Hunter Association President's Office
"Oh my god—does that brat want to scare me to death?!"
The "half-dead invalid" Maha suddenly shot up from the sofa like a spring, nearly punching a hole in the ceiling.
Netero glared at him. What now? You think this is your living room?
Then he followed Maha's gaze to the wall‑mounted TV—Roy's blind eyes filled the screen, scanning around like radar.
"Eh—?!" Netero jerked so hard the teacup tilted, scalding hot tea splashing right onto Beans' foot.
"Aw—!" Beans hopped on one leg like a startled crane, fanning his foot furiously.
"Ah—sorry, sorry, Douzi!" Netero quickly pulled him back into his seat. But his own heart thumped hard.
This kid… can pick up surveillance that's this well hidden? Blind, yet moving like he sees everything… Wait.
"See?" Netero froze mid‑thought. How does he "see" at all? Unless—!
"Unless he's already learned En…"
He shot Maha a look. Maha just shrugged.
"Don't look at me. I didn't teach him. Less than a year since he learned Nen, and his En is already sharper than Zeno's. Give him another year, he'll catch up to me."
Netero almost choked. "You bragging or sighing?"
Maha nodded solemnly. "Both. It's ridiculous to think I'd have to 'spend money to please my grandson.' The kid's talent is beyond buying."
Netero stroked his beard, forcing a smug grin. "Tch, less than a year? That's nothing. He's maybe a third of what I was at his age."
"Exactly," Maha agreed. "If he's only a third of you, he's barely a fifth of me."
Netero: "…" So you're just showing off now.
But the old assassin's pride didn't last long.
The screen cut to Roy's face—calm, smiling, and unmistakably pointing two fingers at his own blind eyes… then straight toward the hidden camera. His lips moved soundlessly, but it was clear:
"I'm watching you, dumbass."
Maha's heart stopped. Cold sweat drenched his back.
Netero snorted. "What's the big deal? So he notices us. You're Maha Zoldyck, not some street beggar. What's he gonna do, turn the world upside down?"
"You don't understand!" Maha started pacing frantically, old bones creaking. "If this kid gets angry and cuts ties with me—my life won't be worth living!"
Before Netero could scoff again, Maha whipped out his ancient flip phone, speed‑dialing "Baby Grandson."
"Beep—beep—" Connected.
"Hey~ Roy, it's Grandpa… Haven't seen you in days, you've lost weight~ Grandpa's worried, so I'll transfer you some money. Ten billion, no big deal, just eat well, okay? Don't skip meals."
"…Am I in the Association? Ah—well, yeah. Netero insisted I come watch your exam. You know Grandpa, thin‑skinned, I couldn't refuse."
"…Mhm, mhm. When you pass, I'll buy you a cake as big as a castle, we'll celebrate properly. Okay, okay—I love you too. Bye bye~!"
Click. Maha hung up, collapsing back onto the sofa, drenched in sweat like a man just pulled from a river.
"Douzi, get me a glass of water…"
He turned his head—straight into Netero's icy glare.
"Come uninvited, use me as your excuse, and you still act smug?" Netero's temple bulged. "Maha Zoldyck, don't push it!"
Bang! The office door slammed so hard the whole building shook.
Later, staff swore several mini‑earthquakes hit HQ that day. The archives listed it as an "unexplained phenomenon."
Hunter Exam Passageway
Roy slipped his phone back into his pocket, glancing once at the tiny camera in the ceiling corner. "What are you staring at, uncle?" he said lightly, just as Gon ran into him. Roy ruffled the kid's spiky hair.
"Two old perverts watching us," Roy said with a smirk.
"Old… what?" Gon tilted his head, clueless as ever.
"Idiot, don't ask if you don't know," Leorio barked, shaking off his fatigue now that Roy had carried half his weight during the break.
"Mr. Tianwei, those two weirdos are still on our tail," Leorio added.
"Relax." Kurapika's voice was calm. "If they're not complete fools, they won't touch Mr. Tianwei."
Roy gave Kurapika a faint, approving smile. Smart kid. Easier to talk to than some people who saw 'shave' and still couldn't figure it out…
Up ahead, Baokuer finally blurted what everyone was thinking.
"Sensei Tano… the Six Navy style from one piece … are they real?"
Every candidate's ears perked up. If true, this wasn't just manga—it was a literal martial arts manual.
Roy only chuckled. "False is true, true is false. Inaction has its use. Whether it's real or not… that's for you to figure out yourself for me know ."
The candidates: "…" What kind of answer is that?
But Gon and Kurapika frowned, thoughtful.
As the corridor opened and light streamed in, Roy let his Observation Haki spread wide.
The real and fake Monkey King story's coming soon…
His gaze flicked to Satotz's back.
The examiner shivered. Why do I feel like someone's staring holes in me?