That smile held nothing special, nor was any Aura released.
Yet, Illumi inexplicably sensed danger. He looked silently at Law and said, "And if I do try?"
Whoosh... A sudden breeze stirred.
Law held a long sword, its rusted tip now a finger's breadth from Illumi's eye.
Illumi hadn't moved, his hands now filled with pinhead needles.
"Then I can only apologize to your parents," Law said calmly.
"Understood. Then I'll spare them," Illumi nodded, the tip of the blade reflected in his dark eyes.
Law sheathed his sword and turned to leave.
Illumi watched until Law disappeared from sight, then let out a slight sigh of relief. He looked down at the needles in his hand and murmured, "Not as fast as him. It seems I still can't win against him."
"Hmm, but his existence is still a problem for Killua."
Illumi turned and walked in another direction.
'How much savings do I have? Should I hire Grandfather and Great-Grandfather to kill him together? Or take a risk and let Alluka handle it?'
Thinking to himself, Illumi took out the Zoldyck Family's internal line phone.
He didn't ponder for long before dialing his Great-Grandfather's number and stating his intention.
"Don't provoke him."
When the reply came through the phone, Illumi blinked, stunned.
After hanging up, he dialed his Grandfather's number, not only stating his intention but also explaining how Law might negatively influence Killua.
"Can't afford to."
Finally, Zeno ended the call with words carrying a similar meaning to Maha's.
"Alright," Illumi looked at the small internal phone in his hand, seeming to realize something.
Even trivial, probing actions could no longer be used to provoke Law. That behavior had already become too dangerous… dangerous enough for his Great-Grandfather and Grandfather to say such things.
Then, he put away his phone and returned to his room to rest.
…
The 'troublesome individuals' Illumi mentioned were Gon and the others.
In reality, from the recent interaction, Law had been considering a question.
Should he remove the needle from Killua directly, or let Killua remove it himself?
There was a significant difference between the two.
The former: if Law removed the needle for Killua, a second or even third needle would likely follow, because inserting the needle was something tacitly approved by the Zoldyck Family, not merely Illumi's personal whim.
The latter: if Killua overcame his own issues and removed the needle through his own ability, then no matter what Illumi did afterward, he wouldn't be able to affect Killua again.
If he didn't interfere with Killua's subsequent life and let him interact with Gon naturally, that opportunity would definitely arise.
'Forget it, I'll take it one step at a time. Compared to this, there are more important things to do.'
Thinking this, Law released his En and quickly located Killua.
Concealing his presence, he quietly approached Killua's vicinity.
At this moment, Killua was curled up in a dimly lit corner, his broken arm hanging limply, like a little kitten licking its wounds alone after being hurt.
Although the light was dim, Law could still see the tear stains on the floor just with his eyesight.
Killua had cried, likely unable to let go of the feeling of having attacked Law earlier. After all, it was a killing move, not playful banter.
Using this incident as a trigger, Killua would probably develop a fear, worried that at some moment, he might suddenly attack and kill the friends he had finally grown close to.
Therefore, afterward, he might intentionally distance himself from Gon and the others.
'If you desire it enough...'
Law thought silently. Raising his hand, he pinched some fine Grass Jelly fragments, coated them with Nen, and flicked them through the air into Killua's broken arm. Then, he left silently.
Due to his emotional state, Killua didn't notice anything unusual. But soon, he keenly realized the broken bone was healing.
"Huh?"
Killua lifted his arm, now perfectly intact, his eyes showing surprise.
Then, belatedly, he stood up and, as if guided by some unseen force, looked towards the spot where Law had been standing. Naturally, it was empty now.
Faintly, he seemed to understand something.
"Law."
He whispered Law's name, the look of regret still not faded from his face.
…
Law returned to the volleyball room, only to find Netero and Gon still playing enthusiastically.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Law felt strange. When he left, he had clearly helped Gon get the ball.
Then, he noticed that Netero wasn't refraining from using his right hand and left foot like before. He didn't know what had happened during the time he was away.
'He probably cheated again.'
Thinking this, Law lost interest in watching Netero's playtime and turned to leave. After a few steps, he ran into Tonpa.
"Law, give me a jug of Monkey Wine," Tonpa said with a pleading face.
Law took a jug from his spatial storage and tossed it to Tonpa, who caught it gleefully and took a direct swig.
Walking side by side in the corridor, Tonpa suddenly said, "Law, I noticed you seem to care about a few examinees, especially Gon and Killua."
"You're quite idle," Law said.
Tonpa laughed awkwardly, embarrassed. "You know, old habits die hard."
Law shook his head slightly and explained, "Gon is the son of an old friend. Killua is... a similar kind of relationship."
"So that's how it is," Tonpa said, understanding dawning on him.
In the volleyball room, Gon, ignoring his physical exhaustion, focused entirely, using all his strength to snatch the volleyball from Netero.
Time passed slowly. Around 4 a.m., Gon finally couldn't hold on any longer, collapsed from exhaustion, and fell asleep on the spot.
"Phew."
Finally having tired out this kid, Netero couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead. It wasn't from exhaustion but from the lingering fear.
'Luckily, this kid is easy to fool.'
Netero's eyelids drooped. Thinking about Law's earlier sabotage, he snorted coldly, already planning how to get back at him in the final phase of the exam.
He walked towards the wall, picked up the wall-mounted landline phone, and told the captain to slow down a bit.
The reason for this order was to give Gon more sufficient rest time.
At noon, the airship landed on a cliff. An examiner with glasses and a pineapple-shaped hairstyle was already waiting there. Beside him was a high-legged table with a lottery box on it.
The examinees disembarked one after another, totaling twenty-eight.
Originally, there were twenty-nine, but one had been killed by Killua. Considering various factors, the Association did not investigate further but let the test continue without pause.
As examiners for the first two phases, Menchi and the others did not disembark, including Netero.
After dropping off the examinees, they would go directly to the final test venue, waiting for the examinees who passed the third phase.
Among the crowd, Killua was still with Gon and the others, but he kept his head down, his demeanor noticeably different from before.
Even someone as oblivious as Gon noticed this.
Law and Tonpa stood together, on the edge of the crowd.
Seeing that Killua seemed to be deliberately avoiding him, Law gave up on the idea of actively approaching Killua.
'Anyway, let's pass the third phase first,' Law thought.
After unloading the examinees, the airship took off and left.
The examiner didn't waste time and got straight to the point. Raising his hand, he pointed his thumb at a black dot of an island on the sea behind him. "The third phase test will be conducted on Zevil Island."
"Before that, please draw lots first."
An examinee asked, "Why do we need to draw lots?"
The examiner grinned slyly and replied, "To decide the hunter and the prey. This box contains twenty-eight numbered tags, each corresponding to your respective examinee numbers."
"Now, please each draw one tag."
"Please draw in the order you passed the previous phase. First..."
The examiner looked at Law.
Understanding, Law stepped forward, reached in, and randomly pulled out a tag. He glanced at it quickly before making the tag disappear.
The watching examinees didn't see clearly how Law made the tag vanish.
'Number 384? If I remember correctly, that's the black guy with curly hair, right?' Law stepped back. Then it was Tonpa's turn.
After everyone had drawn a tag, the examiner suddenly patted the lottery box and said, "This machine has already recorded the tags you drew. You can dispose of the tags in your hands however you wish."
"However, the examinee corresponding to the number on your tag is your prey."
Here, the examiner revealed a fox-like look in his eyes and said seriously, "You must steal the tag from your prey. If you obtain your designated prey's tag, you get three points."
"Protecting your own tag earns you three points. Any other tag is worth one point."
"To advance to the final test, you must obtain at least six points!"
"The time limit is... one week!"
After the explanation, almost all the examinees hid their tags, except for three: Law, Tonpa, and Illumi.
The tense atmosphere of the test was now fully apparent. Everyone was observing each other.
Gon secretly watched Tonpa, who showed no sign of nervousness, a conflicted expression on his small face.
Then, a boat loaded all the examinees and headed towards Zevil Island.