"Hmm!?…" Ryusei suddenly shuddered.
He felt an intense, perverted gaze fixed upon him. He quickly retracted the hand that had been resting on Todo's shoulder (the sumo wrestler who had just failed). Looking around, Ryusei's eyes met Hisoka's. The magician was staring at him with eyes full of fervent intensity, as if he had just discovered a rare and exquisite prize.
Ryusei's face instantly paled. Oh no, he had been targeted by Hisoka, the perverted "fruit farmer" (a term he mentally applied to the Nen master)! If he had known this was the price of showing off his ability to deal with the Great Stamp, he wouldn't have acted so conspicuously. Unfortunately, it was too late for regret now.
Just as Ryusei was frantically trying to figure out a way to divert Hisoka's attention, the magician suddenly withdrew his gaze and looked up at the sky.
Seeing this, Ryusei also looked up thoughtfully.
He saw an airship bearing the Hunter Association logo rapidly approaching the venue.
"Menchi, only one candidate passed. That's a bit too harsh!" an old yet powerful voice boomed from the airship, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Under the collective gaze of the candidates, a figure leaped directly from the airship, which was flying hundreds of meters above the ground. The figure plummeted, slamming into the ground with terrifying force, creating a deep hole and splashing a large cloud of dust.
This dramatic method of arrival left many candidates shocked and puzzled.
As the dust settled, an old man with white hair and beard, clad in loose, comfortable clothes, appeared before everyone. The person who had arrived was, naturally, Netero, the President of the Hunter Association.
"Who is this old man?" some candidates whispered, unable to recognize the seemingly frail figure.
"He is the president of the Hunter Association and the person in charge of the Hunter Exam. President Netero!" Menchi explained, taking the initiative.
She was visibly nervous. She knew she had been somewhat headstrong and arbitrary in this phase of the exam.
"Well, even though I'm the person in charge, I'm mostly a behind-the-scenes man," Netero said casually. "When disputes arise, we are responsible for mediation."
Ryusei scoffed inwardly at this modest statement. He wouldn't be fooled by Netero's pleasant demeanor. In reality, Netero was an extraordinarily capable figure. He was once considered the world's number one Nen user. Even in his advanced age, his abilities had only slightly declined, leaving him firmly established as one of the top five Nen users globally. His charisma and strength had garnered countless admirers within the Hunter Association, and it was under his leadership that the organization had achieved its current dominant status.
However, Netero was also known for his unusual proclivities, often enjoying putting himself in difficult situations. He had even specially appointed Pariston as Vice President just so he would have someone to engage in a continuous battle of wits and courage with—a truly old-fashioned, mischievous personality with a peculiar sense of humor.
Hisoka, standing nearby, observed Netero with intense seriousness. He subtly put away the murderous aura that usually clung to his body. As expected of the Hunter Association's president, he thought. If Netero were to attack him, Hisoka knew he likely wouldn't be able to withstand more than a few blows. Hisoka enjoyed fighting, but only a tense, life-or-death struggle between equals. Being utterly crushed held no pleasure for him.
"Well, Menchi," Netero said, his gaze settling on the examiner.
"Yes!" Menchi replied, standing at attention.
"Your results, from examining the candidates' courage to challenge the unknown, show all but one person failed," Netero began, though his eyes couldn't help but droop slightly downward. He was clearly distracted by Menchi's deep cleavage. Ryusei, who was still paying close attention to the elderly man, noticed this entirely, but he wisely pretended not to see anything. He definitely didn't want to draw the attention of the mischievous old Netero.
Netero continued: "Do the other candidates have problems with their attitudes in this regard? So the other talents were given substandard grades, right?"
"No, I heard the examinees openly look down on the Gourmet Hunters," Menchi admitted straightforwardly, surprising many with her honesty. "It was... accidentally over-handled. The standards for review became unintentionally stricter."
Menchi admitted her mistake, but she still harbored two other unspoken reasons: first, Ryusei's excellent initial dish had set her expectations for the remaining candidates unreasonably high. Second, Hisoka's palpable and uncontrollable malicious aura had made her feel severely threatened, causing her to become tense and thus overly rigid in her judgment standards. Neither reason, however, was suitable for public disclosure.
Unaware of the hidden motives, many candidates turned their attention to Todo with open dissatisfaction. In their opinion, if Todo hadn't repeatedly provoked Menchi, she might not have made the censorship standards so severe, and they might have passed.
"So you think the censorship was excessive, right?" Netero asked Menchi calmly. He didn't truly care about such minor displays of willfulness; there were many Hunters far more erratic than Menchi. He was only concerned with resolving the practical issue and the dispute it had caused.
"Yes, I tend to lose control when it comes to cooking," Menchi conceded, looking deeply remorseful. "I have been a very incompetent examiner. I will give up the position of examiner. Please allow the exam to be taken again with a replacement!"
Netero was satisfied with Menchi's responsible attitude. However, he wasn't prepared to accept her resignation.
"It's too much trouble to suddenly prepare for another examiner," he remarked, speaking to the candidates. There must be some free Hunters available, he thought, but I'm simply too lazy to make the calls.
"Terribly sorry," Menchi said apologetically. She herself didn't know many available Hunters and accepted Netero's statement as a logistical truth.
"Right, let's do this!" Netero's eyes twinkled as he came up with a solution tailored to his mischievous nature. "You continue to serve as the examiner, but the new exam requires you to take part in it in person."
Menchi was momentarily stunned by the proposal.
"So, what do you think?" Netero asked, looking around. "If that's the case, the candidates will be more easily convinced!"
Naturally, the candidates had no objection to Netero's proposal. The most important thing was that they would be allowed to continue taking the Hunter Exam instead of leaving in disgrace. Menchi, having admitted her fault, had no objection to Netero's decision either.
After a brief thought, Menchi had an idea that was perfect for the situation.
"Yes, then the new test question is: Boiled Eggs."
Since she was required to demonstrate, the test needed to be intuitive and challenging. And she knew of a nearby location perfectly suited to this deceptively simple task.
After announcing the new test question, Menchi looked at Netero.
"President, can you send us to the other side of the mountain by airship?" she asked. Although the destination wasn't far, navigating the Milsy Wetlands safely on foot was nearly impossible for a large group of untrained aspirants. The wetlands were teeming with ferocious beasts. While they posed no threat to her, she couldn't guarantee that all the candidates would arrive safely, and this time, the goal was to keep them moving, not to thin the herd.