Chapter 83 — Boiled Eggs (Part One)
"Is Gon alright?"
Since Osren had witnessed the incident himself, he naturally asked—partly to check on Gon, and partly so Todo wouldn't get the wrong idea and think Gon was alone.
That said, Osren wasn't too worried.
A similar scene had occurred in the original course of events, and nothing serious had happened then.
"I'm fine."
Gon replied lightly, his tone relaxed and unconcerned.
"That's good."
Leorio let out a breath of relief.
Maybe it was because he was getting older—he really didn't handle scares as well as he used to. Getting called "uncle" all the time probably wasn't helping either.
Kurapika and Killua, reassured by Gon's answer, didn't linger.
Using the elasticity of the spider silk, they propelled themselves upward, swiftly climbing back to the top of the cliff.
"That kid really is something else."
From above, Menchi had witnessed everything clearly and couldn't help but comment.
"Gon is rare," Osren replied casually as he climbed up, having overheard her remark.
"Looks like you made quite a haul."
Menchi glanced at Osren's bulging pack and teased him with a grin.
When it came to Osren—someone she believed possessed exceptional potential as a Gourmet Hunter—Menchi was always unusually tolerant.
"Not bad at all,"
Osren answered as he quietly murmured a few words to the Human-Faced Ape beside him.
The ape nodded, then in just a few agile movements vanished back down the cliff.
Osren, after all, hadn't forgotten about that suspected king-grade Spider Eagle egg.
The serpent egg he'd obtained earlier had already been used on Hisoka—he needed to restock his inventory no matter what.
"Just remember,"
Menchi raised a finger, smiling meaningfully,
"the exam requires candidates to personally descend the cliff and retrieve an egg with their own hands."
"Well, since that's the rule,"
Osren replied with an utterly innocent expression,
"there shouldn't be any problem at all."
This little brat…
Menchi looked at his guileless face and snorted inwardly.
She decided to wait and see how he'd handle things later—especially if Gon ended up without an egg to submit.
With that in mind, she stopped paying him close attention.
Osren shrugged and said nothing more.
After a short while, the remaining candidates began climbing back up one after another.
"Osren, I saw the Human-Faced Ape go back down again,"
Leorio hurried over, his voice tinged with concern.
"Did something happen?"
"Relax. It's a good thing,"
Osren replied, already feeling his mouth water at the thought of that king-grade egg.
"Oh. Then that's fine,"
Leorio said, finally at ease.
By now, the group had formed a habit:
as long as Osren said there was no problem, then there truly was no problem—and more often than not, there would even be a pleasant surprise waiting for them.
"Alright, we're up."
Gon heaved Todo onto the top of the cliff with one final pull. Given Todo's build, it took quite a bit of effort.
"You're always like this—showing off and pushing yourself too hard." describes Leorio, the oldest of the group, who felt like he was worrying himself to death.
"Didn't I say I was fine?"
Gon replied with a bright smile, completely unconcerned, as if what had just happened hadn't been dangerous at all—in fact, he seemed to find it enjoyable.
Over on the other side, Menchi saw that Buhara had nearly finished his preparations.
A massive pot had already been filled with water and set over the fire, and all the examinees had returned safely.
She raised her voice.
"Alright. Ingredient collection is complete."
"Bring your Spider Eagle Eggs to me, one by one, for inspection."
As she spoke, her gaze briefly flicked toward Osren, the meaning unmistakable.
Osren, however, wasn't worried in the slightest—if Gon were so easily defeated, then he wouldn't be Gon.
Sure enough, as the candidates stepped forward to submit their eggs, Todo—who had been sprawled on the ground moments earlier—suddenly pushed himself up. In just a few movements, he was back on his feet, looking surprisingly fine.
"Don't hold it against me."
After taking a few steps, Todo stopped and turned back, describing a wide, smug grin.
"That egg belongs to me."
"That bastard—unbelievable."
Leorio had witnessed the entire incident earlier and was furious. He was just about to charge forward.
"Enough, Leorio," Osren said calmly.
"Gon isn't angry. And besides—sometimes being shameless doesn't mean you're in the right."
He patted Leorio's arm, signaling him to calm down, then nodded toward Gon, who stood nearby with his arms crossed, looking perfectly at ease.
"Exactly. Don't act rashly," Kurapika added.
"And judging by how calm Osren is, it's still unclear whether Gon actually lost anything."
Sure enough, Todo reached into the pocket where he'd stashed the egg—
and found nothing.
"Huh? Where did it go?"
The smug grin froze on his face as he rummaged frantically, turning his pockets inside out. Not even a fragment of eggshell remained.
"Gon, go ahead," Osren said quietly.
He believed there was no better moment to strike than when someone was at the peak of their arrogance.
"Mm."
Gon nodded.
As if performing a magic trick, he pulled a Spider Eagle Egg from his pocket, took a few quick steps past Todo, and stopped in front of Menchi.
"It's with me," Gon said simply.
"When did you take it?!"
Todo stared at the egg in Gon's hand, finally realizing that it had been gone from his pocket for quite some time.
"So you can be crafty too, kid."
Menchi held the egg up to the sunlight, checking for damage. Once she confirmed it was intact, she spoke with some amazement.
"But during the test, why did you save Candidate No. 255 without hesitation?"
She was genuinely curious about Gon's earlier decision.
If Gon had failed to submit an egg, he would've been nothing more than a foolish boy who saved someone without thinking of the consequences.
But the fact that he had protected his own interests and retrieved his egg changed everything.
"Because…"
Gon thought for a moment, then smiled.
"He asked someone to save him, didn't he?"
That was his honest answer.
Behind him, Killua and the others—who had just rejoined the group—felt a wave of disappointment. They'd been expecting something far more profound.
That's Gon, Osren thought to himself.
Completely different from the usual hot-blooded protagonists.
"What kind of answer is that?"
Menchi was at a loss.
"Is this kid pure… or just bizarre?"
Even Satotz, standing behind her, silently nodded. He hadn't expected an answer like that either.
"You really are something else, kid."
Leorio hooked an arm around Gon's head and poked his forehead with his other hand as the two began roughhousing.
"Hahaha—"
The atmosphere finally relaxed.
Other candidates either sat or stood nearby, loosening up after the ordeal.
"The eggs aren't done yet," Osren said calmly.
"Boiled eggs that aren't fully cooked don't count as boiled eggs."
"We should keep an eye on them," he added, already heading toward the massive pot.
"That makes sense."
Kurapika agreed, following after him.
"It's too early to relax."
The others stopped fooling around and followed Osren to the pot.
At that moment, Menchi spoke again.