Chapter 94: Pariston Hill × Hatred and Happiness
"Hello," Roy replied with a slight smile, settling cross-legged in his chair. He withdrew a book and began reading intently—not a travel journal, but Grandfather Zigg's notebook. He turned to the "Hookless Fishing" page and studied it carefully.
The 50 points of "Life Energy" harvested from killing Moritonio remained stored in his status panel. The departure lounge was crowded with many eyes watching—mostly Hunter Exam candidates competing against each other. Hastily absorbing the energy would leave him temporarily weakened. Not a wise choice.
Even with Gotoh vigilant beside him, risk was still there.
"Ding-ring"
The airport announcement chimed. "Attention passengers. It is now 10 p.m."
More people flooded into the departure lounge. At one moment, Roy's gaze shifted slightly. He tilted his head toward the entrance.
Two tall bodyguards escorted a young man through security, drawing considerable attention.
This youth also possessed beautiful golden hair. His posture was impeccable, his clothing immaculate. He had a strikingly handsome face—like a fresh celebrity stepping onto the street. His two bodyguards flanked him as he smiled casually, captivating numerous admiring glances.
"All three are Nen users," Gotoh noted quietly to Roy.
Indeed, as he said. The three made no attempt to conceal their aura. It radiated openly, as if they wanted everyone to know. The young man's aura was particularly arrogant—a pillar of compressed power thick as a water bucket.
Roy observed the youth carefully, feeling vaguely familiar. He couldn't quite place where he'd seen him before.
The golden-haired boy's intuition proved sharp. He scanned back with one glance, and the corner of his mouth curved upward into a smile.
"Hey, Shir, you smiled! See? I told you that you should smile more often. Then you'd attract more admiration from girls..."
"Shut up, Clark!" the lean bodyguard reprimanded the plump one, frowning at the youth. "Pariston, what did you discover?"
Based on his understanding of the golden-haired youth, Pariston didn't make meaningless gestures. When he suddenly smiled, someone would meet misfortune—or was already on the path to it.
"Found someone interesting..."
The golden-haired youth withdrew his gaze, stepping down on a rolling ball that had bounced toward him. The vast departure lounge wasn't exclusively for Hunter Exam candidates. A father-son pair boarding the L754 flight to Kukan'yu Kingdom occupied themselves by kicking the ball around during the layover.
The boy failed to control his pass. The ball shot directly through his legs and rolled toward Pariston's feet.
The boy politely asked, "Mister, can you return my ball?"
Pariston smiled warmly: "Of course."
He lifted his foot and brought it down hard. "Boom!"
The ball exploded directly under his heel. Rubber fragments flew everywhere. All that remained was a deflated shell and a stunned boy.
"Waaaaah..." Three seconds later, the boy burst into tears.
Pariston's eyebrows rose. His expression radiated pure enjoyment.
Breaking... he thought. The more adorable something is, the more I desire to destroy it. Exquisite...
He opened his arms, lifted his chin, and closed his eyes. The boy's father angrily approached, but was shoved aside by the plump bodyguard Clark with a single palm strike.
"Who is this guy? Such a terrible personality..."
"Damn, he's asking for a beating."
"Keep your voice down. Don't let him hear. I'd guess he's some rich heir from a conglomerate, here for the Hunter Exam out of curiosity."
Whispers filled the lounge. The father, having received a slap and knowing he couldn't afford retaliation, hurriedly took his child away.
Numerous gazes converged on Pariston. Unbothered, he grew more enthused. It seemed that from the moment he entered the departure lounge, it had become his personal "stage." He calculated everyone's reactions.
Yet this still seemed insufficient for his satisfaction. He opened his eyes, cleared his throat, and surveyed the crowd. Placing his right hand over his heart, he bowed respectfully to everyone, then straightened, speaking loudly:
"Hello, everyone. Allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is Pariston Hill. I am a candidate for this Hunter Exam. Now I'd like to ask you all for a favor," he paused, noticing how all eyes fixed on him with his mention of the Hunter Exam. Satisfied, he continued: "Please withdraw from this Hunter Exam to ensure my advancement."
"Whoosh—" The departure lounge seemed to have its sound muted. Silence.
The man wrapped entirely in bandages furrowed his brow. The snake charmer with a serpent coiled around his neck. The shirtless muscleman. The bald ninja. Every single person scowled.
Including the girl sitting to Roy's right. She finally deigned to lift her attention from her travel journal. Her delicate brows creased as she looked at Pariston. From her lips, Roy faintly heard two words: "Garbage!"
Exactly—garbage!
Gotoh silently agreed. Any mentally sound, rational person present shared this sentiment. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and inconspicuously shifted closer to Roy, keeping watch...
The young master watched calmly. Somewhat unexpected?
Indeed, it was unexpected for Roy.
He hadn't anticipated encountering this famous individual in this exam—the future Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association, the Rat of the Zodiacs. Two of Pariston's famous quotes surfaced in Roy's mind:
"I only feel happiness when people hate me."
"When I see something cute, honestly, I can't help but want to hurt it, completely without reason."
Pariston said this. He lived it. During the Chimera Ant arc, his manipulation of Netero's death was no accident—his and Beyond Netero's fingerprints were all over it. Most ironically, one was Netero's personally promoted "reliable subordinate" designed to challenge him and provide entertainment. The other was a prodigal son willing to commit any evil to access the Dark Continent.
"Mankind's Strongest" would never be the same.
"Who do you think you are?! You think we'll just leave because you say so? Do you think the Hunter Exam is your family's personal property?!"
"Today's young people have no sense of limits! You think having a little family money solves everything? Laughable!"
"Hey, if you've got guts, spar with me! Let me see what you're worth, talking such big trash!"
Uproar erupted! Pariston had provoked collective anger!
Had looks could kill, he'd be flayed alive without hesitation, bones ground to dust.
Yet this was precisely what he wanted.
"Exquisite... perfect... yes, this feeling... despise me... hate me... please, let the curses come more fiercely..."
The golden-haired youth buried his head, struggling to suppress his laughter. Raising it again, he held up one finger, surveying the crowd, making a "shush" gesture, speaking sincerely:
"I think you've all misunderstood me. I was merely helping everyone save time. After all, since..."
"Everyone here is garbage..."