Turns out, they were with Komugi, trying to complete her main quest to get the corresponding cards.
Killua and Gon both lost to Komugi in Gungi very quickly.
They didn't meet the conditions to get the cards.
The requirement to pass wasn't to beat Komugi, of course.
There probably aren't many people left in the world who can win against the Saint of Gungi.
You just needed to hold out for a certain number of moves to clear the challenge and get the most basic card. The longer you lasted, the better the reward.
Killua and Gon racked their brains, but without even understanding the rules of Gungi, there was no way they could block Komugi's relentless plays.
But Kurapika was a different story. He had met Komugi before, and they'd played several games together. Now, he was going toe to toe with her on the board.
Finally, after Kurapika made another move, Komugi smiled.
Ever since her vision returned, her smile always made her eyes almost vanish under her thick eyebrows — but the excitement in her expression still shone through.
"Kurapika, you've already met the minimum requirement. You can take the card and leave now. Do you want to keep playing?"
Kurapika looked at the board, the game still unfinished. He was about to answer — when suddenly, there was a loud bang.
He turned quickly and saw a familiar figure not far away — it was Germain.
"Teacher?" Kurapika stood up. He hadn't known Germain had returned to Greed Island three days ago.
Killua and Gon glanced at each other, then leapt down from their seats in surprise.
Komugi was the slowest to react. She stammered a few confused "Ah… ah…" sounds when she saw Germain — then suddenly tried to stand up.
But in her panic, she knocked over the Gungi board. Black and white pieces clattered across the floor.
Flustered, she scrambled to pick them up, but in the process banged her head hard on the table's corner.
She clutched her forehead in pain, tears almost welling up in her eyes.
To avoid delaying Komugi's work, everyone left her current residence and found a vast, barren field surrounded by red earth and rocks.
Kurapika shared the experiences he had over the past six months with Germain. As the listener, Germain remained quiet, allowing him to speak freely.
Kilua and Gon, standing to the side, chimed in with their own thoughts. Though much of it was trivial detail, Germain didn't mind hearing more.
Finally, Kurapika cautiously brought up his desire to join the Hunter Association's exploration team.
By now, it was common knowledge that the Hunter Association would be sending an elite exploration team for the colonization voyage. There was no need to hide this from Kilua and Gon.
They were still young, but not naïve.
News websites had already been reporting on this, and specialized sites for professional Hunters provided even more information.
Germain responded the same way he had when answering Morel, telling Kurapika to decide for himself whether he wanted to go.
"I'm your teacher, and I'm glad you ask for my opinion," Germain said. "I believe that you, now, can shine brightly in the Hunter Association's exploration team."
Kurapika let out a breath of relief at Germain's support.
He had submitted his application to the Hunter Association, but it had been held back—neither approved nor rejected. At that time, he had already known the Association was waiting for Germain's opinion.
As long as Germain didn't object, the Association had no reason to reject him, someone with actual combat ability.
Soon after, Kilua and Gon also voiced their desire to join this grand colonization voyage.
Like Kurapika, they submitted their applications, but unlike Kurapika, their applications were quickly returned.
The reason was clear.
This reminded Kilua and Gon of a piece of advice they often heard from players they met on Greed Island: "You're not qualified. You're just not qualified."
Kilua and Gon were frustrated by this. Under Knov's guidance, their Nen abilities had developed rapidly, and now they had formed the foundation of their powers.
They felt that they too were more than capable of joining the expedition.
Of course, how much of it is truly for exploring the Dark Continent, and how much is just for fun, only they themselves know.
Killua and Gon knew that Germain was one of the Twelve Zodiacs of the Hunter Association—a big deal with a prominent status. If they could establish a connection with him, it might open doors to joining the team.
So, to show their worth, the two boys demonstrated their newly learned Nen abilities in front of Germain.
Gon, a specialist in Enhancement, had a Nen ability called "Rock-Paper-Scissors," which allowed him to create three different types of moves.
"Enhancement" for "Rock," "Transmutation" for "Scissors," and "Emission" for "Paper."
Killua, whose Nen ability was "Whirlwind," belonged to the Transmutation category.
As the name suggests, he converted his Nen into electricity for offense and defense. It also stimulated his nerves, boosting his speed and reflexes.
These were just the basic forms of their Nen abilities.
Both Killua and Gon were geniuses, among the best of the best. Given time, they would definitely reach the combat power level of the Twelve Zodiacs, and this wasn't even their limit.
But right now, they were still too inexperienced.
To put the two boys in their place, Germain warmed up for a bit and then knocked them both to the ground, the entire process taking less than five seconds.
Killua and Gon sat on the ground, their faces and clothes covered in dust, questioning life itself.
Especially Killua.
Gon's "Rock-Paper-Scissors" had a significant flaw—it took too long to build up the Nen, so Germain easily caught him and knocked him down, which was perfectly normal.
But Killua's "Whirlwind" was different.
He knew he couldn't beat Germain, especially since he couldn't even defeat Kurapika right now.
But Killua had been hiding a move, one that he had just used against Germain. He believed that this move would catch Germain off guard.
That move was "Whirlwind: Godspeed," which would push his physical abilities to their absolute limit.
He couldn't win against Germain, but maybe, just like a game of "Red Light, Green Light," he could at least touch Germain's back. That should be possible, right?
The result was that Killua's hand hadn't even touched Germain before Germain turned around, grabbed his wrists, and threw him to the ground. He rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.
Killua's "Whirlwind·Godspeed" had indeed made his movements much faster, but it wasn't to the extent that Germain couldn't react.
This made Killua remember the first time he met Germain last year.
At that time, he had challenged Germain, and the situation back then was almost the same as it was today.
"I've definitely improved... and a lot!" Killua thought, sitting dazedly on the ground, his expression filled with disbelief. It was still Gon who reached out and helped him up.
"You guys are still too weak." Germain said mercilessly. "Joining the Hunter Association's exploration team wouldn't do much."
Both Killua and Gon were a little disappointed.
However, actions speak louder than words. They weren't the type of people to act recklessly, insisting on joining the exploration team. That would only hold others back.
"Then... when can we join the Hunter Association's exploration team?" Gon asked, a bit reluctant to accept the answer.
The Hunter Association's exploration team departing on August 8th was just the first batch. Depending on the situation, there would definitely be reinforcements later on.
Gon had already learned a lot about Ging from Kurapika, and he had more or less figured out that Ging was probably playing an important role in this colonization expedition.
As long as he could get involved, Gon believed he would definitely be able to find out more about Ging.
Germain thought for a moment before saying, "Just like with the Heavens Arena before, let's make another agreement."
"What agreement?" Both Killua and Gon leaned in with curiosity.
Germain briefly explained the main quest for Greed Island, where they needed to use cards to fly deep into the "Elite Area."
"You'll be prohibited from using flight or teleportation cards to directly reach the end location," Germain said. "You must break through from land and reach the final checkpoint."
With that, the difficulty of completing the quest skyrocketed.
The monster attack patterns in the "Elite Zone" may be rigid, but their stats are so high that they can't be underestimated.
Killua and Gon, planning to advance by land, would definitely encounter Elena many more times.
The two boys exchanged a glance but didn't show any signs of fear or panic. Instead, they felt a subtle excitement. They enjoyed challenges like this.
Their experiences in places like the Heavens Arena and the early areas of Greed Island, along with the improvement of their Nen abilities, had given them the confidence to accept the challenge.
"We'll succeed!" Gon said. "When we do, you have to let us join the exploration team!"
"Alright," Germain replied. "As long as you keep your promise and clear the level, not only will you be able to join the exploration team, but I'll also tell you the exact location of Ging and what he's been doing."
With this promise, Gon's eyes lit up.
He could hardly wait to start the next phase of Greed Island!
However, before they left, Germain had one more thing to do, and it was something he needed to discuss with Killua.
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer