An hour passed, and an airship headed this way.
The ship had come to carry away the eliminated examinees, while the airship had arrived to take the examinees who had passed to the site of the final test.
One traveled by sea, the other by sky. It almost seemed to imply something.
On board the airship, with the Hunter Exam nearing its end, all of the examiners and Netero were sharing a meal in one room.
"Out of eleven people, eight are newcomers. Not bad, not bad at all," Netero said with a cheerful smile.
Aside from Hisoka, Pokkle, and Bodoro, all of them were first-timers.
With his mouth stuffed full of food, Buhara asked indistinctly, "Is that kind of situation common?"
"Not common. It probably only happens about once every ten years," Netero said.
Satotz also added, "Whether the newcomers can truly stand out will depend on the final test."
Buhara asked curiously, "Then what exactly is the final test about?"
The moment he said that, all the examiners except Menchi turned to look at Netero.
Menchi, meanwhile, was staring blankly into space, clearly lost in thought.
When she heard them mention the final test, she subconsciously muttered, "I don't know what the final test will be, but that one examinee will definitely pass, right?~"
A silence fell over the room.
They all knew who Menchi was talking about.
Of course, that did not include the crested-haired examiner, who had no idea what had happened before this and merely looked puzzled as he stuffed a daifuku into his mouth.
Seeing everyone fall silent, Netero gave a light cough and said seriously, "I'm planning to hold a very unusual duel. But before that, I need to have a talk with them first."
The examiners were all baffled, completely unable to guess what Netero was thinking.
At that moment, the people who had passed the Fourth Phase were already inside the lounge. Everyone was busy with their own business, occupying the places they liked and doing the things they liked, without bothering with one another.
They had already been notified that the final test would take place three days later.
The other examinees were also keeping to themselves and occupying different corners. Of course, Hisoka was still building his house of cards. It was practically an eternal hobby by now.
Illumi had also stopped disguising himself. In any case, he did not care anymore.
There was no need to keep hiding.
Hanzo brought Bodoro and Pokkle along with him and stayed behind Roy's group. He felt that following Roy and the others was still the safest option.
Back on the island during the fourth test, Roy had shown that he was not some bloodthirsty killer, but actually a good person.
Without Roy knowing it, Hanzo had already handed him an invisible good-guy card.
And Roy knew a great deal of useful knowledge and information. Sticking close to him would definitely mean gaining a lot of useful insight.
As for Hisoka and Illumi, they sat far away in a corner, minding their own business. It was not as though everyone intentionally wanted to isolate them, but even Hanzo did not dare to go near Hisoka.
Although Illumi had returned to his refined, handsome face, he was still hanging around with Hisoka. Birds of a feather flock together, and everyone understood that much.
And so, the eleven of them smoothly split into two camps.
"The last time we rode an airship, it felt like being packed in like sardines. Who would've thought that with only eleven people left, the airship would feel too big instead?" Leorio sighed with emotion. In just a few days, things had already reached the final stage.
"But I'm still worried. Judging from the way that old man Chairman Netero talked, what exactly is he going to test us on?" Leorio said.
"No matter how much we think about it, there's no way we could guess the content of the exam," Kurapika said.
"You really are no fun. Can't you see everyone's already tense enough? Stop pouring cold water on things," Leorio said irritably after being dampened.
"Is that so?" Kurapika turned to look at the others. Their expressions really were all quite serious.
Of course, that did not include Roy and Android 18. One always had a calm expression, and the other always wore a cold one.
"Everyone here went through who knows how much hardship to make it this far. No one wants to be eliminated," Leorio said.
"No matter what, we're all first-timers taking the Hunter Exam. Talking among ourselves won't get us anywhere. In a situation like this, shouldn't we be asking someone with experience instead?" Hanzo suggested. That was also the reason he had brought Bodoro and Pokkle over.
"Exactly," Kurapika said.
"I agree too," Leorio said, also approving of the constructive suggestion.
Everyone then turned their gaze toward Pokkle.
After all, he was taking the Hunter Exam for the second time.
Being stared at so passionately all of a sudden, even someone as thick-skinned as Pokkle found those piercing looks hard to endure.
"Asking me won't help either. Three years ago, I got eliminated in the Fourth Phase. This year is also my first time making it all the way to the final test," Pokkle said, waving his hands over and over, afraid that if he moved too slowly, those burning gazes would roast him alive.
"So after all that, you're not dependable either," Hanzo said, a little dejected.
"None of your business," Pokkle shot Hanzo a dead-fish stare.
Pokkle remembered very clearly that during the second test, Hanzo had known the correct way to make sushi, then stood there watching him make a fool of himself.
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]