"What's the date today?"
Baterkia Republic, Kukuroo Mountain, Zoldyck family estate.
In the dim little room on the first floor of the ancient castle, near the garden... Maha swayed in his rocking chair, enjoying a massage. Zeno wasn't around, so the "technician" was Tsubone.
Silva had said a few days ago that he would come personally, but the old man shut him down with, "Go take good care of your wife."
Kikyo's belly was getting bigger by the day. If anything went wrong, she would go crazy... So, Tsubone took his place.
"The 23rd." The old butler's technique wasn't as precise as Zeno's, but she had endurance. It seemed... with the young masters not at home, she had a lot more free time.
'It's been almost a month...' Maha grunted. The blanket slipped from his knees. Tsubone, quick-eyed and fast-handed, caught it and put it back.
"Yes, almost a month. The Master called and said he'd be back in a few days. Probably around the same time as the Young Master."
Tsubone knew what Maha was talking about. She continued to massage him and make small talk to relieve his boredom. "I hear this year's Hunter Exam will end very quickly. The Hunter Association intends to tighten restrictions and didn't plan on accepting anyone from the start."
"Too much water, add flour. Too much flour, add water. It's always the same..." The old man scoffed, not without ridicule. "People get muddled when they get old. They only think of tightening up after there are too many low-quality goods. Too late."
'Indeed, it is a bit much.'
'Relaxing the restrictions makes people think the Hunter Exam is easy, thus lowering the value of the "License." When they finally remember and decide to raise the "value," they don't accept anyone. This often dampens the public's enthusiasm for taking the "Hunter Exam."'
'The Hunter Association has Netero, "Humanity's Strongest," as its poster boy, and it also has many grassroots staff. What it lacks is a "middle layer" to plan and organize the upper and lower levels.' At least, from Tsubone's perspective, having managed the Zoldyck household for nearly forty years...
...the current organizational structure of the Hunter Association was not healthy.
This was perhaps one of the reasons Netero would later plan to form the "Zodiacs."
'It's just that... it's a pity for Young Master Roy and Young Master Illumi.'
Tsubone frowned. "I heard from the Master that this year's examiners, besides that Botobai Gigant whom Netero values, will also include the 'Pig-headed Men' copied from Master Zigg's memories, acting as the vanguard."
"That C-Class magical beast?"
"Yes."
Tsubone put her palms together and gently tapped Maha's shoulders, her two pink pigtails draped behind her. She said, not without worry: "It will be difficult for ordinary Nen users to break through those creatures' defenses. And the Association requires all examinees to last at least ten seconds to pass."
"I'm afraid Botobai Gigant won't even need to act. The Pig-headed Men alone will be more than enough for everyone to handle."
"Hmm..." Maha closed his eyes, tapping his fingers on the armrest, not making a sound. After a long while, he said faintly: "Nothing is absolute. You, Silva, and Zeno... you all always like to use your own experience to measure the young people of today. You're even more inflexible than this old man..."
"Tap... tap... tap..." His fingers tapped a rhythm on the armrest. The cold wind lifted a corner of the curtain, casting in a ray of sunlight... He gazed faintly out the window.
Silva was helping Kikyo walk in the garden after breakfast. He suddenly recalled... the stubborn and strong-willed face of the young man that had been appearing in his mind from time to time these past few days.
He snorted coldly. "Ten seconds isn't enough to stop a Zoldyck.—"
"Netero thinks he can just fail everyone because he wants to? You. Go call Zeno. Ask him if his surname is Zoldyck or Isaac. And who gave him permission to copy those memories?"
"If he can't answer..."
Maha paused. "He doesn't need to come back to this house."
'Likes to put pressure on his grandson, does he? Fine...' 'This old man's hands are itching. I'll put some pressure on you, too.'
It seemed the dim little room would not be calm today.
Tsubone cautiously answered "Yes," took out her phone, and made a call. On the other end... Zaban City.
The official exam site.
In the realistic illusion created by the combination of the "memory film," the "scent of the Bewildering Fir," and the "Phantom" character... Botobai had already gone in and out seven times.
It had been a long time since he'd had such a satisfying fight.
The Pig-headed Men, natural "Enhancers," were not only as skilled as humans in the [Four Major Principles] and other advanced application techniques, but even more surprisingly, the five of them were divided by "class."
There was a hand-axe-wielding [Barbarian] responsible for clearing the path, a [Scout] who threw hidden weapons and observed the enemy, a [Rogue] who provided support from the middle and looked for chances to ambush,... and sitting in the back, a [Pig-headed General] who was clearly a head taller than the other four.
Botobai felt refreshed. The last time he left the "illusion," he glanced at his right shoulder. 'Good thing it was just a memory.'
'Otherwise, that thunderous axe blow from the [Pig-headed General] just now would have really taken his arm right off.'
'That thing is stronger than C-Class.' Botobai flexed his right shoulder, and two dragons of air snorted from his nostrils.
Beside him,
Geru closed her "Pharmacology," covering the "Phantom" character. She shot him a surprised glance. It was rare to see this colleague of hers get so addicted. She complained internally: 'Only the Dark Continent could fascinate such a brute.'
Unlike Geru, Botobai, as a junior valued by Netero, clearly knew more...
He had heard Netero say more than once that the Dark Continent was full of unenlightened magical beasts...
But...
'That Pig-headed Man squad was well-trained, and they even had a [Pig-headed General] overseeing them. They don't seem 'unenlightened' at all. They're more like regular soldiers from some tribe or country.'
Botobai aspired to become a "Three-Star Terrorist Hunter" and to simultaneously serve as a "prosecutor" and "military analyst." His eye for detail was naturally unusual.
He shook his arm, not understanding why the Chairman would lie about the "Dark Continent." He faintly guessed...
...perhaps it was related to the "Calamities" he brought back from his expedition to the Dark Continent back then.
'He's worried these "Calamities" will harm the human world, or even lead to human extinction, which is why he's so tight-lipped.'
'He even went so far as to make a "Vow and Restriction" to stop Beyond from exploring the Dark Continent.' Of course, Botobai didn't know about this yet. The large, square face hidden under the Peking opera mask was lost in thought.
Coming back to his senses, the man crossed his arms. His tall body stood at the entrance of the passage like a door god, quietly waiting for the examinees.
At a certain moment, he and Geru both looked forward....
"Klang"
The basement entrance...
The elevator doors opened, and examinees, each wearing a number, walked out....
Among them were many familiar faces, for example... the bald ninja Yusuke, the Bandaged man who seemed to be from the minority Jōtondo tribe,
...the Snake charmer, the Boy with the bow, and Kite and Illumi.
The latter two, upon arriving, immediately searched for a certain someone. When they found they were the first to arrive, they each found a corner and settled in.
The elevator opened again, and another batch of people walked in. Among them was a guy with a yellow, spiky hairdo. He seemed to have a bad temper, complaining that the exam site was too remote. Every time he opened his mouth, he used an idiom, but he always mixed them up, making people laugh...
"Hey! What's so funny? Watch it, or I'll flatten you!" Every time this happened, he would verbally threaten others, but never actually made a move. When he really couldn't take it anymore, he'd angrily pull at his hair, punch the wall of the passage—leaving a crater—and scare the others into shutting up.
"Kanzai."
Someone called out his name, saying they'd met him back when he was a bodyguard.
However, it wasn't just Kanzai.
As more and more examinees arrived, similar situations would play out from time to time. There was some friction, but most maintained a high degree of vigilance and faint hostility. After all, it was a competition. Who knew if a friend one second would become an enemy the next.
It was never wrong to be cautious.
"100... 200... 300... 400..." As two o'clock in the afternoon approached, the venue became more and more crowded.
Geru was responsible for counting. According to the "quotas" reported from various regions, a total of 408 people had passed the "preliminary tests" and arrived at the venue this time. Currently, 405 were present, so three were missing.
1:56... 1:57... 1:58... Less than two minutes before the official start of the exam at two o'clock.
"Klang..."
The last elevator's doors opened. Three people and one bird slowly walked out, appearing before everyone's eyes.
Many gazes gathered... Kurajing's throat tightened, and she quietly leaned closer to Roy.
Gotoh stood half a step behind him on the left, pushing up the glasses on his nose. He had no time to glare at her... Right now, more than four hundred pairs of eyes were staring at them, many filled with hostility. The pressure... was undeniably heavy.
"Caw—" Xiao Jin was connected to Roy's heart, so its senses were even sharper than Gotoh's.
It immediately put its wings on its hips and glared back, as if to say... "What are you looking at? I'll kill every last one of you later!"
It looked even fiercer than Gotoh!
"Don't be nervous." Roy patted its small head. He walked forward slowly, leaning on his cane sword. Gotoh and Kurajing followed closely behind, finding a less crowded corner to stand.
His gaze swept around, pausing in a few places, and finally settling on the man directly in front of him, the one with an extremely exaggerated physique, wearing a Peking opera mask. He narrowed his eyes slightly, recognizing him....
'It's the Three-Star Terrorist Hunter, the man rumored to be the closest in strength to Netero, Botobai Gigant!'
"Hmm?"
Botobai sensed it and, likewise, looked over... The young man nodded at him slightly. His appearance was somewhat similar to a man he had met on several occasions, Silva Zoldyck.
His thick eyebrows shot up immediately, and he also recognized Roy...
'This is the eldest son of the current Zoldyck family, the kid the Chairman specifically said not to hold back against....'
'What was his name again?'
'Roy Zoldyck!'