"Not coming out? Then I'll take my leave."
Goz suddenly sprang up, spear in hand, eyes blazing.
"Hisoka! Fight me!"
In the blink of an eye, he vanished—
And reappeared right in front of Hisoka, thrusting his spear straight at him.
A sharp whistle of wind cut through the air.
Hisoka's brows drew together slightly.
But instead of countering, he tilted his body and let the strike pass by.
That wasn't what Goz wanted.
He already knew he wouldn't make it out alive.
He came here for a warrior's death—one last stand, facing someone worthy. Dying in battle… that was his only wish.
But Hisoka refused to grant even that.
"Why are you just dodging?"
"Don't you even have the guts to fight me? Hisoka!"
"You weren't like this back in the Milsy Wetlands!"
"What are you scared of?!"
Goz glared, furious.
But Hisoka didn't look annoyed—in fact, a grin curled on his face.
"Don't get so worked up."
"I think I know what you're trying to do."
"You're already fatally injured. Instead of spending your last hours in peace, you came here hoping to die in battle."
"But rather than giving you what you want, I'd rather see your face when you realize you won't get it."
"That look... it's what excites me."
"Yes... just like that."
"Hold onto that."
Goz's face twisted with fury and despair.
He was dying—and all he wanted was a proper ending.
But Hisoka wouldn't even give him that.
"Bastard!"
Goz roared, pouring all his remaining aura into one last charge. He lunged forward, spear blazing with intent.
"Die!!"
Hisoka didn't move.
He simply flicked his gaze behind Goz.
Thwip!
A needle shot clean through Goz's forehead.
His eyes went wide.
Thud.
His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
"Oops~ Sorry about that," Illumi said casually as he walked up beside Hisoka. "Guess I let this guy slip past me."
Hisoka shrugged. "No harm done."
With that, the two went their separate ways.
Illumi held Goz's number plate, officially clearing the exam for himself.
But Hisoka hadn't finished yet.
He still didn't know who his target was—and that wasn't due to a lack of observation.
It was on purpose.
Hisoka didn't want to know. Not yet.
Not knowing made the game more fun.
...
Elsewhere, Kaizen continued his silent observation.
The crystal ball was halfway filled.
"Fifty percent."
"Finally halfway there."
He hadn't expected it to be this smooth.
Kaizen and Ponzu wandered the island, watching but never interfering.
Kurapika and Leorio had taken down Tonpa and his gang.
Hisoka, in a fit of excitement, killed a bystander. Gon seized the chance to grab Hisoka's number plate but was ambushed by Geretta.
Still, Geretta couldn't last even a second against Hisoka's retaliation.
Ponzu was taking it all in—the past few days had been eye-opening.
"Geretta, Goz..."
"They're all powerful."
"Back in the village, we had no one who could compare."
"Geretta fell instantly to Hisoka."
"Goz was killed effortlessly by Gittarackur."
"There's a huge gap between the top-tier and the rest."
"Captain, Gittarackur, Hisoka… They're on a different level from everyone else."
Ponzu narrowed her eyes.
"If the captain is really that strong… then maybe he can help with the village problem."
She turned to Kaizen.
"Captain, can I ask you something?"
Kaizen looked over. "What is it?"
"Do you think… I have a chance of becoming as strong as you?"
Kaizen paused, then shook his head. "No idea."
...
Kaizen didn't know enough about Ponzu yet. She hadn't even awakened his Nen. It was impossible to gauge her potential.
In the original timeline, Ponzu had been part of Pokkle's group.
But Pokkle was weak—and not capable of training strong allies.
That wasn't because he held back. He just wasn't strong enough to teach anyone properly.
"How far you go depends on you."
Kaizen paused again, then added:
"But if the problem in your village isn't something absurdly difficult, odds are good we can handle it."
"And if my team can't solve it—"
"No one else in this exam will be able to either."
"Not even if you pass on your own."
Among the examinees, only Illumi and Hisoka were at Kaizen's level.
Hisoka was a lone wolf. No allies. No network.
Illumi had resources, but his connections partially overlapped with Kaizen's—and Kaizen was confident his ceiling was higher.
If Ponzu chose to stick with him, her fate would already be better than what it was in the original story.
"Captain… I believe in you."
Ponzu looked up at Kaizen.
The words were simple, but full of sincerity.
Over the past few days, she'd realized something.
Just passing the exam wouldn't help the village.
Her goal was never about being a Hunter.
But with Kaizen's help… there was a real shot at saving them.
Like Kaizen had said—
If even he couldn't do it, no one could.
...
The exam continued.
Whoosh!
A figure appeared in front of Kaizen.
Ponzu immediately tensed.
When she got a clear look, the tension only increased.
"Gittarackur…"
Kaizen smiled.
"Cousin Illumi."
Illumi gave Ponzu a glance, then looked away and said:
"The fight over Killua is about to start."
"Kaizen, you coming to watch?"
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