Chapter 44: Hanzo – That Guy Is Extremely Dangerous

While Yamcha was waiting for several hours, examinees began arriving at the finish line one after another.

The second to arrive was Hisoka, who called himself a magician, taking a total of six hours. Upon seeing Yamcha, he flashed an inexplicable smile—one that made Yamcha want to pull out a submachine gun and unload a full clip into him.

Next came Gittarackur, the Nail Monster, and Hanzo, the ninja. These were all individuals Yamcha had paid attention to, and as expected, they passed the exam successfully. Along with them were Gon and his friends, among others.

At this point, the Hunter Exam was nearing its conclusion. Generally, there were only five stages in a Hunter Exam.

The fourth stage of the exam was "Hunter and Prey." This was a dual-role challenge—while being a hunter, you could also become someone else's prey. In simple terms, it was a badge battle.

Your own badge was worth 3 points

Your assigned target's badge was worth 3 points

Any other person's badge was worth 1 point each

To pass, you needed at least 6 points

If you didn't go after your assigned target's badge, you'd have to take at least three badges from other participants instead.

The targets were assigned randomly.

Theoretically, there was a chance of drawing your own badge. Since your badge was worth 3 points and your target's badge was also worth 3 points, that would mean an instant pass. However, unfortunately, Yamcha didn't draw his own badge. It seemed like the selection box had some sort of automatic recognition ability—perhaps even a Nen-based mechanism.

Yamcha's badge number was #1, and his target was #301—one of the last opponents he wanted to face: Gittarackur, the Nail Monster.

Gittarackur's real name was Illumi Zoldyck, the eldest son of the Zoldyck family—the most feared assassin family in the Hunter world.

He was also the older brother of Killua Zoldyck.

Although he looked like a creepy guy with a face full of nails and a mohawk, that was just a disguise. His true appearance was that of a cold, expressionless young man with long, flowing black hair and large, piercing eyes—a refined and handsome figure.

He was even considered one of the three most attractive men in the Hunter world, alongside Hisoka and Chrollo Lucilfer, the leader of the Phantom Troupe.

But that wasn't the main point.

The main point was—he was incredibly strong.

Right from his first appearance, he stood at the pinnacle of the Hunter world. Even in the later stages of the story, he remained among the strongest elite.

He practically never lost a fight—except for the one time Killua wished for Nanika to teleport him away.

A man who was both devastatingly powerful and dangerously attractive.

Just like Yamcha himself.

Illumi possessed all the assassination techniques that Killua had learned—and more. He was stronger and deadlier.

If Yamcha could secretly learn assassination techniques from Illumi, it would be a huge advantage.

So…

A sharp glint flashed in Yamcha's eyes. Upon reaching the exam's designated island, he briefly locked his gaze onto Illumi before vanishing into the dense forest.

Unlike previous exams, this fourth stage did not begin simultaneously for all examinees. Instead, the order of entry was determined based on the rankings from the third exam. Since Yamcha had placed first, he was granted priority access to the island.

That meant he had ample time to find a good hiding spot.

And set up traps.

Hours Later

"One… Two… Three…"

Humming a tune, Yamcha looted the badges from the three people he had ambushed.

Badges #197, #198, and #199—GET.

These belonged to Imori, Umori, and Amori, a trio of brothers known for their solid teamwork. In previous exams, their trust in one another and numerical advantage had allowed them to pass smoothly.

For this exam, they had planned to work together again.

Little did they expect that as soon as they entered the forest, they would be ambushed by Yamcha.

"Got enough points. Time to bail."

Without the slightest intention of lingering, Yamcha decisively headed toward the examiners' location.

Only an idiot would pick a fight with Illumi just to learn some assassination techniques or practice their skills.

That would be far too reckless.

Winning wouldn't bring any benefits. Losing would be meaningless.

Doraemon's world had already taught Yamcha a valuable lesson: never take unnecessary risks without absolute certainty.

Unpredictable factors always outweigh your own abilities.

If you don't have enough trump cards, don't go looking for trouble.

So, instead of trying to steal Illumi's badge, Yamcha opted to snatch points from weaker opponents.

"Hmm?"

As Yamcha was moving swiftly through the forest, he suddenly sensed something. He stopped in his tracks and scanned the surroundings, but nothing seemed out of place. Without hesitation, he picked up the pace, disappearing into the dense woods within moments.

Meanwhile

"I was almost discovered."

Hiding behind a massive tree, Hanzo let out a slow breath after confirming that Yamcha had truly left. He slid down against the trunk, feeling his muscles relax.

"That gaze just now… I almost lost my composure."

As a high-ranking ninja of the Hiding Cloud Style, Hanzo was no stranger to the underworld. He had seen many powerful figures before. Even someone as dangerous as Hisoka was someone he would merely keep his distance from, without actively provoking.

But just now, when Yamcha's gaze briefly swept past him, he felt a bone-chilling dread—a primal sense of danger that struck deep into his very instincts.

Every nerve in his body had screamed at him.

Get out of here. Stay as far away from that guy as possible.

"No wonder he placed first in the last exam…"

"That guy is extremely dangerous."

Hanzo mentally branded Yamcha as someone he must never provoke.

His original target was Amori, one of the three brothers.

He had been tailing them, planning to strike at the right moment—but then Yamcha swooped in and wiped them out first.

Hanzo had briefly considered ambushing Yamcha or at least negotiating for a badge exchange.

But before he could even act on that thought—he was noticed.

Now? Forget ambushing. Even just approaching Yamcha was something Hanzo instinctively rejected.

"Never mind… I'll just go after weaker opponents instead."

After all, non-target badges were still worth 1 point each. If he collected enough, he'd still pass.

Hanzo stood up, steadied himself, and set off in search of easier prey.

Five Minutes Later

In the very spot where Hanzo had been standing, a shadow slowly revealed itself from the branches above.

It was Yamcha.

"I thought it might be Hisoka or Illumi. Didn't expect it to be Hanzo."

"His stealth skills aren't bad. I almost didn't notice him."

"Alright. Confirmed there's no ambush waiting for me."

"Time to go."

(End of Chapter)