"Lu ou, what kind of eggs do you think they'll use for boiled eggs?"
Leorio was the type who couldn't sit still. After boarding the airship—and knowing it would take a while to arrive—he started thinking about the upcoming test.
"There's too little information. For now, it's hard to deduce anything useful. We don't even know what kind of eggs they'll be."
Kurapika said thoughtfully.
"No matter what the ingredient is, it's probably going to be delicious."
Gon recalled the roasted whole pig and the beggar's chicken–style pork offal Lu ou had made earlier. He felt confident it would taste good.
Lu ou didn't say anything, but it would definitely be delicious.
Spider Eagle eggs were certainly tasty. If he had the chance, he absolutely had to collect a few more.
This was one of his strengths—whenever he encountered rare ingredients, his instinct was to protect them by stuffing them into his pack.
"We're here."
When Lu ou saw the mountain shaped like a volcanic crater, he knew they had arrived.
Here already?
His companions crowded around the window to look outside. All they could see was a barren, rocky mountain—no grass, no signs of life at all. Let alone animals.
If there were no animals, where would the eggs come from?
"You'll understand once we get down. Let's go."
Lu ou said calmly.
"Alright."
Once Gon had a goal, he was fearless no matter what came next.
After the airship landed, the examinees disembarked one by one and gathered around Menchi. When they saw her heading straight toward the cliff, they followed instinctively—after all, even Chairman Netero was walking that way.
No matter what, an examiner wouldn't make everyone jump off a cliff… right?
Reality proved they were far too naïve.
"We've arrived."
Menchi stopped at the edge of the cliff and raised a hand, signaling the examinees to halt.
"What is this?"
"Why did we come here?"
"Aren't we supposed to boil eggs?"
The examinees began murmuring among themselves.
Stopping at the edge of a cliff—what did that mean? Were the eggs below? If so, why not land the airship at the bottom and climb up instead? Jumping down first seemed completely unnecessary.
"What kind of place is down there?"
Tonpa had just finished boasting earlier, but faced with such a deep cliff, his confidence wavered. What kind of test was this?
"Don't worry. There's just a very deep river valley below."
Menchi spoke as she calmly removed her boots, trying to reassure the noisy crowd. This wasn't a big deal at all.
"Alright, I'll demonstrate first."
Standing at the cliff's edge, Menchi spread her arms gracefully—and leapt straight down.
"Ahhh!"
Most of the examinees cried out in shock. They were completely stunned by the way she jumped without warning.
"Lu ou, are the eggs in the river?"
Gon asked.
"No. I think they're on the cliff face. If they were in the river, coming all the way up here would be pointless."
Lu ou replied.
"What kind of egg grows on a cliff wall—halfway up like that?"
Leorio scratched his head.
Kurapika was also thinking. The creature would have to lay eggs in midair—most likely a type of flying creature—but there were too many possibilities for him to identify it immediately.
Killua, on the other hand, looked intrigued.
"They're Spiders Eagle."
Lu ou said.
At this point, there was no reason to keep it secret. Besides, Chairman Netero was about to explain anyway.
Sure enough, just as Lu ou finished speaking, Netero's deep voice echoed out.
"Spiders Eagle live in Split Mountain. Examiner Menchi is going to collect Spider Eagle eggs."
Netero spoke to calm the clearly shaken examinees.
"To keep their eggs from becoming food for land-based beasts, Spiders Eagle use tough spider silk to suspend each egg between the cliffs of the valley.
All you need to do is successfully retrieve a Spider Eagle egg and climb back up."
Chairman Netero deliberately explained the spider's habits and the core objective of the test.
Thud. Thud.
As Netero finished speaking, a few heavy sounds rang out. Menchi had already climbed back up the cliff, her head appearing over the edge, her hair tied into multiple braids.
"This is what you'll be using to make boiled eggs."
She held up a gray egg covered in black spots, about the size of a goose egg, for everyone to see.
"I suggest you be careful. The river below flows very fast. If you fall and get swept to the estuary dozens of kilometers away, there's no chance of survival."
Menchi lightly jumped back onto solid ground and offered a kind warning to the eager examinees.
"You make it sound so easy. Who would be crazy enough to jump into a valley like that?"
Tonpa immediately backed down, grinding his teeth. He even felt the urge to fight Menchi again—but the dull pain throughout his body reminded him that he couldn't win.
There was a certain type of person who liked to impose their own limitations on others.
If something was difficult—or impossible—for them, they believed it must be the same for everyone else.
He thought he was already impressive and still couldn't do it, so no one else could either. Whether that was arrogance or misplaced confidence was hard to say.
"This is great!"
Killua said excitedly. Running and fighting pigs hadn't been nearly thrilling enough for him.
"I've been waiting for a test like this."
Gon was also delighted. The running exam hadn't allowed him to show his strengths—this kind of challenge would.
"A test decided by physical ability is way easier than making traditional cuisine."
Leorio was happy too. After making sushi over and over, cooking had been pure torture for someone completely lacking culinary talent.
"I agree."
Kurapika, unusually, shared Leorio's opinion.
"It's not just physical strength. It also tests courage, resolve, and judgment."
Lu ou added.
"Chi—"
As he spoke, Lu ou placed his fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
From afar, a shadow came hopping toward them.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Leorio froze when he saw a monkey run up to them. A monkey wasn't surprising—but a monkey with his own face was another matter entirely.
His whole body tensed, instantly entering a combat stance.
"It's fine. I hired a helper. Don't worry about the details."
Lu ou waved his hand dismissively.
"It's probably a Face-Man Ape that ran into Lu ou."
Kurapika said calmly.
"Oh."
Leorio scratched his head. It just felt weird seeing another face identical to his own. Since Lu ou clearly didn't plan to explain further, he didn't press the issue.
"Interesting… Can such a crafty creature like a Face-Man Ape really be controlled?"
Killua rested his chin on his hand, glancing between the ape and Lu ou.
Still, the sudden appearance of a carnivorous beast caused a stir among the examinees—especially one they had encountered before: the cunning Face-Man Ape.
The ape tilted its head and stood there obediently.
If not for its different posture, it would have looked like two Leorios standing side by side.