Chapter 103: Netero Corrects Too Harshly x Roy Draws His Blade in Fury
Gotoh intercepted the throwing knife with a hand-chop, sending it flying. He countered with a Nen bullet, blasting a hooded figure off his feet and snatching his number plate, pocketing it. The young butler was remarkably diligent; this was the third person he had dealt with. Now, no one dared cross the invisible line drawn at his feet.
"Young Master, there are far fewer people now." The beeping sound of surrender buttons echoed incessantly. Hundreds of candidates had boarded the ship, but half were eliminated within just half a day.
[Nen Ability "Shape Change" +10]
As his level increased, the experience gained relatively decreased. Roy held the branch, steady as a rock, contemplating the path ahead. Comparing this exam to the one Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio took in the original story, this year's was indeed unusual. It was too harsh, too cruel, almost excessively so. He wondered what the "Strongest Human," the Chairman of the Hunter Association, was thinking.
An image floated into his mind: the old man with the topknot, wearing a martial arts uniform with flowing sleeves, even sporting trendy earrings like a young man. Perhaps he was watching this test from somewhere right now.
Just as Roy suspected... After Ging's year, recent Hunter Exams had relaxed their standards, allowing quite a few unworthy candidates to slip through. Netero, reflecting on this, had decided to tighten the restrictions once more.
He was currently in a bright training room, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, playing with a volleyball. He flicked it up with his foot, then balanced it on his forehead, the movements fluid and graceful, imbued with martial arts rhythm.
"The Hunter Exam has begun. Tens of thousands of candidates have gathered at the five entrances. The number is up by a thousand compared to last year," Bean reported, dressed in a sharp suit and black bowtie, holding a folder of documents. He kept stealing glances at Zeno, who stood silently by the floor-to-ceiling window, hands behind his back, overlooking the grounds. Even though Zeno just stood there quietly, Bean couldn't ignore his presence.
"Ho ho... 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 flick of his forehead, the volleyball flew up, bounced off the ceiling, and plummeted down. Just as it was about to fall past Netero's face, the old man extended a single finger and caught it steadily, letting it spin rapidly on his fingertip. He turned his head towards Zeno. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Zeno remained silent, the image of a stubborn face flashing in his mind. He chuckled softly. "No. Someone will definitely pass."
Hmm? Netero's eyebrow twitched. He flicked his finger. The volleyball shot through the air, aimed straight at Zeno's face, but Zeno's hand shot out, catching it firmly.
"What's this? Finally decided to let your eldest come take the exam?" Old and cunning, Netero knew he'd guessed correctly just from Zeno's expression. He took a sip of the tea Bean offered. "A pity," he said softly. "Little Pariston is guarding the final gate. He's not as easygoing as this old man."
"Little Pariston?" Zeno raised an eyebrow.
Bean quickly poured him a cup of tea as well. "Pariston Hill... He was just promoted to a Two-Star Terrorist Hunter and happened to have some free time, so he's overseeing the final stage."
Him... Zeno recognized the name. A troublesome fellow. He shot Netero an unexpected glance. The old man pretended not to notice. "The Oldest Master won't let me see Zzigg, so I won't let his grandson pass the test. Perfectly reasonable."
You two... Old children, the both of them. Zeno didn't know what to say. One was over a hundred, the other even older, yet they bickered like kids. As the generation caught in the middle, all he felt was helpless exasperation. However...
"Nothing is absolute. I can't speak for Illumi," Zeno said, turning back to the view, "but that boy Roy... might just have a chance."
"Oh?" Now it was Netero's turn to be surprised. He glanced sideways at Zeno. "Are you saying your eldest has a chance of beating little Pariston?"
"I didn't say that," Zeno replied softly, gazing out. "Pariston Hill is famously principled. Since this isn't counter-terrorism, knowing his personality, he wouldn't truly go all out against a few candidates." And, "the moment he doesn't take it seriously, that's the opportunity." That boy's dream of 'freedom' wasn't just talk. At least... in the days Roy had been gone, the Oldest Master hadn't stopped mentioning him...
Netero paused for a moment, intrigued. "Ho ho... Then this old man shall wait and see..."
Vroom... The airship propellers churned the air, slowly flying towards the official Hunter Exam site. Aboard the Sea God, the bloody battles continued.
"I only want to become a Hunter so I can travel more, discover our history... Chief, the Kurta Clan cannot remain isolated! We must integrate with the world..." Kurapika fled desperately through the ship's corridors, arms and legs covered in cuts, recalling the words she had spoken to the village elder before leaving. She had never regretted her decision to take the Hunter Exam, but... she had underestimated the cruelty of the Hunter world. As she had told Mark Seam earlier, this year was different!
"Surrender if you can't take it! Don't force me to actually kill you!" Behind Kurapika pursued a man wielding a dagger. The Nen clinging to his blade indicated he was a Nen user who had already opened his aura nodes.
Closer... Kurapika could see the sunlight filtering down from the deck above. Without looking back, she grabbed the stairs and scrambled upwards. A cry of pain escaped her as another cut sliced across her back. She couldn't understand why her own weapons shattered upon contact with his dagger. Gritting her teeth, she burst onto the deck, rolled, and landed at Gotoh's feet. "Help me..." she pleaded.
Kurapika wasn't just a pretty face; she was incredibly intelligent. Through observation, she had already determined who were the most dangerous people on the entire Sea God: Pariston and his two bodyguards, who were steadily racking up points, and Gotoh, who had taken down three opponents with Nen bullets.
"Young Master..." Gotoh glanced back at Roy. He remembered his master had looked at this girl twice at the airport and hesitated, wondering if he should save her.
"Ignore it," Roy said without turning his head. He lifted his branch and hooked another flying fish.
Seeing this, Kurapika gritted her teeth. "I have money!"
"If you help me, you can have all my money..."
"How much?"
"One million..." The girl's voice faltered as she spoke. She knew it wasn't much, but it was truly everything she had.
Gotoh: "..." He didn't know what to say. One million? Was that supposed to be an insult? He glanced at the dagger-wielding man. "Aren't you going to make your move?"
The man with the dagger had initially hesitated out of caution, but now, seemingly given the 'order', he lunged forward excitedly. Unexpectedly... a cold glint flashed, severing his dagger and grazing past his cheek, instantly extinguishing his manic joy.
"Damn it! Didn't you just tell me to make my move?" He wanted to vomit blood in frustration. He glared angrily and saw the boy who had been quietly fishing suddenly stand up, draw his cane sword, and unleash a flying slash!
The target: Pariston's group.
The slash struck Clark, eliciting a piercing scream as it severed the hand he had raised to strike the strange man!
The strange man was stunned for a moment, froze for a second, then turned his head... The boy strode forward, sword in hand, tossed the branch to Gotoh, his calm face unable to mask the sudden, overwhelming fury rising within him!
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