Chapter 40
Under the applicants’ watchful gazes, an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard slowly emerged from the dust.
He wore a loose white martial arts uniform.
Despite his advanced age, his complexion was healthy and ruddy, while his remarkably bright eyes carried a sharpness and vitality that seemed completely at odds with his appearance.
The newcomer was Isaac Netero, the twelfth Chairman of the Hunter Association and head of its Exam Commission.
"Who the hell is that old man?"
One applicant swallowed nervously and voiced the question on everyone’s mind.
Menchi drew a deep breath and stepped forward, addressing the crowd in a solemn voice.
"He is the Chairman of the Hunter Association and the highest authority overseeing the Hunter Exam—Chairman Netero!"
Her introduction drew startled expressions from many of the applicants.
None of them had expected the elderly man before them to be the Chairman of the Hunter Association.
"Well, while I may technically be in charge, I’m little more than someone working behind the scenes," Netero said calmly, his casual tone making the position sound almost insignificant.
"I merely step in whenever a dispute like this needs resolving."
Haruto looked at Netero and curled his lips.
’Resolving a dispute? Knowing this old man, he’s probably delighted that something interesting happened.’
Netero had once stood at the pinnacle of the world’s Nen users.
Although age had weakened him, he was still regarded as one of the five strongest Nen users alive and remained the unquestioned pillar supporting the Hunter Association.
Countless Hunters practically worshipped him.
Even among the Zodiacs, more than half held him in extraordinary reverence.
The Hunter Association’s current influence and elevated standing owed a great deal to Netero’s accomplishments.
His personality, however, could be infuriating.
Even after realizing that Pariston Hill was a spy working for Beyond, Netero had still promoted him to Vice Chairman simply because he wanted someone troublesome around to relieve his boredom.
He would eventually leave an enormous mess behind for everyone else to clean up.
Of course, none of that had much to do with Haruto.
...
Haruto looked away from Netero and glanced at Hisoka.
The magician had narrowed his eyes and was studying the old man from head to toe with obvious interest.
After only a few moments, however, the bloodlust surrounding Hisoka receded like the tide.
Even his smile faded considerably.
Haruto immediately understood.
’As expected of Netero. One look was enough to make Hisoka lose interest in challenging him.’
It made perfect sense.
Hisoka might crave battles against powerful opponents, but he did not challenge people blindly.
What he enjoyed was a fight between evenly matched opponents, where death waited on the slightest mistake and every moment felt like dancing along the edge of a blade.
Being crushed without a chance to fight back held no appeal for him whatsoever.
"Now then, Menchi."
Netero turned toward her, his tone becoming more serious.
"Yes, sir!"
Menchi immediately straightened, her expression solemn.
"The purpose of your test was to assess whether the applicants possessed the courage to face something unfamiliar."
"You concluded that every applicant demonstrated an unacceptable attitude toward that challenge, and therefore failed them all. Is that correct?"
Netero spoke slowly and evenly.
"No, Chairman."
Menchi denied it, guilt entering her voice.
"When I heard the applicants belittling Gourmet Hunters, I lost my composure and made my standards far stricter than they should have been."
She was not lying, but she did conceal another reason.
Hisoka’s barely restrained bloodlust had been pressing down on her since the exam began, leaving her with an intense sense of danger.
Her nerves had remained taut the entire time, which had made her judgment considerably harsher.
That was not something she could reveal in front of all the applicants.
"So you agree that your evaluation went too far this time?" Netero asked calmly.
This degree of willfulness was hardly unusual within the Hunter Association.
There were plenty of Hunters far more unreasonable than Menchi, and the trouble they caused was often much worse.
What Netero needed to consider now was how to clean up the situation before him.
...
Menchi initially intended to resign as an examiner, but Netero refused to accept her resignation.
After thinking briefly, he came up with an alternative.
"I know. Let’s do this instead!"
"You will remain an examiner, but you must personally demonstrate the new challenge alongside the applicants."
"What do you think?"
Netero looked at Menchi, then turned toward the surrounding applicants.
"That should make the result easier for everyone to accept, wouldn’t you agree?"
None of the applicants objected.
As long as they were allowed to continue taking the Hunter Exam, they still had a chance.
Anything was better than being eliminated now and leaving in disgrace.
Menchi agreed as well and began considering a new challenge.
Since she would be demonstrating it herself, the task needed to be straightforward and convincing enough that no one could question its fairness.
After a moment, an idea came to her.
"Then the new challenge will be—boiled eggs!"
After announcing it, Menchi turned toward Netero with a request.
"Chairman, could you take us to Split Mountain aboard the airship?"
Split Mountain was not particularly far away. Reaching it on foot would take roughly half a day.
The problem was that getting there required crossing Visca Forest, which was filled with dangerous wild beasts.
"Split Mountain? I see."
Netero stroked his beard as a smile appeared on his face, immediately understanding what Menchi intended.
"Of course."
...
Seeing that events were proceeding as expected, Haruto could not suppress a smile.
He had been eagerly anticipating the Spider Eagle eggs found at Split Mountain.
The creatures were called Spider Eagles not because they resembled spiders, but because they suspended clusters of eggs from web-like strands stretched across steep ravines.
From a distance, those hanging clusters resembled bunches of grapes.
Because the eggs hung above a deep canyon, obtaining them was extremely difficult.
Spider Eagle eggs were also far more delicious than ordinary eggs.
Their rarity and the danger involved in collecting them had driven their price to extraordinary heights, earning them another name—
Dream Eggs.
Filled with anticipation, Haruto boarded the Hunter Association’s airship.
The aircraft moved with remarkable speed, reaching the area around Split Mountain in only half an hour.
Haruto leaned beside one of the windows, staring intently at the landscape below with excitement shining in his eyes.
From the air, the entirety of Split Mountain was clearly visible.
Dense forest surrounded the mountain, but no vegetation grew across its barren slopes. A long, deep ravine divided the mountain cleanly in two.
Suspended within that canyon were the Spider Eagle eggs.
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