As Netero loudly declares the exam over, everyone falls completely silent, staring at Bodoro, who, despite his disqualification, seems to have regained something he lost earlier, visibly happy and smiling even in spite of his loss and wounds.
"I thank you," Bodoro says, cupping his fists together, using all of his remaining energy before slowly walking off.
"Bodoro-san," Beans says, hurrying after him. "Let us treat your wou—"
"No!" Bodoro declares. "There is no need for that... I'll walk off with my head held high... and my Honor intact!"
What a foolishly proud guy. In a way... I might be a little jealous. I would never act like this. No foresight, no fear, no scheming. Honor....
Maybe... I'm a little too much like Pariston. I instinctively reject these types of people. It's also a reason why I simply can't understand guys like Gon and Leorio, while I can at least somewhat sympathize and see eye to eye with Killua and Kurapika.
Maybe... it's time I change a little. I proudly declared that I'll do whatever I want... that was the reason I obtained strength in the first place. Maybe I should live a little more true to my desires and stop thinking so much about consequences... about gains and losses.
I'll never be like them... but there is no need for that either; why do I need to act like a completely logical and cold person all the time? As always... there are advantages and disadvantages. The more versatile you are, the better you do... in battle, in life... in everything.
Tonpa, who has been hit hard, somehow manages to stand up. His injuries are lighter than they appear, seemingly having faked some of them to lure Leorio into even more traps.
"Damn you..." Leorio mutters, glaring at him.
"... I'll get my revenge another day," Tonpa declares coldly.
Meanwhile, Beans steps forward, approaches the successful examinees, and claps his hands twice.
"Everyone, please feel free to rest for now. I'll be preparing your licenses, along with a short presentation. Please, use the amenities of this hotel as you like," Beans calls out. "Once again... I congratulate you all!"
"Before you go," Netero says, smiling. "I want to tell everyone who passed something, though it might not be relevant for two people who are clearly already well aware of what I'm hinting at."
"Auren, you little brat. During this entire exam, you contradicted me, criticized me, and made everyone think I'm just a crazy old man!" Netero suddenly yells at Auren, yet he is still smiling, obviously amused, his anger obviously fake. "As my student, you have committed a grave and almost unforgivable sin... but alas, as a kind master, I'll forgive you..."
"... on a certain condition!" he adds, grinning even wider.
"Whatever game you are playing... don't drag me into your silly shenanigans agai—" Auren tries to say, but Netero suddenly releases his full Aura and appears right in front of him, grabbing his arm.
Reacting in time and using Ren as well, Auren is still thrown by Netero, who leaps into the air and hurls him towards the ground.
Skillfully using Ken, Auren crashes into the floor, which shatters under the immense impact, but leaves him unharmed.
"..."
"C... c... chairman!" Beans yells. "What are you doing?!"
"Is he dead?!" Ponzu asks, looking shocked.
"The chairman just killed someone!" Pokkle screams.
"This old man is crazy; no wonder he can jump out of airships," Killua notes, not too concerned about Auren.
"Will his license make him immune to legal consequences?" Tonpa wonders.
"I'm giving a little gift to my new colleagues out here! Let me show you... what's waiting at the top, a place any one of you could reach as well if you train for your entire life. A place Auren has almost reached at the mere age of sixteen!" Netero yells.
Meanwhile, Auren stands up, not damaged or hurt in the slightest, everyone staring at him, unable to believe what just happened.
"Is that enough?" Auren asks, still calm.
"Hoho, of course not! Do you think I'll let you off this lightly?! No weapons, no you-know-what. Simply sparring. Show me your basics... show me your growth!" Netero announces, unleashing an even stronger Ren, visibly shocking everyone as they raise their hands in front of their faces. Ponzu, Leorio, Tonpa, and Pokkle are almost unable to endure it and retreat towards the edge of the hall, while others like Killua, Hanzo, and Kurapika can barely withstand it. Only Illumi and Hisoka remain on their feet, completely unfazed, Hisoka's eyes lighting up with craziness and delight.
"Your Aura does not scare me at all..." Auren mutters, already well aware of Netero's power.
But... did he train? He looks... like he's in terrific shape. He's honestly... terrifying.
"I've been training and polishing my skills... all so I can beat you up for a while longer... maybe for a decade or two, hehe," Netero snickers.
Decades? Dream on...!
"Let me show you my response," Auren says in a completely calm tone, activating Ren slowly and serenely. Much like when he fought Hisoka, it continues to rise to its maximum strength, only for Auren to suddenly retract it and then unleash it in a forceful burst, allowing it to almost rival Netero's in intensity and strength.
This is all I can reliably do... and Netero may have said he was serious, but that isn't really the case. I'm still falling short... but with my new training, my Regalias... I'd like to at least beat up this nasty old man a little.
Despite his slow and completely still start, his Aura is now wild and untamed like the ocean, ripping apart the ground exactly where Auren is standing, the examinees shivering from the pressure.
"STOP IT!" Beans yells, stepping between them. "Are you mad? We rented this hotel... Chairman! This is dangerous! Not in front of the new rookies. I'll quit if you don't stop this. You can work on your own in the future... and do all chores alone, including your paperwork!"
Netero's face immediately goes pale. "Beans... that's a little harsh, don't you think?"
"NO!" Beans yells. "This is completely uncalled for. It's unbelievably childish and stupid!"
"Then... just thirty seconds, okay?" Netero says, surprising everyone by actually arguing with Beans.
"Five!" Beans counters.
"Twenty!"
"Ten!"
"Fifteen!"
"Done!"
"Fine..." Netero admits. "You heard him, Aur—"
But instead of replying, Auren dashes forward with incredible speed, striking directly at Netero, his Aura pouring through his fist straight at him. Netero desperately blocks with his forearms, only to get pushed back into the wall and crash into it.
That one felt great... what a nice recoil in my arm. It's stinging like hell... perfect.
With thunderous force, Netero's body is embedded into the wall, cracks spreading all around him.
"This is crazy!" Leorio yells.
"How can this be? I couldn't even see him move! I just heard a sound, and the wall is completely ruined!" Pokkle yells.
"This speed..." Hanzo mutters, his eyes widening.
"Too soft!" Netero yells, using the cracked wall as a spring to catapult himself forward at Auren.
Switching his wild Aura into something more serene, Auren skillfully sidesteps Netero, who instead kicks into the ground, ripping out large chunks of it to stop his own momentum, as if scraping away soft mud.
Then Netero moves so quickly that he disappears from everyone's sight, even escaping Auren's vision, shocking him greatly.
This guy's fast... but I know... instinctively what to do! It doesn't matter!
With a quick use of En, while maintaining his Ren, something Auren has practiced for years, he senses Netero's position at a 145-degree angle, then switches back to a full-power Ren, immediately dodging Netero's attack and countering with a sharp kick, his Regalia on his feet razor-sharp, filled with an enormous amount of Aura.
Netero grins as he reacts to Auren's counter with a counterkick of his own. The two legs meet head-on, causing an explosion of Aura and a small shockwave.
Following it up, Auren and Netero punch and kick so fast that a small whirlwind of Aura and wind bursts out around them, while a wave of thunderous sounds echoes through the large, empty hall, their bodies barely visible.
In just seconds, there are holes everywhere as the floor looks like a cluster of bombs were dropped on it, with loud explosive sounds echoing through the hall.
As they move through the hall at terrifying speed, loud impacts and shockwaves burst out everywhere, the two of them using brute strength, speed, Aura, and of course their individual techniques to attack each other.
Damn, this guy is tough. Every strike I block hurts like hell, and even my own punches hurt somewhat... without my Regalias, keeping up would be impossible... but with them! I can keep up... with Netero!
The seconds pass quickly; the former examinees all reacting differently, either staring, hiding, or even cowering in fear.
Finally, the two come to a stop, Auren now breathing quite a bit faster.
"Last second!" Netero announces as his Aura spikes again.
Not giving up...!
Auren also gathers whatever Aura he can still muster and clashes with him head-on, the two punching at each other, their fists colliding directly.
After a huge explosion of Aura creates a giant crater, Auren is blown backward, spinning through the air before crashing onto the ground, barely able to land on his feet. He quickly regains his balance, still reeling from the impact, while Netero is only forced to take a few steps backward.
"That's it!" Beans yells, close to tears.
"Hoho, that was quite fun. Let's spar again later," Netero says, smiling, while Auren slowly walks back up to him, not outright injured, but visibly tired.
The most tiring fifteen seconds of my life....
However, Auren's eyes widen as he notices Netero's tattered clothes, visibly torn where Netero took Auren's kick head-on. In addition to that, his fists are more than a little scratched up and heavily bleeding, before he uses his Aura to forcefully stop it.
That's a win in my book... although, it can't truly be called a win of my own... it's my Regalias that kept doing a great job... even against Netero!
"You see..." Netero says, smiling at the shocked rookies. "While you've obtained your licenses... your journey has only just begun! Use the next day to refocus and aim for even greater heights. Rarely have I been this impressed by a batch of new Hunters!"
While everyone looks on in shock and amazement, only Illumi stays calm, while Hisoka's Aura slowly seeps out of his body, creating a menacing atmosphere and causing the others to instantly move away from him.
"You look like you want to fight as well," Netero says, walking straight towards Hisoka. "How about you beat my student first? If you do, I'll accept your challenge."
Damn, you old man! Stop causing me trouble.
"That was my intention from the start... I'm not too interested in you, old man♣️. Your opponent hasn't even used his signature blade, has he? I've found out quite a few things about you... Champion Auren ❤️." Hisoka says, glaring at Auren.
"I'll soon obtain the title of Floor Master... and give you a worthy challenge... on your home turf ♠️."
"I usually use Heaven's Arena to kill people that annoy me or to simply assassinate hostile Floor Masters. Are you sure you want to end up like my former victims?" Auren replies, shrugging.
"Auren!" Beans yells. "You can't say things like that. People will misunderstand your joke."
"Hehe, joke?" Vanessa asks. "You should have watched his fights."
"He always preaches prudence and carefulness... but he can't stop himself from killing anyone that displeases him," Neffi adds.
"Wow, Auren is really quite the rogue, huh?" Leroute realizes, seemingly not displeased about learning more about Auren's deeds.
Everyone else remains silent after the girls' revelations, while Beans's face turns panicked.
"Anyway... you are dismissed! We'll meet each other tomorrow!" Beans yells, dragging Netero away.
"I want to go home as well, but I suppose I'll need to wait for a certain someone..." Auren mutters unhappily, as Illumi walks up to him.
"You've improved," Illumi states. "Though you've changed... no, evolved your martial arts... moving away from pure assassination and more towards a mixed style... one that somewhat resembles the old man. In the end... you remind me of a mix between my Grandpa and that... crazy geezer."
"What you've seen was nothing," Auren replies. "Merely a show... and a spar. Neither of us was serious. Obviously, I wouldn't reveal my real techniques just like that. Anyone who sees them... will take my secrets to their graves, should they be sharp enough to even recognize them in the last moments of their lives."
"Quite scary... Mother likes that sort of behavior very much. I'll call her and tell her what happened," Illumi states before looking at Killua. "Kill... I'll see you soon enough."
Suddenly, Kurapika approaches Auren. "How... did you and the chairman accomplish these feats? They aren't human... this can never be achieved through training, not even after hundreds of years. It defies science and even logic!"
Auren shrugs. "Who knows? Aren't you a Hunter now? Find it out yourself!"
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A/N: Always thankful for Power Stones, Comments, and Reviews. Thank you for reading!
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