Chapter 91: Zodiac Rat Pariston x Hatred and Happiness
"Hello."
Roy returned the smile, sat cross-legged in his chair, and likewise pulled out a book to read attentively. Not a travel journal, however, but Grandpa Zzigg's notes. He turned to the page on "Hookless Fishing" and began to study it carefully.
The 50 points of "Life Energy" gained from killing Moritonio were temporarily stored on his panel. The waiting hall was crowded and full of prying eyes, most of whom were candidates heading for the Hunter Exam—competitors. Rashly absorbing the energy and entering a temporary weakened state was not a wise choice, even with Gotoh standing guard.
Ring ring ring... The airport broadcast announced that it was now ten o'clock at night.
More and more people flooded into the waiting hall. At one point, Roy's gaze flickered, and he turned his head toward the entrance. Two tall figures flanked a young man as they passed through security and entered, drawing considerable attention.
The young man also had beautiful blonde hair, stood ramrod straight, and was exquisitely dressed, with the standard handsome face. He resembled one of those newly debuted celebrities from Roy's previous life, complete with two bodyguards. A slight smile from him could charm a crowd of fangirls.
"All three are Nen users," Gotoh whispered, noticing Roy's gaze.
Indeed. The trio radiated their Aura openly, as if afraid people wouldn't notice. The young man was the most ostentatious, the Aura visibly manifesting above his head, thick as a water bucket.
Roy stared intently at the young man for a while, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him, as if he had seen him somewhere before. The blonde boy's intuition was remarkably sharp; he glanced over immediately, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a slanted smile.
"Hey, little Hill. You smiled! Told ya you should smile more, then maybe we'd get some of those adoring looks from the ladies too..."
"Shut up, Clark!" The thin bodyguard scolded the fat one, then looked frowningly at the boy. "Pariston, what did you see?" From his understanding of the blonde boy, he knew Pariston never made meaningless gestures. A sudden smile meant someone was about to suffer misfortune, or was already on their way there.
"I saw someone interesting..." The blonde boy retracted his gaze and stepped on a leather ball rolling towards him. The vast waiting hall wasn't just filled with Hunter Exam candidates. A father and son, waiting for Flight L754 to the Kukanyu Kingdom, were kicking a ball around to pass the time. Unfortunately, the little boy missed a block, and the ball shot between his legs, rolling right to the blonde boy's feet. "Excuse me, mister," the little boy said politely, "can I have my ball back?"
The blonde boy smiled warmly. "Of course." He lifted his foot... and brought it down hard. BANG! The leather ball exploded, sending scraps of rubber flying. All that remained was a small, pointed leather shoe and the little boy, staring blankly in shock!
"Waaaaah...!" After three seconds, the boy burst into tears. The blonde boy's eyebrows lifted, his face showing an expression of extreme enjoyment. Destruction... the cuter something is, the more I want to destroy it... Ah... Subarashii... He spread his arms, tilted his chin up, and closed his eyes. The boy's furious father rushed over, only to be shoved aside by the fat bodyguard named Clark.
"Who is this guy? What a nasty personality..."
"Damn, he's asking for a beating..."
"Keep it down, don't let him hear you! I bet he's some rich kid from a big corporation, just here for the Hunter Exam thrills."
Whispers rippled through the crowd. The boy's father, having been pushed, knew he couldn't afford to cause trouble and quickly hurried his child away. Undeterred by the numerous stares, the blonde boy seemed to revel in the attention even more, as if... from the moment he stepped into the waiting hall, this had become his personal stage, every reaction calculated and accounted for.
Yet, even this didn't seem to satisfy him. The boy opened his eyes, cleared his throat, surveyed the room, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed to everyone. Straightening up, he announced loudly, "Hello everyone. Please allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is Pariston Hill. I am a candidate participating in this year's Hunter Exam. And now, I'd like to ask you all for a small favor." The boy paused, noting that the mention of the Hunter Exam had drawn everyone's attention. He smiled with satisfaction. "Please, withdraw from this year's Hunter Exam to ensure my advancement."
Shhh— It was as if someone had hit the mute button on the waiting hall. Instant silence.
The man wrapped in bandages, the snake charmer with the cobra around his neck, the bare-chested muscleman, the bald ninja... every single one of them frowned. Including... the girl sitting to Roy's right. She finally seemed willing to pull her attention away from her travel journal, her delicate brows furrowing as she looked at the boy. Roy could almost hear her mouth the word—Scum!
Yes, exactly! Scum! Gotoh wholeheartedly agreed. He figured every sane person present felt the same. He pushed up his glasses, subtly edging closer to Roy, and glanced over. The Young Master was watching the scene quietly, perhaps a little surprised?
Indeed, it was somewhat unexpected for Roy. He truly hadn't thought he would run into the infamous Vice-Chairman of the Hunter Association, the future Zodiac Rat, during this exam cycle. Two of his famous quotes immediately came to mind:
"I only feel happy when people hate me."
"Honestly, whenever I see something cute, I can't help but want to hurt it, for no reason at all."
Pariston had said it, and he certainly lived by it. His scheming that led to Netero's death during the Chimera Ant arc undeniably involved both him and Beyond. The irony was even sharper considering one was the "capable subordinate" Netero himself had promoted, specifically to oppose him and find some amusement, while the other was the rebellious son obsessed with reaching the Dark Continent, willing to do anything. The "Strongest Human in the World" certainly had his hands full in this life.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Telling us to withdraw just like that? You think the Hunter Exam is your private playground?!"
"Kids these days really don't know their place. Think a little family money can solve everything. Ridiculous."
"Hey! If you've got guts, come spar with me! Let gramps see what you're made of, talking so big!"
An uproar exploded! Pariston had angered the entire crowd! If looks could kill, he would undoubtedly be sliced into a thousand pieces on the spot, not even bone fragments left behind!
Yet... this was exactly what he wanted.
Subarashii... That's right... This feeling... Hate me... Despise me... Please, let the curses come even harder. The blonde boy lowered his head, reveling in the feeling, struggling not to laugh out loud. When he looked up again, he raised one finger, surveyed the room, made a "shh" gesture, and said sincerely:
"I believe you've all misunderstood me. I am simply trying to save everyone time. After all—"
"Everyone here is trash, aren't they?"
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