"I won't be going in later. Just have the examiner for the second phase come and verify the results. With Killua here, the count should be correct."
"Understood." Netero seemed unconcerned. "So, what do you plan to do next?"
"Next?~ Once the Hunter Exam is over, I want to ask Killua a few questions, then drop by to see you, Chairman. I haven't even had a taste of your tea yet~"
"Ho ho ho! If you wanted tea, you should've just asked me or Beans. But why wait? If you only come after the exam, that'll be at least another half a month."
"It won't take that long this year. Can't you tell that Killua is getting impatient? He'll definitely find a way to end things early."
"If this weren't an official Hunter Association exam, I bet he'd trample the rules outright. Do you believe me?"
"I do."
Netero nodded seriously, then broke into a hearty laugh.
"Seems like I need to give the second-phase examiner a heads-up—he'd better be extra careful when setting the exam conditions, hahahaha~"
He put special emphasis on the word "careful."
Old man, up to no good again.
Ronnel shot him a glance, silently offering his condolences to Killua.
Looks like that kid's plan to finish the exam quickly just hit a roadblock.
"Now you should have enough time to sit down for some tea with an old man, right? Why not join me? I have a few questions for you—about Ging, the Matar family, and Gel~"
"Alright, I'll take you up on that~"
Netero made a quick call to the second-phase examiner, informed him of the situation, and arranged for the next phase to begin. Then, he boarded the airship back to the Hunter Association headquarters with Ronnel.
By the time the airship took off, the second-phase examiner had just arrived.
At this moment, the battle royale was drawing to a close.
"Bang!"
The last calculated strike landed, and Killua stopped in his tracks, lowering his arms. Without a word, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, his face calm and collected.
He had the air of a true master~
"Finally over?"
The remaining examinees let out relieved sighs.
"Killua, you're really something..."
Bourbon wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking exhausted.
But then, his thoughts turned to the second-phase examiner—the so-called champion of Battle Olympia.
"Just how strong is he?!"
For the first time, Bourbon realized the world was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
"Anyway, passing is all that matters~"
Ponzu clutched her chest, trying to steady her racing heart.
At the same time, she glanced at Sommy and his monkey, who lay unconscious among the fallen, unable to escape defeat. A sense of distant sorrow washed over her.
Just then, the second-phase examiner walked in. Taking in the scene and the strange atmosphere, he looked momentarily confused.
...
"Didn't Pyon say this phase would be a large-scale melee? To pass, examinees need to defeat five opponents and collect their number plates. But... why does this feel completely different from what I envisioned?"
The examiner, still unaware that the first-phase had been altered, was left baffled~
Back at the Hunter Association, Netero retrieved his treasured tea leaves. Beans, having just finished processing some documents, was free to prepare the tea.
As the rich aroma filled the air, the conversation turned serious.
"Old man, you know I spent time at the Cruz Cemetery, working with corpses day in and day out. It's only natural for my body to carry some toxins."
"That's true, but the toxicity levels are abnormally high. Even Gel is still locked away in her lab studying it..."
"Couldn't be helped. At the time, the Matar family tried to take me out, and Gel happened to be on their side. Some collateral damage was inevitable."
Ronnel chuckled, raising his cup to take in the tea's fragrance with a satisfied expression.
"Old man, your tea is excellent."
"Ho ho, an old man like me doesn't have many pleasures left... But while we're on the topic, I have one more thing to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"After everything that happened at Cruz Cemetery, and all those ancient tomb incidents, it's clear that your Nen is tied to the dead—lifeless reactions, grudges, that sort of thing."
"Then two years ago, when you visited the Hunter Mausoleum, was that also related to your Nen?"
Ronnel's hand, still holding the tea cup, paused slightly.
"Yeah, it was because of my abilities."
In front of an old man like Netero, there was no point in hiding it.
"I figured as much~" Netero smiled knowingly as he sipped his tea.
"After you left, I took a group from the Hunter Association to pay our respects. And interestingly, I noticed there wasn't a single trace of lingering grudges in the mausoleum."
"Anywhere with that many dead should have at least some residual grudges. But there was nothing. That's when I started suspecting."
"Oh? Then why bring it up only now?" Ronnel raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Two years had passed, yet Netero was only mentioning this now? That wasn't like him.
"What's there to ask?" Netero chuckled. "We just happened to be sitting here, drinking tea, and the thought popped into my head."
He took another sip, his expression calm and thoughtful.
"If something from the past isn't worth holding onto forever, then there's no point looking back. After all, life is about moving forward."
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