At 7:10 PM, everyone, including Agostino, was seated promptly around the dining table on the first floor, enjoying the delicious food served by the butler and servants, occasionally chatting about non-work-related topics.
In fact, this had been the routine for almost every day since Allen had been living at home. No matter how busy they were, everyone made an effort to return home before seven o'clock to share a meal. Especially with the registration deadline for the Hunter Exam drawing closer, meaning he would soon be leaving home again, with no set date for his return, Allen frequently received gifts from his siblings and father. These included valuable curative medicines and tonics, famous swords, specialized high-powered firearms and ammunition, and even a bottle of powerful anesthetic that, in tiny amounts, could instantly knock out an elephant.
Although most of these gifts would be useless to him, Allen still chose to accept them with a smile and react with pleasure. He understood that what he was truly receiving was not the gifts themselves, but their concern and familial love.
Once the meal was over, Agostino immediately took out a napkin and wiped his mouth, then handed a check with an exaggerated sum to his youngest son. "Here, Marcus Cabrelli asked me to pass this on to you."
"Oh? That much!"
Allen glanced at the dizzying string of zeros and revealed a look of surprise.
Seventy-five billion Jeny!
This was the amount remaining after the Ten Dons and the Cabrelli Family had taken their commissions. This meant that the obsolete, unwanted low-level gear and potions had an incredibly huge demand in this world, with countless people willing to spend a fortune for them.
"Mm. Can you tell me what you gave him? You know, even the Kurta Clan's Scarlet Eyes only fetched about ten billion at the highest," Agostino asked, extremely curious.
"I'm sorry, I can't. Regarding this matter, the less you know, the better. But I don't have much use for this money right now, so you should take it as capital for the family business," Allen pushed the check back.
In this world, money was never important to a Hunter pursuing mastery of Nen; it was merely a byproduct of pursuing their life's purpose. Gon and Killua had mentioned when researching the game Greed Island that the game, which required Nen to play, had an acquisition difficulty of only G (Easy) because it could be acquired simply by having money. Moreover, in the annual ranking of the world's top one hundred richest people, there were always over fifty Hunters, demonstrating just how low the status of money was in the minds of elite Hunters.
"Alright. I'll convert this money into shares, and you can just wait for your annual dividends."
Agostino did not decline, accepting the enormous check directly. Thanks to Marcus's full support, the family business had expanded rapidly over the past six months, and many areas genuinely required a large amount of liquid capital. Furthermore, he also hoped to use this method to set aside a substantial fortune for his youngest son as a final insurance.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You'll be leaving soon for the Hunter Exam again, right? I prepared a small gift for you."
Agostino spoke while pulling out an exquisite small box from his jacket pocket and placing it on the table.
"A phone?"
Allen opened the box and took out a light, compact electronic device, about two-thirds the size of his palm, with a beautiful violet gemstone inlaid on the back.
"That's right. This is a new product that hasn't even hit the market yet, custom-ordered from a business friend of mine. It works in all countries and regions, is waterproof, fireproof, explosion-proof, can withstand pistol bullets, and its signal is ten times stronger than most phones on the market. With this, you can keep in touch with home from anywhere," Agostino introduced proudly.
"Thank you, I like it very much."
Allen skillfully handled the touch-screen phone, which bore an uncanny resemblance to one from Earth. Aside from the exterior, operating system, and language, he noticed very little difference; it even had Wi-Fi and gaming functions.
Sometimes he really couldn't figure out how the technology in the Hunter x Hunter world had gone so off-track. While they were incredibly advanced in other areas, even possessing nuclear weapons, their aerospace technology was extremely primitive. Forget missiles and rockets capable of supersonic speeds; they didn't even have the most basic propeller planes. The only aerial vehicles were airships and hot air balloons. While airships were stable to ride, less noisy than planes, and luxury cabins featured entertainment venues like bars, cinemas, and dance halls, their speed was simply underwhelming.
Agostino clearly didn't know his youngest son was secretly critiquing the entire world's technological trajectory. He asked directly, "When do you plan to leave?"
"Tomorrow. I still have some preparations to make before the Hunter Exam begins," Allen answered without hesitation.
To defeat the abnormal Hisoka in a fair one-on-one fight, he needed to find a quiet, undisturbed place. He would use the remaining time to tackle the dungeons of Stratholme, Scholomance, Blackrock Spire, and Dire Maul North and West, striving to reach Level 60 soon and update all his gear.
Agostino nodded slightly. "Understood. Your brother, sisters, and I will drive you to the airship tomorrow. Remember, no matter what setbacks you encounter outside, no matter what harm you suffer, this place will always be your home. You can return anytime."
…
The next day.
"Be careful! Don't get hurt again."
"Good luck! I'm waiting to hear the good news of you passing the exam and becoming a Hunter."
"Onee-chan will prepare a celebration cake for you!"
"Take this charm, and don't forget to call home often."
Amidst a chorus of well-wishes, Allen boarded the airship bound for Whale Island early the next morning.
After the airship ascended and entered a stable cruising state, he quickly made an excuse to leave his seat and used Teleport in an empty restroom.
Instantly, he materialized out of thin air in a place radiating a strong sense of Shadow and Death energy. Using a class ability, he summoned the Shadow Wolf Alpha, Lupos.
Scholomance!
A place most newly max-level Hunters would visit!
Because it drops an excellent ranged weapon in both damage and appearance: the Ancient Bone Bow.
Especially the high bonus of +11 Agility was precisely what Allen most urgently needed at this stage.
It was crucial to know that the five basic stats on the character panel—Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intellect, and Spirit—were perfectly reflected in his body. Strength, Agility, and Stamina were the most noticeable.
Strength, naturally, meant that the higher the value, the physically stronger he became.
Stamina represented vitality; the higher the value, the more robust his body and the higher his maximum Nen capacity.
Agility represented balance, speed, and nervous system sensitivity. It was the most critical combat attribute, bar none. When his Agility was high enough, he could easily dodge enemy attacks even with his eyes closed and counterattack instantly. His body would also become increasingly supple and flexible, allowing him to perform high-difficulty movements.
In comparison, Intellect and Spirit were less impressive. The former only increased his Mana capacity and did not genuinely improve a person's intelligence. The latter primarily increased Mana regeneration speed, along with a slight, so far very limited, amplifying effect on his Nen ability.
Even without any specialized training, the sheer stat increases gained from leveling up were enough to give Allen superhuman physical capabilities. With a set of slightly better gear, he was confident that in a fight, he could make Hisoka taste the flavor of being completely overpowered.
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