Chapter VI

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"The true master does not seek to run away from Death.

He accepts that he must die, and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying."

— Albus Dumbledore, on the Master of Death

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Somewhere, a teenage guy was lying asleep in a comfy bed. He was unconsciously snuggling, searching the warmth further in the cold night.

But the teen soon realized that there should be no ones with him. And when a pair of green-eyes opened, it met with yellow-eyes that was glowing in the dark. The green-eyed teen was startled.

A red light shoots from his left hand unconsciously, hitting that person in front of him flying, crashing on the wall.

Cursing out loud, Harry's eyes widened as he recognized the intruder.

"What are you doing here, Hisoka?" asked Harry with his raspy voice. The said person just walking with his creepy smiles and climbed on the bed as the previous act had never happened.

'What?' Harry asked with his eyes.

Smiling, Hisoka leaned into his personal space. "Well, I just want my beauty sleep." Harry scrunched his nose, 'Lies.' he thought.

That made Hisoka eye-smiled in amusement. Launching himself at the teen, Hisoka trapped Harry between his arms.

'Shit.' Harry cursed inwardly. He knows that Hisoka wants something from him. There is no way he is pursuing him without any thought in mind.

Faces inches away from each other, Hisoka looks at him with their tip of nose almost touching. "You know what I want." licking his lips sensually.

Harry keeps his silence. And when there is no reply nor change in Harry's demeanor, Hisoka leaned further. Their lips almost touching. Harry decided that enough was enough. He pushed Hisoka's chest away.

Unfortunately, the red-haired joker wouldn't budge.

Irritated, Harry gave him an annoyed look, "Fine! But it will be in my condition! Otherwise, I would never accept!"

Eyes watching the way Harry's lips move, he says with a taunting note, "Is that a challenge?"

"Think about what you want."

Smiling in satisfaction at his answer, Hisoka lets Harry move out of the bed. Laying on his side with his palm supporting his chin, he drawled, "I do remember that this room had no bed before."

Giving him a stink eye, Harry slammed the door shut, earning a chuckle from the red-haired man.

•

Harry walked with hurried steps, He was fuming inside. Cursing his luck wherever he went. Trust his luck for letting him slip in front of someone so troublesome.

It's alright if he slipped using his Nen, but his magic...

"I should've manipulated his memories back then." sighing in defeated manners, Harry realized that something unexpectable like Hisoka witnessed his magic would bring excitement to this vacation of his.

"Well, I'll let it be."

Strolling in the hallway, Harry caught a tinge of bloodlust. Curious at this turn of events, his feet brought him to the unique sight.

Killua with his shirts off and two corpses lay on their blood behind him.

"You shouldn't leave the floor dirty, you know."

Turning back with his hand still full of veins and nails sharpened, Killua's eyes widened and he smiled, "Hari!"

"Hulo," raising his hand in greetings, Harry returned the smile, "Are you going to sleep?"

Ignoring Harry's first remark, Killua asks him back, raising his eyebrows teasingly, "Why are you not sleeping yet? I thought you said that you wanted your beauty sleep."

Faking a cough and muttered about someone who disturbed his sleep, "Are you hungry? I want to cook something. The kitchen should be empty at these hours."

Smirking, Killua eyeing him with mischief, "You are truly a bad, bad influence." and he means it in different ways.

"Shut up!"

•

Standing with the other applicants on the top of a skyscraper building, Harry and the four kids looking around.

"Ahem... Everyone, the exam's Third Phase will begin here," the green-man begin, "at the top of Trick Tower. To pass this phase, you must reach the tower's base alive." he clarified that the time limit is within seventy-two hours.

"With that, we will now begin the Third Phase." He excused himself back to the airship. His voice rang from the speaker above, encouragingly.

Harry was standing beside Gon who was peering at the bottom from the tower's side. He gazes at the ground and touching his chin in wonder.

The tower is not precisely that tall. Harry can jump out and land without a scratch. Or maybe he can use the broom or stealthily apparating but it certainly would be boring.

"Are we supposed to climb down?" Leorio sweatdropped with his hands hugging the suitcase.

"That would be suicide/boring," Kurapika answered at the same time as Harry as he earned a strange look after that.

"What?" he arched his eyebrow questioningly.

Ignoring him, they turn back as someone talks behind them in an arrogant manner. Nothing worth mentioning.

Harry's expression was bored as he glances at the man trying to climb down and then got chewed by a flying strange creature that looks like an ugly baby with wings.

'Hmm, I can always go back later.' Harry nodded inwardly, looking at the flying creatures.

"G-guess we can't climb down the side," said Leorio shakily.

"That's clearly not the right way." Kurapika nodded.

When they spread out, searching for a clue Harry unawares step on a hidden door and falling inside.

Landing gracefully on his feet, Harry looks at his surroundings and found out that he was in a hidden room. A square room with brick walls and a flat monitor, also two devices displayed below it.

Eyes catching the other presence he felt before, noting the man was the one who he called the green friend of Hisoka.

As the man walking over, words appeared on the monitor.

It said, "The two of you, must compromise with each other to reach the goal." staring the pin man as they had a silent agreement, the two of them grabbed the stopwatch each.

The Third Examiner introduced himself. He explained that they're actually in a prison. And as the two of them had to work together, the examiner would give them a rather 'nice' challenge.

And without further ado, they press O.

While Gon who luckily doesn't get separated was ended up with Kurapika, Leorio and Killua, got Tonpa, the troublesome Rookie Crusher, as their fifth teammate. Harry got a strange but strong partner as a teammate instead.

"As I know, your job doesn't require you to have a Hunter license..."

Glancing at the person who apparently trying to make a conversation, Harry can't help but try to recall Hadrian's past. And when he did not found anything at all, Harry indifferently agreed.

"Hmm, Lady Sephira must be the one who arranges it for you..." he stated, looking at him stonily like a puppet and sure as hell, creepily.

Refusing to show any signs of weakness, Harry's voice boomingly demands Death to give him some hints about this person's relation to Hadrian.

[Chill, Master. Hadrian never had to meet this person before. Just ask him if he's the eldest son.] Death said tonelessly.

Harry complied and ask, "Are you the eldest son?"

"Yes... Nice to meet you..." Offering his hand, the pin man introduced himself, "My name is Illumi Zoldyck... but I go with Gittarackur for this exam..."

Concealing his bewilderment, Harry accepted his hand, "Hadrian Black, as you may know, and nice to meet you too." he replied, 'He's using a different name, then this appearance must be a disguise.'

Looking at the man who had no resemblance to Killua at all, he feels this kind of situation was rather odd. After Killua told him in the airship that his family conducting business in the assassination, Harry was rather curious about them and ended up digging into it online.

He found out that the Zoldyck family is the deadliest and most infamous group of assassins in the world. Different from the Dark Hallows which dabbling in many aspects, Killua's family profession lays in the killing.

So, he was certain that the presence of this eldest son was either for his mission, for Killua or maybe both.

As Harry was swimmingly wipe out the entire obstacles who blocked their way, Gon and co. were at the beginning of the one-on-one fight with the prisoners.

After Harry and Illumi arrived at space room without a door, the examiner's voice sounded out from the speaker, ||This is the last room and you will arrive at the destination place shortly.||

||However...||

A singing pain felt on the wrist where Harry wore the stopwatch. He staggered to his knees, losing control of his body rapidly.

||Your teammate has become a liability now and you have two choices.||

Turning his head and looking at the healthy companion beside him, Harry took a bezoar from his dimensional pocket which connected to his bottomless backpack and putting it in his mouth.

||First, you can exchange the antidote for fifty hours of your time and the door will not be opened before the time limit.|| a second pause, ||or you can just dispose of him.||

"Very clever." Harry remarked, and seeing Illumi did not move nor voicing his choice, Harry stood up, "but it was unnecessary as you can see." and wiping out the imaginary dust on his pants.

"So, open the door before I blow it up myself," Harry said, smiling with coldness.

A burst of booming laughter filling the room through the speaker as the wall sliding up, opening a path for them.

•

||Hanzo, applicant #294, is the fourth to pass||

Harry glanced at the bald man who was shouting the top of his lungs in excitement stop in his track, before looking at them with stupefied looks. Realizing that he was the fourth to arrive.

"Nooooooooo!"

•

Hanzo's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the three people in front of him. Deciding to broke the eerie silence that surrounds their environment, he slams the cards on his hand down in triumph.

"Flush!" he grinned, certain of his winning.

"Hmm, what a pity." Hisoka smiles mockingly as he showed his cards, following by the other two.

"..."

"There's still next time."

Looking at the cards displayed open, Hanzo's face becomes red in anger as veins popped out. "You three must be cheating!" his finger pointed at them irritatedly, "There's no way I'd lose four times straight!"

Grinding his teeth, controlling his anger, Hanzo stood up, "I don't want to play again, hmph!"

"Don't be like that." restraining his urge to laugh, Harry tried to placating him but failed as the ninja said his farewell while stomping madly.

"There goes our victim." Harry sighed sadly, mouth twitching in a smile.

"You gave him no mercy," Hisoka commented lightly.

Harry raised his eyebrow, "So the both of you." eyes darting at the applicants, remembering their faces and numbers. Harry was checking on his watch before looking up to the specific entrances as it slides up and smiling when he saw three familiar peoples stepped out.

||Kurapika, applicant #404, is the twenty-first to pass.|| then it said Killua and Gon's announcements following by Leorio and Tonpa's.

Walking over to the kids, Harry greeted them with a smile. "Hey, I know you guys will make it." Gon and the others turned to him. "What happened to you?" he asked, gesturing at their rough appearances.

"Hari!" The spiky-haired kid bouncing up and down as Leorio ruffling his hair and praising him for his ideas.

The blond teen then explained how the five of them had to choose for leaving two people over a short path or the long path for them to remain together. Gon ideas saved them. Breaking the wall from the long path to access the short one without sacrificing anyone.

"Aa, I got that kind of obstacle too." Nodding, Harry ruffled Gon's hair, "Good job, Gon." the kid laughed in embarrassment, "It's not easy to make a plan in a difficult situation."

"How did you solve your situation then, Hari?" tilted his head, Gon asked in curiosity.

"I shall tell you later."

"Un,"

||The Third Phase of the exam is over. Twenty-six applicants have passed. One has died.||

An exit opens up after the announcement was over, revealing the outside of the tower as the light swept inside.

•

"Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower." a petite man with a distinguishable violet mohawk, red eyes and large clear glasses who wear long sleeve dark shirts and grey trousers standing in front of them. "Only the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase remain," he said and pointing at an island behind as he explained where the Fourth Phase will be held.

Zevil Island.

Another examiner brought a box over and the applicants need to draw lots to determine who will hunt and who will be hunted. In other words, they will be pitted against each other.

"We have odd numbers here. How will it works?" some random person voicing everyone thought.

"Then, the odd one will be an unfortunate one. Simple as that," he answered.

In the box, there are twenty-five cards and the card will have ID numbers of the person they will hunt. Because of the odd number, then there will be two cards with similar numbers.

The applicants took the card in order by which one who exited the tower.

The first person who came up obviously was Hisoka, who garnered the attention of the other examinees, then followed by Illumi and Harry.

"You're number three." whistling at Harry, Killua commented lightly as he back with a card in hands.

"Why? Jealous?" he teased the silver-haired kid who stuck his tongue out in answer.

"Ne, Killua. He said something about hunting and being hunted. Does that mean we will be fighting each other?"

Tapping his card on his lower lips as he listens the kids talk, Harry's eyes catching Hisoka who imitating his action with a sly smirk. Subconsciously lowering the card, Harry glared at the red-haired Joker.

"Everyone has taken a card?" a second pause, "Then, remove the seal from your card," he instructed.

Removing the thin paper, Harry looks at the number and brazing it in his memory.

"The card indicates your target." Lippo, the Third Examiner said.

Touching the plate number on his chest, Harry silently casting a stronger sticking charm and tracking charm, also applying a minor illusion on it too.

'Is that too overboard?' he wondered.

"This box has recorded which card each of you drew. This means that you're free to dispose of the cards if you wish.

The objectives are to steal your target's ID tag.

Naturally, you're free to use any method you choose to steal the ID tags. Including killing your target and taking the tag off the corpse."

Harry listened to the explanation. The original's ID and the target ID each are worth three points but any other ID just worth one point.

To pass the Fourth Phase, the points needed were six thus they should gather ID worth that points where the time limits are due.

Leaning against the wall as he heard the bickering of the married couple, Leorio and Kurapika, Harry slowly moving away. Silently searching for the other kids.

Seeing the two of them showing their card at each other, Harry approaching curiously over.

"You got 199, Killua?" sitting in front of the kids, Harry put his chin on his palm.

"Yeah, you know who is it?"

Harry smirked, "Want me to tell you?"

Rolling his eyes, Killua replied, "Nah, I'll manage somehow."

Pointing his chin at his card, Harry agreed, "This one is easy." a pause, "but that one." humming as he saw the eerily familiar number, "That would be a hard one, but not unattainable." Harry encouraging Gon.

•

"Thanks for your patience, everyone. We've finally arrived at Zevil Island!" the female guide announced, "Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase." Holding a stopwatch, the girl continued, "After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next person's turn."

The guide told them that the time limit is one week and they had to return to the starting place with six points to pass.

"Those who disembark earlier hold the advantage," Kurapika noted.

"Yeah. They can hide and monitor their target movements."

"I do agree." Harry chuckled, "but doesn't mean it will become a turning point in this phase." folding his hands on his chest. His fingers casually pointed at the four kids, emitting a concealed light. Marking them.

After Hisoka and Illumi walked off, Harry turned to the fourth teens and say, "See you!" waving his hand as his turn is up.

•

Sitting on a tree branch near the entrance with his invisible cloak, which fused into his body, turned on. Harry had to wait for his target to come before summonings the ID plate.

After a while, the ID number of #*** flying up to his palm without the owner noticing something amiss.

"Easy peasy."

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