章 17: Chapter 17 : Rookie Crusher Tonpa!!!
Germain gripped the steering wheel with confidence, like a seasoned driver guiding a novice through the basics.
"Steer gently, lightly press the brakes, and then stop... But you don't need me to teach you this, right?" he said, his voice laced with calm menace.
The driver followed the instructions with visible nervousness, his hands shaking. It wasn't surprising, given that the barrel of a gun was pressed against his shoulder, aimed directly at his temple.
When Wing arrived, Germain and the driver were already out of the car. The driver was kneeling on the ground, his head in his hands.
"I asked him a few questions; he's just a common assassin who can barely use Nen. With the Hunter Exam coming up, I don't want any unnecessary trouble. What should we do with him?" Germain asked.
He hadn't killed the driver on the spot, which was a positive sign.
Wing glanced at Germain and replied, "Just leave him here. The area is crawling with Hunter Association personnel—they're responsible for keeping things in order during the exam. They'll pick him up."
Germain looked around at the gathering crowd and nodded. "Makes sense. Let them handle it."
With that, Germain and Wing turned and continued walking toward the church.
After a few moments, Wing couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "You don't seem too surprised about this assassination attempt," he said.
Germain shrugged. "I'm used to it. If nobody tries to kill me for two or three days, I start to get worried."
"Really?"
Wing was silent, pondering the kind of life Germain used to live. This guy had clearly seen things that most people hadn't.
Why did Teacher Bisky want him to meet someone like Germain? Wing respected his teacher immensely, and he couldn't imagine Bisky making a meaningless connection. There had to be a reason for this.
Bisky (also known as Biscuit) had always thought that he was too rigid. Maybe she thought he'd learn something from Germain.
But he didn't realize that Bisky was genuinely too busy to come in person, so she sent a disciple who lived near the exam area to help out.
When Wing entered the small and silent church, he made his way into the dimly lit confessional, whispered a few code words, and then left.
"Okay, Mr. Germain, just follow this path, and someone will guide you to the exam room. This is as far as I can take you," Wing said.
"Got it. Thanks," Germain replied.
Wing paused for a moment, then smiled. "No problem."
Germain walked away from the confessional, but a few steps later, he remembered something and turned back.
Wing put his hands behind his back, puzzled, and asked, "Did you forget something?"
Germain shook his head but pulled out a stone the size of his head from his backpack and handed it to Wing.
"This is something Biscuit specifically requested," Germain said.
Wing remembered the instructions from his teacher and took the stone with both hands. It was massive and heavy, but within seconds, it turned the same color as his skin.
A "magical gem," huh? Wing had thought Biscuit was just using this as an excuse to send him on this errand to meet Germain, but now he wasn't so sure.
Maybe Biscuit really was too busy to come, which is why he had to step in. Wing couldn't help but let out a small sigh at the thought.
He was about to thank Germain, but when he looked up, the man had already walked away, leaving only his back in the distance.
Why did Biscuit want me to help Germain in the first place? Wing wondered. After meeting him, he kind of understood.
Germain wasn't a pure villain, nor was he a saint. He was somewhere in between—a gray character. Not entirely tied to order, not completely embracing chaos, and not wavering between them either.
He had a target, and he had the skills to become a top-tier Hunter.
Meanwhile, a priest dressed in a dark robe opened the back door of the church for Germain, made the sign of the cross, and murmured a silent prayer.
Germain glanced at the priest's aged, creased face, surprised that in another world, there could still be people who believed in gods like this.
The back of the church was shrouded in thick fog, obscuring the view. There was a narrow path laid with red bricks stretching from the church's threshold into the dense mist.
Germain walked down this brick pathway.
As he ventured into the fog, he noticed that on either side of the path were grayish stone slabs, carved with unusual symbols and strange characters.
They were tombstones...
It turned out this was a silent graveyard.
Germain continued to move slowly down the path.
Before long, he saw dark shapes moving ahead of him. As he got closer, he realized it was a group of men and women, each dressed in distinct outfits.
They stood not far away, casting cautious glances at Germain, then quickly turning away to avoid eye contact, speaking only in hushed tones.
These must be candidates for the Hunter Exam.
Germain was still surveying the area when a short figure approached him.
The figure wore a black suit with white gloves. But the face was anything but human—it was green, with a shape reminiscent of a bean.
The bespectacled man with a bean-shaped face was one of the trusted secretaries of the Hunter Association, entrusted by Chairman Netero. Well, "trust" might be a strong word. It was more like the Chairman enjoyed teasing him, among other things.
He was quite different from the energetic Chairman Netero, being calm and composed—a perfect fit for his role as a secretary.
"Hello there," he said, smiling gently as he reached into the small basket slung over his shoulder. He pulled out a small, round, white tag with a number on it and handed it to Germain.
"Please keep this with you. You are candidate number 233. It would be best to wear it on your chest during the exam," he explained.
Germain took the tag and spun it around his fingers a few times, almost like it was a pen. He felt something was off, so he quickly pinned it to his chest.
As more candidates emerged from the dense mist, the bespectacled man quickly moved on his short legs to greet them, following the same procedure. He was quite efficient at his job, a testament to his experience.
As soon as he left, a rotund man approached Germain with a wide smile.
"Hello, hello," he said, with a cheery tone. "I'm Tonpa, a candidate in the Hunter exam, just like you. You seem new here. Is this your first time taking the exam?"
Tonpa didn't recognize Germain, which wasn't surprising. Despite his notorious status in the criminal underworld, Germain wasn't as instantly recognizable as some other members of the Phantom Troupe or the Zoldyck Family.
Both groups had their own distinct reputations— the Phantom Troupe for being master thieves and the Zoldyck Family for their deadly assassinations.
But even within the Hunter exam context, Tonpa had gained a reputation. He'd failed the exam more than 30 times and was known as the "Rookie Crusher" for his habit of messing with new candidates, causing them to fail.
Germain sized him up quickly, and even though he didn't know him by face, he remembered the stories. It was clear what Tonpa's intentions were.
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