Itsy Bitsy Spider

36. Phase One

Killua listened closely as the examiner declared his instructions.

"This year, 1,493 applicants have made it through this far, but the second phase examiner has asked me to trim that number to about 300. As for the exam, defeat five people in two hours," the examiner announced, throwing up his fingers flashing with polished silver rings. The crowd visibly stiffened at his words, ready to fight and already planning ahead. "When you defeat them, grab their badges. When you have all five, bring them to me."

In the middle of the sea of heads, a hand was raised.

"Uh, yes?"

"Going with that logic, wouldn't it make more sense for each person to defeat four people?" a man inquired, lowering his hand like a former scholar trying to break out of the habit.

"I think you're mistaken," the examiner chided, tutting and shaking a head of lime green at the man with unkept hair, their opposing fashion senses clashing almost as much as their ability to estimate did. "I quickly did the math beforehand—"

"And that math was wrong," the young man insisted, rather unknowing as how to go about this. "There are 1,493 applicants, so if each five people defeated has one extra person as the victor, that's six. If it's one person out of every six, we would have a number closer to two fifty than if we did one person out of every five, which would give us... like, two hunted ninety something?"

"But—"

"And given the fact that the badges aren't going to be spread out evenly among the last ones standing, that'll probably cut down the number by, I don't know, a dozen-ish?"

The examiner kept his mouth shut this time around.

"O-of course, you don't have to listen to me at all, 'cuz that's, like, you know, perfectly fine," the disheveled man muttered, looking almost embarrassed at correcting someone but attempting to stay calm.

"Um, yes. Thank you for that, uh, applicant number 777." The examiner's charisma and flashy personality came back as he corrected: "Defeat four people and give me their badges! I'll be on the other side of the door. As soon as I close it, it's a start for you."

All too quickly, the door shut. There was no warning nor dramatic countdown signalling the start of the Exam, just the soft click of a lock and the heightened anticipation lingering in the air, relishing the peace of the moment before the violence began. The others used this mutual hesitation to paint targets on other people's backs. But Killua already knew.

Cracking his knuckles, his blue eyes glinted as the room started to stir.

He was going after everyone.

The fighting began. Left and right, people attacked their neighbors with their fists or whatever weapon they had brought along, determined to fare better than their previous attempts. There was shouting, grunting, the thud of bodies hitting the ground and the rip of fabric as the badges were torn from their owners. But they were slow.

Amidst it all was Killua, flashing by with a crackle of lighting to his fingertips, knocking down the exam takers one by one with a sharp hit. Defeat them all now. He would collect their badges later. He moved through the air, undisturbed and stringing along the circumstances himself, barely even having to ready himself for the next attack after hitting an opponent.