During their conversation in the daylight, Oboro had described the various abilities of the members of the Phantom Troupe to Kurapika. But for someone who hadn't yet mastered Nen, it was all theoretical, abstract concepts that he could barely grasp. The presence of other passengers had prevented Kurapika from asking the questions that were burning in his mind, though he understood that this was Oboro's intention. The subject of Nen was, after all, a hunter's secret.
His emotions had been running high, memories of his slaughtered tribesmen flooding back, making a public discussion impossible. Oboro had deliberately left their conversation unfinished, sending a clear signal: "Come to me tonight.
While the other three might have missed such subtle cues, Kurapika understood perfectly. He spent the entire night in Oboro's room, leaving only as dawn approached. Whatever happened between them remained private, but the change in Kurapika was obvious: his face had hardened, his smile gone.
Oboro's status as a three-star hunter carried immense weight. From what Kurapika knew of the Hunters' Union, even if it was one-sided, he understood the importance of those three stars. Oboro could truly help him fulfill his deepest desire: a spider-hunting game. But first, Kurapika needed the qualifications to enter this deadly competition.
His position within the Fells family and the Mafia suddenly made more sense. The harsh reality hit him that he had no real bargaining chips to offer Oboro. The man's help, ostensibly lending books, was more for his own amusement. Kurapika was just another pawn in his game.
"Kurapika, where have you been?"
He had barely left Oboro's room when he met his three companions, who were already preparing to leave. Gon rushed forward with his usual enthusiasm.
"Why are you here?" Killua's eyes narrowed in suspicion. This was nowhere near Kurapika's quarters. His gaze drifted past Kurapika to Oboro's nearby residence.
"You look terrible," Leorio observed with concern. "We're about to arrive at the third test site."
"I see." Kurapika forced a smile and walked past them without further ado.
"What's wrong with him?" Leorio looked confused.
Killua's lips curved into a knowing grin as he pointed to Oboro's room. "Hmph, probably your precious Mr. Oboro doing it again. Why don't you ask him?"
"Yes, I will!"
To Killua's surprise, Leorio actually went to knock on Oboro's door. Moments later, the Three-Star Hunter appeared.
"Mr. Oboro, what happened with Kurapika? Has the misunderstanding between you not been cleared up? I have already explained everything to him," Leorio's seemingly innocent question contained a hint of testing the waters. The boy was more perceptive than he seemed.
"I told him some Hunter secrets," Oboro replied mysteriously.
"Secrets?"
"Don't worry. Once you become Hunters and get your licenses, you'll learn them soon enough." Oboro stepped forward. "The airship is about to land. Get ready!"
"Anyone he targets never comes to a good end, Kurapika must be in trouble," Killua whispered nervously into Gon's ear. "Remember what I said? He's a crime boss, one of the Ten Dons! Besides his overwhelming strength, his background is unbelievable. Someone like that would never waste time on newbies like us, unless Kurapika has some use for him or he's hiding something from us."
Killua stroked his chin with a wry chuckle. "Though Kurapika may be handsome," Having been manipulated by Oboro before, Killua spoke from experience.
"Killua" Leorio missed the implication at first, but when it hit him, he could only scratch his head, speechless.
"Hahaha, just kidding," Killua coughed. "Anyway, judging by Kurapika's expression, he won't tell us what happened" "No, maybe it's possible!" Leorio suddenly clapped his hands.
"Idiot!" Killua rolled his eyes.
"What did you say?! You brat, say it again!" Leorio, who had agreed with Killua, hadn't expected the much younger white-haired boy to insult him. He jumped up in anger.
"Hurry up!" Oboro called from ahead.
"Coming!" Gon adjusted his backpack strap and ran after them, ignoring the brewing argument between Killua and Leorio.
---
Minutes later, twelve candidates stood at the third test site, the Trick Tower. Most of them began to study their surroundings, taking in the spectacular view of forests and mountains visible from its height.
Like Satsu before him, Oboro made a few brief remarks before boarding the airship and leaving the third examiner, Lippo, to conduct the exam.
As the airship headed for the final examination site, Oboro's phone rang. It was Netero.
"Well, how is it going? Any promising prospects?"
"Two extremely outstanding children. One is the most talented bloodline in the history of the Zoldyck family, and the other is Jin's son," Oboro reported.
"Oh?" The old man's interest was immediately piqued. "Compared to you?"
"In raw potential alone, they far surpass me." "High praise indeed." Of course, potential wasn't everything.
"Would you like to see for yourself?"
"Jin's son," the old man mused, his eyes narrowing. His tone suggested more interest in the name Freecss than in Zoldyck.
---
Meanwhile, in the Republic of Padokea, several members of the Phantom Troupe had gathered in a hotel's presidential suite, though some were still en route or otherwise occupied.
"Hisoka just called. He ran into Oboro, who's now a Three-Star Hunter and one of this year's exam proctors," the knight reported, emerging from the adjoining room, waving his phone.
Chrollo sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, his purple fur-lined windbreaker and cross forehead tattoo as distinctive as ever. Next to him stood Pakunoda and Machi, with Feitan, Shalnark and Phinks nearby.
"The fact that Hisoka was not attacked proves that your judgment was correct," the knight continued with a self-deprecating smile. "For the last few years, Oboro hasn't paid any attention to us, maybe we're just 'outdated' toys to him now."
His words visibly irritated Feitan, though he remained silent. The deaths of Phinks and Franklin felt as fresh as yesterday, and Oboro's cruelty had left deep scars.
The hospital scene still haunted them, Franklin's dismembered body wrapped in bloodstained sheets, the crimson spreading.
There was only one way to free herself from those shackles: Kill Oboro. As long as he lived, that feeling of vulnerability would never fade.
"Hisoka also mentioned that Oboro has become frighteningly impossible to read. But if we attack together, our chances are good. We're different from a few years ago," the knight pointed out, putting his hand on his hip. "His arrogance works to our advantage."
"Three-star hunter?" Chrollo looked at the static-filled TV screen. "Don't celebrate too soon. Hisoka may be compromised. The plans of this man are not easy to understand."
"You mean Hisoka did not take the hunter's exam for the license but because you sent him to test Oboro?"
"How could you be sure that he would be an examiner?" Machi opened her eyes slightly and looked at Chrollo. She'd assumed that Hisoka's attempt at the exam was a personal decision and that he had completed the mission that Phinks and the others had failed.
"I wasn't sure if Oboro would be there," Chrollo replied calmly. "But Hisoka joined us after our incident, so caution was necessary. His presence at the test where Oboro appears raises questions about their connection."
"Are you saying that Oboro arranged for Hisoka to infiltrate us?"
Machi was on full alert now. She'd often worked with Hisoka in the past years when the troupe worked in pairs.
"Impossible," Pakunoda interjected. "I tested him by asking him why he joined the Troupe. He said it was for fun. There were no fuzzy images in his memory."
Indeed, after Franklin's death, every new member underwent Pakunoda's screening on Chrollo's orders. It showed how deeply Oboro had affected them.
"This is speculation, not certainty, perhaps it is coincidence. But you know the abilities of our enemy. We've been tricked before; we must maintain that vigilance," Chrollo said quietly.
Everyone fell silent.
"Why focus on Hisoka?" the Knight looked at Shalnark, who had joined them later.
"The previous Number 8 was a Zoldyck, hired by the family. No trace of Fells involvement, no need for extra precautions."
The knight suddenly remembered something. "Didn't you contact the Zoldyck family? What was their response?"
This was their third attempt to price Oboro's murder. The previous two offers had been unaffordable.
"Still no good?" The knight read Chrollo's silence.
"What kind of monster is he? His price keeps going up, which means the Zoldycks consider him more and more dangerous. Being a three-star hunter alone wouldn't justify this." "The Fells family's reach exceeds our estimates. The Zoldycks consider background, power, identity and status beyond individual strength," Chrollo explained. "So I have modified our request."
The others looked at their leader.
"Our goal now isn't his death, but serious damage to the Fells family. Killing him immediately isn't realistic, I'll have two Zoldycks occupy him to buy us time to eliminate as many targets as possible."
"Ah, wear them down gradually!"
"Is that person really that strong?" Shalnark, who had been listening silently, finally spoke up.
"Incredibly so!" The knight nodded gravely. "He's already killed two of us, and even together we can't guarantee victory. His mind is more dangerous than his strength! When Number 7 died, Oboro was badly injured, but he still outmaneuvered us, and the information gap means that we know nothing about him, but he knows us thoroughly."
"Don't worry though. Things should be different now. While we've been avoiding the Fells' territory, we've been gathering information about their organization. Besides, after so long, the power gap between us must have narrowed."
Three stars didn't automatically mean strength.
"Oh," Shalnark nodded, still not fully understanding, but grasping the basics.
"Pakunoda." Chrollo's voice cut through the room.
"When Hisoka returns, test him again. Change the question. Ask him directly when he and Oboro first met."
"Understood."
Was it during this hunter's test or before? If it was during the examination, there would be no problem.
Years ago, there had been something wrong with Pakunoda's questioning of Hisoka, but given the circumstances, their caution hadn't extended to outright suspicion.
The group had quickly dispersed after that, never to reunite again until now.
But now, Oboro's unexpected appearance as an examiner while Hisoka was taking the test, Chrollo needed answers.