Gotoh chopped with his hand, knocking it away. He followed with a "Nen Bullet" from his backhand, sending a guy in a hood flying, taking his number tag and stuffing it into his pocket.
The young butler was very diligent. This was the third person he had dealt with.
With the tips of his shoes as the boundary, no one dared to cross the line.
"Young Master, there are far fewer people."
The "Beep... beep..." sounds were incessant. When they boarded, there were several hundred candidates; after half a day, half had been eliminated.
[Nen Ability "Morphology Change" +10]
After his level increased, the experience points gained were relatively reduced. Roy, holding the branch, remained motionless, pondering the road ahead. Compared to the original work's exam with Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, this term was indeed a bit unusual.
It was too harsh, too cruel. It felt somewhat like an overcorrection. He really didn't know what the "Strongest Human," the Chairman of the Hunter Association, was thinking.
An image of that elderly man in his dotage appeared in his mind: a topknot, wearing martial arts robes with flowing sleeves, and even fashionably wearing an earring like a young man. The other party was perhaps watching this test from somewhere.
Just as Roy thought...
Since Ging's generation, the recent Hunter Exams had relaxed their restrictions, allowing many fakes to slip through. Netero, having learned from this painful experience, retightened the restrictions.
He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt in a bright training room, playing with a volleyball. He flicked it up with his foot, then balanced it on his forehead. The set of movements was fluid, full of martial arts charm.
"The Hunter Exam has begun. Tens of thousands of candidates have gathered at the five entrances. The number is one thousand more than last year." Beanman, in a crisp suit and black bow tie, was reporting to him while holding organized materials.
From time to time, he stole a glance at Zeno, who stood silently with his hands behind his back in front of the French window, overlooking the ground. The man was just standing there quietly, but he couldn't pretend he didn't exist.
"Hoho. More isn't a problem."
"Quality over quantity. The Association wants elites. It doesn't matter if no one passes in the end."
With a nudge of his forehead, the volleyball flew up, bounced off the ceiling, and fell rapidly. Just as it was about to fall past Netero's eyes, the old man extended a finger and steadily caught it, letting it spin 'round and 'round on his fingertip.
He turned his head to Zeno and said, "Don't you agree?"
Zeno was silent. A stubborn face appeared in his mind, and he chuckled lowly, "No, someone will definitely pass."
Hmm?
Netero's expression flickered. He flicked a finger, and the volleyball cut through the air, heading straight for someone's face, only to be firmly caught by a hand Zeno extended in advance.
"What's this? You finally decided to let your eldest come to the exam?"
Old and shrewd, Netero knew he had guessed correctly just by looking at Zeno's expression.
He took the black tea Beanman handed him, took a sip, and said faintly, "A pity. The one guarding the gate is 'Ko-Bo.' He's not as easy to talk to as I am."
"'Ko-Bo'?" Zeno raised an eyebrow.
Beanman quickly steeped a cup of black tea for him too and handed it over. "It's Botobai Gigant. He was just promoted to a Two-Star Terrorist Hunter and happened to be free, so he will be guarding the final phase."
'Him, eh...' Zeno now recalled. 'A troublesome guy.' He glanced at Netero in surprise.
The old man pretended not to see and said directly, "The old master won't let me see Zigg, so I won't let his grandson pass the test. This is very reasonable."
'You two... acting like old children, that's exactly what it is...' Zeno didn't know what to say. One was a hundred, the other over a hundred, yet they bickered like children all day. As a grandchild, he felt helpless, nothing but helpless. But...
"Nothing is absolute. I can't speak for Illumi,"
"But that kid Roy... he might just have a chance."
"Oh?" This time it was Netero's turn to be surprised. He shot Zeno a sidelong glance. "From what you're saying, your eldest has a chance to beat Ko-Bo?"
"I didn't say that." Zeno turned his back to look at the scenery and said faintly, "Botobai is famous for his upstanding nature. Since this isn't counter-terrorism, with his personality, he definitely wouldn't go all out against a few candidates..."
"And, the moment he isn't serious, that's the opportunity."
'That boy's dream of pursuing "freedom" doesn't seem like a joke. At least... in the days Roy has been away from home, the old master hasn't stopped muttering about him...'
Netero was stunned for a moment, then his interest was piqued. "Hoho. Then I shall wait and see..."
"Vmmm..."
The airship churned the air, flying slowly toward the official site of the Hunter Exam...
On the "Poseidon," the bloody slaughter continued...
'I just want to be a Hunter so I can go to more places and uncover our history... Elder, the Kurta clan cannot remain confined to one place, we must integrate into the world...' Kurajing fled desperately through the ship's cabin, her arms and legs covered in cuts, remembering the words she had said to the elder before leaving.
She had never regretted the decision to take the Hunter Exam, but... she had misjudged the cruelty of the Hunter world. Just as she had said to Mark Seam earlier, this term was unusual!
"Surrender if you can't take it. Don't force me to actually kill you." Behind Kurajing was a man holding a dagger.
From the "Nen aura" wrapped around his blade, it was clear he was a Nen user who had already opened his Aura Nodes and awakened his abilities.
Closer... Kurajing could already see the sunlight shining down from the deck. Without looking back, she grabbed the steps and climbed up, only to cry out in pain as she was stabbed in the back again.
She couldn't understand why her own weapon was sliced in two every time it touched the opponent's dagger. Gritting her teeth, she rushed onto the deck, rolled to Gotoh's feet, and begged, "Help me..."
Kurajing was no airhead; on the contrary, she was very smart. Through earlier observation, she had discovered who was the most dangerous on the entire "Poseidon."
One was Pariston and his two bodyguards, who were steamrolling their way through and constantly reaping points. The other... was Gotoh, who had sent three people flying with three "Nen Bullets."
"Young Master..." Gotoh looked back at Roy. He remembered the Young Master had given this girl a couple of extra glances at the airport and hesitated, wondering if he should save her.
Roy said without turning his head, "Don't bother."
He then lifted his branch, hooking another flying fish.
Seeing this, Kurajing gritted her teeth and said, "I have money!"
"If you help me,"
"I can give you all my money..."
"How much?"
"One million..." As the girl said it, her own voice weakened. She knew it wasn't much, but it was truly her entire fortune.
Gotoh:
'I really don't know what to say.'
'One million? Isn't that just insulting?'
He simply gave the dagger-wielding man a sidelong glance. "Why aren't you making your move?"
The dagger-wielding man had originally paused out of apprehension. Now, having received an "order," he pounced in excitement.
Unexpectedly... a cold glint flashed, cutting his dagger and grazing his cheek, instantly extinguishing his ecstatic heart.
"Damn it, didn't you just tell me to do it?" He was so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood. He looked up angrily, only to see the young man who had been fishing quietly suddenly stand up, draw his cane sword, and unleash a flying slash!
The target was aimed straight at Pariston's trio.
The slash hit Clark. Amidst his shrill scream, it took the hand he had been using to attack the strange person!
The strange person froze for a moment and turned his head to look... The young man walked over, sword in hand. He tossed the branch to Gotoh, his calm face unable to hide the towering rage that had suddenly risen!