As Ronnel stepped out, Leorio's eyes lit up, and he hurried over with a mischievous grin plastered across his face.
"Ronnel! What did Chairman Netero say to you? Does it have anything to do with the final phase?"
Ronnel shrugged casually. "Nah, he just asked four basic questions: Why do you want to become a Hunter? Who among the examinees do you care about the most? Who do you want to fight? And who do you not want to fight?"
"Just four questions, huh?" Leorio and Hanzo both exchanged glances, comprehension dawning but with a hint of disappointment.
Ronnel smirked. "But… Netero is the one asking the questions, so who knows? If you answer carefully, there might be a surprise waiting."
With that cryptic remark, Ronnel walked away.
"A surprise?" Hanzo looked puzzled while Leorio's eyes widened with understanding.
Leorio recalled the time when Netero set up that insane dodgeball match with bizarre, unpredictable conditions. It clicked.
"Wait a minute… If you answer his questions well enough, you might impress him enough to skip the rest of the exam and get a Hunter License just like that?!!"
Though the odds were slim, the thought left Leorio fantasizing about the possibilities. What if it actually worked? It wouldn't hurt to try answering those four questions with some thought.
But before Leorio could sprint off to prepare, Hanzo and Pokkle dragged him back.
"Hey! Don't hog all the insider info for yourself! What surprise are you talking about?!"
Inside the interview room, Netero paid no attention to the noise outside. He studied Ronnel's answers for a moment, then picked up a brush and scribbled something down before calling in the next examinee.
And so, one by one, each of the examinees went through their interview, all asked the same four questions. Most answered without much fanfare—except for a few notable cases. Hanzo, Leorio, and Pokkle walked out of their interviews with visibly different reactions.
Netero reviewed their answers with mild amusement.
When it came to Hisoka, he was playing with a deck of cards in his hands, as usual, smiling mischievously.
"The one I want to face the most is you, Chairman. But among the examinees… number 406, Ronnel. I want to fight him again. But funnily enough, he's also the one I least want to fight."
Hanzo, deep in thought, replied, "The person I don't want to fight is definitely number 406. He's too dangerous. But the one I do want to fight? Number 53, Pokkle—he seems the weakest."
Bodoro's answer reflected his martial artist mindset: "I don't want to fight 405 or 99—Gon and Killua. They're kids. But if I had to face someone, it'd be 406, Ronnel. He's powerful, and I'd like to test my skills against him."
Killua, playing it cool as ever, said, "There's no one I particularly want to fight, but if I had to, I'd face 406, Ronnel. The person I don't want to deal with is number 53, Pokkle. He's boring."
Then, under Netero's stern gaze, Killua changed his mind. "Actually… make that 405, Gon."
Even Leorio got swept up in the spirit of competition. "I don't want to fight 405, Gon, but if I had to fight someone, it'd be 53, Pokkle."
Kurapika's answer was more restrained: "I'm not eager to fight anyone, but if I had to choose, I'd avoid 405, Gon, and 406, Ronnel."
Gon, ever the optimistic fighter, said, "If I have to choose, I don't want to fight 406, Ronnel. But if I had to fight someone… then I guess 53, Pokkle?"
Netero silently noted down each answer. The pattern was obvious: Ronnel, Gon, and Pokkle came up most frequently.
The answers to why each examinees wanted to become a Hunter were predictable. Kurapika wanted revenge. Gon sought his father. Hisoka, in his usual twisted way, just wanted to kill strong people when the opportunity arose. And Bodoro desired to exchange skills with other martial artists.
But then, there were three particularly troublesome examinees.
Pokkle, the first offender, rambled on for ten minutes about Eudemons and the significance of becoming an Eudemons Hunter. He went into detail about the many rare creatures he'd encountered, their importance, and the great achievements of Hunter of Fantastic Beasts.
Netero stared blankly. What is this? Do you really think I care that much?
Then came Leorio, who, to Netero's growing exasperation, launched into a philosophical monologue about money, doctors, morality, and the duality of human nature. This is a Hunter exam, not a dissertation defense!
And just when Netero thought it couldn't get worse, in walked Hanzo—the bald-headed ninja—chattering non-stop about the history of ninja, the art of ninjutsu, and even pitching the idea of a "Ninja Hunter."
By the time Hanzo finished, Netero's patience had reached its limit. This… this is truly a test of my self-restraint, he thought, trying not to overturn the table.
When Hanzo finally left the room, Netero breathed out in sheer relief. He channeled his remaining energy into writing the battle bracket, muttering to himself:
"I'll let them analyze it. Hunter of Fantastic Beasts? Ninja Hunters? Well, if you've got the guts… we'll see."
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