Some time ago, Pariston's death left a vacancy among the Hunter Association's Zodiacs' members.
Also, due to Netero's poor physical condition and his critical recovery period, the Hunter Association had yet to select a suitable candidate to fill Pariston's former position as the Zodiacs' Rat.
Of course, choosing a new Zodiac member wasn't something that could be decided so easily.
Aside from Moses, there are seven people among the other ten members of the Zodiacs who had responded to Netero's special directive:
Mizaistom, the Cow, Double-Star Crime Hunter,
Botobai, the Dragon, Triple-Star Terrorist Hunter,
Gel, the Snake, Double-Star Poison Hunter,
Saccho, the Horse, Double-Star Problem Hunter,
Ginta, the Sheep, Double-Star Poacher Hunter,
Cluck, the Rooster, Single-Star Botanical Hunter,
Ging, the Boar, Double-Star Ruins Hunter.
Among these Zodiacs' members, aside from Ging, who specialized in a single field, the others were all multi-disciplinary Hunters who had achieved significant accomplishments in multiple fields.
This commonality stemmed from the fact that the criteria for reaching Triple-Star Hunter status required major achievements in multiple fields.
Therefore, most Zodiacs' members pursued at least two professions, aiming for the lofty goal of attaining Triple-Star status.
For example, Botobai also worked as a prosecutor.
Another example is Cluck, a Rooster who is a Botanical Hunter, musician, and dancer.
Pro Hunters like Ging and Moses, who achieved greatness in a single field without branching into others, were similar to legendary figures like Linne Horsdoeuvre, the Double-Star Gourmet Hunter, and Biscuit, who devoted themselves solely to their passions.
They are also Double-Star, but have never sought to advance to Triple-Star.
The reason why Moses was able to obtain a Triple-Star title with just one specialization was due to his unparalleled contributions during the Chimera Ant incident.
It can be seen from this that-
These members of Zodiacs who are willing to spend their time and energy in multiple fields all possessed formidable strength in their own right.
Now-
These elite Hunters were all keeping a close eye on Moses in their own ways, patiently waiting for September 9th to arrive.
Moses had no idea that Netero had issued a special directive targeting him, nor did he know that Ging had also joined in on the fun.
After spending three days and nights in a hotel with Pyon and Ickshonpe, Moses went to the hospital to visit Netero.
When he arrived at the VIP ward, the nurse informed him that Netero was currently outdoors for some light exercise.
After a brief moment of thought, Moses expanded his En to cover the entire hospital and instantly pinpointed Netero's location.
Netero, who was stretching his limbs, immediately sensed Moses's En.
Soon-
Moses arrived at the hospital's park and saw Netero sitting on a bench.
About a month had passed, and Netero's energy and spirit had mostly recovered, though his body wasn't as robust as before.
Whether it was his face or his exposed arms, one can clearly see that the muscles are no longer as firm as before, and there are some age spots visible to the naked eye.
This recovery result was in line with the initial expectations of the attending doctors.
Moses stood on the path in the park, observing Netero's current condition calmly.
'As expected…'
'The full-power Zero Hand he had unleashed at the East Gorteau Palace had severely damaged the old man's foundation.'
'This kind of damage was irreversible.'
'The old man is already very old. If it weren't for his Nen Abilities and the Enhancer attributes...'
'At his age, he would've already shriveled up like Maha Zoldyck or Linne Horsdoeuvre, his body nearly curling in on itself from old age.'
"You've recovered pretty well."
Moses walked over to the bench and offered a half-hearted compliment.
Netero gazed at the flowerbed ahead, where colorful butterflies flitted among the fragrant blossoms.
"Hohoho."
He just chuckled lightly, tacitly acknowledging Moses's words.
Given how close he had been to death, restoring his body and Nen to this level could be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
Most importantly-
With his current condition, he at least has the capital to face Beyond in battle.
Moses glanced at the faint smile on Netero's face, then slowly looked at the flowerbed in front of him and suddenly asked, "Beyond is one of the top five Nen Users in the world, right?"
"Hoh. If we're talking purely about combat ability, then yes."
Netero replied meaningfully.
Moses could tell there was something deeper behind Netero's words, but he didn't dwell on it.
After all, what he wanted to confirm was Beyond's strength.
"Then you, old man... you're pretty much doomed, aren't you?"
The blunt words sounded particularly harsh, but they did not provoke any reaction from Netero.
"Hohoho."
Netero chuckled again, then raised his hand to stroke the sparse beard on his chin.
"Until the very end, no one can predict the outcome."
"Old man, I'm not trying to undermine you..."
Moses once again turned his head to look at Netero's profile and sighed, "But in your current state, I could take you down with one hand, let alone Beyond."
"You little brat…"
Seeing how Moses kept cutting straight to the heart of the matter, the smile on Netero's face disappeared instantly.
He wanted to redeem himself with words, but he soon realized that Moses was deliberately provoking him, so he simply gave up and stared at the vibrant flower scene in silence.
However, his sudden silence made Moses feel a little uncomfortable.
'Given the old man's usual temperament, he would never just take an insult lying down.'
"Tch. Old man, you're already ancient, why are you still acting like a hot-blooded youngster, gambling your life on a duel? Why can't it just be a normal match?"
Moses refused to give up and added fuel to the fire while closely watching Netero's reaction.
Netero remained unfazed.
"Hohoho."
After a few seconds of silence, he simply chuckled again.
Seeing Netero's unyielding attitude, Moses sighed inwardly.
He just couldn't understand…
'Setting aside the father-son relationship…'
'Why did the old man insist on staking his life when he could've simply used the 'removal of limitation' as a condition for accepting Beyond's challenge?'
'Wasn't it just a matter of lifting the limitation…?'
'Did it really have to escalate into a public spectacle of a father and son fighting to the death?'
'Forget it.'
Moses knew that mere persuasion wouldn't sway Netero's decision, so he gave up the idea of continuing the topic here.
He suddenly stopped talking, and Netero also remained silent.
Suddenly, the surroundings grew so still that only the faint rustling of grass in the breeze could be heard...
Netero continued to gaze at the flowerbed, but the corners of his lips curled slightly into a faint smile.
He valued Moses' abilities and cared deeply about his future.
He knew that Moses wouldn't interfere with his wishes, but he also knew Moses wouldn't just stand by and do nothing.
He would always take some kind of action.
And so-
That was why Netero had issued that special directive.
This might very well be the last time in his life that he played such a trick on someone.
Just the thought of it was enough to make Netero smile.
He was looking forward to the day of the duel.
Not only was he looking forward to the showdown with Beyond, he's also looking forward to how the Zodiacs will deal with Moses.