Hunter X Hunter : The Boundary

Chapter 29: Entrance Exam

A winter morning in Zaban City, colder than any biting wind. When Ryan got off the bus, the sun was just peeking over the buildings, its light a burnished grey-gold on the cobblestones. The streets were crowded, yet no one spoke. Most were travelers with backpacks, their faces a mix of excitement, anxiety, and confidence.

In the original story, the Hunter Association never explicitly stated the exam's location. The true entrance was hidden. He remembered this part. And he knew the guides on this path were both real and fake.

Sure enough, a middle-aged man in a Hunter uniform approached him. "Examinee? The South Ring Entrance is this way. Follow me."

Ryan's gaze flickered to the man's badge. C-098 A. Fake. The Association's numbering format was different. He simply nodded and kept walking, as if he hadn't heard.

Next, a young girl in a lavish dress holding an "Official Notice" called out, "All examinees with registration numbers beginning with A, please gather at the North Entrance!" Ryan didn't even look at her. The Association didn't classify by alphabet. Fake.

Further ahead, municipal workers were setting up a roadblock in front of an alley. "Pipe burst! Please detour!" they shouted. Ryan's lips curved almost imperceptibly.

That alley was the quickest shortcut. He took a longer, more circuitous route he had memorized a year ago, squeezing past a broken wall that read "No Enter." To him, it might as well have said, "Welcome."

There it was. An unassuming little sushi shop with a "Temporarily Closed" sign on its wooden door. He pushed the door open. The shop was desolate, an old man standing behind the counter. "Sold out," the old man grunted.

Ryan didn't respond. He stepped forward and placed his hand on the third item on the menu, the handwriting blurry: Special Roll: For those who truly know how to savor.

The old man glanced at him, then nodded, pressing a hidden button— a door behind the counter slid open, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness. He had passed the first gate.

At the bottom of the metal stairs was a vast, underground hall humming with the low thrum of electricity. Ryan found a corner, immediately entering a state of perfect Zetsu, retracting every ripple of his aura.

He was now just an inconspicuous pebble in a sea of examinees. He knew there were only two true sources of danger here: Hisoka, and Illumi Zoldyck, participating under a hidden identity. He could not afford to be noticed by those two wackos.

His gaze swept the hall in assessment. He saw them immediately— a boy in green, eyes filled with a wild, determined light—Gon Freecss.

Leaning against a pillar, a silver-haired youth with a skateboard at his feet, his expression a mix of casual boredom and sharp alertness—Killua Zoldyck.

Nearby, a golden-haired youth with a stern, focused expression, reading a booklet—Kurapika.

And a man in a suit and glasses, nervously adjusting his bag—Leorio. The four of them, not yet a team, but already an island in the crowd.

On the other side of the room, a portly, amiable-looking man was offering a drink to a newcomer. Tonpa. The Rookie Crusher. Ryan averted his gaze. Tonpa wasn't a Hunter; he was a trap.

In the farthest corner, a tall, thin figure stood perfectly still, a strange mask covering most of his face. Gittarackur. Illumi's disguise. Ryan's gaze slid past him immediately.

Illumi was here to monitor Killua, and his presence was like a coiled snake. Dangerous.

And then, he saw Hisoka. He stood in the deepest shadow, a playing card rotating slowly between his fingers, a faint, predatory smile on his lips. Hisoka loved to discover "surprises," and an unregistered Nen-user was his favorite kind of toy to break.

Ryan deepened his Zetsu, pressing himself against the wall, making himself small, unremarkable, and uninteresting. He had to be just another examinee, ignorant of the danger that had just arrived.

Just then, an electronic screen flickered to life.

Welcome to the 287th Hunter Qualification Exam.

The hall fell silent— a door opened, and a man with no mouth stepped through.

"The Hunter Exam," Satotz announced, "begins now."