Chapter 24: The End of the Fourth Test x Netero's Mischief
"The fourth test of the Hunter Exam is now officially over. All candidates, please return to the starting point as soon as possible!"
"From now, each candidate has one hour to return to the starting point. Any candidate who fails to return within the time limit will be disqualified!"
"Additionally, once you have arrived at the starting point, any exchange of badges will be deemed invalid. Anyone caught will be immediately disqualified. Please take note!"
"The fourth test of the Hunter Exam is now officially over. All candidates…"
The announcement echoed across the sea from the speakers on the Hunter Association's ship, declaring the end of the exam.
The voice was loud enough for every candidate on the island to hear clearly.
All across the island, candidates who had already gathered the necessary points smiled with relief and began heading toward the meeting point.
As for those who hadn't collected enough points or had their badges stolen, they wore expressions of frustration.
Some candidates even had the audacity to prepare an ambush, hoping to rob others before the time ran out.
However…
Their strength was clearly not enough to pose a threat to anyone who had already secured enough badges.
Lorlin casually tossed aside a candidate who had attempted to ambush him and continued walking toward the meeting point.
Due to his remote location, by the time he arrived at the meeting point, many people were already there waiting.
Killua, Hisoka, Gitarakuru, Hanzo, and a martial artist whose name Lorlin couldn't remember.
"Candidate 406, please present your badge," said the female guide who had accompanied them to the island from the ship.
Lorlin casually pulled out his badge, showing it to her. The nine-point badge caught the attention of a few other candidates.
"All right! Mr. Lorlin, your points are sufficient," the Hunter Association guide confirmed after recording his points.
"Hey, Lorlin, how did you manage to get so many badges?" Killua walked over with a playful smile.
"I happened to come across my prey while grabbing the third badge, and they had some extra badges on them."
"You're asking if I've seen Gon, right?" Lorlin said offhandedly, looking at Killua.
Hehe! Killua scratched his head and smiled, "It's just that Gon's target was pretty worrying!"
"Hisoka, huh?" Lorlin glanced at Hisoka in the crowd before turning back to Killua, "Don't worry. Gon's fine. He even got Hisoka's badge. He should be on his way here by now."
"Seriously? Gon managed to get Hisoka's badge?" Killua's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had arrived later than Hisoka, so he hadn't seen when Hisoka presented his badge. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't believe Gon had beaten Hisoka!
"Yeah. You can ask Gon about the details when he gets here," Lorlin replied.
Killua didn't push the matter. It was clear that he preferred to hear it from Gon himself.
Time passed by, minute by minute.
Just as the hour was about to be up, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika arrived at the last minute, replicating their close call from the third test.
Onboard the Hunter Association airship…
"All right, food's ready! Dig in, everyone!" Menchi exclaimed cheerfully as she placed the dishes she had prepared on the table.
Seated at the dining table were Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Association, and the examiners from the previous stages of the Hunter Exam.
Oh ho ho… Menchi's cooking skills! I've been looking forward to this for a long time, Netero said with a laugh.
The other examiners were equally excited. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Even though they were all Hunters, Menchi, a one-star Gourmet Hunter, didn't cook for just anyone. Her dishes were a rare treat.
As they ate, they chatted.
"Speaking of which, it's quite surprising that out of the remaining nine candidates, seven are newcomers," Lippo remarked.
Oh ho ho, yes, it's another bountiful year! Netero laughed.
"Another one? Has this happened before?" Buhara asked curiously.
"Of course," Netero said with a chuckle as he stroked his beard, "Roughly once every ten years, there will be no successful newcomers. And then, all of a sudden, we get a wave of promising youths."
"This is the fourth time this has happened during my tenure as Chairman," Netero added with a grin.
The examiners looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't expected the Hunter Exam to follow such a strange pattern.
However…
Menchi seemed to have picked up on something odd. She leaned over and whispered to Beans, "Hey, how old is the Chairman this year?"
Beans was a bit taken aback but quietly answered, "Twenty years ago, the Chairman was nearly a hundred."
"So he's at least a hundred and twenty years old now…" Menchi glanced at Netero, then hesitated. She had originally wanted to ask him for the secret to his longevity, but after seeing the wrinkles on his face, she decided against it. What was the point of living that long if you couldn't stay youthful?
"By the way, Chairman, what's the final test going to be?" Satotz asked quietly.
"Yeah, we still don't know what the last test will be," Buhara added, turning to Netero.
"As Menchi said, it all depends on the final test whether these newcomers will pass," Satotz added.
"The content of the last test, huh?" A smile tugged at Netero's lips. "I plan on having a rather unconventional battle, but…"
"Before that, I want to have a little chat with the nine remaining candidates, especially… that one kid!" Netero's smile turned playful as though he had thought of something amusing.
The other examiners exchanged uneasy glances, their lips twitching.
This old man… What scheme is he cooking up now?