Chapter 55: Arrival at the Testing Grounds
The clock on the wall ticked methodically, its pendulum swaying like a heartbeat that refused to stop.
Each second fell with quiet finality, echoing through the large, dimly lit chamber.
Examiner Satotz stood near the front, eyes glancing over the gathered examinees.
The appointed time was drawing near; most had already arrived — exhausted, mud-streaked, and barely standing.
He checked his pocket watch, the metal glinting faintly under the flickering lamps.
"Almost everyone's here," he murmured.
But a faint crease appeared between his brows — the few he had taken an interest in were still missing.
A few more minutes, and the gate would close.
After that… no one would be allowed to enter.
---
"Huff… huff… huff…"
The candidates who'd only just staggered in were in no state to care about appearances — bent over, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat.
Each inhale felt like knives in their lungs, the toll of the merciless trek through the Milsy Wetlands.
His sharp eyes darted left and right, searching for familiar faces — Gon, Kurapika, Leorio — but none were there.
"…They didn't make it," he muttered, regret edging his voice.
It was a pity. They were about his age, and they'd gone through the same nightmare together. He had hoped they'd all stand here again — alive.
---
At the far end of the clearing, Killua stood quietly by the finish line, his usual grin nowhere to be found.
He leaned against a tree, silver hair brushing the wind, eyes fixed on the fog-draped forest beyond.
He didn't say it aloud, but he was waiting — waiting for them.
From behind him, Hanzo's mocking voice broke the silence.
"Still waiting, huh? You do realize the clock doesn't stop ticking for friendship."
Killua didn't answer, his gaze unwavering.
Hanzo smirked. "Tch. Guess you'll learn the hard way. You can't save everyone — especially not in this exam."
He shrugged, his tone half-joking, half-cynical. "They probably thought they could play heroes — go back for their buddy and still make it here in time. Foolish."
---
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Soft but steady footsteps echoed down the path.
Hanzo stopped mid-sentence, glancing toward the sound. The other examinees turned too, eyes narrowing as shadows emerged through the thinning mist.
Then —
Out of the fog stepped a slender figure, walking calmly as though the swamp had never touched him.
Osren.
Behind him came Gon, dirt-smeared but bright-eyed, and Kurapika, still steady despite the exhaustion etched across his face.
The trio's steps synchronized as they approached — one, two, three — like the rhythm of quiet defiance.
"Gon! Osren!"
Killua's expression lit up instantly. He pushed off from the tree and ran to meet them, his usual grin snapping back into place.
"You guys actually made it!"
Osren gave him a small, tired smile. "You doubted us?"
Gon grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Hehe… just barely."
They didn't even get a moment to take in the surroundings — no time to rest, to breathe, to celebrate.
Because the next second—
BANG!
A single gunshot cracked through the air, sharp and deafening, cutting through the chatter like a blade.
Every candidate froze.
The echo rang out against the cold metal walls of the testing hall.
And just like that —
the real exam had begun.
---
Bang!
Satotz raised his pistol toward the sky and fired a single shot. The sharp crack echoed through the clearing — the signal that the first phase of the Hunter Exam had officially ended.
"Time's up," the examiner announced in his calm, steady tone. "You've all done well to make it this far. Welcome to Biska Forest Park — the venue for the Second Phase of the exam."
His voice, unhurried and measured as always, carried easily across the crowd of weary candidates.
Kurapika wiped the sweat from his brow, his shoulders finally relaxing.
"It looks like… we made it," he said softly.
Relief flooded through him as the realization sank in — they had actually made it in time. Osren had been right all along.
Gon, however, wasn't celebrating. He was scanning the crowd restlessly.
"What about Leorio? And Hisoka?" he asked, unable to hide his concern.
"They're here," Osren said after a brief glance around.
He remembered the arrangement between Hisoka and Illumi — that shady "agreement" that had pulled Hisoka away earlier. If Illumi had called him, it meant the two were probably together now.
Hisoka was hard to find, but Illumi's eccentric appearance was a giveaway — tall, pale, dressed like a walking voodoo doll, and impossible to blend in despite his stealth.
Osren's sharp eyes swept across the crowd once more — and there they were.
Illumi, standing near the edge of the clearing, silent as ever, with Hisoka lounging beside him.
"There," Osren said, subtly pointing in their direction.
Following his finger, the others turned just in time to see Hisoka, arms crossed and a faint smile on his lips, silently nod toward the southern side of the forest.
They followed his gaze — and saw Leorio, slumped against the base of a large tree, eyes closed, motionless.
"Leorio!" Gon's heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, he sprinted toward him, Kurapika and Osren right behind.
Killua hesitated for half a second, then sighed and followed. "Guess I'll check too. The old man's actually not that bad."
The group rushed across the field, skidding to a stop beside Leorio. His face looked pale, one cheek grotesquely swollen, his head lolling to the side as if unconscious.
"Leorio!" Gon shouted, shaking him by the shoulders.
The sheer volume of his voice did the trick.
"Ugh…"
Leorio's brow twitched. Then, with a grunt, one eye shot open — the other was swollen shut, a huge lump on his face pulsing an angry red.
"What the hell happened…?!" he groaned, wincing from the pain.
Osren crouched beside him and examined him carefully — steady eyes, practiced hands.
Aside from the impressive swelling on his face and a minor cut on his arm (hastily wrapped with his own tie), there were no serious injuries. No fractures, no internal bleeding.
"Just a bruise on the face and a small wound on the arm," Osren concluded. "Nothing serious."
Everyone exhaled in relief.
"Ow, my face—!" Leorio mumbled, his words slurred by the swelling.
Osren couldn't help but smirk inwardly. It's just a lump, man, not a fatal wound.
Kurapika leaned in for a closer look, then nodded solemnly. "You look the same as always."
"The same?!" Leorio roared, voice cracking. "I look like a damn balloon! What happened to me?!"
"You don't remember?" Gon blinked.
"Not at all!" Leorio snapped, clutching his cheek. "The last thing I recall is entering the swamp, and then… nothing."
Osren sighed. "You got punched by Hisoka. Honestly, the fact that you only got a bump and didn't lose teeth is already a miracle. And now you've got amnesia? Talk about melodramatic."
If Leorio ever remembered that he had stood his ground and actually fought Hisoka, he'd probably cry tears of pride — and horror.
But for now, maybe ignorance was bliss.
Osren glanced at the others and lowered his voice. "Let's not tell him what happened. He doesn't need to know."
Kurapika nodded immediately. "Agreed. He's been through enough."
Gon, as always, trusted Osren's judgment completely. "Right."
Even Killua shrugged. "Yeah, no point reminding him of the guy who nearly killed him."
"Here," Osren said, fishing into his pouch. "Rub this on the bruise. It'll numb the pain and help the swelling go down."
The faint scent of crushed herbs filled the air as he handed over a small wad of green paste. It was one of the medicinal plants he'd collected earlier — courtesy of a certain reluctant primate assistant.
"Thanks, Osren." Leorio accepted it gratefully and dabbed it on the lump.
Within moments, a cool sensation spread across his cheek, and the throbbing dulled noticeably.
"…Huh. It actually works," he murmured in surprise.
"Of course it does," Osren said with a grin. "You're talking to a future master of field medicine."
The tension in the group eased. The first trial was over, and they had all — somehow — survived.
But deep in the forest, the trees whispered like an omen.
The second test awaited — and it wouldn't be so forgiving.