"Thank you."
Leorio left.
Kurapika let go of the pendant in his hand and stared at it. It was stained with blood, and the mingled red and gold looked eerie, making him feel inexplicably uneasy.
"Ron, have you heard of the Phantom Troupe?"
"…Yes, I have."
"Our Kurta Clan was wiped out by them. That group of villains is extremely dangerous. If you ever run into them, stay as far away as possible."
Kurapika said, "Otherwise, who knows what those lunatics might do."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful."
Ron hesitated.
He knew the truth about the Kurta Clan massacre, but telling Kurapika that truth wouldn't help much.
Besides, Kurapika's drive for vengeance against the Phantom Troupe was still valid—because the Troupe was indeed involved.
Right now, knowing the entire truth would only hurt Kurapika, not help him. Mingbo and Kakin are both far larger entities than even Meteor City.
"Kurapika, about the Phantom Troupe—has Hisoka ever approached you about them?"
"Hisoka?"
Kurapika froze for a moment.
"From the looks of it, he hasn't contacted you yet."
Ron said, "Hisoka is the Troupe's number-four member."
Kurapika's pupils shrank sharply, and a surge of killing intent burst from him.
"Don't get excited. Let me finish."
Kurapika forced himself to calm down.
"Hisoka is the Troupe's number-four, but he's not a genuine member. He infiltrated them for his own purposes. Also, the timeline doesn't match up with your clan's tragedy," Ron said. "In other words, Hisoka wasn't involved in the Kurta Clan incident."
"If you really want revenge on the Phantom Troupe, you can consider joining forces with Hisoka."
Even if Ron didn't bring it up, Kurapika and Hisoka were bound to cooperate eventually. Ron was simply nudging things along. Since Hisoka mentioned that the Troupe had targeted Ron, he felt concerned.
Doing this partly repaid Kurapika's warning and also gave Ron a chance to glean more information.
"Would Hisoka agree to work with me?" Kurapika asked, somewhat uncertain. "He's much stronger than I am. And…"
Kurapika was cautious around Hisoka. They had met briefly in the wetlands before, and Hisoka's displayed strength left Kurapika feeling no urge to resist. Plus, Hisoka's mentality didn't seem normal. Could he really be trusted as a partner?
"You can give it a try. It's your choice," Ron said. "At least Hisoka is strong, and he doesn't show any strong intent to kill you. He's more interested in someone else."
Kurapika stayed silent for a moment. "Alright, Ron. Thank you."
When night fell, Kurapika left his room. Spotting Kurapika approaching, Hisoka's eyes flickered.
"Hisoka."
"What is it?"
"I want to talk to you about the Phantom Troupe."
Hisoka narrowed his eyes at Kurapika. "Did Ron tell you to come to me?"
"That's not important."
Kurapika appreciated Ron giving him this lead, but he didn't want to drag Ron in.
Hisoka shrugged. "Fine, come with me."
They moved to a secluded corner, with no one around.
"So, what did Ron say? That I'm a member of the Troupe and you should get revenge on me? Or that I'm actually just infiltrating them, so you should work with me instead?"
Before Kurapika could speak, Hisoka read his expression. "Ah, so it's the latter."
He smirked and toyed with the cards in his hands.
"We do share a common goal. I want to fight Chrollo, the leader, which is why I joined them. You want to avenge your clan by killing all Troupe members."
"But why should I team up with you? Do you realize how weak you are right now? Even the weakest Troupe member is far stronger than you."
Kurapika clenched his fists, and his eyes involuntarily turned scarlet.
Suddenly, Hisoka laughed. "I like that look. It intrigues me."
"Alright. I'll give you the chance to cooperate. But you have to do exactly what I say. I promise you'll have opportunities to take your revenge."
"I'm really curious to see what expression you'll have when you finally kill the Troupe members to avenge your clan. And I'm even more curious how Chrollo will react when he finds out you took down one of his people. Just imagining it thrills me…I'm looking forward to it."
The expression on Hisoka's face startled Kurapika. He had felt relieved when Hisoka agreed to work with him, but that intense look was unsettling. It made him wonder if asking Hisoka for help had really been the right decision.
However, Kurapika knew he had no better option. Right now, only Hisoka could reject him—Kurapika had no grounds to reject Hisoka.
"First, focus on passing the Hunter Exam. Right now, you're nowhere near ready to face the Troupe."
Hisoka reined in his expression and glanced at Kurapika.
Kurapika gritted his teeth. "Hisoka, can you tell me just how strong the Troupe members are?"
"There's no simple way to quantify it," Hisoka answered. "What I can say is that you're nowhere near their level."
Kurapika frowned. "What about you?"
"Well, I'm one of them, aren't I?" Hisoka replied, smirking.
Kurapika paused. "Among the Hunter Exam participants, who else could match the Troupe's level? If someone can, I'd like to see for myself during the exam."
"Want the truth or a lie?"
"The truth."
"Besides me, Ron, and Gitarraku, nobody else comes close," Hisoka said. "They're far behind."
"Only you three?" Kurapika was stunned.
"That's right."
"Really? Not even Killua, Hanzo, Pokkle, Ponzu, Geretta…? Geretta started the third phase even earlier than Ron."
The information left Kurapika incredulous. He thought many of the examinees—people far stronger than he was—might be able to stand up to the Troupe. So just how powerful was the Troupe?
Hanzo was extremely skilled. Geretta had completed each phase at startling speed. Killua had instantly dealt with a brutal criminal like Johness. Yet none of them had what it took?
Hisoka shook his head. "They still don't measure up. That's before the exam ends, anyway. Maybe after they pass, their future prospects will change. But that's another matter."
Kurapika fell silent.