On the airship, the candidates who passed the third phase and those who failed were divided into two completely different camps, seated on opposite sides, clearly separated.
On the side of those who failed, it felt as though dark clouds that had lingered for thousands of years hung overhead. No one spoke. Each was immersed in grief and resentment they could hardly suppress.
But even among those who had passed the third phase, there was no sign of joy. The unknown fourth phase still pressed on their hearts like a towering mountain.
—Except for Kisho and the others, who showed absolutely no awareness that they were in the middle of a grueling Hunter Exam.
Kisho and Amos wandered around the airship to pass the time. Kite sat with his eyes closed, concentrating quietly. As for C·L… he had most likely slipped into some library again, continuing his leisurely reading.
Aside from the four of them, the remaining five candidates who had passed the third phase sat in a circle, their conversation revolving endlessly around meaningless speculation about "how the fourth phase would be conducted."
Candidate No. 74 was an unremarkable short young man with brown hair and brown eyes. His name was John—ordinary to the extreme. His specialty weapon was throwing darts.
Candidate No. 140 was named Togari. He had once fought Kisho inside the ruins corridor, and his weapons were a pair of curved blades.
No. 232, 233, and 234 were Amos, Kisho, and C·L respectively.
No. 382, Kite.
Candidate No. 458 was the only woman among those who passed the third phase. Her name was Fizelle, in her twenties, dressed in a black combat suit. She carried a rifle, though her preferred weapon was a short blade.
Candidate No. 621 was a bald middle-aged man named Zart. Probably because he had relied entirely on luck to get through the previous phases, he was the most anxious of the group. Cold sweat covered his shiny scalp.
Zart said irritably,
"Where did those guys go…? Could they have already found out the test content and are secretly preparing behind our backs?"
He spoke with certainty.
"If not, then how could they all disappear the moment they boarded the airship?"
Fizelle and John were stirred by his words and grew restless as well.
Togari said calmly,
"Don't assume others are like you. Maybe they're simply confident and don't take the final phase seriously."
Zart snapped angrily,
"You're saying the four of us aren't even as good as those two sickly-looking college students and two kids who might not have even finished elementary school?"
Togari glanced at him.
"I don't know about the others, but that white-haired kid is definitely not ordinary."
Zart didn't care at all and mocked,
"You can't even beat a kid?!"
Togari slightly lifted one of his curved blades at his side. A sharp flash of cold light swept past Zart's eyes, instantly chilling him to the bone.
Lowering his voice, Togari said coldly,
"Repeat what you just said."
Zart: "…"
"Enough arguing!" Fizelle said impatiently. "What's the point? Since the final phase will be personally overseen by the chairman, we should be thinking about what kind of method he'll use to test us."
After a brief silence, she added softly,
"I heard this chairman is a particularly troublesome old man…"
Before she could finish, a "ho ho ho" laugh sounded beside her ear. The expressions of the group changed drastically.
Anyone who had made it this far was outstanding in at least one aspect. Yet not a single one of them had noticed when this old man in wooden sandals had appeared.
They hurriedly stood up.
"Ho ho ho, hello there, youngsters."
Netero's tone bore not the slightest trace of a chairman's authority. Looking at them, he asked,
"There were eight people who passed the third phase. Where are the others?"
After exchanging glances, Zart answered,
"We don't know. After hearing that the final phase would begin in three days, they all disappeared."
Hearing this, Netero stroked his beard.
"It seems this year's youngsters are full of energy."
"I'm here to inform you that the final phase will be conducted in two formats: two-versus-two and one-versus-one."
Ignoring their astonished looks, and with no intention of elaborating, he continued,
"The specific rules will be announced before the exam. The arrangements will also be based on the interview results prior to the final phase."
Catching the key word, their faces went pale.
"Interview?! When is the interview?"
"What about the questions? Is there a general scope?"
Netero showed no intention of explaining. Laughing, and under Beans' speechless gaze, he said,
"Se—cret~"
The candidates: "…"
Why would the chairman use a word like "secret"?! Even saying "no comment for now" would be better than this "secret," wouldn't it?!
Now they understood why people said Chairman Netero was such a troublesome old man.
Having successfully made things difficult for the candidates, Netero left in satisfaction.
...
On the other side, Kisho and Amos had already finished visiting all the "attractions" they wanted to see and eventually made their way to the airship's top-level library.
"I bet C·L is definitely inside," Kisho whispered while leaning against the doorway.
Amos said,
"I don't think you even need to guess."
"Want to go in and take a look?" Kisho grinned. "I'm curious what kind of books the Hunter Association's library keeps."
"Let's go," Amos said.
The two entered the library.
Sure enough, at a glance Kisho spotted a wide wooden desk behind which sat a studious, model young man, practically buried under stacks of books.
Amos' attention, meanwhile, was drawn to the reading rack in front of the bookshelves.
He walked over, his pupils shrinking. In a rare moment, he muttered softly,
"Holy crap."
Fortunately, no one on the airship seemed in the mood for reading. The vast library contained only the three of them.
C·L probably wouldn't argue with them anyway. Probably.
Kisho looked at him.
"What?"
Amos pulled a manga from the shelf. "All XX People".
"The latest volume! My god! Coming to this exam was so worth it! Am I dreaming?!"
"That exaggerated?"
Kisho didn't quite get it.
"What's the big deal about an update? Isn't that normal?"
Amos was no longer acting normal. His eyes were red, tears welling up.
"You don't understand! Before this, this mangaka went on hiatus for three whole years! Three years! Do you know how I survived those three years?!"
"…No, I really don't," Kisho replied.
"But the Hunter Association being able to get the newest volume is seriously impressive."
Amos flipped to the latest page of "All XX People", his expression excited and emotional.
"I heard the country where this mangaka lives has locked itself off for some reason."
"Has the situation there gotten so severe that even mangaka have to rely on updates to survive?" Amos said. "Otherwise, I can't think of any reason he'd suddenly resume serialization."
Kisho commented dryly,
"…Maybe he just found his conscience."
Amos had no mood to respond. He walked to another table, sat down properly, and with a seriousness more solemn than prayer, respectfully opened the manga in his hands.
Kisho: "…"
Fine. Now he was the only one with nothing to do.