Beans left the office in a daze, his footsteps uneven and his mind in a fog. His first priority was to notify the second-in-command of the Hunter Association.
The current Vice Chairman, the contemporary Rat, Pariston Hill.
"Knock, knock, knock. Vice Chairman, are you in?" The Vice Chairman's door was rapped upon.
A sexy, deep, yet clear voice rang out from inside. "Come in."
"Yes." Beans swallowed hard, pushed the door open, and walked in.
A young man with beautiful blonde hair came into view. He was dressed in an exquisite suit with a wine-red tie knotted at his neck. His hands were clapped together, supporting his chin, as he looked at Beans with a beaming smile. "Oh, good morning."
"G-Good morning." Beans lowered his head, not daring to make eye contact with the handsome young man before him. He didn't know why, but every time he saw the man's smiling face, he felt an inexplicable dread. He always felt that the man harbored ill intentions. Specifically, he felt that the man didn't see him as a person, but rather as a demon or perhaps a toy.
Although Beans admitted he wasn't exactly a normal human, being looked at with such eyes was still incredibly rude.
"Ahem. Vice Chairman, the Chairman has announced that an emergency meeting will be held immediately. You are requested to be at the conference room at five o'clock this evening sharp."
'Sigh... The atmosphere here seems even more oppressive than the Chairman's office,' Beans thought. After dropping off the notice, he prepared to slip away as quickly as his feet could carry him. However...
"Wait." Pariston stopped him with a smile, narrowing his eyes as he asked, "Did the Chairman say what the meeting is about?"
An impromptu emergency meeting usually meant a few words but a major event. Pariston suddenly felt interested. He had a premonition that Beans' answer would be very amusing.
"Yes..."
"The Chairman said this meeting is to discuss the feasibility of issuing a Hunter License to Sean Zoldyck in advance."
?!!
Pariston paused. "..."
'Sean Zoldyck? Issuing a Hunter License in advance?'
Pariston's eyes flickered. He smiled and nodded at Beans. "Tell the Chairman I understand."
"Hey, okay." Beans fled the office in a panic, closing the door behind him.
Click. The door latched shut. Behind the desk, the corners of Pariston's mouth turned up as he muttered softly, "Interesting."
Chewing on the name "Zoldyck," he thought of the world's number one assassin family. To think there was someone who could make Netero go against his own principles and make an exception to issue a Hunter License... especially while the Hunter Exam was currently ongoing. His heart couldn't help but go thump-thump . He was beginning to develop a massive interest in this Sean Zoldyck.
Some people were born evil. They couldn't find the will to live unless they were being hated.
As the Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association, Pariston Hill was obviously that kind of person. "A fresh 'toy' has appeared."
Pariston's smile deepened into a sharp grin. In a place where no one could see, his eyes narrowed, and he whispered with an excitement that made him tremble slightly, "Being Vice Chairman is so boring..."
"It's not nearly as interesting as breaking toys."
His smile was verging on perverted.
Beep-beep. A ringtone interrupted Pariston's thoughts. He took out his phone for a glance, a trace of displeasure flashing imperceptibly across his smiling face. He answered the call and spoke directly, "Didn't I remind you not to call me when I'm at the Association?"
"This is different, Pariston!" A sharp, monkey-like screech rang from the other end of the phone. "I just received the notification from the Chairman..."
"He says we're discussing issuing a Hunter License to someone in advance... Hey, hey, is this for real?"
"That guy named Sean Zoldyck is definitely from the Zoldyck family, right!"
"I remember he seems to be just an otaku manga artist... Why would the Chairman set such a precedent for someone like that?"
"This is too ridiculous. Don't tell me you don't know the inside scoop?"
"Should we report this to Lord Beyond?"
"I just feel like this whole thing is too weird..."
"..."
'Chatter, chatter... You spout so much nonsense,' Pariston thought, holding the phone a bit further away in disgust. He waited quietly until the monkey on the other end tired himself out before speaking indifferently. "We will decide on matters after the meeting."
"In addition..." Pariston's face dropped, and his smile twisted into something eerie and extremely dangerous. "Don't let me have to remind you a second time!"
"I don't want to hear that person's name inside the Association again!"
"Ugh... I got it." The Monkey Zodiac scratched his head resentfully on the other end.
It was obvious the warning went in one ear and out the other. Pariston was used to it and couldn't be bothered to say more. He gave a cold snort. "That's all."
He hung up the phone directly. The handsome, wealthy young man then walked to the cabinet, poured himself a glass of red wine, and took a light sip. His reflection in the wine glass showed a face like a celebrity, brimming with an intoxicating smile.
At five o'clock in the evening, the airship emblazoned with "Hunter Association" hummed as it hovered over the platform on the roof of the Association headquarters.
Netero, dressed in a brand-new martial arts uniform, patted the shiny forehead of Beans, who had been waiting on the tarmac. He laughed, "Let's go."
Moments later, they arrived at the conference room and met the core members of the Hunter Association—the world-renowned Twelve Zodiacs!
Five of the twelve—Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar—were present.
Rat, serving as Vice Chairman: Three-Star Hunter, Pariston.
Monkey: Bounty Hunter, Saiyu.
Rabbit: Paleograph Hunter, Pyon.
Horse: Two-Star Problem Hunter, Saccho Kobayakawa.
And the last one, currently serving as Netero's secretary and holding a physician's post: Three-Star Disease Hunter, Cheadle Yorkshire... also known as Cheadle.
"Greetings, Chairman!" Seeing Netero walk in, the Zodiacs stood up one by one to pay their respects. Even Pariston, who usually appeared to be at odds with Netero, was no exception and bowed slightly.
"Ho ho ho, everyone sit down." Netero raised his hand to settle them, then walked slowly to the head of the conference table and sat down. He glanced casually at the panda plushie sitting in the empty seat next to him.
Cheadle, acting as secretary, tucked her hair behind her ear and reported, "Ging is a no-show as usual. Botobai, Cluck, Ginta, Mizaistom, and Kanzai are out on missions. And Gel..."
"She's at a critical point in mixing potions and really can't spare the time."
"It doesn't matter," Netero waved his hand, sweeping his gaze over Saccho, Pyon, and Saiyu, before lingering on Pariston for a second. He laughed, "It's enough with just you few here."
"It's not a particularly huge matter, so we don't need everyone present."
"Chairman... issuing a Hunter License in advance, is that not a huge matter?" Saiyu stood casually, slouched, scratching his ears and cheeks as he looked at Netero. He couldn't help but say, "Such a thing has never happened since the establishment of the Hunter Association..."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it massive."
"I agree with Mister Saiyu," Pyon said, her long bunny ears perking up as her large eyes blinked at Netero. "I was shocked when I heard the news from Mister Beans."
Pyon patted her chest dramatically and asked curiously, "Hey, Chairman, who exactly is this Sean Zoldyck? What makes you willing to break your own principles for him?"
"Listening to the surname, he's from that assassin family." Saccho Kobayakawa, a man with a long face resembling a horse but teeth like a rabbit, spoke up. As the "detective" of the Twelve Zodiacs responsible for interrogation, he looked deeply at Netero and said in a low voice, "Moreover, the name Sean only reminds me of one person..."
"The eldest young master of the Zoldyck family, the famous manga artist, Ben An."
"A manga artist?" Cheadle and Pyon showed obvious astonishment on their pretty faces. They both looked at Netero in unison.
The Chairman knew they were waiting for an explanation. He spoke expressionlessly, "What you said is correct, but there is one point that is wrong."
Netero stroked his beard and looked around at everyone meaningfully. "You cannot judge a person by their appearance, and rumors stop with the wise."
"Sean Zoldyck is certainly more than just a manga artist. You'll know when you see it."
"Beans!"
"I'm here." Beans huffed and puffed as he came out from behind Netero, holding a videotape. Under the gaze of Pariston, Saiyu, Pyon, Saccho, and Cheadle, he swallowed his saliva and stammered, "This is the footage of Sean Zoldyck participating in this term's Hunter Exam. It was just copied. Please take a look."
Saying that, Beans scrambled on his short legs to set up the video for them.
Pariston, Saiyu, Pyon, Saccho, and Cheadle watched with rapt attention.
From Sean's first appearance in the underground tunnel, summoning Yatagarasu to fly over Satotz's head, to stepping into the Swindlers Swamp and unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki to stun the Man-faced Apes, and then conveniently teaching that perverted magician Hisoka a lesson...
Pariston, Saiyu, Pyon, Saccho, and Cheadle were surprised to discover that this guy named Sean Zoldyck was not only ridiculously tall but his strength was also far from simple. At the very least, judging by how easily he taught Hisoka a lesson, he was completely qualified for the position of a Hunter.
"But if that's all there is to his level... I don't think it's necessary to issue him a Hunter License in advance," Saiyu said nonchalantly. He had thought the guy would be incredibly powerful. It looked like he had broken two limits, which was indeed some level of skill, but to make the Chairman yield? That was still far off.
"It's more than that." Pariston stared with interest at the scene where Sean released his Conqueror's Haki. He chuckled softly, "His aura seems different from ours. It has an extra flavor."
"Uh..." Saiyu scratched his head.
Then Saccho Kobayakawa added with a solemn expression, "It is the grand and majestic flavor of 'Royalty'."
As expected of the Problem Hunter known as the "Talk Master," his control and perception of emotional aura were quite keen.
"I don't know if you noticed, but hidden within Sean Zoldyck's blind eyes is a momentum that looks down on the world!"
"It's as if he cares about nothing, looks down on everything, yet strangely it feels like that is how it should be. I've only seen this feeling when facing those Princes of Kakin..."
The Princes of Kakin. The hearts of the group sank. Those were not simple characters.
"Even so," Saiyu argued unconvinced, "Even if he is as talented as Ging once was, he shouldn't skip the test and be granted a Hunter License directly!"
Everyone had climbed up step by step. Even Ging was no exception. Why should they go easy on him?
Besides, if they made an exception to admit him now, who knows, they might make an exception to absorb him into the Twelve Zodiacs later. If he took another step up from there... he might end up riding on their heads and taking a dump. Who could stand that?
"Chairman." At this time, Cheadle, who had been silent, spoke up. As Netero's secretary, she was undoubtedly a staunch supporter of Netero, but on the matter of admitting Sean by exception... Cheadle looked directly into Netero's eyes and said solemnly, "I think that although his talent is good, he hasn't met the conditions for you to make an exception."
"Ho ho ho, is that so?" Netero smiled noncommittally. "Beans, keep playing."
"Yes." The image on the TV screen changed.
A blind man stood in the sky, slicking back his hair with one hand and holding the Kusanagi Sword in the other. The scene of him battling the "100-Type Guanyin" burst into view.
Pariston, Saiyu, Saccho, Pyon, Cheadle: "..."
As if rehearsed, their eyes all widened, and they were left dumbfounded on the spot.