Illumi arrived on Zevil Island.
The moment he stepped onto the island, he produced more than a dozen Nen-infused needles and inserted them into his body. In the blink of an eye, his appearance changed from Gittarackur back to Illumi.
He did not hide himself at all, appearing openly.
Watching from a distance through a sniper scope, Ruco—who had been waiting for days—lit up with excitement.
(Note: Ruco is the red-haired sniper who needed Illumi's tag. I genuinely forgot she existed and thought this was an AU and instead Gtratta needed Illumi's tag. See comment for picture.)
"At last, he's here."
Ruco had practically scoured every inch of Zevil Island but never once saw Gittarackur. Just as she was about to give up and instead look for three ordinary tags, Gittarackur finally appeared.
"Where in the world was he hiding all this time? No matter. All I need is his tag."
"Line up the shot, fire, grab the tag. That's it."
Ruco continued to watch Illumi intently, waiting for the perfect moment.
Illumi, on the other hand, leaned against a tree. He had rushed over right after finishing another job and still hadn't rested. He calculated that there were two or three days left before this exam ended—plenty of time—so he intended to relax momentarily, then gather intelligence and track down his target.
Just then, he sensed a piercing gaze directed straight at him.
Illumi frowned slightly.
"Someone's already set their sights on me?"
He shifted positions, but the hidden gaze followed him wherever he went. Its sharpness felt like a thorn at his back, raising a trace of displeasure within him.
"Am I their target…?"
Illumi twirled a needle between his fingers.
Ruco kept peering through the scope.
"This guy seems dangerous. I have to wait for the best opportunity."
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
"Now!"
Just as Ruco was about to pull the trigger—
Whoosh!
A sudden swoosh of air broke the silence. A single needle streaked straight toward Ruco's concealed position.
Thud!
It struck true, pinpoint accurate.
An instant later, Ruco felt her entire body go numb.
Boom.
She collapsed, dropping her sniper rifle to the ground.
Illumi was momentarily taken aback.
He hadn't even acted yet.
"Who is it?"
Maintaining high alert, Illumi shifted his gaze toward Ruco's location and saw two figures:
Ponzu.
And Ron.
Ron stepped up to Ruco, took the tag from her, and snapped his fingers. The needle embedded in Ruco's body flew neatly back into Ron's hand.
Over the past few days, Ron had deliberately "left Ruco alone" to let her show her abilities and thus enrich the exam's intensity. The more competition and diversity there was, the better it served Ron's purposes.
"Good thing I arrived in time. One second later…"
Ron glanced at the fallen Ruco.
Because Sally's combat power had gradually fallen behind the rest of Ron's group, he wanted a replacement for the sniper role. Ruco fit that niche well. Ron intended to teach her Nen and see if she had the talent. If she turned out to have average potential, Ron could simply chalk it up as a failed experiment—no big deal. He had already gained a pleasant surprise from Ponzu's queen bee.
If Ruco had caused Illumi any real annoyance, Illumi could have eliminated her in the blink of an eye, which Ron did not want. Arriving just in time, Ron landed his own blow before Illumi decided to do anything himself.
"Ponzu, look after her. I'll be right back."
"Yes, Captain."
Ponzu didn't dare follow. Her bee had indicated that the figure ahead was Gittarackur, one of those the queen bee warned her never to provoke.
"Illumi."
With a quick movement, Ron appeared in front of him.
"That guy was your target?"
"Yes."
Ron nodded. "Which number do you need?"
"Number eighty. I recall him being fairly skilled, so I doubt he's been defeated yet. His tag should still be on him." Illumi paused. "By the way, do you know how Killua's doing?"
Ron gave another nod. "Killua's target is one of the Amori Brothers, and they've targeted him as well. Those three aren't strong enough to be a real threat."
"Got it. Thanks for taking care of things these last few days. I'll go find my target now—we can talk later."
"Alright."
Ron watched Illumi depart, then returned to Ponzu's side.
Ruco remained paralyzed on the ground.
"Ponzu, bring her along."
"Understood."
Ron led the way, while Ponzu hefted Ruco onto her shoulder. Even though Ruco was much bigger than her, Ponzu was trained in martial arts and could handle the weight.
Before long, the three arrived at a cave.
"Damn it!"
Ruco was furious. In her view, she had been mere seconds from success—just one squeeze of the trigger away from hitting Gittarackur. Yet, instead, she'd been attacked first and paralyzed by poison. Worse, there had been two of them working together. She felt completely outmaneuvered.
"Ron… Ponzu…"
She recognized them both. "I never expected you two to be in cahoots. You hid it so well that I had no idea there were two people after me. I lost; I admit that. But can we strike a deal? You've already taken my tag—so at least undo this poison? Looks like you only took the tag in my possession. I can help you."
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