The weather was clear, and the ship cut through the waves.
All the examinees were scattered across the deck. On the surface, the test hadn't officially begun yet, but in reality, it had already started.
The lottery tags were square, used to distinguish them from the round examinee number tags worn by the candidates.
After the lottery, examinees could dispose of the square tags as they wished… hide them or discard them outright.
However, most examinees chose to keep them. After all, under the premise of concealing the identity of their prey, there might be situations where revealing the prey tag could avoid an unnecessary fight.
The examinee number tags worn on their bodies also needed to be hidden well. Besides reducing the chance of the tag being stolen, it also allowed for a bit of luck, preventing the hunter from identifying them.
The deck was silent. The examinees' eyes crossed paths… some looked around brazenly, others lowered their heads to avoid eye contact.
"Law, what's your target number?" Tonpa came over to Law's side and plopped down.
Law opened his eyes and looked at Tonpa. He flipped his hand, showing Tonpa the tag for a moment before storing it back in the Kuro's space.
Tonpa saw the number and asked, "Do you know who it is?"
If Law hadn't specifically memorized the tag numbers, he could tell Law who examinee 384 was. Not just 384, he remembered every examinee's number on the ship clearly.
"I know," Law looked up at the blue sky and said flatly, "Except for number 301, none of the others should be a problem for you."
Tonpa said, "Yeah, luckily my target isn't number 301. But even if I drew 301, I could still steal tags from other examinees to get the 3 points."
Number 301 was Illumi. In fact, aside from Law and Illumi, Tonpa was fully confident he could get any other examinee's tag.
Law nodded and said no more, closing his eyes to rest.
Elsewhere, Kurapika sat on the deck, head slightly lowered, his expression somewhat grave.
After roughly assessing his target's strength, he had no choice but to consider alternative plans.
Should he try to overcome the obstacle and get his target's tag, or take a detour and find a way to get tags from three other examinees?
This was something Kurapika had to consider carefully right now.
"Is luck also part of one's strength..."
Kurapika let out a low, bitter laugh. He would probably remain indecisive until the ship reached the island.
Leorio sat not far from Kurapika. He saw the barely concealed worry on Kurapika's face. He paused, then shifted his gaze to Killua and Gon on the other side.
In this test, the identities of hunter and prey were like dozens of threads woven into a spider's web. Everyone was both a hunter and someone else's prey.
Therefore, without understanding the true details between hunters and prey, one shouldn't fantasize about cooperation.
Considering this, Leorio didn't rashly approach Kurapika or Gon and the others.
Two hours later, the ship arrived at Zevil Island and docked at the shore.
The person in charge went ashore first and addressed the examinees still on the deck: "We've arrived. Please disembark in the order you drew lots. The next person can come ashore two minutes after the previous one."
"Your stay on the island is one week. Please gather six points within this time and return here."
"Now, please, the first examinee, disembark."
As soon as the words fell, Law stood up, jumped to the shore, and, under everyone's gaze, walked into the dense forest.
Kurapika watched Law's figure disappear into the forest, then silently averted his gaze.
After walking about ten meters into the forest, Law concealed his presence and hid in a tree.
Those who disembarked first had an advantage, they could hide and observe their prey's movements. This was the advantage established by their test performance.
However, there was another way to utilize this advantage, albeit a more violent one.
The second person to go ashore was Tonpa, who calmly walked into the forest.
Gon watched Tonpa's receding figure and took a deep breath.
Next came the third, the fourth...
By the eighth, Gon and his group had all set off. By the tenth, the black man with curly hair, wearing a hat and sunglasses, came ashore. He held a weapon resembling a cane.
This was Geretta, number 384, and also Law's target.
After coming ashore, Geretta headed straight in the direction Gon had left, as his target was Gon.
He had only taken five or six steps when he suddenly felt a breeze, and a sharp pain struck the back of his neck.
"Huh?"
Geretta's eyes behind his sunglasses trembled. His thoughts scattered, and his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
Thud.
Geretta fell face down on the ground, unconscious.
Law stood behind Geretta. Right in front of the remaining examinees and the examiner, he searched Geretta and took his number tag.
It wasn't until Law was holding the tag that the examinees who hadn't left yet reacted, their heartbeats quickening.
They hadn't seen clearly how Law had appeared behind Geretta.
'Thank goodness this guy's target isn't me.'
Almost every examinee thought this silently, then looked at Geretta, who had just been robbed of his tag the moment he stepped ashore, with pity.
"Examiner, isn't this against the rules?" One examinee couldn't help but ask.
The fox-eyed examiner put his hands behind his back, concealing his surprise, and said, "He didn't break any rules. He simply utilized the advantage of disembarking first."
Law held the tag between his index and middle fingers, flipped it casually, and stored it in the Kuro's space. In the other examinees' eyes, the tag had vanished into thin air.
After putting away the tag, Law walked towards the shore, where the ship was docked.
Seeing this, the examinees instinctively took a step back, their faces alert.
They had heard that the Hunter Exam often had some maniacal participants.
If this powerful man decided to block the ship in a crazy move, they would all be doomed.
The fox-eyed examiner watched Law approach slowly and was also secretly wary. But even if Law wanted to do that, he had no authority to stop him.
Under everyone's gaze, Law simply sat down on the shore near the ship, his chin resting on his knees, his eyes hidden in the shadow cast by his headscarf.
This was the assembly point in seven days. Since he had already gathered six points, all he had to do now was wait here.
Seeing that Law showed no further intention to act, the examinees and the examiner secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately after, the next examinee disembarked and immediately sprinted into the forest, afraid of following in Geretta's footsteps.
Time passed. Finally, the twenty-eighth examinee, Illumi, came ashore, making click-clack sounds as he leisurely walked off the ship.
From beginning to end, he didn't even glance at Law and went directly into the forest.
Thus, all examinees had landed.
The fox-eyed examiner glanced at Law sitting on the shore and the unconscious Geretta, then silently boarded the ship.
With a blast of the ship's horn, it sailed away.
The sea breeze blew, causing Law's headscarf to flutter incessantly.
As the sun was about to set in the west, a person walked out of the forest. It was Kurapika.
Law slowly looked up at Kurapika and said, surprised, "Am I your target?"
Kurapika's expression was solemn. He removed his pack and outer coat, directly drawing two wooden swords from his back. In a heavy voice, he said, "Yes."
"If I were you, I wouldn't waste time here," Law said flatly.