Longing Through The Silence [Hunter x Hunter x KNY! Reader]

ハンター試験パート十六 | The Hunter Exam Part 16

Having passed the fourth phase, everyone heads to the final location of the exam.

"Well gentleman and lady, everyone rested up? Good. Now then, the hunter exam committee runs this hotel, so I want all of you to make yourselves at home until the battles have concluded," Netero says.

A man rolls up a whiteboard covered by cloth as Netero continues. "For the final phase of the hunter exam, you'll be competing in a one-on-one tournament." Netero takes off the cloth, revealing the brackets.

"Hold on a second. So only the last person standing passes?" Asks Leorio.

"No. You only need one win to pass this phase."

"Just one?" Gon repeats.

"Wait, so in this tournament..." Leorio trails off.

"See it's the winners who will drop away and the losers who will advance to the next round. Which means, the person who finishes at the top will not pass. Make sense to everyone?"

"You're saying that only one person will fail the exam," Hanzo reiterates.

"Exactly. Here is the bracket we've put together." Netero takes off the piece of tape covering the brackets. Gon was up first against Hanzo, (Y/N) fighting the loser. Kurapika was up against Hisoka. Gon, Leorio, and (Y/N) all look to Kurapika in concern, but he pays them no mind.

"Impressive, yes? You see, under this format, every competitor has at least two chances to win a round."

"Yeah, but some people get five chances to win like numbers 294 and 405," Pokkle says.

"Couldn't you have used a more balanced bracket?" Asks Bodoro.

"Hm, now that's a fair question. This bracket was carefully assembled based on your individual performances throughout the hunter exam. To put it simply, those whose performances were rated highly will have the most chances to win," Netero explains.

"I'm not convinced. Could you explain exactly how you scored our performances?" Killua interjects.

Netero cracks a smile. "NO!!"

"Why not?!"

Netero laughs. "I can't say because your scores are classified. I can't reveal your actual scores. However, I can explain the criteria we used. We start with the basics. There are three categories. There's physical strength, mental acuity, and lastly, overall impression. When judging physical strength, we rely on an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception. For mental acuity, the aggregate consists of resilience, adaptability, judgement, and of course creativity. But these are only reference points. After all, every last one of you was strong enough in mind and body to reach the final phase. We're most concerned with your overall impression. This refers to any intangible factors that defy basic categorization." Netero chuckles slightly. "Think of it as our way of assessing your potential as a hunter. We round out our assessment by incorporating the opinions of your peers. There you have it."

'Based on my performance, I should be ranked higher. Do I have less potential than Gon and (Y/N)?' Killua thinks.

"The rules of the battle are really quite simple. Weapons are allowed, cheating is forbidden. If your opponent admits defeat, you win. However, if you kill your opponent, you will be disqualified without hesitation. And if that happens, the exam ends and the remaining applicants will pass, got it?"

"Let the final phase of the exam begin!! The first match, Hanzo versus Gon! Enter!"

The two step up, turning to face each other.

"I'm Masta. I'll be serving as referee for the tournament. Good luck, both of you."

"Hey, good to see you again. You were the one who was tailing me around during the fourth phase," Hanzo speaks.