Chapter 26: Maneuvering x Unspoken Understanding
"Chairman Netero, are these questions the content of the Hunter Exam interview?"
Lorlin looked calmly at Netero as he spoke.
"Of course not." Netero twirled his mustache with a grin, "These are just my old man's whimsical thoughts and a little bit of curiosity."
A little bit of curiosity? More like a lot of curiosity… Lorlin thought, looking at the old man in front of him. As a fan of the Hunter series (only when there were updates; otherwise, he was a critic), Lorlin knew Netero's general personality pretty well.
The Chairman of the Hunter Association… how could he not be a Hunter himself?
And a Hunter was, in this world, someone with the most intense curiosity and thirst for the unknown.
However…
Lorlin thought about Netero's other identity.
Netero… have you ever lost a fight? No, wait…
"Chairman Netero, do you want a fierce and exciting battle?" Lorlin asked, his face turning serious as he looked directly at Netero.
Hearing this, a gleam flashed in Netero's eyes but disappeared almost instantly.
Netero chuckled, "It seems like you know this old man pretty well!"
"Just a little," Lorlin shook his head slightly.
He was being honest. Although Netero's personality had been depicted in the Hunter manga, reality and real human nature weren't something that a few words or pictures could fully capture.
Netero said nothing and stared at Lorlin, who wore a serious expression. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke slowly, "Care to tell me more?"
Lorlin knew exactly what Netero was asking and nodded lightly, "It's a beast from the other side. After absorbing human DNA, it learned to use nen."
"A body so strong it's not even human, along with powerful nen abilities… it's an opponent you can't defeat even after giving it your all."
Lorlin didn't reveal everything about the ants. He figured Netero wouldn't like knowing the future outright, so he only gave a vague description.
Although Lorlin kept it simple, he revealed enough information that Netero could piece together many things with just a bit of thought.
"An opponent I can't defeat even when going all out, huh? That's something to look forward to!" Netero stroked his beard and chuckled lightly, a brief flash of fighting spirit in his eyes.
"In that case, I'll be waiting!" Netero nodded with a smile, then picked up the pen and paper on the table again. He straightened his face and asked seriously, "Candidate Lorlin, why do you want to become a Hunter?"
The sudden change of subject caught Lorlin a bit off guard, but seeing the slightly smirking old man before him, he understood.
Their "agreement" had been reached. fгeewebnovёl.com
Lorlin let out a small breath of relief and began to prepare his answer to Netero's question.
"I don't have a particular desire to become a Hunter. At first, I participated in the Hunter Exam just for fun. But now…"
After a brief pause, Lorlin continued, "I guess becoming a Hunter is the simplest way to see a higher view of the world."
"And the Hunter's license is pretty convenient!"
He added with a slight smile.
"Is that so!" Netero nodded, not commenting further. He wrote something in his notebook and continued with another question.
"Besides yourself, which candidate do you think stands out the most?"
"Candidate 99, Killua," Lorlin answered after a brief moment of thought.
Although Gon was the main character of Hunter, and Kurapika was the protagonist of the second part, Lorlin still liked Killua the most.
Besides, apart from Hisoka and Illumi (disguised), Killua was indeed the strongest among the current candidates.
"I see. Now for the last question: Who do you least want to face in battle?" Netero asked.
"Candidate 44, Hisoka, and Candidate 301, Gitarakuru. I can't handle either of them right now," Lorlin replied.
"Alright, you may leave." Netero focused intently on his notebook, not sparing Lorlin another glance.
Lorlin said nothing and quietly left the reception room.
After Lorlin left, Netero stopped what he was doing and looked at the door. For a rare moment, a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. After a long pause, he sighed.
"This is really troublesome… Someone from outside this world, yet they seem to know quite a bit about it…" Netero scratched his head, looking troubled.
To be honest, if this had happened decades ago when he was younger, learning something like this would have made him excited and eager to dig into every detail.
But now that he was older, Netero wasn't ready to make such a decision anymore.
After all, the idea that another world with human civilization could exist was too significant. It was a matter that could affect the future of this world, determining whether it would face peace or war.
And the real issue now was…
Did this person discover a way to enter this world, or was it some stroke of fate or ability that brought them here?
A thoughtful expression crossed Netero's face.
Honestly, Netero believed it was more likely the latter. But… with stakes this high, he couldn't afford to gamble.
However, making preparations in advance…
Netero didn't think that was the right choice either.
Any preparation would inevitably leave traces.
Even as the Chairman of the Hunter Association, Netero couldn't guarantee that his preparations wouldn't be discovered.
And if they were discovered…
He could easily imagine what would happen next, given his over a century's worth of experience in understanding human nature.
"This is such a headache… I should've just pretended not to know!" Netero scratched his head again, slowly coming to a decision.
"I'll leave it to her! I'm an old man about to go to the grave; I'll leave the rest for others to handle."
Having made up his mind, Netero resumed his usual cheerful demeanor. However, the occasional flash of fighting spirit in his eyes when he glanced at the reception room door made it clear that the old man's heart hadn't completely settled.
But…
Whether that fighting spirit was directed at the opponent Lorlin had mentioned, the one who could give Netero a truly satisfying battle, was something only time would tell.