leaning over to Kurapika.

'Indeed..' the boy agreed quietly.

Kiyoko stared at the man with an eyebrow raised at his statement.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask!" the man offered.

"Thanks!" Gon said.

"The name's Tonpa," he introduced himself, offering a handshake to the young boy.

"I'm Gon! These are Kiyoko, Kurapika, and Leorio!" the boy introduced, turning over to look at them all.

The three behind Gon decided to give a small nod as to greet the stranger named Tonpa.

"Nice to meet you all!" he said, offering a handshake with them all as they accepted the gesture awkwardly, Leorio waving it off.

"There's so many people here…." Gon said, looking around.

"Well, with you guys around, that makes 406 participants here," the man pointed out.

"Hey, Tonpa-san, are there any others here who've taken on the exam multiple times like you?" Gon asked, looking back at the man.

"Well, I have the most experience here, but there are a few others," Tonpa began, pointing over to his right. "Take him as an example…. Number 255, Todo the wrestler."

The group looked over to where Tonpa was pointing at and saw an oversized man casually eating food with a frown on his face.

'He's frowned too much to the point where his face is stuck like that, haha!' Kuromi laughed.

"He's unequaled in brute strength and he's actually smarter than how he looks to be. On the opposite side, we have number 103," Tonpa said, now pointing to his left,"Bourbon, the snake charmer. He often holds resentments, so careful not to end up on his nasty side."

They all looked over to the left to see the man sitting at his spot quietly with his eyes closed. Bourbon's snake suddenly lifted its head up and hissed, sending a chill to Leorio and Kiyoko's body.

"Number 191, Bodoro, the kung-fu master. He may be getting old, but there isn't a better martial artist around here compared to him," Tonpa said, pointing at the old man.

'Kiyokooooo, he's boring meeeeeee,' Kuromi complained.

"And over there, you have the three brothers, Amori, Imori, and Umori. They perform consistently well together all thanks to their unbreakable teamwork," the man said, everyone looking at the color coded brothers.

"Last for now is number 384, Gerreta, the huntsman. He specializes in killing all types of creatures with just blow darts and a club," Tonpa pointed out, the group looking at the dark colored skin man as he fixed his club.

"There are a lot more, but these guys are the ones who took on the test most," Tonpa finished.

"Ehh…..!" Gon replied.

A tall man in dark colored clothing walked by the five participants silently and bumped his shoulder guard into a strange looking man's shoulder, ignoring the contact. Tonpa began telling more little info to the group as they suddenly heard a blood curdling scream from where the man was headed to. The crowd in the entire room curiously directed their line of sight to where the scream came from only to see the man's arms disintegrate to red bits of flowers.

"Oh, how remarkable…" a tall slim, but built man said, smirking at the sight before him. "It looks like his arms became flower petals… No smoke or mirror over here."

The red headed man uncrossed his arms and opened them up to show the crowd nothing in hand. Gon gasped and stared at the man with a shocked look across his face.

"Do take care.." the man said as he began to lower his voice, a smug look being formed. "When you bump into someone, you should, really, apologize.."

The crowd looked at the man disgustedly and kept away from him.

'Now that guy there is a creep,' Kuromi said, burning in the man's appearance.

"It looks like that psychopath is back again," Tonpa said, glowering at him.

"Again?" Gon asked, the group looking back at the man.

"Does that mean he took the exam last year as well?" Kurapika asked curiously, Leorio patting Kiyoko's trembling back.

"Number 44, Hisoka, the magician. Last year, he was a practical lock to pass the test until he decided to kill a proctor he despised and disabled about 20 other applicants," Tonpa explained.

"A-and they're allowing him to retake the exam this year after all that?!" Leorio exclaimed, accidentally shoving Kiyoko.

The boys looked at the frightened man as he balled up his hand into a fist tightly.

"W-WHOA!" the girl exclaimed, making contact with the floor.

"Of course… Every year, the examiners and test contents change and those new examiners are there to choose the new content. The devil himself could pass if that were the decision the examiners makes… That's just how this exam works," Tonpa replied. "Anyways no one likes him and you should stay away as well."

Gon and Kurapika helped the girl up as she rubbed her arms and face in pain.

'He looks dangerous, that's for sure…' Leorio muttered, earning a slap from Kuromi before she returned the body.

"Oh right..! A little something to indicate our companionship!" Tonpa exclaimed, digging through his messenger bag. "How about it?"

Kiyoko glanced at the man and frowned at his sudden exclaim while Gon smiled at the man ignorantly. Kurapika just stood there and stared at the man cautiously as he pulled out a can of juice.

"Oh, very much appreciated!" Leorio replied, turning to face Tonpa.

"It just happens to be that I was thirsty…." Leorio pointed out, accepting the can.

"Thanks!" Gon said, accepting the item from Tonpa.

"Thank you…." Kurapika said quietly.

Kiyoko took the can and nodded a small thanks as people in the crowd began to snicker and whisper to each other.

'It seems like they've fallen into his trap once again… Always playing the nice guy despite being the nastiest person here… Tonpa, the rookie crusher..' someone mumbled, no one catching their words.

"Well, best of luck to all of us!" Tonpa exclaimed, raising up his can.

The new participants rose up their own can of juice and made a toast with the man, bringing it back down right after. Everyone opened their cans as Kiyoko carefully eyed Tonpa and Kurapika looked over to the other two boys curiously.

'The juice I gave these idiots contains extremely heavy laxative… ' the man thought to himself.

'Hey, Kiyoko?' Kuromi asked. 'Are you really going to drink it? I mean you already know he's hiding something, after all he's filled with holes. Are you going to tell them?' Kuromi asked.

'Ehhh.. Of course I'm not going to drink it. Besides, Gon has incredible senses and Kurapika-kun probably caught on with this,' Kiyoko answered, looking over at the two.

'I doubt Mr. Greedy over there knows…' Kuromi snickered.

'Let him be. He'll be fine… I think.' Kiyoko held up her can close to her face and studied the smirking man, sighing at how obvious he could be. 'Really, even that Matthew guy kept the negative quality of his voice and face hidden.. This guy is just outright stupid, leaving it out in the open.'

Gon took a sip from the can and stopped, noticing something strange about the juice.

"Bwehh…." the young boy groaned, allowing the liquid to spill out of his mouth like a waterfall.

Tonpa's face expression changed to shock as he jumped at the reaction he earned.

"H-huh?!"

'See? Gon's fine,' Kiyoko told Kuromi.

"O-oh, oops!" the girl said, allowing her can of juice to slip out of her hand and spill all over the floor.

Kiyoko looked over to Leorio and saw him filling up his mouth with the contents, unaware of everything. The girl then looked over to Kurapika to see him stare at her curiously as she mouthed out 'It's a trap' to the boy, earning a hard look.

"Tonpa-san, I think the juice must've expired…. It tastes funky," the boy said, raising up his brows.

Leorio shot out all the liquid he took into his mouth after he heard the boy's statements, Kurapika looking over at the man.

"Seriously? That was close!" Leorio exclaimed, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"H-huh, that's strange…! Hahaha…" Tonpa exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Kiyoko looked at Leorio with disgust on her face and turned away.

'Impossible! It shouldn't have a scent or any other taste!' the man thought, looking at the group.

Gon pulled the can up to his eye to examine the juice, Kiyoko keeping watch just in case he injured himself while doing so, as Kurapika poured out the contents like nothing.

"I'M VERY SORRY!" Tonpa exclaimed, slapping his hands together and bowing down. "I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THEY'VE GONE BAD!"

"It's okay! You don't have to apologize!" Gon said. "Is your stomach feeling alright?"

'This boy…. IS SO SLOW!' Kuromi yelled.

'Well, it's… Gon..' Kiyoko said, trying and failing to think of an answer.

"Y-yes, I'm fine…" Tonpa responded.

"I've sampled all kinds of grasses and plants on the mountain, so I usually am able to taste when something's gone bad!" Gon said, smiling.

"R-really? Haha.. T-that's amazing, ahahaha…!" Tonpa stuttered, visible sweat forming on his face as he scratch his head nervously.

'Damn it, I just had to stumble across this mountain kid…' he thought.

"Again, sorry about that. Well then, I'll see you around..!" Tonpa said nervously, waving at the group and walking away.

'…. Talkative old man…' Leorio muttered.

Kiyoko looked at the floor to see the cans lying there and ignored the mess they made.

'You got that right..' she murmured back.

'Hey, Tonpa-san! Could I have some more of that juice?' a young boy's voice rang.

Kiyoko curiously looked over to where the voice came from as the boys began to talk to each other. A silver messy haired boy was seen with a yellow and red skateboard in his arm as he waved at the man and approached him.

'It must be my nerves, but I'm really thirsty!' he explained.

'EH? OH, SURE..!' Tonpa said neurotically.

'Strange kid…' Kiyoko mumbled.

"Hm? What was that?" Leorio asked.

"Oh! Nothing. Just thinking to myself," the girl replied.

An alarm clock was heard ringing violently behind the crowd in the room, everyone turning to look at what it was.

"Oh?"

The man with the alarm pulled its tongue to stop the noise from coming out as the wall began to lift up. From behind the lifting wall revealed a tall man with lavender hair in a dark purple suit, white dress shirt, and a very short red tie; the alarm being held by the chain in his right hand.

"The call for hunter applicants is now closed. I apologize for the wait. The hunter exam will now commence!" he announced proudly.

The applicants began to get worked up and felt an exciting feeling flow around their bodies, smiling confidently.

"Finally, the hunter exam starts!" Gon exclaimed.

"I'm starting to get nervous…." Leorio said, tugging at his tie.

'Well, I've been nervous…' Kiyoko thought.

"One last warning…. The hunter exam is extremely difficult and dangerous. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well wind up gravely injured or even dead. Those who accept those risks please follow me," the man said, turning around and walking away in a strange way. "Those who are afraid of losing their life, please exit by the elevator behind you."

The crowd began to follow the man without any hesitation in their movement, multiple footsteps being produced. The man looked behind him to see all the participants walking right behind him, an intense aura lingering around the participants.

"Very well.. All 404 applicants will participate in Phase One," the man announced.

Gon, Kiyoko, Leorio, and Kurapika walked in the middle of the crowd looking straight ahead of them.

"Of course… No one turned around and left, I shouldn't be too surprised," Leorio said, looking around the area.

Gon glanced over at the man next to him, still having a serious look on his face.

'I was hoping for a few attendees to turn tail and hide…' he muttered.

The group took notice of the change in speed, walking faster to catch up with the man in front. Everyone in the tunnel began to jog lightly, aware that the strange man was walking faster without the need to run.

"W-what…?" Leorio asked.

"Are we….? The people in the front are starting to run," Gon said.

"He's picked up the pace," Kurapika pointed out.

"He's not even running or breaking a sweat…." Kiyoko said, catching a small glimpse of the man ahead.

"I forgot to introduce myself… I am Satotz, the examiner of Phase One. I am to lead you to the exam's second phase's testing site," Satotz introduced.

"Second phase? What about the first?" someone ahead exclaimed.

"It has already started."

'What? It's already begun? This is part of the test?' people muttered.

"You must follow me to the end of Phase One to participate in Phase Two. This IS the task of the first phase," the man explained, looking behind him.

"Follow you? Is that it?" Hanzo asked.

"Yes. I may not tell you where or when you must arrive. You must follow me to the very end."

"I see how it is…." Kurapika said.

"This test is weird," Gon stated.

"Nope, it's quite an ideal test to try on one," Kurapika answered.

"I expect that this is an endurance test… Fine by me. I'll be right behind you!" Leorio exclaimed.

"Many people are going to drop out in this test. By the looks of this tunnel, it'll take more than an hour to leave this place since it looks endless… Maybe three if possible.." Kiyoko said, looking around.

'That's true.. There is also the mental stress of not knowing how far and how long we'll run.. He's also testing our mental endurance, not just physical endurance alone..' Kurapika thought.

30 minutes later...

"How long have we been running?" Gon asked all of a sudden.

"Mmmm…. About 30 minutes?" Kiyoko replied.

'Ughhh…. Ha.. ha….. I underestimated the Hunter Exam…' Leorio thought, sweating like a dog. 'Every person here is a monster! It's a gathering of monsters….!'

The same silver haired boy passed by Leorio without a sweat broken out, riding on his skateboard casually.

"H-HEY! WAIT UP, BRAT!" Leorio exclaimed, gaining the boy's attention.

"Hmm?" he hummed.

Kiyoko looked over to the left in front of her to see what was going on, seeing that same boy from earlier.

"You should show some respect to this exam!" Leorio exclaimed angrily.

"What do you mean?" the boy asked blankly.

"Why are you using a skateboard?! That's cheating!" the man shouted angrily, pointing at the board the boy was riding on.

"Why? How is this cheating?" the boy replied.

"Why..? THIS IS AN ENDURANCE TEST!" Leorio reasoned.

"No, it's not," Gon said.

"Huh?! Gon, what are you saying?!" the man asked.

"The proctor only said to follow and nothing else," the boy replied.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, EH?! WHICH ONE IS YOUR FRIEND, ME OR HIM?!" Leorio asked, fuming at the child.

'Friend?' the boy muttered.

"Quit yelling you're wasting you stamina! Besides, IT'S ANNOYING!" Kurapika shouted. "We can pretty much bring anything to the exam, no certain rules about that."

Leorio frowned at the boy.

'He's really obnoxious too!' he thought angrily.

The boy suddenly slowed down the board he was on and rode next to Gon.

"What is it?" Gon asked with a smile on his face.

"Hey, how old are you?" he asks curiously.

".. I'm twelve," Gon said confusedly.

'Hmmmm… Twelve.. We're the same age..' the boy thought.

"Hm?" Gon hummed, directing a clueless smiling at the boy.

"Guess I'll run as well then," the boy said, kicking his board up in the air and catching it.

"WOWW! THAT WAS COOL!" Gon exclaimed, running to the right side of the boy.

"Are you not going to use it anymore?"

The boy stared at Gon for a bit and then looked ahead.

"Ehh.."

Gon stared at the boy and then shrugged off the response he earned.

"I'm Gon! What's your name?"

"Killua," the silver haired boy said, glancing at Gon.

'Damn itttt…..! Making a fool out of me….!' Leorio growled.

4 hours later...

'It's been around four hours ever since we began the exam… We must've traveled at least sixty kilometers by now. Just how much farther do we need to go?' Kurapika thought.

"Are you feeling alright?" Kurapika asked Kiyoko, slowing down a little.

"Y-yes.. I'm fine.. J-just not use to… running so much… at an adjusted… speed limit," Kiyoko said, panting a little.

"Besides, Kuro isn't doing anything, I'll switch with her sooner or later.." Kiyoko said.

"Kuro? You mean Kuromi?" the boy questioned, earning a nod from the girl.

"Idiot! I rather carry you then have you switch with her. Didn't you say it affects you even if it was a quick switch?"

Kiyoko had an apologetic face expression on and looked away quickly.

"Y-yes.. But I'll be fine, really.. I've switched with her once throughout this phase already," Kiyoko answered quietly.

The boy groaned and grabbed the girl's arm.

"No more switching until it's really needed! And I mean REALLY. Tell me when you're tired and I'll just bring you with me!" Kurapika said bluntly.

The girl's face had a little tint of pink on her face after hearing the boy's statement.

'Or you could just let me drop dead here, I guess…" she said a little quieter.

"Not at all. You've made it quiet far already."

'Who is he to tell us what to do?! HMPH! TELL CAT FACE THAT!' Kuromi grunted.

'Ah….. Kuromi just said that you shouldn't be ordering us around….' Kiyoko muttered awkwardly.

"Right…. But for starters… How old are you…?" the Kurta asked curiously.

"…. I'm sixteen.." Kiyoko answered, looking at her feet.

"Looks like I'll need to look out for you as well as Gon. I'm seventeen."

Kuromi growled and grabbed at her hair furiously.

'JUST AN AGE OLDER! DON'T GET TOO COCKY, KID!'

'Kuro…. An age older still means respect…' Kiyoko sighed.

'Leorio!' Gon exclaimed from a distance, causing the two to stop and looked back.

Leorio was panting heavily and sweating a bunch, kneeling on the ground exhausted.

"… Hm, I think he's fine. Let's go," Kurapika said, running off ahead.

"A-ah, right.." Kiyoko answered, following him.

"…. Screw that…!" Leorio suddenly said, dashing off right after.

"I'M GOING TO BECOME A HUNTER! DAMN IT ALLLLLL!" he yelled, breezing passed the two young testers.

Gon smiled and flung his fishing line over at the left back briefcase to retrieve it for the man, Killua having a surprised expression on his face.

"Oh…! COOL!" the boy suddenly exclaimed, grinning a wide grin.

"You should let me try that later!" Killua said as they both ran off.

"IF you let me try to use your skateboard, okay?" Gon responded.

"Say, I've been wondering…" Kurapika said.

"How are you able to tell when someone is lying or not? It's always been so… accurate.. Also how are you able to turn into that… Lynith I believe you said?"

The questions caught the girl off guard and made her trip over her own feet, the boy immediately catching her.

"T-thanks…. Uh, about that.. I can tell by the way a person talks. You've never told a lie about anything yet and I know this because the tone in your voice, it never shakes or falters. Tonpa on the other hand… When he offered the drinks to us and said 'indicate our companionship' and 'best of luck,' I took the time to allow his words to sink in. I heard nothing good about his voice, the tone was just dark and disgusting.. Maybe even dreadful.. He didn't even bother hiding it when he smirked at us, filled with holes I'll say. Everything else before he said that was true, besides when he offered to answer our questions, I wasn't paying attention to the little stuff, so I didn't catch it immediately," Kiyoko answered.

"That's kind of like me being able to tell stuff with my eyes.." Kurapika said thoughtfully.

"Now about the… 'other stuff..' I was born with it. I don't like mentioning it because people look at me differently once they find out. My brother always had to look out for me until he couldn't anymore," Kiyoko said.

"Anymore?"

"Uryuu-nii passed away. The abuse got out of hand when he did and that was how my split personality formed."

"... I'm sorry to hear that.." Kurapika said.

"It's alright, just as long you have the same outlook of me. My mother had the same ability and it was passed down to me. Only a few people have this ability, so I always think negatively about it like it's a curse. Usually gets passed down from one generation to the other, I guess, and my family seems to be one of the chosen few. If I were to have more than one child later in life, the ability would be passed down to one of them. It's not always the first baby to get the ability because my brother didn't get it and I ended up getting it. When the ability is passed down to the offspring the parent loses the ability to change into one. If I am to die now, the entire chain of the beast will be broken since I'm the one holding onto the Lynith's soul. It'll mend back together within years because those without the ability still have a bit of the beast's power in them. It doesn't affect my body at all which is lucky because if Kuromi decides to turn into it, I won't be able to take the damage they both inflict on me," Kiyoko explained.

"That's good. But when you turn back to normal, why do you still have your long white ears and that deadly looking tail of yours?" the Kurta asked, taking in all the information.

'Questions, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS!' Kuromi yelled. 'HE BETTER STAY AWAY FROM ME WHEN I'M PRESENT!'

"It's a side effect. It doesn't hurt me, but it tends to scare people off or get them turned against me…." the girl explained.

'We've reached the eighty-kilometer mark. Now it's time to pick up the pace a little,' Satotz thought as he began to prance up the stairs without effort.

"Gon, want to race to see who'll finish first?" Killua asked the boy.

"Sure! Loser has to buy dinner!" Gon said.

"Okay then, you're on!" Killua accepted.

"Ready…. Set.. GO!" the both of them yelled, sprinting ahead.

In the meantime, Leorio took off his tops and tied them around his waist, his tie flying loosely against his neck as he caught up to Kurapika and Kiyoko.

"Leorio, are you okay?" Kurapika asked.

Kiyoko's eyes widened and turned her head away immediately.

'Put on a shirt or something….!' she squeaked embarrassedly.

'THAT GUY GOTS SOME NERVE!' Kuromi yelled.

"SURE! JUST LOOK AT ME!" Leorio exclaimed.

"I DON'T THINK ANYONE WANTS TO LOOK AT YOU RIGHT NOW….!" Kiyoko stated bluntly, closing her eyes.

"WELL THEN! I realized that I was able to keep running if I didn't worry about how retarded I look! AUGHHHH!" the man yelled, running even faster.

Kurapika smiled at his answer and watched him run up the stairs quicker.

'I should probably follow his example..' the boy thought, taking off his talbard and stuffing it into his bag.

The boy grabbed Kiyoko's arm and picked up the pace to catch up with Leorio.

"U-UWAH!"

"Leorio! I have a question!" Kurapika began.

"What?" the man panted. "Is this too easy for you, Kurapika? Talking just wastes your energy!"

'Says the one who's been yelling and talking all this time,' Kuromi said boringly and in a mocked tone. 'Baaaaaka.'

"Are you really trying to become a hunter for money?" Kurapika asked, striking a switch in Leorio.

The man grunted and halted his smile, looking away from the two.

"You aren't, huh? We've only spent time together for a couple of days, but I seem to know you better than that."

Leorio groaned and glared at the floor next to him.

"Sure you have a disgusting attitude and you aren't too bright…." Kurapika said, ignoring the man's reactions.

Leorio glowered at the sight before him and screamed between clench teeth.

'Kurapika-kun… That might be going a little too far….?' Kiyoko whispered.

"But you're not a shallow person," Kurapika said, Leorio's face changing again. "I've seen many people who desired to live for money. You're nothing like them."

"Kheh! You and your logic, Doll Face!" the man said, not bothering to look back.

'He must've struck a nerve..' Kuromi said.

'Kuro, just listen..' Kiyoko sighed.

Kurapika looked at the floor a bit to think and back up to the man with a serious face.

"Scarlet eyes. That's why we Kurta people were targeted… The Kurta are known for our unique scarlet eyes. When we become excited, angry, our eyes will turn scarlet as if they were fire," the boy explained, causing both Leorio and Kiyoko to look at him shocked.

"The eyes in that scarlet state are appraised as one of the seven most magnificent hues in the world. They bid high prices in black markets.." Kurapika finished.

"That's why the Phantom Troupe attacked you?" Leorio asked.

"They gorged out and stole every single eye from my brethrens, my family's corpses," the boy replied, closing his eyes. "I can still hear their clouded eyes call out for me in desolation…"

Kiyoko had a sick look on her face and covered up her mouth trying hard not to imagine the scene as Leorio listened to the boy intently.

"I swear, I'll capture the damn troupe and reclaim the scarlet eyes of my clan!"

"So that's why you want to be a hunter...?" Leorio asked.

"Yeah, if I become one and earn rich patrons, I'll be able to gain access to the market's info," the boy responded.

"But then you'll have to swallow your pride and become one you despise most!" the man told the boy.

"The blow to my dignity is nothing compared to the suffering everyone in the Kurta clan sustained."

An awkward silence passed the three, heavy constant breathing being heard.

"Sorry, but I have no reputable cause," Leorio exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"I'm just after the money!" Leorio pointed out.

"Don't lie! Kiyoko, is he lying? He is isn't he?" Kurapika asked, looking over to see her sickened face. 'Crap, I forgot she hates violence and gore..'

"I'm not lying!" Leorio fought back.

"Do you actually believe that you can buy everything in the world with money?" Kurapika asked angrily.

"YOU BET! For the right offering price, you can not only for treasures, but dreams, hearts, and EVEN PEOPLE'S LIVES!" the man yelled furiously.

Kurapika took his response the wrong way and glared at him.

"TAKE THAT BACK, LEORIO! If you're insulting us Kurta again, I won't forgive you this time!"

Kiyoko finally snapped back to reality and grabbed Kurapika's hand on her arm.

"Kurapika-kun, I don't think-"

"Why…? I'm telling you the truth..! If I'd had the money that time, my FRIEND WOULDN'T HAVE DIED!" Leorio yelled, cutting of Kiyoko's sentence midway and allowing his rage out of him.

Kiyoko flinched at both of their stories and reasons and thought about her actual reason for this exam.

'That's kind of like me… Uryuu-nii passed away because of an accident and I'm here just to relieve Kuromi's bloodlust..'

Kurapika was taken aback as Leorio stuck out his lower lip angrily and looked away.

"An illness..?" the boy asked.

"….. It was a curable disease… The problem that stopped me from saving him was that the operation costs a fortune.. I WAS NAÏVE! I thought I had the ability to become a doctor…! I wanted to be able to cure kids with the same problems he had and say that it was free of charge!" the man continued to let out, Kurapika closing his eyes and frowning guiltily while Kiyoko looked at the two with concern.

"I could've told his parents that as well! That was my dream…! What a joke… Turns out that to become a doctor, you'd need EVEN MORE MONEY THAN THE OPERATION!" Leorio explained angrily, tears forming at the corner of his eyes as he retold the story and his mistake. "Got it now? This world runs on money! SO I WANT MONEY!"

"…. Leorio-san.." Kiyoko said quietly.

Panting was heard from behind the three as Gon and Killua caught up with them without a problem.

"Ah," Kurapika said, looking next to him.

"See you at the goal, Kurapika, Kiyoko!" Gon said.

"Catch you later, old man!" Killua said, smiling at everyone.

"I'M NOT OLD!" Leorio yelled. "I'M A TEENAGER, JUST LIKE YOU GUYS! I'M NINETEEN, GOD DAMN IT!"

The sudden outburst scarred the group members as they stared at the teen with shock and disbelief.

"HUH?"

"NO WAY!"

"SERIOUSLY?!"

"YOU'RE KIDDING!"