Beans, standing off to the side, could only smile helplessly. He had come to get the Chairman to sign some documents, but who would have thought he would walk in and see that half of the Chairman's beard was gone again, and that Roy, that particularly memorable examinee from before, had somehow appeared here too.
At once, Beans understood why the Chairman's beard had lost another half.
Clearly, they had fought again.
"Beans, I think the Hunter Association can add another Hunter profession right now," Netero said calmly as he set down his teacup.
"Another one? What profession, Chairman?"
"Story Hunter."
"Story Hunter? You mean the kind of Hunter who travels the world, records the customs, scenery, and local culture of different places, then writes them into stories and essays so that people all over the world can read them, broaden their understanding of the world, and strengthen mutual connections? Hunters like wandering bards?"
Beans really was a qualified secretary. Out of sheer professional instinct, he immediately polished "Story Hunter" into a title that sounded lofty, elegant, and prestigious.
"Ahem, exactly like that!" Netero coughed lightly, then spoke with a straight face.
"I understand, Chairman. At tomorrow's Hunter Committee meeting, I'll put forward the proposal."
Beans nodded, but then his face tightened with obvious hesitation as he glanced at Roy.
"Is this about the matter I asked you to investigate last time, concerning the Zodiacs? This has something to do with Roy, so just say it directly," Netero said without the slightest attempt to hide it.
The Zodiacs, huh?
Roy really was a little interested, so he turned to look at Beans.
Since Netero had said that, Beans simply began his report.
"Tomorrow afternoon, after the Hunter Committee meeting ends, there will be an evaluation of the Zodiacs' recent work. Last time, Chairman, you asked me to gather materials on the Zodiacs' job performance. I've collected quite a bit. Overall, everyone has been fairly dedicated, but..."
"But what?"
"But some people's work files still contain a lot of questionable points. For example, the Boar, Ging Freecss. There are many things in his file that are vague and unclear, and some even involve matters like privately releasing death-row prisoners..."
"No need to talk about Ging." Netero waved a large hand dismissively. "Those things are trivial. Is there anyone else whose file has issues?"
Privately releasing death-row prisoners was trivial?
If the V5 found out about that, the Hunter Association would be in serious trouble.
Rows of sweat immediately appeared on Beans' face, and a deep sense of powerlessness rose in his heart.
"Other than Ging Freecss, the Tiger, Kanzai, has repeatedly gotten into fights with others due to his violent temper. The Snake, Gel, caused multiple explosions while developing new poisons, which seriously affected her coworkers' work efficiency. The Rabbit, Pyon, is always glued to her phone and has delayed a lot of her own work. And there's also—"
"All of those are just minor details. Aside from that, is there anyone whose file contains something that looks a little odd on the surface, but is actually harmless? The sort of thing that feels like reverse concealment?"
"Reverse concealment? That..." Beans froze for a moment, then immediately answered, "There is one. The Monkey, Saiyu. His file—"
"That's enough. At this point, I'd practically look like his personal hater," Netero interrupted.
Beans: "..."
Chairman, when you say things like that, people are very likely to think you really are deliberately targeting him.
Ignoring the sweating Beans at his side, Netero instead turned his head and looked at Roy, who had been quietly enjoying the spectacle.
"What do you think?"
"I'm looking at it with my eyes~ The Zodiacs were chosen by you, Chairman, so if there's any problem, that's for you to decide."
"Oh? And your brain?" Netero hooked a finger near his temple. "Then at tomorrow afternoon's Committee meeting, regarding the new Hunter profession—"
"We had an agreement. If you want to go back on it, I don't mind helping the Chairman trim his hair a little more~" Roy did not fall for it at all.
"Is that so?" Netero subconsciously touched his head, then sighed.
"That makes things troublesome. I originally wanted to use this opportunity to see whether I could remove a few unqualified Zodiacs..."
"Fine. I'll go with you to tomorrow's meeting. But I want one of the Zodiac seats."
"Although the Zodiacs are personnel chosen and guided by me, every one of them has made outstanding contributions to the Hunter Association. Their personal strength or professional expertise has also been recognized by Association members. If you want to become one of the Zodiacs, those conditions are indispensable. And there's another prerequisite before all that: there has to be an open seat. But right now~"
Netero's meaning could not have been clearer.
You want a Zodiac seat?
Fine. First drag one of the current members down.
"No problem." Roy considered it for a moment, then answered, "But I also have one small condition..."
...
If Greed Island player data did not reconnect within ten days, then all in-game save data, including any cards that had been collected, would be wiped clean.
But Roy had only brought Milluki out for five days.
Milluki barely had any cards on him anyway, so even if he stayed outside training for a month, it would not be a big problem.
Roy only needed to return once within the next five days and there would naturally be no issue. At worst, he could just split off another Four Bodies Technique clone~
Early the next morning, fourth floor, Hunter Association Headquarters.
The Hunter Association Committee meeting was generally held once every half month to summarize the Association's recent work and arrange the next stage of operations.
The meeting was usually chaired by the Chairman, but everyone knew Netero's temperament. Being late was routine, and sometimes he even skipped meetings without explanation.
As a result, the meeting flow was basically arranged by Beans, while Pariston was responsible for presiding over it.
Those present at the meeting were all core leaders within the Association, including some Association-contracted Hunters and the head of the Association's secretarial department.
Association-contracted Hunters were Hunters to whom the Association assigned jobs it had taken on from governments or corporations. In cases like that, regardless of whether the job succeeded or failed, the Association guaranteed them a huge sum of compensation based on the level of risk and difficulty involved.
(End of Chapter)
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