Before long, Gon and the others finally caught up.
Leorio had been "escorted" in by Hisoka.
It was obvious that sothing amusing had happened between the main group and Hisoka along the way, and the magician's gaze toward them was—if anything—strange, especially the way he looked at Gon.
To Hisoka, the talent radiating from the boy was like catching the scent of an irresistible fragrance.
Xiang Nan had noticed the sa thing the very first mont he t Gon.
For Nen users of their level, Gon's potential was practically blinding.
The Milsy Wetlands had already claid a number of examinees, so even fewer people reached the site of the second test. Yet the veteran Tonpa, steady as ever, was still among the earliest to arrive.
The examiner from the first phase had never really left. Hidden in the shadows, he continued to watch the candidates. Although he did not know every detail of what had happened in the wetlands, he had seen enough to gain a clearer picture of the examinees' abilities.
After waiting a while and confirming that no more candidates were coming, everyone noticed the door of the small wooden cabin in the grove swing open. Out stepped the second‑phase examiners—nchi and Buhara.
The subject of the second test was cooking:
Hunt your own ingredients, prepare a gourt dish, and satisfy the two examiners when they taste it.
Both nchi and Buhara were Gourt Hunters. Almost every Gourt Hunter was also a famous chef, and the very best among them were world‑renowned.
Hunter × Hunter is an interesting world: "Hunters" choose different specialties, and at the pinnacle of almost every profession you can find Hunters at work.
Still, many candidates had never imagined that a Hunter Exam phase would involve haute cuisine, and more than a few found it absurd. So were already dissatisfied with nchi; had she not spoken up and convinced Chairman Netero, they would never have had to endure the brutal first phase at all. Grumbling began to ripple through the crowd.
nchi's fiery temper flared. She declared that anyone who questioned her qualifications as an examiner could simply quit the exam on the spot.
The scene grew chaotic, but in the end tempers cooled—no one wanted to slink away in sha.
Soon everyone set out to hunt ingredients and, one after another, returned to the large cabin to cook at the stovetop stations.
To be honest, cooking was not Xiang Nan's strong suit. His gift was "insight," but in two lifetis he had never learned the culinary arts.
With enough intuition he could make food taste a little better, yet it still fell far short of nchi's standards.
Buhara, by contrast, was extrely generous—he all but licked the plates clean no matter what the examinees served him, living up to his formidable size. nchi, however, was rcilessly picky: so dishes she rely glanced at before tossing them aside without a single bite. Her high‑handed attitude only deepened the candidates' resentnt.
In the end—Xiang Nan, Manman, and every other examinee included—not a single candidate passed.
nchi announced to everyone that zero examinees had cleared this round.
Then the scene from the original story unfolded: even when the Hunter Association phoned in to protest, nchi stuck to her decision. Tension filled the air; seated on the sofa, hands hanging low, she had already drawn her knives… a murderous glint in her eyes.
Xiang Nan kept his distance from the farce. He observed nchi: to beco an outstanding Hunter one must have personal standards and convictions, and nchi's were on full display.
Even apart from her combat skill, her mindset alone placed her above many peers in her field; barring accidents, her future achievents would be considerable.
"I didn't expect you to fail as well."
Hisoka sidled up, a sly grin in his voice.
"I'm a doctor, not a chef," Xiang Nan replied coolly. "We're all equally bad here—no one has room to laugh at anyone else."
No one is perfect; everyone has a weakness. Gourt Hunting simply wasn't Xiang Nan's calling.
The quarrel kept escalating and was on the verge of spinning out of control. Having been inford of the situation, Chairman Netero—who had shown himself at the very start—hurried over to prevent nchi from actually carving up the examinees. It was no idle threat; nchi would do it.
But that was only part of Netero's concern. He had also realized that a few "wolves in sheep's clothing" were hiding among the candidates. nchi might discipline ordinary examinees, but against those few she could end up dead. Nen battles are never a joke.
With Netero's arrival the situation stabilized. Following the original plot, nchi reluctantly demonstrated the true caliber of a Gourt Hunter: in a howling canyon she effortlessly retrieved a rare ingredient—spider eggs.
The test paraters changed. The remaining candidates imitated her as best they could, each using their abilities to gather the sa ingredient and one after another passed the round. They then boarded an Association airship bound for the next exam site.
The process was interesting enough, but to Xiang Nan—as a "player" who already knew what was coming—there were no surprises. Still, participation was its own reward.
All the examiners, the candidates, and even Chairman Netero boarded the airship and departed. They would fly through the night and arrive at the destination at eight the next morning.
On board, Xiang Nan deliberately avoided mingling with the other candidates and found a cabin to rest alone. As for Manman, she had been spirited away by Gon—sothing that surprised Xiang Nan. Normally shy and averse to strangers, Manman was actually playing with Gon.
Though she was older than Gon and Killua, her core consciousness was that of a teenage girl; with only a small age gap, it was natural for her to bond with the protagonists. Gon's personality—and charm—could pry open even her tightly sealed heart.
Xiang Nan was pleased; humans are social creatures and need friends.
"But after waiting so long—deliberately giving him the chance—why hasn't he shown up?"
He frowned at the city lights passing beneath the airship. He had stayed away from the others precisely to give Netero an opening to approach him. Yet the old man never ca.
Strange… Is he truly not curious about what happened in Zaban City? The Hunter Association should already have the information. Is the old fox just playing dumb? Testing my patience?
"Crafty geezer," Xiang Nan muttered.
He turned—and found Illumi standing beside him, silent as a ghost.
"What do you want?"
Illumi's mouth made clicking sounds like a toy gun, as though he were speaking.
"You really have no sense of occasion, do you? Can't you see I want to be alone?"
The clicking continued.
"I'm not interested in charades. I'm going to sleep."
Hands in his pockets, Xiang Nan started to walk away.
"You're rather cold," Illumi's voice ca from behind. "We knew each other before you t Hisoka."
As he spoke, he pulled out the needles in his face one by one; his skin writhed, features and hairstyle shifting until his true appearance erged.
"You must have told Hisoka sothing interesting about those mysterious people who appeared in Zaban City…"
"Mm." Xiang Nan kept walking.
Illumi stuck to him like glue.
"I knew you before Hisoka did. I thought our relationship was closer."
"Give a break," Xiang Nan yawned. "Don't tell you've forgotten you once tried to kill . I wouldn't dare have any 'relationship' with you, and I have no job for you. If you want to know, ask Hisoka. And if you keep following and Killua discovers your identity, he might quit the exam early. Then you won't get to see your adorable little brother's growth."
"It's fine. I've already put everyone in this part of the ship under my control. We have ti to talk," Illumi said blandly, empty eyes unblinking.
Xiang Nan's eyelid twitches. A true professional assassin… Even with Netero aboard, Illumi dared to act in the open.
"Those people who suddenly showed up in Zaban City—do you know them?"
"You told Hisoka about the Omokage, didn't you?" Xiang Nan smiled.
"He guessed it. As a client, you know I'd never reveal anything."
Xiang Nan believed him—but that didn't an there wasn't so trickery involved.
"Ah, I get it," Illumi stopped and clapped once, as though enlightennt had dawned. "You're angry at , so you told Hisoka and not ."
What kind of logic is that…?
"Don't flatter yourself. When the ti cos you'll find out. Instead of wasting effort on , go pester Hisoka. With the two of you so close, getting him to talk shouldn't be hard."
Xiang Nan waved him off and—whoosh—vanished from Illumi's sight.
"He really is angry," Illumi concluded, pounding a fist into his palm. He turned to look for Hisoka, convinced the magician had sabotaged their rapport and would have to make ands.
~~~
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