Morrow easily secured victory.
The defeated Killua and Barbara needed to "advance" to the next round.
However, given their abilities, winning a match would be as easy as pie.
Morrow tossed his number tag to Killua and, after Satotz announced the victory result, stepped off the training ground and approached the sidelines.
As the winner, he asked Beans whether he could skip watching the remaining matches on site.
Receiving an affirmative reply, Morrow headed straight for the main gate.
He intended to step outside for some fresh air, enjoy the scenery, and quietly await the conclusion of the final test.
Kalluto very much wanted to follow him, but since he hadn't yet taken his turn, he could only obediently remain at the venue.
As for Menchi and Kurapika, being examiners from earlier stages, they naturally couldn't leave the premises arbitrarily.
Everyone could only watch as Morrow exited the training ground.
—--
Morrow arrived outside.
The January mountain wind was bitingly cold, and the sky seemed within arm's reach.
Facing the chilly breeze, Morrow paused briefly outside the gate before keenly detecting prying eyes watching him from the shadows.
The owners of those gazes were likely members of the martial arts school.
Morrow paid no mind to the hidden observers, simply continuing along the stone path until he reached the cliff's edge.
He sat down on a nearby oval-shaped rock, quietly watching the churning sea of clouds.
Pure white cloud layers stretched like satin, constantly shifting shapes in the wind.
In the far distance, several taller peaks pierced through the cloud layer, resembling isolated islands floating in a white ocean.
Morrow felt a sudden realization.
It seemed he was always tirelessly pushing forward with his head down, rarely taking moments like this to calmly appreciate the scenery before him.
Morrow knew he could never be as open-minded as Ging; to him, the destination would always be more important than the scenery along the way.
But at this moment, with the mountain breeze brushing his face and clouds rolling and unfurling...
He had to admit that occasionally stopping to pause might not be such a bad thing.
Time passed minute by minute.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the distance behind him.
The distinct sound of geta clacking against the stone pavement.
Without turning his head, Morrow continued admiring the sea of clouds ahead, a faint smile slowly appearing on his face. He then shifted slightly, making enough space beside him.
The person wearing geta was naturally Kalluto.
Seeing Morrow's gesture of making room, Kalluto's face lit up with a smile. Approaching closely, he lightly leaped onto the rock and sat down beside Morrow.
Morrow turned his head to look at Kalluto and asked, "How many matches are left inside?"
"Didn't pay attention."
Kalluto shook his head slightly. "But it should be ending soon."
"Is that so."
Morrow chuckled, recalling the groupings on the announcement board. "If I remember correctly, you're paired with Leorio, right?"
"Yeah, I almost got dragged down by him."
Kalluto pouted slightly, speaking in a somewhat annoyed tone. "I should have just taken his number tag before the match began. That way, I wouldn't have given our opponents an opening."
"That makes sense indeed."
Guessing that the test rules had nearly caused Kalluto to stumble, Morrow couldn't help but laugh quietly, roughly able to imagine what had happened.
It was probably Leorio insisting on his principle of not hiding behind a child, or perhaps charging recklessly forward, thereby giving their opponents an opportunity to snatch the number tags.
"So your overall perspective still needs more training, Kalluto."
"Correct."
Kalluto never avoided acknowledging his shortcomings, stating seriously: "There are still many areas where I need improvement."
"Haha."
Morrow glanced at Kalluto's stern little face and couldn't help but laugh.
Counting carefully, Kalluto should be ten years old this year.
But some traits seemed never to have changed.
As the conversation ended, neither spoke further, instead quietly appreciating the beautiful scenery before them.
—--
Over an hour later, the final test finally concluded.
Among the twenty examinees who reached the last stage, the ones eliminated were Umori and Shishito, who had lost to Sommy and Bourbon's team in the first round.
When Morrow and Kalluto returned to the open training ground, they happened to witness Shishito looking grimly determined to settle scores with Umori, his gritted-teeth expression vividly portraying someone severely let down by an incompetent teammate.
And indeed, that was the case.
As a martial artist by background, Shishito should have held certain advantages in practical tests.
Unfortunately, this was a team competition where variables were inevitable.
Umori had barely scraped through to the final round relying entirely on his brothers' protection, so when the ultimate test came, his inadequate abilities were completely exposed.
One could only say Shishito had poor timing.
But such is life; there's always a certain "proportion" dictated by luck.
The unwilling Shishito wanted to settle accounts afterward, but was stopped by the brothers Amori and Imori.
Ultimately, the martial artist could only drag his despondent figure away from the open training ground alone.
Even though this year's test difficulty had been extremely lenient toward examinees, there would always be those who faced disappointment.
This was the harsh aspect of the Hunter Exam.
After the test officially concluded, Beans arranged for the examinees to eat and gave them two hours of rest.
Then he gathered everyone to conduct an explanatory session about the Hunter License.
Such proceedings were necessary.
"Everyone, please look, this card is the Hunter License. You probably think it looks quite ordinary, but it employs advanced anti-counterfeiting technology and manufacturing techniques."
Holding the license, Beans explained: "Its functions are extremely powerful... First, this card grants access to approximately 90% of prohibited countries and 75% of restricted areas, while providing free access to 95% of public facilities."
At this point, Beans' tone became slightly more serious.
"But please note one thing: licenses cannot be reissued, so please handle them carefully. According to our statistics, one-fifth of qualifiers lose their licenses within the first year..."
In the room, the examinees listened quietly as Beans explained the Hunter License's uses and the Association's various rules.
This explanatory session lasted over an hour before nearing its conclusion.
Morrow sat in his seat, playing with the newly acquired Hunter License.
Although he had previously experienced the convenience brought by the Hunter License, after hearing Beans' more detailed explanation, he could now more profoundly understand this license's significance.
This small card...
Could rightly be called a "Privilege card."
Seemingly thin and ordinary, it carried the special privileges earned through generations of Hunters' remarkable achievements.
Behind each privilege are likely condensed life-and-death experiences.
Some might develop a sense of belonging from this, aspiring to follow in their predecessors' footsteps.
Some people simply wanted to enjoy these special privileges.
The briefing session concluded.
Beans stepped back, and Netero took the stage.
"Everyone, once you step out of here, you will be Pro Hunters just like us."
Netero looked at the seventeen examinees present and said, "We are both companions and competitors. No matter what, I wish you all smooth sailing. With that, dismissed."
As Netero's words fell, most of those present looked relaxed or wore smiles.
Immediately, they left the room one after another and entered the corridor outside.
People like Sommy, Bourbon, and the Amori brothers quickly headed for the exit.
However, individuals like Ponzu and Hanzo lingered without leaving.
The reason was that Morrow hadn't come out of the room yet, and Killua and Kalluto had also stayed behind.
As for why they remained in the room...
"Kalluto, before confirming your true age, the Association has the right to revoke your Hunter License..."
Beans looked calmly at Kalluto.
Falsifying age to register for the Hunter Exam wasn't unheard of.
But Kalluto was the only one who had managed to obtain a Hunter License after doing so.
"Oh, whatever."
After hearing Beans' words, Kalluto remained unfazed.
He had only come for fun anyway and never intended to get a Hunter License. If they wanted to take it back, so be it.
Kalluto casually took out his Hunter License, completely unconcerned about the legal age requirement, and was about to hand it to Beans.
Seeing the license offered by Kalluto, Beans instinctively reached out to take it.
He suspected Kalluto likely didn't meet the requirements; otherwise, why would he have falsified his age?
But the specifics needed further verification.
In any case, he should retrieve the license first.
Beans thought to himself.
Beside them, Morrow suddenly said, "If you can find an avid license collector, you could sell it for hundreds of millions."
"!"
Kalluto reflexively pulled his hand back, having almost forgotten that detail.
Beans ended up grabbing empty air and froze for a moment.
Kalluto looked at the stunned Beans and quickly asked, "I'm ten years old this year. Does that meet the requirement?"
"..."
Beans let out a bitter laugh and nodded. "Ten is the minimum age requirement for the Hunter Exam. If you're already ten, why did you falsify your age?"
"Because I felt like it."
Kalluto couldn't be bothered to explain and glanced sideways at Killua.
Killua guiltily averted his gaze.
Back then, to persuade Kalluto to go home obediently, he had tried to dissuade him using the "you're too young" excuse...
And that led to the falsified identity and age.
Beans didn't mind Kalluto's attitude but needed concrete proof of his age, so he asked Kalluto for his ID number.
Out of respect for money, or rather, knowing how much Morrow had struggled to repay debts, Kalluto cooperatively provided the information.
Beans checked the details on his portable notebook and, after confirming that Kalluto was indeed ten years old, closed the matter.
Kalluto solemnly put away his Hunter License, his small head seemingly conjuring smoke-like images of how to sell the license for a high price.
"Don't even think about selling the license."
Morrow waved his hand, dispersing the unrealistic smoke-like images above Kalluto's head.
Kalluto asked in confusion, "But aren't you really short on money right now?"
"Indeed, I'm short on money, but not to the point of selling my license for a few billion."
Morrow chuckled and casually patted Kalluto's head.
As always, Kalluto swatted Morrow's hand away and said indifferently, "I don't need a license anyway."
"You'll need one eventually, especially for the nature of your work."
Morrow withdrew his hand.
Just as Kalluto was about to say more, Killua suddenly interjected, "If Morrow needs money, I can lend–"
"He doesn't need it."
Kalluto subtly stepped forward half a step, positioning himself slightly in front of Morrow. He looked up at his brother with a serious expression.
Killua noticed Kalluto's subtle movement and understood, smiling wryly in resignation.
When they were children playing together, if there was any novel or fun toy, he never fought for it; instead, he always let Kalluto have it...
Besides, there was no need to compete at all.
Killua thought of Gon.
Morrow glanced at Kalluto and Killua. He hadn't fallen so low as to borrow money from Killua, so he pretended not to hear and moved past the topic.
Soon after, the three left the room and stepped into the corridor, where they saw Gon, Leorio, Hanzo, and even other examinees like Ponzu waiting.
As Morrow emerged, Hanzo and the others immediately turned their attention to him.
Meeting their gazes, Morrow asked, "What, haven't you all left yet?"
"Yeah, we were waiting for you."
Hanzo was the first to explain why they had stayed.
Morrow scanned the group with slight confusion. "Waiting for me?"
His eyes swept past Hanzo, lingering on Ponzu, Barbara, and the others. He was surprised to find even Siper among them.
He had some impression of this spirited female sniper, though they hadn't interacted during the test.
Ponzu's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she said, "Morrow, would you mind exchanging contact numbers?"
As if realizing she might be overstepping, she quickly added, "Before you came out, we already exchanged numbers with each other."
"Of course."
So it was about exchanging contact information. Morrow readily agreed.
Pro Hunters each have their own specialties.
Ultimately, in the world of Pro Hunters, the underlying logic remains that expertise matters.
Thus, connections are crucial.
Morrow might not be able to strike up conversations with random beggars on the street like Ging, but he still understood the importance of networking.
These fellow examinees might seem insignificant now, but once they awakened their Nen abilities, they were bound to achieve something in their respective fields.
Building relationships with them as peers was naturally a good thing.
Morrow quickly exchanged contact numbers with them, though Gon didn't have a phone, so it wasn't possible with him.
After exchanging numbers, they all seemed to grow closer.
Hanzo, Ponzu, Siper, and others briefly shared their future plans and dreams.
After all, as Chairman Netero said, Pro Hunters are both companions and competitors.
But as long as their work natures didn't conflict, they could remain purely as companions.
After some conversation, it was time to part ways.
Everyone walked out of the building.
They were atop a mountain, and the airship that had brought them there was long gone. Getting down to the nearest town would likely be quite troublesome.
When they reached the path leading downhill, Morrow suddenly suggested, "Let Chimera give you a ride."
Without explaining Chimera's identity or waiting for Ponzu and the others to respond, Morrow had already raised his hand and shot a Shooting Star toward the sea of clouds.
Moments later.
Amidst the churning clouds, Chimera's massive form burst through the clouds, flying directly toward the mountain peak.
"That is...!?"
Upon seeing the suddenly appearing Chimera, Ponzu, Siper, Leorio and the others instantly turned pale, staring in terror at this sudden behemoth.
Even the dozens of martial arts practitioners present also saw Chimera and couldn't help showing horrified expressions.
But what shocked them even more was, the ferocious and terrifying Chimera actually landed obediently before Morrow, displaying a harmless and docile demeanor that starkly contrasted with its menacing appearance.
Everyone on the mountain peak platform stared dumbfounded at this scene.
Fellow examinees like Leorio and Ponzu, after barely calming down, all turned to look at Morrow with inexplicable gazes.
Just how many more astonishing unique qualities did this man possess...
—--
Meanwhile.
On the endless steep mountain path.
Those who had descended the mountain earlier, Geretta, Pokkle, Bodoro, the Amori brothers and others, also saw Chimera flying toward the mountain peak.
"What is that thing!?"
"A creature never seen before, could it be... a magical beast!?"
Watching Chimera's figure disappear into the distance, these newcomers who had just entered the world of Pro Hunters reacted with either shock or terror.