Inside the specialized hospital exclusive to the Hunter Association, Gon had been placed within a massive, complex apparatus for a full-body examination.
After ten minutes, Cheadle finally emerged, holding a report densely packed with various symbols and technical jargon. Ignoring Morel and the others waiting at the door, she walked straight up to Allen and demanded, "What on earth did he do to himself? His entire cellular structure is in a near-death state!"
"It's a Vow and Limitation. This reckless kid forced his own body to mature until he was powerful enough to kill the King's Royal Guard, Neferpitou." Allen sighed helplessly.
It had to be said, a "problem child" was a terrifying creature, especially one that wielded immense power and held zero regard for his own life. Looking back at everything Gon had done since the Hunter Exam, it was clear that landing in this state was no coincidence. But considering he was at the peak of his "rebellious phase," coupled with a completely irresponsible parent like Ging, it was a miracle he was still breathing at all.
"Forced growth? You mean... he defeated a member of the Royal Guard?" Cheadle's expression shifted to one of sheer horror. She had heard of the Guards' strength; even Chairman Netero had claimed he wasn't certain of victory against them.
Allen shook his head slightly. "No, not defeated. It was an utter slaughter. He blew the Guard's head off with a single strike. The rest of the time was spent fighting the 'Nen that becomes stronger after death' until the entire corpse was pulverized. I've already submitted the video logs of the extermination battle to the Association; you can see for yourself."
"Unbelievable! This means his current half-dead state is essentially the payment of a price. Conventional medicine is useless now. I'll inject him with a solution synthesized from Essence of Life, but that will only delay his death slightly; it won't change the ultimate outcome." Cheadle quickly provided her diagnosis. In her eyes, such a condition was fundamentally incurable.
"Thanks. I wasn't expecting you to cure him; buying two weeks to a month is enough. Oh, by the way, I have some medicine here for increasing height. Check it for me to see if there are any side effects." Allen pulled out a bottle of Doyen's Growth Pills (B-30) from his pocket and handed it over.
"Hmm?" Cheadle took one look at it, and a peculiar expression crossed her face. "This is something Ging and his team created on Greed Island, isn't it?"
"You recognize it? Is there a problem?" Allen asked, curious. Clearly, Cheadle didn't just recognize the pills; she knew the inside scoop.
"Of course I recognize it! I've heard two rumors about it. First, anyone who takes this medicine is essentially accepting a Vow and Limitation; their height will permanently cease to grow naturally. Second, it seems to carry a curse: the more someone tries to use it to get taller, the more it backfires. For instance, a short man used it to reach two meters but then suffered a horrific car accident that resulted in his legs being amputated. Of course, those are just rumors; I haven't verified if they're true."
Cheadle laid out everything she knew in one breath. From her expression, it was clear she didn't support using such "unscientific" methods for physical growth.
But Allen clearly didn't share her concerns, nor did he believe those "curses" could touch him. He nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent! That means there are no obvious physiological side effects, right?"
"I suppose. If you really want to use it, I suggest no more than one pill per week," Cheadle said, handing the bottle back with a shrug. Truthfully, she didn't understand why this young man was so obsessed with his height. Based on his age, Allen had only just finished his teens; he had at least four or five more years of natural growth left.
"Understood!"
Without another word, Allen popped a pill into his mouth and swallowed.
The next second...
That height, which had seemed eternally fixed at 170cm, finally grew by one centimeter. More interestingly, his muscles, bones, vessels, and organs made subtle adjustments accordingly, causing no discomfort whatsoever.
Feeling this change, he felt a sudden urge to burst into tears and perhaps send a commemorative banner to Ging and his team. Doyen's Growth Pills (B-30)! What a masterpiece! Far better than Angel's Breath, the Golden Scale, or Risky Dice!
While Allen was immersed in the joy of his growth, Cheadle suddenly probed, "Chairman Netero's death is a massive blow to the entire Hunter Association. As the undisputed MVP of the Extermination Team and the one with the highest merit, what are your plans?"
"Plans? You're asking if I'm interested in the Chairman's seat, aren't you?" Allen asked with a knowing smile.
"Exactly. Though you're young, you have the merit and the strength. Many bureaucrats in the V5 are your supporters. If you entered the race, you'd have a high chance of winning. At the very least, it's better than letting Pariston usurp power," Cheadle explained seriously.
Since returning from East Gorteau, Pariston had been hyperactive, shamelessly buying influence while the Zodiacs were absent, hoping to remove the word "Vice" from his title. Unfortunately for him, except for the "Temp Hunters," over 80% of true Hunters held zero affection for him. Coupled with Cheadle's staunch opposition, his efforts had so far fallen short.
Allen had seen all of Pariston's moves. He curled his lips into a meaningful smirk. "I have zero interest in the Chairman's seat, nor do I plan to hold any position in the Association. As for Pariston, don't worry, I'll be inviting him to leave the stage very soon. He won't even have the chance to qualify for the election."
"Inviting him to leave?" Confusion flashed in Cheadle's eyes.
"Yes. You must understand, to the world at large, the Association is merely a government-backed civilian organization. While Hunters enjoy privileges and immunity, they cannot compare to a true sovereign state. I only need to prove a possible link between Pariston and the emergence of the Chimera Ant Queen. With that, getting a warrant for investigation and detention shouldn't be hard, right? As a suspect in crimes against humanity, do you think he'd still be eligible for the election? He won't even keep his Vice Chairman post!" Allen revealed his plan with a cold laugh.
Pariston liked to have "fun"? He liked to break people's spirits for sport?
Then Allen would use the four thousand Chimera Ant eggs as a bargaining chip with the V5 to ensure Pariston had no game left to play. He was certain those greedy bureaucrats would be more than happy to adopt these natural-born Nen users. As for Pariston's fate, they wouldn't care. If they could discard Chairman Netero, they wouldn't blink at discarding a schemer like Pariston.
In the eyes of politicians, interest is everything. Whoever brings them the greatest profit is their best friend.