Chapter 79 — Spider Eagle Eggs (Part 1)
"Chairman, could you please use the airship to take us to that mountain?"
Menchi pointed toward a distant peak.
"I understand. Very well—consider it done."
Chairman Netero glanced at the mountain once, instantly grasping her intention, and agreed without hesitation.
"Finally… a retest. No matter what happens, I will pass this time."
Tonpa held his injured arm, expression firm. No matter how messy the process had been, the fact remained—he had another chance.
And a man could dream, after all.
"Osren, where did you disappear to just now?" Gon noticed Osren emerging from behind another large tree and asked curiously.
"Nothing much—just some preparations. You'll find out soon enough."
Osren flashed a mysterious smile.
"Alright! I'll wait and see!"
Gon's eyes sparkled instantly. As far as he was concerned, Osren's words were always correct.
"Osren is definitely planning something," Leorio snickered. He was also looking forward to it—whenever Osren said things like this, something entertaining always followed.
"Looks fun," Killua added. He had already noticed Osren sneaking away earlier—and even spotted a monkey. His curiosity was piqued.
Kurapika simply nodded, quietly expecting whatever Osren had planned.
Osren only gave a deep, enigmatic nod and ignored their probing.
Some things were only interesting when revealed at the right moment—spoiling the surprise early would ruin the fun.
"Wait—Osren, you don't have to take the retest, right? You were the only one who passed the sushi exam!"
Leorio suddenly remembered and slapped his thigh.
"But the examiners never said anything about it…"
Leorio puffed out his chest.
Since Osren was tiny and adorable, Leorio—strong and tall—felt obligated to step in and ask on his behalf.
Especially after seeing Menchi go berserk earlier and almost turn Tonpa into paste.
Osren approaching her personally? Absolutely not. One kick, and Osren wouldn't even make a decent toothpick.
Despite knowing Osren was strong, Leorio always rushed forward instinctively—that was just who he was.
"No need. The examiners and the Chairman already have a plan."
Osren placed a hand on Leorio's shoulder, pushing him back before he could take a single heroic step.
There was no need to spell everything out—some decisions were already made.
"In that case, if Osren says no, it's definitely fine!" Gon said decisively.
"We'll follow Osren's lead," Kurapika agreed calmly.
Killua smirked.
Osren was not the type to let himself be taken advantage of—there was no way this wouldn't get interesting.
"Not bad at all this year."
Chairman Netero surveyed the crowd of noisy candidates. His gaze lingered especially on Osren's group.
"Quite a few promising seedlings," he remarked to the examiners beside him.
"Indeed," Menchi nodded.
"There's explosive strength, unique abilities… and even a once-in-a-millennium Gourmet Hunter prodigy. His talent is extraordinary."
Thinking of this, she quickly remembered something—and approached the Chairman.
"Chairman, Candidate 406 has already passed earlier. He doesn't need to retake the exam."
"Oh? This is the one you mentioned—the one with exceptional cooking talent?"
Netero glanced toward Osren, his eyes sharp and unreadable as he questioned Menchi with a meaningful tone.
After all, it was incredibly rare for someone this young to have already awakened Nen—and to be able to move so naturally even under his deliberate pressure.
Netero couldn't help but be impressed.
"Yes. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't need to retake the exam. His talent and palate are unmatched," Menchi said earnestly.
Netero knew well how demanding Menchi was when it came to cuisine.
For her to praise someone this strongly meant the boy's talent was truly exceptional.
But since a retest had already been announced, exempting anyone would only cause problems.
"Since it's a retest, everyone must participate. There will be no exceptions," said Chairman Netero.
He intentionally let his gaze sweep over Osren—this child who had already awakened Nen.
What special ability did he have?
Perhaps…
A sharp glint flashed in Netero's eyes, and his aura surged so powerfully that no one dared refute him.
"Yes, sir. Understood—thank you, Chairman."
Menchi instinctively straightened her back, her voice crisp and obedient under the weight of his presence.
Only after answering did she realize she felt genuinely sorry for Osren.
His talent was undeniable, and she had wanted to give him a well-earned exemption…
But since the Chairman had spoken, she could not argue openly.
She would have to make it up to him in another way.
"However," Netero continued, "this retest ultimately stems from the Committee's error.
Even though everyone must participate again for fairness' sake, Candidate 406 effectively took the exam twice—one of which was voided.
He must receive compensation."
Seeing Menchi's expression flicker, he added calmly:
"In that case, I'll offer him a private lesson afterwards."
"Thank you, Chairman!"
Menchi's mood instantly brightened.
A gourmet-hunter prodigy deserved grooming—nothing made her happier.
Netero waved the praise away and signaled for the airship to begin landing.
"Osren," Menchi called as she approached, "although you must retake the exam, you did pass the previous one. So consider this your reward."
She placed the bottle of horn moss of Big Horn Bear into Osren's hands.
This was a treasure money couldn't buy—an extraordinary ingredient coveted by every gourmet hunter.
"Thank you, Examiner Menchi."
Osren's eyes lit up.
This was an even better reward than he predicted.
He carefully accepted the bottle with proper courtesy.
Under normal circumstances, he would have had no way to obtain such a rare ingredient.
Menchi waved him off and began organizing the noisy candidates to board the newly landed airship.
"Just wait," Osren told his friends as he tucked the small bottle away with great care.
"Once I experiment a little, I'll make something even better for all of you."
Ever since tasting that flavor, Osren had been bursting with ideas.
Now that he had the actual ingredient in hand, it was time to turn theory into practice—after all, true understanding came from doing.
"Alright, let's go."
Seeing that none of his companions objected, Osren gestured for them to follow him toward the airship.
Time was almost up.