The Hunter License is an extraordinarily unique item.
For its holder, the license's functionality is immensely powerful.
With it, one can enter 90 % of prohibited nations and 75 % of restricted areas.
It grants free access to 95 % of public facilities and offers financing privileges comparable to top-tier corporations.
Officially, selling it could yield enough wealth to last seven lifetimes.
Thus, for Pro Hunters, safeguarding their license is a lifelong commitment.
Conversely, obtaining one is no easy feat.
Hunters are notoriously eccentric and stubborn.
With such individuals serving as examiners, unreasonable evaluation criteria are inevitable.
Cases like Menchi in the original storyline, where all examinees were eliminated by the second phase, weren't unprecedented.
In recent years, some Hunter Exams had zero passers.
Examinees didn't even get to face Netero, who presided over the final test.
Ironically, despite the earlier phases' brutality, Netero's final test had the highest clearance rate.
But if examinees couldn't reach it, that meant nothing.
The Exam Review Committee was likely exasperated by this phenomenon.
Yet, mysteriously, every decade, the exam would experience a surge of new passers.
Regardless, the Hunter License remained an immensely valuable possession.
Some wealthy collectors were willing to pay exorbitant sums just to own one.
This naturally spawned a breed of illegal Hunters who specialized in stealing licenses.
The two Nen users now blocking the alley had come for Menchi's license.
Morrow's presence, however, was unexpected.
But for seasoned killers like them, one more corpse was trivial.
Immediately, the taller and stronger of the two drew a machete from his back, eyes glinting with cold killing intent.
His subordinate, a bald Nen user, slipped on a set of bladed knuckles, his face twisted with greed and malice.
Morrow glanced at the two, exhaling softly.
Their unguarded conversation revealed their motives, Menchi's license, and their willingness to eliminate bystanders like him.
Valuable things were like black holes…
They attracted all kinds.
Thieves like the Phantom Troupe, collectors like Biscuit and Menchi, and fools blinded by greed like these two.
Innocence invites no blame, unless one holds a treasure.
In the Hunter world, this was reality.
In less than two years, Morrow had grown accustomed to it.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed cold as he flicked the Poultry Scarlet Knife toward the bald Nen user.
A crimson streak tore through the alley.
The aura-wreathed blade reached its target in an instant.
The bald man's face tightened as he hastily crossed his bladed fists to block the incoming knife. The collision between the two produced a metallic clang that echoed through the alley.
The bald Nen user's fist blades were forcefully knocked upward as if electrified.
Meanwhile, the scarlet Poultry Scarlet Knife tumbled backward toward Morrow's position, crossing paths mid-air with a fluorescent green diamond-shaped Shooting Star.
This was Morrow's follow-up attack, launching a Shooting Star at top speed right after throwing the knife.
Having just deflected the Poultry Scarlet Knife, the bald Nen user was left wide open.
The fluorescent green Shooting Star, having passed the knife, shot straight toward him, mercilessly piercing through his neck before flying out of the alley.
"Guh… guh…!"
A gruesome hole appeared in the bald man's neck, blood gushing out as his eyes widened in disbelief. Staggering backward, he collapsed.
At the same time, the towering Nen user charging toward Morrow paled slightly but had no time to worry about his companion.
Because at that moment, the young man who had just killed his ally with a single Nen bullet was now rushing toward him.
Eyes bulging, the towering Nen user swung his greatsword in a downward slash aimed at Morrow's head.
Morrow raised his hand, catching the Poultry Scarlet Knife as it spun through the air.
In one fluid motion, he switched hands, gripping the knife in a reverse hold and raising it overhead to block the descending greatsword.
Clang!
Sparks erupted where the blades met.
But in an instant, Morrow dispersed the force and withdrew the knife, sidestepping as the greatsword crashed into the ground.
A tremendous force traveled through the blade into the pavement, shattering the bricks with a deafening crack.
The towering Nen user assumed Morrow had been overwhelmed by his strike.
In his experience, many opponents, like Morrow, were forced to evade after failing to withstand his raw power.
This was usually the perfect moment for him to follow up with a sweeping slash, sending his foes to their doom.
But before he could act, an impact struck his back.
Thud.
A muffled sound followed as a bowl-sized hole exploded through the front of his shirt, revealing his bulging chest from the impact.
"Guh…!"
The unexpected attack forced a mouthful of thick blood from the towering man.
Before he could process what had happened, a flash of red light passed before his eyes, then a chilling sensation at his neck. His expression froze in shock.
Morrow, having already sheathed the Poultry Scarlet Knife, stepped past the towering Nen user and calmly walked toward the alley exit.
The attack that had struck the man's back was the same Shooting Star that had pierced the bald Nen user's neck.
Though its power had significantly weakened after penetrating the first target, it retained enough form to reverse course mid-air from a hundred meters away and strike the towering man from behind.
With that opening, Morrow had effortlessly slit his throat.
Thud.
The sound of a heavy body collapsing echoed behind him.
Without looking back, Morrow exited the alley, carefully sensing the subtle changes in his aura.
These two Nen users were mediocre at best, certainly not strong enough to provide substantial experience for leveling up. Still, they had slightly increased his aura output.
Better than nothing.
In the future, as his level rose, he would likely need to accumulate experience gradually to progress.
But... So weak, so weak.
Even with the slight experience gain, there was no sense of satisfaction.
Or rather, compared to the experience, what he truly desired was the feeling of walking on a knife's edge, the same sensation he had when facing Nolan's subordinates.
It was precisely that kind of situation, where a single misstep would lead to utter ruin, that served as the true catalyst for rapid growth and the foundation for solidifying the strength of his Starlight Convergence ability.
Pure improvement in aura output level wasn't everything when it came to strength.
The struggle against adversity and death was the far more valuable material needed to forge true power.
With these thoughts in mind, Morrow lowered his gaze and walked straight toward the car parked by the roadside.
—--
In the alley.
Menchi stood frozen, staring at the two Nen users who had been killed by Morrow in an instant. Her heart pounded violently as the image of Morrow's blade slicing through the burly Nen user's neck replayed endlessly in her mind.
That man… was so strong, so terrifyingly strong!
But... he had used the Poultry Scarlet Knife as a weapon for killing.
At this thought, Menchi's eyes shifted to the broken blade lying not far away.
It was the cleaver that Morrow had severed.
Taking a deep breath, Menchi ignored the wound on her neck, picked up the other intact cleaver, and slid it into the sheath at her waist before sprinting toward the alley's exit.
After the earlier ordeal, she had gradually calmed down.
Now, only one thought remained in her mind.
The Seven Chef Poultry Scarlet Knife was not a murder weapon; it was a kitchen tool!
Its brilliance should be used to create culinary masterpieces, not to take lives!
It was weeping!
This obsessive notion swirled in Menchi's mind.
So, no matter what, she had to find a way to buy the Poultry Scarlet Knife. No amount of money or time spent would matter!
This borderline fanatical stubbornness might very well be the fundamental reason why the girl would later earn the title of Single Star.
But her decision to chase after Morrow in this situation wasn't made purely on impulse.
Menchi was simply unyielding when it came to certain things, a trait fundamentally different from the foolishness of the two corpses lying in the alley.
She could see it...
That formidable boy her age, though ruthless in killing, was not evil at heart.
The proof? He had just tossed the Tree Hollow gold coins, worth billions, back into her arms.
This also gave Menchi a glimpse of the boy's bottom line.
Why had he killed those two Nen users, who had come for the Hunter License, without hesitation in an instant?
And why had he only subdued her instead of delivering a fatal blow?
It was about killing intent and threat.
Menchi understood that, in that boy's eyes, the difference between her and those two corpses was that she had never shown him the slightest hint of killing intent or threat.
And so, armed with this realization, Menchi dared to pursue him.
—--
By the roadside.
Morrow got into the car and started the engine, only to suddenly furrow his brows.
Click.
The passenger-side door opened.
Menchi's long, fair leg stepped in before she plopped down into the seat, closed the door, and fastened her seatbelt in one smooth motion.
Morrow turned his head, his expression calm as he regarded the girl who had so boldly invited herself into his car.
Under the weight of his scrutinizing gaze, Menchi did her best to suppress the pounding in her chest and spoke her intentions plainly: "No matter the cost, I want to buy the Poultry Scarlet Knife. If you need a sharp weapon that suits you, I can make a trip to Jappon for you. Their sword-forging techniques are exceptional, you'll surely find something satisfactory there."
"..."
Morrow looked surprised.
Not a trace of the previous panic or fear remained on Menchi's face.
This level of emotional control already highlighted part of Menchi's capabilities.
An Enhancer, no doubt.
That's why she had this death-defying stubbornness, she could easily go toe-to-toe with Gon.
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