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Chapter 352
🕑 Added 2025-02-04 16:03:01 +0000 UTCChapter 352
Ron looked at Netero, thinking to himself:
“I wonder how big the gap between me and Netero is now. Even Great-Grandfather couldn’t do anything about him.”
According to Zeno, Netero was the only one who had ever genuinely fought Maha Zoldyck and walked away alive. (The time Maha merely offered Ron some pointers didn’t count as a real fight.)
Menchi and Buhara hurried forward.
“Chairman.”
Those who had been murmuring earlier finally realized who this old man was. Their expressions turned respectful at once. A random old man was one thing; the Chairman of the Hunter Association was quite another, representing power, authority, resources, and status.
Netero gave them a slight nod.
“Menchi, Buhara, you two really went overboard this time.”
“Chairman, my apologies.”
Menchi lowered her head. “I failed in my duty. Please allow me to resign as examiner and let someone else handle the testing.”
Netero hesitated, then said, “There’s no need to dismiss you from the position. Finding another examiner at this point isn’t easy. You’ll continue. This round of testing is nullified. Next, choose a new exam topic—carefully this time. Also, for whichever test you choose, you must personally participate and demonstrate how it’s done. That way, the candidates will find it easier to accept.”
Menchi fell silent for a moment.
“All right, Chairman.”
After some thought, she raised her head again.
“I’ve decided: the second stage of the Hunter Exam will be boiling eggs.”
Her words set the candidates buzzing once more.
“Boiling eggs?”
“What kind of test is that?”
“Another cooking exam?”
“They can nitpick anything, even boiled eggs. This doesn’t solve the real issue—it’s the examiner.”
“Plenty of people prepared that pork well enough, but no one passed!”
“Are they gonna mess with us all over again?”
“I can’t accept this.”
Some looked toward Netero.
“They probably won’t pull that again. The Chairman himself is here.”
“He’s already called them out. If they keep doing things their way, they’d basically be disrespecting the Chairman, right?”
“Hopefully this will be more normal now.”
“Let’s hope.”
“Chairman,” Menchi said, “could you use the airship to take the candidates to Mount Split?”
“Mount Split, hmm?”
Netero’s eyes lit up, showing a look of realization. “Certainly.”
Not long after, the airship descended, and the candidates filed aboard.
Hisoka came to stand beside Illumi.
“Illumi, that cousin of yours is extraordinary.”
“And?”
Illumi glanced at Hisoka impassively.
“No need to be so cold,” Hisoka said with a smile. “Ron agreed to spar with me—ten minutes, stopping at first contact—in exchange for a container of liquid ore. No matter how you look at it, he got the better end of that deal. He only used two Nen Beasts, and they were very straightforward ones. His truly special Beasts didn’t appear at all.
Illumi, any idea how many more Beasts Ron has, or what abilities they might possess?”
Illumi shook his head. “No.”
That was mostly true. He knew only a little from what the Zoldyck family’s butlers had mentioned—how Ron possessed a bomb-like ability. Yet, in Ron’s spar with Hisoka, Illumi hadn’t seen it. So he was sure Ron had kept that part hidden. Beyond that, he knew nothing, including what powers those two other Beasts—Chii and Akame—might have.
“How exciting,” Hisoka said, eyes gleaming, licking his lips.
Illumi couldn’t help asking, “So how would you rate Ron now?”
“Ninety-four points. I’m not certain just how strong Ron is, but if I can defeat him at all, I’d come out of it badly injured—and it would cost me a lot. There’s also a chance I’d lose.
Right now, my interest in Ron is second only to you. But my biggest target is still Chrollo. Oh, how I’d love to kill that man soon—it would bring me immense pleasure. Illumi, once Chrollo is dead, you’ll be my perfect hundred.”
Illumi looked off into the distance. “What about Chairman Netero?”
Hisoka fell silent for a moment. “I have no intention of taking on that old man. He might look like he’s covered in openings, but none of them are real. It’s just a bluff. He gives me the sense I couldn’t even make a move. If I truly meant to kill him, he’d probably take me out instantly.”
Illumi glanced at Hisoka. “I’d actually like to see you try it.”
Inside a meeting room, Netero, Menchi, and Buhara sat facing one another.
“So the exam situation is settled. How do you both feel about serving as examiners this time?” Netero asked.
Buhara hesitated. “I feel like we still lack something—like we weren’t mature enough.”
Menchi was quiet, then said, “I was too hot-headed. When I heard the candidates ridiculing and belittling Gourmet Hunters, I lost control. I let myself fall into a very passive position. Cooking is my greatest strength, but also my biggest weakness. On top of that, I never expected this year’s candidates to be…so monstrous.”
Netero took a sip of tea. “Didn’t you get the candidate list beforehand?”
“I didn’t really look at it,” Menchi admitted awkwardly. “Both Hisoka and Ron exceed normal standards, and they’re stronger than Buhara and me. If they attacked, we wouldn’t be able to hold the line.”
Netero raised an eyebrow. “So you noticed Ron?”
Menchi nodded. “Before the candidates tackled the Great Stamp pigs, Ron and Hisoka had a skirmish. When we got there, it was clear both of them were well beyond our level.”
“Ron is indeed impressive,” Netero replied. “After all, he’s the one that old fellow personally chose to train.”
Menchi and Buhara exchanged glances. They certainly didn’t doubt that now.
