The air inside the tunnel was still and heavy, echoing with the synchronized pounding of hundreds of feet. The walls seemed to stretch forever, lit only by dim lamps spaced far apart, made it hard to judge time or distance.
60 kilometers. That was the distance Examiner Satotz planned for them to cover—without stopping.
Silver ran with steady breath and light feet, arms swinging with practiced rhythm.
"This pace… it's nothing," he whispered to himself.
"Master Toh had me run daily—with weights."
He glanced at Ponzu beside him. Despite her usual soft and cheerful demeanor, she was surprisingly calm, her pace solid and consistent. Her yellow pants fluttered slightly with every stride.
"You're doing great," Silver called over.
"I used to hike mountains every day," Ponzu said between breaths, "to hunt for wild beehives. This is just… a flat mountain!"
They shared a grin before settling back into their run.
Around them, some examinees weren't holding up well. Some had already dropped out, collapsing against the walls, clutching cramping legs or groaning in exhaustion.
Meanwhile, #99 zipped past casually on a skateboard, hands in his pockets, smirking.
Ponzu glanced at him, "Show-off."
#99 ignored them and continued with his
Silver chuckled, but his focus stayed on the path ahead.
"Just stay steady," he reminded himself. "Endurance wins."
They weren't the fastest, but they were consistent—clocking kilometer after kilometer with discipline and just enough conversation to keep each other going.
And then the dim lights ahead finally widened into a long set of stairs going upward.
"Stairs, is this the end of the first trial?" One of the panting examinee asked Satotz, to which he simply continued his large steps.
after few more minutes of running up the stairs, light welcomed them and everyone got excited. Silver and Ponzu continued their pace and jump through it when it was within reach.
Outside they were welcomed by the examiner, #405 and #99.
"Whoa, you two are good!" Silver exclaimed.
"You're not bad yourselves, Name's Gon." The green haired spiky kid introduce himself. He offered his hand for a handshake.
"Silver, and this here is Ponzu." Silver accepted it and also introduced Ponzu.
"Hey you got silver hair too, are you related to Killua?" Gon asked while he points to Killua.
"I'm not sure, Silver Curtis' my fullname."
"Killua Zoldyck, I don't think we are related either." Killua introduced himself fully as well.
Hearing the name Zoldyck, some of the participants take notice and stay out of kid's immediate area. Killua didn't seem to be bothered and ignored their antics.
"Gon! Killua!" A tired voice came from the back of the group as #403 and #404 exited the door and joined them.
"Kurapika! Leorio!" Gon replied! "Meet Silver and Ponzu!"
"Hi!"
"Hello!"
Leorio noticed the silver hair and immediately looked at killua.
"Not related." Silver butt in before he could ask.
"I'M NOT THINKING IT!" Leorio shouted.
"But Leorio, your eyes tell a different story." Gon innocently answered.
"I'M NOT AND THAT'S IT!"
"Ok ok, no need to make a scene." Kurapika trying to descalate the situation.
"What's his problem?" Ponzu grumbled.
"I HAVE NO PROBLEM, OK!"
"ok. ok, sheesh" - Ponzu.
...
Ten minutes after Silver and Ponzu crossed the finish line, the heavy door behind them slammed shut with a deep metallic clang. A murmur of shock rippled through the hall as Satotz turned to face the remaining group.
"Only fifty of you have failed the first phase," he said calmly, his thin curled mustache barely moving. "We still need to drop this number by half before the next exam."
He gestured toward the massive swamp bathed in dappled sunlight. Tall grasses swayed in the wind. Trees of all sizes stretched across the horizon, and birds cawed overhead.
Without another word, Satotz began jogging forward again. The group quickly followed—tired but unwilling to fall behind.
At first, it was manageable. But as they pushed deeper into the swamp, a low fog began to roll in—thin tendrils at first, curling around ankles and underbrush. Then thicker. And thicker still.
Visibility dropped.
Silver glanced around, but the once dense group of examinees was beginning to splinter. He could barely see more than a few meters ahead now.
"This fog…" he muttered, slowing instinctively.
"I've noticed it too," Ponzu said, her voice steady but alert. She tapped her pink hat, and a soft buzz rose from it as several bees emerged and hovered close to her.
"I've sent my bees to track the Examiner's scent. They're staying just behind of him."
"You can do that?" Silver looked amazed.
"I trained them for wilderness work. I used to send them after honey trails from dozens of feet away." She glanced over at him. "Just stay close. As long as they know stay near Satotz, we won't get lost."
Silver nodded. "Got it. Lead the way."
Fog coiled around their legs and fingers of mist snaked past their faces. Shadows darted in the distance, and the sounds of other examinees yelling in confusion echoed faintly through the veil.
But Silver stayed glued to Ponzu's side as they moved forward at a steady pace—guided by the small, humming bees that darted forward and returned like loyal scouts.
In a forest where the path was lost and the group scattered like leaves in the wind, their alliance was their anchor. And with Ponzu's bees leading the way, they kept their direction consistent as the fog swallowed the rest of the group.
...
The mist began to thin. Blurred outlines sharpened.
Silver and Ponzu emerged from the edge of the forest trail, their breaths calm but steady. Ahead of them stood Satotz, unmoving, arms crossed. His thin mustache twitched slightly as he regarded them with his ever-stoic expression.
"You two were the first to arrive," he said, almost in surprise.
"Impressive."
Silver grinned and patted his knees. "Master Toh's endurance drills weren't for nothing."
Ponzu exhaled deeply, brushing sweat off her brow. 'And my bees never lose track of a scent.'
Just behind them, the fog parted again.
Killua Zoldyck was next, his hands in his pockets, his expression as casual as ever. Not far behind him came Illumi, silent and composed, followed by Hanzo the ninja, moving with surprising quietness for his size.
Soon the remaining examinees they had noticed on the first day began appearing from the mist:
The Amori Brothers, together as a pack.
Pokkle, with his bow slung across his back.
Tonpa, wheezing slightly but smiling smugly.
And finally, Bourbon.
Silver tensed slightly upon seeing him. "He made it…" he muttered under his breath, frowning.
Ponzu glanced over at him. "Try not to let it get to you. There's always one snake that slithers through the cracks."
Bourbon, calm and unreadable, met their gaze for a moment—but said nothing. He stood a bit off from the group.
A few more minutes passed, and then out from the mist came #44—the tall, tan-skinned man carrying Leorio over his shoulder.
Moments later, Gon burst out of the fog, slightly winded, with Kurapika not a second behind.
"We made it!" Gon said.
Gon eyed his sorounding looking for Leorio, when he saw #44 looking back at him pointing to a tree.
In the tree, lay an unconscious Leorio. Standing to his sides are Silver, Ponzu and Killua.
"You're late," Killua smirked at them.
"We got here first," Silver shrugged with a proud grin.
"What happened to him?" Ponzu pointing at the unconscious man.
"In the middle of the run, #44 started being his own examiner. He suddenly attacked multiple examinees. We somehow passed his evaluation that's why he brought us with him here." Kurapika tried to explain.
"He is strong! I barely landed a hit on him, and that's when he is fighting dozens! Better to stay clear from him." Gon added.
Silver and Ponzu took the advice seriously while Killua simple whistled nonchalantly.
...
30 minutes and 10 seconds passed.
"We've come through the swamp. Well done, All of you!" Satotz started. "This is the Visca Forest preserve, where we will conduct the second phase. This is where we part, wish you all Good Luck!" He ended as he started to walk away from the group. 'About 150 passed the 1st phase, frankly i thought less than 100 will pass. There are exceptional examiness, however the next examineers Buharoa and Menchi are quite peculiar. Maybe I should stay and observe.'
...
*Growwwwwwl*
Everyone examinees looked at the out of place warehouse in the middle of the forest.
*Growwwwl*
Everybody tensed their senses as they ready for what to come.