Ka~~ Ka~~ Ka~~~
With the sound of wooden geta clogs echoing across the clearing, the dust gradually settled. From the sky descended an old man, his figure straight, and expression calm. It was Isaac Netero—his presence alone caused the atmosphere to grow heavy.
"W-Who is that old man…?"
The sheer pressure radiating from Netero made one candidate instinctively swallow his saliva.
"He's the chairman of the Hunter Association, the highest authority overseeing the Hunter Exam—Chairman Netero."
Menchi stepped forward and formally introduced him. Her voice carried a mix of respect and guilt.
"Chairman… Netero?" Gon's eyes lit up with excitement. To him, this smiling old man was already legendary.
"The chairman of the review committee, huh?" Killua's sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he analyzed the newcomer.
"This old man… might actually be the strongest in the world."
Lan Fei muttered under his breath. In his system-augmented knowledge, Isaac Netero and Zeno Zoldyck stood at the apex of humanity's strength. During the Chimera Ant arc, Netero alone challenged Meruem—the Ant King—and though he perished, the king himself suffered critical damage from Netero's final move: Poor Man's Rose.
"I wonder if I could stand a chance against him with all Eight Inner Gates opened…"
Lan Fei's gaze sharpened, clearly intrigued. His blood stirred at the thought of testing his strength against such a figure.
"Hahahaha!!"
Netero laughed heartily. "Though I'm the chairman, in times like this I act more like support staff."
He walked slowly but with vigor, placing his hands behind his back. His drooping eyelids lifted slightly.
"It's only when incidents like this arise that I personally intervene. Now then, Menchi… in this phase of the exam, your test was meant to assess the candidates' adaptability to the unknown. But didn't your judgment lean too heavily on emotion?"
Netero's calm tone carried hidden weight as his gaze landed on Menchi.
Menchi bit her lip and bowed her head.
"No… it's true. I let their disrespect toward Gourmet Hunters cloud my evaluation. I'm sorry, Chairman. I failed in my responsibility."
The other candidates stood silently, watching this moment of accountability unfold.
"Well then…"
Netero seemed ready to deliver a decision but was cut off.
"I'll resign as examiner and allow you to retest them, Chairman!" Menchi declared firmly, showing no hesitation.
"Hmmm… but finding a qualified substitute is a pain at this point."
Netero rubbed his chin, then smiled. "How about this—you remain the examiner. But conduct a new challenge to set an example for these candidates. Show them what it truly means to be a Gourmet Hunter."
He turned to face the examinees.
"What do you all think?"
"Yes!"
"I agree!"
"Fair is fair!"
"As long as the assessment is just!"
Candidates voiced their support one after another.
"By the way," Netero added, as if remembering something, "who was the candidate that passed before Menchi's emotional bias kicked in?"
"I did!" Lan Fei raised his hand.
Netero's eyes twinkled.
"Oh? Impressive. If you passed even under those strict conditions, it means your skill earned genuine recognition. That's not something easily achieved."
He gave Lan Fei a deep, knowing look.
"I'll be watching your journey closely, young man."
"Thank you for the praise, Chairman!" Lan Fei scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. But his heart brimmed with pride—recognition from a man who once faced the Ant King was no small feat.
"Whoa, Lan Fei!" Gon looked at him with admiration. "Chairman Netero complimented you!"
Leorio nodded with a mix of respect and envy. "To be acknowledged by the Chairman of the Association… not bad at all."
"Now," Menchi took center stage again. "Since I'll continue as examiner, I present the next challenge… Boiled Eggs!"
Her eyes swept across the examinees before finally landing on Lan Fei.
She was genuinely curious about what kind of unique touch this boy—who'd already shown such culinary talent—might bring.
"Boiled eggs?"
"That's it?"
A ripple of confusion spread across the crowd.
"Chairman, may I ask to use the airship to transport us to the testing site?" Menchi turned toward Netero again.
"Tiger Mountain?"
Netero raised an eyebrow and then nodded. "Of course."
Half an hour later—
The Hunter Association's airship hovered before descending onto Tiger Mountain. One by one, candidates disembarked—only to be struck by the wild, almost primal landscape.
Steep cliffs and deep ravines framed the craggy mountaintop. In the center loomed a massive canyon, sheer and foreboding. Jagged rock formations jutted from the edges, and wind howled through like ghostly shrieks.
"This place… is intense." Leorio swallowed, standing near the cliff's edge.
"It's dangerous…" Kurapika whispered.
"I like it," Killua said, hopping onto his skateboard, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Lan Fei stared down into the deep canyon and took a slow breath.
"This is where the next test begins."
"Everyone, look down there."
Menchi pointed toward the bottom of the canyon. As candidates moved closer to the edge, wind battered their bodies, and weaker ones began to tremble.
"See those sacs clustered near the canyon floor? That's the nest of the Grape Spider—and those are its eggs."
"Grape spider eggs…?"
"To build a nest in such a place… incredible," Kurapika muttered.
The wind picked up suddenly, flinging dust and debris into the air. Several candidates were knocked back.
"Boiled eggs?" Candidate No. 255, who had previously been decked by Buhara during the first exam, exclaimed.
"You mean we're supposed to retrieve those?"
"Those eggs… are the ingredients."
Menchi's voice remained calm but firm. "You're to harvest them from the nest and boil them. Of course, the trick is to ensure they remain intact and palatable… and avoid being eaten alive by the grape spider."
Lan Fei grinned as the others gawked.
This was his stage now.