Chapitre 12: Chapter 12: Chit-Chat x Netero’s Game
Chapter 12: Chit-Chat x Netero's Game
"You two little brats, if you want to eat, go to the cafeteria! Stop messing around in the kitchen."
Suddenly, a loud shout rang out, and two small boys were thrown out by a chef.
"Stingy!" Killua huffed, taking a big bite of the large bone-in meat he had sneaked out of the kitchen.
"Hehe…" Gon scratched his head and chuckled. He actually felt it wasn't right to mess around in the kitchen, but… since he rarely got to play with friends his age, he didn't say much.
"Ah, it's Brother Lorin!"
Suddenly, Gon spotted Lorin in the distant hallway and excitedly shouted, trying to divert Killua's attention.
"That guy." Killua was taken aback, then recognised Lorin. The second stage of the test had left a deep impression on him.
Killua immediately became interested, as Gon had hoped, shifting his focus: "Let's go over and check it out."
"Brother Lorin, what are you doing here?" Gon and Killua approached from around the corner, both curious.
Lorin, who had already heard the voices of the two boys, didn't turn around but casually replied, "Enjoying the scenery…"
"Scenery?"
The two boys were puzzled for a moment and came closer.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" Gon's face lit up with surprise.
The blimp was currently passing over a city. It wasn't a brightly lit metropolis but rather dimly illuminated, with just enough scattered lights to outline part of the city's streets.
It was precisely this light in the darkness that made the view so breathtaking.
However, Killua wasn't focused on the scenery outside the blimp. He moved closer to Lorin and curiously asked, "Hey, you were serious during the second stage of the test, right?"
"What?" Lorin turned his head slightly, looking at Killua in confusion.
"I mean when you refused the retest and tried to eliminate everyone to get the Hunter Licence," Killua explained.
"Yes, I was serious." Lorin didn't hide it and nodded.
"Ah! That's so mean."
"Haha, how interesting!"
Gon and Killua spoke simultaneously.
They glanced at each other and then burst into laughter.
Lorin silently watched the two boys bicker like children.
"Your name's Lorin, right? I like your approach," Killua said with a mischievous smile. "Do you think I should try to eliminate all the candidates in the later tests? Would that old man panic and cry?"
"You'd better not," Lorin replied casually. "There are a few freaks among the Hunter candidates. If you try to eliminate them all by force, you'll get into trouble."
Hmm.
For Killua, it would just be trouble, nothing more.
After all, in this round of candidates, only two could completely defeat Killua. Hisoka wouldn't harm a promising young "apple," and Illumi, who had no qualms about killing, was his older brother.
At most, Killua would end up going home before the final stage.
"Huh? I'd get into trouble?" Killua was taken aback. He had only been joking, but now that Lorin said that, his competitive spirit flared up.
"Why don't you try ambushing Hisoka…" Lorin suggested, glancing at Killua.
"Uh…"
Killua froze for a moment, then gave an awkward smile.
Though he was confident—perhaps even arrogant—in his abilities, his instincts, honed through years of training under his brother, allowed him to recognise enemies he couldn't defeat.
And unfortunately, Hisoka was one of those.
"Forget it. I won't imitate something you've already done!" Killua snorted and turned away.
"By the way, Brother Lorin, what did Netero mean when he said you were specially given a Hunter Test registration?" Gon asked curiously.
"Oh, that! It's pretty much like your retest. They just gave me a special registration," Lorin replied nonchalantly.
"A special registration…"
"Wait, don't tell me you didn't actually register for the Hunter Test!" Killua exclaimed, sounding surprised.
"That's right!" Lorin sighed slightly. "I kind of stumbled into the exam by accident. At first, I planned to leave, but the Hunter Test seemed interesting, so I decided to stay."
Lorin wasn't lying.
He had coincidentally ended up in the elevator leading to the first test. Initially, he intended to participate briefly and then leave.
But after his system upgraded, granting him a decent physical condition, the Hunter Test became more appealing, so he decided to continue.
Gon and Killua, however, were left bewildered.
What did he mean by "stumbled into the exam?"
And how could he just stay because it seemed interesting?
Gon couldn't help but think about all the effort he'd put in to reach the exam venue, while Killua pondered how Lorin had nearly eliminated all the other candidates just for fun.
Although they wanted to accuse Lorin of lying…
Seeing him dressed in sleepwear and wearing flip-flops, they had to admit that Lorin didn't seem to be joking.
"Whew…"
"If the eliminated candidates found out about Lorin, they'd go crazy," Killua muttered.
Gon nodded in agreement.
He remembered that the probability of reaching the Hunter Test venue was one in ten thousand. Accidentally stumbling into it was a truly incredible stroke of luck!
Just as the three of them were chatting,
a sudden surge of powerful energy came from one side.
Instinctively, the three turned to look in that direction.
However, where the energy had emanated from, there was no one in sight. Instead, on the other side, Netero walked over with a cheerful smile.
"What are you up to?" Netero asked, feigning curiosity.
Lorin was momentarily stunned, then remembered the plot and resumed gazing blankly out the window.
Gon, however, curiously asked, "Mr Netero, did you see anyone over there just now?"
"Anyone? I didn't see anyone," Netero replied.
Meanwhile, Killua stared at Netero, as if seeing through everything, and remarked, "For someone your age, you're still pretty agile!"
"Oh ho ho, I was just taking a walk!" Netero laughed, looking at Killua with satisfaction.
Hmm.
For someone of that age to possess such skill and perception, he would make a fine toy indeed!
Netero thought mischievously.
As for the other two…
Lorin didn't need mentioning; he was already the prey Netero had set his sights on. Even Gon, with his keen response, was quite impressive.
Tonight promised to be anything but dull.
Netero mused silently while maintaining a cheerful expression: "Do you three have some free time now?"
"Free time? Isn't it free activity time right now?" Killua retorted.
"Don't worry, it's not part of the Hunter Test. I'm just an old man feeling bored, looking for someone to play with," Netero said with a laugh.
"This is your first time participating in the Hunter Test, right? Any thoughts on the experience so far?"
"It's great!" Gon answered enthusiastically, missing the mood entirely. "It's different from what I expected—no written tests that make you think too hard. I was worried at first!"
"I find it boring. I thought there would be some difficult challenges," Killua replied, eyeing Netero.
"I see!" Netero stroked his beard and looked at Lorin. "What about you? How do you find it?"
"It's alright. I just didn't get to enjoy the fun I was looking forward to, which is a bit disappointing," Lorin answered casually.
"Is that so?" Netero seemed to ponder their responses seriously before suddenly saying, "How about this? Would you all like to play a game with me? It's an interesting game, with some difficulty and fun!"
Gon and Killua exchanged glances, both intrigued.
As for Lorin, after thinking it over, he didn't refuse.
He had originally planned to find a room to train and gain some experience,
but since he didn't have much training knowledge, he was reminiscing to see if he could recall any suitable methods.
Now that Netero was willing to exercise with him, Lorin certainly wouldn't say no.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone