Zeno inquired, and upon seeing Morin nod, his smile broadened:
"To be considered valuable by Little Brother Morin, the team he assembles surely won't disappoint."
He chuckled softly:
"I'm looking forward to that day."
Thus, the Zoldyck family finalized their cooperation and reached a consensus on the agreement.
After leaving the meeting location, time, and contact details with Zeno and the silent companion Silva, Morin took his leave.
Of course, before departing, he didn't forget to add:
"Recently, Kastro has felt that his training has been going well, and he plans to come here to fulfill the sparring promise made with you two years ago."
Back then, Silva and Zeno accepted a contract to assassinate Kastro, but Morin intervened at the last moment. Kastro had said then that one day he would come to Kukuroo Mountain to seek guidance from Silva and Zeno.
Now, he's coming personally to settle old scores.
Currently, Morin has gathered a considerable number of candidates for the expedition to the Dark Continent. The team, known as [Stone Wall], includes Morin, Netero, Ging, Biscuit Krueger, Kastro, Tonpa, the Zoldyck family, Kalikuchi, Muherr, and others, totaling nineteen members, which is nearly enough.
If they could recruit a few more from their network, like Ging's apprentice Kite, who is well-suited for wilderness exploration, the team would perfectly meet Morin's expectations for the Dark Continent expedition.
The numbers are almost sufficient.
Next, preparations for the journey must be made.
Meanwhile, as Morin is busy with the Dark Continent, time passes, and within the game Greed Island, events unfold rapidly.
The organization attempting to gather all players to clear the game was annihilated by Feitan and Phinks. Years of effort went up in smoke, benefitting Feitan and Phinks.
The Bomber, Genthru, along with his two lackeys Bara and Sub, unwilling to accept this, began a frantic assault on other players.
They officially tore off their masks, choosing to hunt players.
The Bellamy brothers, the Tokuharone duo, the Hagakure team, and others—whether veteran teams with solid reputations or new players making waves—fell to Genthru, causing his card collection to grow rapidly.
To counter Genthru's reckless attacks, other players had to consider forming alliances.
For example, the Jajaken trio, who originally stole the [Sword of Truth] from Gon and his group, planned to form a self-defense alliance. Not just against Genthru, but also against the ruthless and battle-hungry Feitan and Phinks.
In the game, everyone was on edge, and players urgently needed to unite.
Besides the Jajaken group, there were others like the Astard group (the woman who bickered with Killua), the Hange group (the bald muscular man nearly strangled by Bobobo in a sumo match), the Yabibi group (knocked out in a boxing match), and others like Goreinu.
These were the ones who later challenged Razor in a fifteen-person match with Gon and were all defeated. They believed Genthru's methods wouldn't allow him to gather fifteen people to trigger the mission, so they relaxed.
Then Genthru hunted them down one by one.
Gon and his friends were also invited, but they didn't respond immediately.
Because—
"The latest Hunter Exam is about to begin!"
Time flew by, and soon it would be the year 2000, a new century, and a new Hunter Exam.
In the previous exam, Killua didn't obtain his Hunter License.
This time, Killua was determined to register.
With Gon's introduction, Killua left Greed Island and arrived at the port of Saba City.
He initially planned to head straight to the top of the mountain to meet the Fox family, who would guide him to the Hunter Exam venue.
This is the advantage of having connections.
However, as Killua was about to proceed, someone approached him.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where the [Laxative Bar] is?"
A man with no chin and a somewhat melancholic look asked Killua for directions.
"[Laxative Bar]? Who would name a place that?" Killua instinctively retorted, "And with a name like that, would anyone even go there? It's a wonder if they have any business at all."
"No, you're mistaken, young man!" A passing older gentleman heard Killua's comment and chuckled, explaining:
"That place is actually quite popular!"
"Because of its peculiar name, many are curious and go to check it out. They find its facilities, setup, and environment comparable to a five-star hotel! And the prices are surprisingly affordable, even someone like me can enjoy a drink or two there."
Ah, attracting attention with an odd name and retaining customers with quality interior design—Killua understood the business strategy.
"The owner seems to have a knack for business," Killua thought.
---
Killua mused silently, "If the place is decorated as luxuriously as a five-star hotel, the renovation costs must be astronomical, right? Yet, the prices are surprisingly affordable."
"Wouldn't the owner end up losing his shirt?" he wondered aloud.
As if hearing Killua's thoughts, the older man nearby clarified:
"I heard the owner is a professional Hunter, so money isn't really an issue for him. Opening the shop is just a hobby."
A professional Hunter? Well, that explains it.
Nearly half of those on the wealthiest lists are professional Hunters. Some Hunters accumulate unimaginable wealth, while others still hustle for a few billion here and there. Comparing oneself to others can indeed be frustrating.
"Sir, what's the name of the owner?" Killua asked.
Upon hearing about the [Laxative Bar] and that its owner was a professional Hunter, Kalikuchi, who had no neck, perked up immediately.
"I think it's someone named Tonpa? I'm not entirely sure..." The man shook his head, his memory a bit hazy.
But the name struck Killua and Kalikuchi differently.
"Of course, it's him!!"
"So it really is Tonpa!!"
Kalikuchi was enlightened and pleased, while Killua was taken aback and amazed. He hadn't expected Tonpa, after becoming a Hunter, to open a bar in such a place. Truly, his taste was unique. And the bar's name, well, it certainly matched his usual style.
Kalikuchi, in exchange for buying drinks, managed to persuade the older man, who was "reluctant" but physically eager, to lead him to the [Laxative Bar].
Killua, however, wasn't interested and headed straight to the largest redwood tree. There, he successfully found the Fox family. They sniffed out Gon's scent on Killua and invited him to sit for tea, sharing stories and news about Gon.
The Hunter Exam starts every year on January 7th, with registration closing on December 31st of the previous year. There was still about a week left until the official start, so there was plenty of time.
Perhaps the Hunter Association hadn't even decided on the main examiner for the test yet.
Actually, they really hadn't.
In the virtual network space of Ickshonpe, Morin, who was studying Dark Continent intelligence with Ging, who had returned from Greed Island, received a call from Netero.
"You want me to be an examiner for the latest Hunter Exam?" Morin asked casually while flipping through the documents in his hand.
"Why ask me?"
"Oh, no particular reason. I just thought with all the gadgets you have, the test content would be really interesting," Netero laughed heartily. "Of course, that's just my personal curiosity. You can refuse if you want."
"No problem," Morin continued to peruse the documents. "I'll take on the examiner role this time."
"But I've only had my Hunter License for just over a year. Does that qualify me to be an examiner?"
"Technically, it doesn't, but you're a Triple-Star Hunter now. Hunters with stars enjoy many privileges, including the unlimited right to serve as a Hunter Exam examiner under any circumstances," Netero replied.
Thanks to Netero's strong advocacy, Morin's status as a Triple-Star Hunter was finalized, causing quite a stir within the Hunter Association.
All the Hunters were eager to see who this new Triple-Star Hunter was, someone who had finally been awarded this rare distinction.
When they looked closely—
The Twelve Zodiacs' Monkey, Kastro's mentor?
Netero himself acknowledged him as one of the world's top five Nen users, one of the strongest in the world?
Oh, never mind, nothing to see here, everyone disperse.
Even though the Hunter Association gathers most of the world's Nen users, they still follow the jungle law of survival of the fittest. Despite appearances, when they see someone achieve such great accomplishments in terms of strength, they instinctively recognize his Triple-Star Hunter status.
Except for that scoundrel Ging.
When they saw the achievements Netero attributed to Morin, they thought it was entirely reasonable. No one raised any objections.
Even veteran Triple-Star Hunters within the Hunter Association, like Botobai, Cheadle Yorkshire, and Pariston, remained silent, without any doubts.
The first two respected Netero and Kastro, and they didn't want to provoke Morin.
As for Pariston?
Morin had previously warned him that if he didn't know his place, Morin would truly eliminate him.
Thus, the rare promotion to Triple-Star Hunter didn't stir up any waves.
Moreover, when the Hunter Association reported this situation to the V5...
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