The corpse of the chieftain beast, along with the treasures stored in its nest and by its pack, was far more than Roy could fit into his Capsules.
So when the Capsules were nearly full, Roy and Android 18 finally stopped.
By the time Roy checked the time and left the Milsy Wetlands together with Android 18, every creature in the swamp had already begun fighting over the position of leader.
"With things like this now, if the examinees go in there... well, whatever. Let them leave it to luck. Sometimes luck is part of strength too."
Roy shrugged off all responsibility without the slightest burden on his conscience.
But when Roy and the others returned, they discovered that Gon and Killua had already arrived and were waiting by the huge iron gate at the end of that passage.
"You two got here early too?"
"Ah! Killua and I were having a race to see who could reach the goal first, and we got so into it that before we knew it, we'd broken away from the main group and ended up here."
Gon scratched the back of his head as he spoke.
"Then how did you know this was the finish line?" The underground tunnels were a tangled maze, so Roy found it strange that the two of them had managed to make their way here correctly.
"By smell!" Gon said with a grin, pointing at his nose.
"I caught the scent of Android 18's perfume and followed it all the way here."
Roy: "..."
Right. He had almost forgotten that Gon's sense of smell was sharper than a dog's.
Beside him, Killua looked like his worldview had just taken a serious hit.
"Hey, Roy, how exactly do you do that flying-in-the-sky thing? What is... 'that,' anyway?"
At last, little catlike Killua couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and finally asked.
"According to the rules of the ordinary world, this isn't supposed to be explained to normal people. But if you pass the Hunter Exam, then sooner or later you'll naturally find out what it is and how it works."
"...So I still have to pass the Hunter Exam? That's a prerequisite? Fine, then. I'm definitely getting a Hunter License!"
"Of course, that's only the rule of the ordinary world. As far as I'm concerned, I don't give a damn about it. If you want to know, I can tell you."
Killua: "..."
Hey! You're messing with me, aren't you? You are definitely messing with me!
Seeing Killua glaring at him with those catlike eyes, Roy turned his head and said breezily, "But not right now. The main group will be here any second. I'll tell you when there's time."
Killua twitched his ears. Hearing the footsteps behind them getting closer and closer, he could only nod, somewhat unwillingly.
He knew this wasn't the time to talk about it, especially with that freak Hisoka following behind them.
Killua shook his little head, then seemed to think of something and pointed at Gon and the others.
"Hey, Roy, does Gon know about... 'that' too? Is he like you?"
"Yeah. Gon and the others already know about that power, and they've already mastered it."
"Tch~!" Killua was even more irritated now.
What the hell? Even a spacey little kid like Gon had mastered a power that Lord Killua himself still hadn't.
And since they were the same age, Killua felt as though he'd somehow fallen behind Gon.
Still, he sharply caught the key word.
"That... is some kind of power?" Killua's little head was already turning it over.
"There's not enough time to explain it now, but I can let you experience that power for yourself. Gon, use it on Killua for a bit."
...
When the crowd of examinees arrived at the scene together with Satotz, they found Roy and his group sitting leisurely on the ground, while nearby, Killua was cowering in the shadow of a corner with a look of terror on his face.
"There's something wrong with that group."
Every examinee came to the same conclusion about Roy and the others.
Back when Roy and the others had flown off, the examinees had already decided they should avoid contact with them as much as possible in the future. Now that resolve became even stronger.
And Illumi, or rather Gittarackur, saw his younger brother looking so badly frightened that, as the overprotective brother he was, he nearly failed to hold himself back from firing a few needles.
Of course, remembering the terrifying aura he had sensed earlier, he forcibly suppressed that impulse.
"I'll settle this after getting the Hunter License. Father always taught us that the Zoldyck family doesn't engage in pointless killing or unprofitable business. But since you provoked Killua, I may just have to make an exception."
As for Hisoka, he said nothing at all. He merely watched the scene with calm eyes, the corners of his lips curving in a silent smile.
When Leorio and Kurapika saw that both Gon and Killua were there, they both let out a sigh of relief.
Earlier, Gon and Killua had gotten carried away racing and vanished in the blink of an eye, which had left Kurapika and the others worried for a while.
Killua, meanwhile, only felt that he had finally managed to get his breathing under control. What Gon had made him feel just now was exactly the same sort of feeling his older brother used to give him.
It was deeply unpleasant.
And revolting.
Only after a long while did he finally recover, then sit back down beside Gon.
He had already confirmed it now: this was an extremely special kind of power.
His brother could use it.
His father and grandfather certainly could too.
(End of Chapter)
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