Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 5.

Completing the first half of Phase One, Illuki stands at the doorway with hands hidden behind her, back leaned against the wall with a dead expression while waiting for the exam to resume. Humming to herself, the female moves off the surface and approaches Hisoka once he exits the underground passageway. "You were slow," she commented with a blank stare, shifting her gaze to the fog that began clearing up to reveal a thick forest.

"That was just a warm-up," the magician rolled his eyes at the comment, shuffling his deck of cards out of boredom, also facing the mouthless examiner.

"The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp. We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam. This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who will deceive humans and prey upon them," Statoz elaborates to the mass of humans, turning to give them a pointed look. "Be very careful. If you let them fool you...You're dead," he informed as the underground entryway commenced to close off the failing applicants. "These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey. An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit...Hence the name: Swindlers Swamp," the lilac-haired man advised, revolving to begin trekking again. "Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived," he says.

After his explanation, some were on edge about the creatures inhabiting the wetlands they were about to trek through. However, before the group could commence with the second half of the First Phase, a loud cry was heard.

"Don't let them fool you!" the exclamation seizes everyone's attention, pivoting to see a beaten-up man in ragged clothing, stepping out from the side of the doorway. "D-don't fall for it...He's lying to you!" the mystery man shouts, pointing accusingly at the suit-wearing examiner. "He's an imposter! He isn't an examiner...I'm the real examiner," he confidently declares, earning confused remarks from some participants. The unknown man then pulls something into their sighs; a monkey-ape-looking creature that freakishly resembled Statoz by a lot. "Look at this...It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands! Ma-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them," he explained, pointing yet another accusing finger at the supposed examiner.

'Seriously? What kind of bit is this?' Illuki thought, an eyebrow raised at Hisoka who throws 6 of his sharp playing cards; 3 each towards either examiner to identify the real one, that being the mouthless man who caught the flying cards with ease.

Silence and tension filled the space, the echo of the magician shuffling his cards being heard alongside his sly chuckles. "I see...I see...That settles it...You're the real one," he smirks, eyeing sinisterly at the lilac-haired gentleman. "Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack," the redhead explained.

Statoz acknowledges Hisoka's compliment however provides the magician with a warning as the redhead had previously attempted to kill a previous examiner. "He was attempting to confuse the applicants to lure some of them away. You will be encountering such deception on a regular basis. I believe that a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity. Do you understand? If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's Second Phase. Do bear that in mind," he advised, leading the way into the wetlands.

Maneuvering through the wetlands, the magenta-haired female giggled to herself at the suffocating tension that was encircling Hisoka who merely smirked. She matches his pace, letting out a snicker that easily caught the magician's attention. "Well, aren't you a fan favourite~," she chimed childishly, jogging ahead of the man and pivoting to face him while running backwards. "Everyone hates you~," she sang with a teasing smirk.

"I suppose so," he chuckles in a low tone. "Care to join me in a little detour, Darling~?" he asks, the smirk on his face widening upon noticing the matching one on the woman in front of him.

Hisoka and Illuki pivot off the path Statoz led and headed into a secluded open area where a group of men dressed in matching navy getups pursued their movements from behind. In the open field, the emerald-eyed beauty yawns as she stretches her arms upwards, squatting by the magician's feet as they waited for their guests to arrive. Seconds later, the men trailing the duo surrounded the pair with their weapons drawn, pointing at Illuki and Hisoka who were unfazed by their suppose ambush.

"I knew you weren't Hunter material," the man Illuki assumed to be the group's leader, glared at Hisoka with his arms crossed.

One of his henchmen speaks up, shoving his weapon towards the redhead. "We'll spare you if you swear not to take the Hunter Exam again," he negotiates, glaring at the redhead who didn't flinch.

"Sure," his blunt acceptance confused the group however Hisoka continues. "I'm passing the exam this year so I won't need to retake it," he clarifies causing the woman by his feet to giggle at his response.

The leader of the group scoffs at his statement, sternly speaking on behalf of the group, "Passing? Idiot! It's impossible to determine which direction the main pack went!"

"Meaning we've all failed the exam!" another henchman exclaimed.

A deep chuckle erupts from Hisoka along with pleased giggling from the woman squatting by the magician's feet, the menacing grins on the magician's unfaltering. "So that's why. Having already failed, you wish to play examiner. Hunters require prey. Why don't I play examiner...And judge whether you are Hunter material?" he suggests with a closed-eye smile directed at the group.

Enraged by the redhead's words, the surrounding men lunge onwards to strike the duo only for Hisoka to discard them with ease. With one of his cards held in between his index and middle finger, his arm swings in a swift circular motion to cut through the men around him and Illuki, their bodies falling to the ground simultaneously. Witnessing his companions' fall, the leader of the group attempts to retreat with horror settled in his eyes, mouth agape as he stumbles away from them.

"Now then..," the ruthless magician approaches where the captain was crawling away, striking the card into his head and automatically killing him.

"That was uneventful," Illuki commented with a deadpanned tone, standing up from her crouched position and resting a hand on her waist. She strolls over to where the redhead stood before their eyes travel towards the direction where they felt the presence of two individuals were surveying them. Striding towards the strangers, Hisoka invited them to join their detour only for them to run away in opposing directions when they got closer to them. "A wise choice," she hummed with a pleased smirk.