Chapter 25: The Scheming Old Man x Identity Exposed
"Come, have a seat!"
Netero sat cross-legged in the reception room, holding a notebook and scribbling in it. As soon as he saw Lorlin enter, he spoke directly.
Lorlin, not one to stand on ceremony, walked forward and sat cross-legged.
He had a pretty good idea of how this interview would go. Netero's questions were ones he had already prepared answers for.
However…
"You're not from this world, are you?" Netero suddenly asked.
"Huh? Uh?" Lorlin stared at Netero, dumbfounded.
What the…?
"As I thought!" Netero put down his notebook and, stroking his beard, chuckled, "You're definitely not from our world, young man!"
Lorlin: "…"
Did… did I just say something?
Wasn't I just like, 'uh?'?
Smart people in this world are so annoying!
"Oh ho ho, why are you looking at this old man like that?" Netero grinned. "You appeared out of nowhere in the middle of our Hunter Association's test, and we couldn't find a trace of your identity. Did you really think you were hiding it well?" freёwebnovel.com
Lorlin had nothing to say in return.
He had considered the problems that might arise from not having an identity in this world. Still, because places like Meteor City existed, Lorlin hadn't worried too much.
Worst case, he'd just pretend to be from Meteor City.
"And don't even think about pretending to be from Meteor City. You don't have the aura of someone who grew up there," Netero added with a smile.
Lorlin: "…"
I didn't even say anything yet!
Meteor City's aura… Lorlin didn't think the old man was lying.
People are shaped by their environment, after all. It influences their temperament and, even subconsciously, their actions and thoughts.
"And don't go claiming you're from 'over there' either. I've been there before. You can't fool this old man's eyes," Netero continued cheerfully.
Lorlin: "…"
'Over there'?
The Dark Continent?
I wasn't even planning on saying I'm from the Dark Continent!
Honestly, thanks to a certain author's procrastination, Lorlin probably knew less about the Dark Continent than the top figures in this world.
Lorlin stared silently at Netero, his mind racing to figure out what to say next.
"Oh ho ho, you know of the Dark Continent but don't fully understand it, huh?" Netero observed Lorlin's expression and slowly formed a conclusion.
"This kid is quite interesting!" Netero thought to himself, chuckling.
To be honest, he was taking a bit of a gamble.
Although Lorlin's origins were mysterious, it wasn't as if being an outsider to this world was the only possible explanation.
The Hunter Association had incredible investigative channels, and through the V5, they could track down traces of almost anyone in this world.
But, just like Meteor City, there were always places even the V5's reach couldn't extend.
Some places were completely isolated, with almost no contact with human society.
However…
Lorlin had exposed too many inconsistencies.
He wore industrially made pajamas and slippers, which indicated he didn't live in isolation.
And his sudden appearance during the Hunter Exam, dressed like that, clearly wasn't by his own choice.
Moreover, Lorlin had blended into the exam without much difficulty and displayed knowledge of the Hunter Exam itself.
Besides, Netero, despite being over a hundred years old, was always in touch with the times.
He was well-versed in concepts like parallel universes and other worlds.
He even had quite a bit of insight into the trending genre of web novels about "transmigrators."
Of course, what interested Netero the most was the youthful spirit Lorlin had displayed throughout the exam.
So, Netero had taken a gamble.
After all, if he was wrong, there would be no harm done.
If he lost the bet, people would just say it was the ramblings of an old man whose mind was going.
But the result…
He had won!
Netero watched Lorlin with a playful grin, unconcerned by the excuses the boy was likely trying to come up with.
After all, even lies can reveal useful information.
"Young! Too young!" Lorlin thought with a mix of frustration and resignation.
Netero had blindsided him with that sudden remark, but Lorlin wasn't dumb.
In fact, thanks to some mental training, his mind was sharper than it used to be.
It didn't take him long to realize that Netero was bluffing.
Unfortunately…
Even though Lorlin hadn't said much, his reactions had given away more than he would've liked.
And seeing the old man's cheerful expression, Lorlin could guess just how amused Netero was.
What annoyed Lorlin the most was that Netero hadn't actually said anything of substance—yet he had successfully tricked him.
This scheming old man was truly cunning.
From the start, Netero's rapid-fire questions had left Lorlin speechless, but they hadn't actually revealed anything significant.
Even the mention of the Dark Continent was just referred to as "that place."
If someone didn't know about the Dark Continent, they wouldn't even understand what Netero was talking about.
And now, Lorlin had two choices:
First, he could play dumb, pretend not to know what Netero was talking about, and claim he hadn't really given anything away.
Second, he could admit to being from another world and then control the narrative, deciding what to reveal—whether it was mostly lies or only partial truths.
There was no way he was going to tell the whole truth.
The key was deciding which option would benefit him the most.
As for being exposed as a transmigrator? Lorlin wasn't too worried.
He still had one more chance to cross over to another world. As long as Netero didn't kill him on the spot, Lorlin could leave at any time.
And all of Lorlin's thoughts were being carefully observed by Netero.
"It looks like this kid has some kind of backup plan… Is it some special power? Or can he leave this world at will?" Netero silently speculated.
Although Lorlin had tried to maintain a poker face to avoid giving anything away, to someone over a hundred years old like Netero, the boy's expressions were far too easy to read!
After a long pause, Lorlin finally looked up at Netero.
"Chairman Netero…"