Lu Ou took the two large eggs handed to him by the Man-Faced Ape. He tossed over a package of Wild Boar meat he had prepared earlier as payment for its trouble. You couldn't keep a carnivore eating only vegetables—that went against biological science.
"Chi-chi-chi-chi!"
The Man-Faced Ape sniffed the scent and realized it was meat. Delighted, it circled Lu Ou twice in excitement before dragging the food away.
"Not bad." Killua reached out and touched the egg, though he couldn't sense anything like density or anything special from Lu Ou's touch. The shell was quite cool.
"You're lucky," Menchi said as she walked over and saw the egg in Lu Ou's hands. "This is a rare King Egg—the egg of the Spider Eagle King. It's extremely delicious."
With Menchi's confirmation, Lu Ou felt delighted. Another precious ingredient acquired. Many of the examinees nearby, who had eaten grapes and regular spider eggs, looked on enviously.
After all, ordinary Spider Eagle eggs were already that tasty—what would a King Egg taste like? Unfortunately, they could only stare longingly. That location truly wasn't somewhere humans could reach.
Earlier, when they had seen the Man-Faced Ape approach, they thought danger was coming. Who would have expected it was delivering eggs instead? Life really was full of dramatic ups and downs.
"We should go," Menchi called to the few remaining people at the back and gestured for them to board the airship. They had been delayed for a while, and most of the others had already boarded.
"Let's move." Lu Ou handed the eggs to Gon for safekeeping and urged everyone to follow Menchi quickly.
"We finally completed the second test smoothly. It was all thanks to you, Chairman, for handling everything perfectly." The bean-shaped secretary finally stepped forward to reassert his presence—it hadn't been easy.
"In my opinion, there are a few promising newcomers this year," Chairman Netero said, thinking about Lu Ou and the others' performance, pleased that fresh blood would soon join the Hunter Association. And their talent was exceptionally high.
Hunter privileges were extremely great, but accordingly, their numbers were extremely small—roughly one chosen from six million. The ratio couldn't be called low.
"It's truly exciting," the bean-shaped secretary said, also happy that the organization he worked for was growing stronger.
"But the test has only just begun. I wonder how many will remain at the end. I'm quite looking forward to it—hahaha!" Netero laughed.
At first, Netero had been very interested in Gon and Killua. Later, Lu Ou appeared—and became someone even more interesting to him.
"Lu Ou, what do you think the next test will be?" Leorio leaned against the window and asked casually.
"It'll definitely be fun," Gon said.
"It should be pretty good," Killua added.
"It'll probably relate to the qualities a Hunter needs. After all, the previous exams have followed that logic. I think that's the foundation of the entire Hunter Exam," Lu Ou replied.
Outside the window, the afterglow of the setting sun slowly filtered through the glass, casting warm golden light over everyone, as if trying to leave its final warmth in the human world.
Night gradually eroded the light. Thick white clouds surrounded the airship, making everything seem peaceful and quiet.
Clink.
A faint sound appeared in a place someone had deliberately been watching.
"So it's come after all," Lu Ou sighed softly.
There are unpredictable storms in the skies, and sudden misfortune in human life. Some things are simply destined.
All the examinees were gathered into the main hall by the examiners to hear an announcement. Perhaps because they had just passed a test, everyone seemed relatively relaxed.
Forty-four people stood together in one room—life in all its forms was on display. Some stood ramrod straight as if at military attention. Some leaned bonelessly against walls. Others sat on window ledges, seeming detached from everything.
"I congratulate all of you. Examinees, you've worked hard. The forty-four examinees present here have all passed the second test," Menchi summarized on behalf of the examiners.
"Our next destination—we are scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock."
The relaxed smiles on many faces stiffened at her next words. The previously light atmosphere immediately solidified, and a quiet tension began to spread.
"I really enjoy this kind of tension. Everyone's expressions are quite good." Chairman Netero stroked his beard, looking very much like a mischievous old man.
"Chairman Netero, if you don't return to the Hunter Committee immediately, what about the meeting?" The bean-shaped secretary suddenly seemed to remember something. He raised his wrist to check the time and realized there truly wasn't enough time left.
Disregarding status, he tugged at Netero's sleeve, looking extremely anxious. Lu Ou could even see wrinkles forming on his usually smooth face from the stress.
"For a routine meeting, just have someone else host it in my place," Netero said carelessly.
"But…" The secretary was still deeply conflicted.
"There's nothing I can do. This was an unexpected development. I have a feeling there may still be problems, so I've decided to accompany these examinees along the way." Netero remained completely unmoved, even thinking he had found an excellent excuse.
Even Menchi, watching the situation unfold, closed her eyes speechlessly. If she felt that way, one could only imagine the secretary who had to stay by the Chairman's side constantly.
"Chairman, please don't forget—you are the exalted Chairman," the secretary insisted anxiously, completely failing to notice the setting they were in.
"Ahem, ahem."
Menchi covered her mouth and coughed lightly, interrupting their back-and-forth, then began dismissing the examinees.
"Until the next assembly time, you are free to move about. Dismissed."
"So tired…"
"Exhausted."
"Finally, we can rest a bit."
The examinees no longer bothered to watch the gossip involving the exalted Chairman. Being able to rest was what mattered most now. They still needed sufficient energy to face the upcoming test—that was the priority.
"Lu Ou—free time!" Gon brightened the moment he heard the word "free."
"Gon, Lu Ou, let's explore the airship," Killua said, stretching. Relaxing a bit now would be good.
"In that case, let's go together," Lu Ou said.
"Being here in person really is wonderful," Chairman Netero smiled as he watched the examinees begin their free activities, clearly in a good mood.
Naturally, the secretary—who had failed to drag the Chairman back to the meeting—felt miserable. This was practically a stain on his career as a secretary.
"Let's put our things down first." Lu Ou looked around and found an empty space against a wall, signaling the others to follow and set their packs down.
"Good idea." Gon and the others agreed and walked toward the corner.
Kurapika set down his bag and sat down as well, letting out a long breath. The fatigue on his face was obvious.
Leorio also leaned against the wall and sat down, stretching his legs in a relaxed posture.
"You two planning to just rest here?" Lu Ou asked when he saw how obvious they were being.
"That's right. We don't have the energy to go exploring," the two answered in unison—surprisingly in sync.