New World

"Your next assignment will take place in the open world. You will take the Hunter's Exam in two weeks and bring back a hunter's license. I will be notified when you pass. Do not run away, I will know if you have."

Kusana looked at the stack of clothes in front of him. Saggy black and red striped hakama pants, plus a long sleeved white shirt and a black lined with red. Both the shirt and the jacket have two K's on them, one reverse and the other normal.

"Where is the Hunter's Exam taking place?"

"Zaban City."

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In the books Kusana read before, the Hunter's Exam was apparently a very big thing for normal people. Out of the millions of people seeking a Hunter's License, only a few individuals receive them per exam. The one Kusana would be attending is the 287th Hunter's Exam.

Kusana was dropped on a semi-remote island that the boat would be passing by in a few days. Kusana was brought while he was asleep so he had no idea how he had arrived. All he had on him was an informational sheet for the Hunter's Exam and a couple thousand Jenny in his pocket.

The first thing Kusana did was ask for directions to the nearest barber shop. He was actually starting to like his long hair so he decided to get it styled instead of cut. His meteor hammer was left with him, as a way for him to defend himself as he wasn't as well versed in hand to hand combat.

Kusana had his hair in a low ponytail, but left thick bangs on his forehead. His dark brown hair lost the black dirt spots, so now it was back to its original color. Now, he walked around the small town he was in with a long box and a small bag on his back.

After eating normal food for the first time in a long time, Kusana decided to take a nap in the park. The amount of times he slept with the Rakes on his tail allowed him to wake up silently at the slightest change in atmosphere.

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Kusana had a peaceful sleep and woke up doing his normal routine he had inside the forest before realizing he didn't need it. The boat that took people to the island that the Hunter's Exam took place on was in the distance.

Kusana peacefully sat on the port while eating a big sandwich. It was his big sendoff, but he felt almost empty today. Many people from all over the island gathered to this port to wait for the boat, and he was one of them.

He watched as all the families hugged one last time before leaving their families. Kusana saw all types of people; Men, women, even a few children and old people. He could feel all of their hopes and dreams being placed in their relatives and friends.

After doing a lot of research on the Hunter's Exam, Kusana found out that most people don't even make it to the exam. These people would either never see these family members again, or have to see them once again soon. A lot of them barely had any combat training.

Kusana swallowed his wild emotions as he boarded the boat. As soon as he took a step on, he could feel the atmosphere change instantly. He had to swallow a second time to stomach his automatic responses to hostility.

"Who shat in their cereal?" Kusana mumbled. It was a habit he had gained after being isolated for six months. The ship had a dark aura surrounding it, as if all of these people's negative emotions welled up in the same place.

Kusana felt eyes observing him and the new crowd that had boarded the boat. The cheery atmosphere of the island had vanished. All of the people on the boat were eyeing them like they were trying to predict every movement they would make.

Kusana finished up his sandwich and took out a napkin. Everyone watched as he nonchalantly wiped off his fingers and mouth before sitting down on a crate. Again, six months of isolation made a person socially awkward too.

To them, Kusana was a dangerous card immediately. The new crowd of people were very predictable; they were all intimidated by the glares they were getting and left the group silently.

On the other hand, Kusana didn't care about their gazes. They considered him a wild card, someone who could be sitting and chatting with you one day and then kill you the next. The more experienced eyes could see that, although he didn't care at all about them, Kusana certainly kept an eye out.

Meanwhile, Kusana could see all of the people metaphorically shuffling their cards. He internally laughed at his own antics and their reactions to his simple gesture of nonchalance.

The captain of the ship burst out from a nearby door. The people weren't easily startled by him, but he didn't care about their gloomy attitude. "The final stop until we go to the Hunter's Exam is Whale Island. Everyone ready?"

"Yeah!!!" Mostly only the actual crew of the ship responded. The passengers just kept brooding. Kusana also joined in on the yell just for the fun of it, before the captain went out to the front of the ship to look at the midday ocean. He had already assigned someone to take control of the helm.

Kusana approached the captain of the ship. He didn't want to be a party pooper and act like he didn't want to talk to people. Kusana didn't talk to people on the island because he knew he wouldn't know them for long.

"Hello. How was your day?" Kusana almost forgot how to properly greet people, but thankfully remembered. The captain didn't turn to him, but still acknowledged Kusana.

"My day? It's fine. And you?" He wiped the bridge of his nose with the napkin in his coat pocket. The man had a thick sailor accent.

"Well, not much has happened yet. Boarding this boat was the peak of my day. Except that sandwich I had was pretty good…" Kusana began to ramble on about his day, and even his week. He obviously didn't let go of any confidential information, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.

The captain smiled slightly. "Well, I guess some'n on this damn boat got some kinda spirit. Kid's goin' far, I'll tell ye." He thought to himself. The captain let Kusana ramble for a while, but eventually had to go back inside to take hold of the ship.

It felt good for Kusana to get something off his chest for the first time in about a year.