For Kaizen, the sooner he finished teaching Nen to the new Hunter, the better.
He had already begun absorbing the characteristics of this year's Hunter Exam. Once that process started, there was no switching targets—unless he abandoned the entire process.
But that clearly wasn't worth it.
The quality of this year's exam ranked among the highest in Hunter Exam history. If Kaizen couldn't push the absorption progress to 100% during the training of the new Hunter, he'd have to wait until next year to try again.
And that would be a huge waste of time.
Not to mention, he'd miss out on a lot.
Like Greed Island.
Absorbing the characteristics of Greed Island might not yield especially strong beasts—after all, the aura level there wasn't particularly high.
It was just a "game world," after all, created by Ging Freecss and his team.
However, based on Kaizen's analysis, spirit beasts born from Greed Island's traits would likely lean toward support and utility.
And for that type of Nen beast, raw power wasn't the priority.
Just look at Altan.
Among all of Kaizen's beasts, Altan was easily the weakest in terms of combat.
Far weaker even than his second-weakest one.
But Altan had value.
Even Chrollo and Shalnark of the Phantom Troupe had admitted—it was easy to find people like Uvogin or Nobunaga who specialized in brute force.
What was hard to replace were supportive abilities like Pakunoda, Kortopi, or Shizuku.
Those were far more valuable to the Troupe.
...
"Yes."
Gon nodded firmly. "We've made up our minds. We're going to Zoldyck Manor. We want to see Killua and let him know—we're already his friends."
"Anyone can make friends."
"Illumi's wrong."
"I still want to keep traveling with Killua."
"As Hunters."
Kaizen looked over at Leorio and Kurapika.
"I've told them before—Zoldyck Manor isn't as dangerous as people think. Killing is just a profession to them. Just another job."
"But that doesn't mean outsiders can just come and go."
"At the front gate, there's a Testing Gate. That's the proper way in. Don't even think about climbing the walls like some common thug."
"Good luck."
Kaizen turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
"Kaizen, you're not coming back to the manor?"
"Not for now. I've got other things to take care of."
"Then… do you have time now?" Gon asked, looking hopeful. "Can you tell me about my dad? During the exam, you said you met him."
Kaizen glanced at him, then nodded.
"Sure. Come with me."
He pointed off toward the side.
"Okay!"
Leorio and Kurapika didn't follow. They sat down on a nearby bench beneath a tree. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappled and golden.
...
"About Ging Freecss... I didn't meet him face to face," Kaizen said. "It was back when I was younger. A group of thieves called Kute Gang of Thieves invaded Meteor City. A lot of people died."
"The Zoldyck family got a request to eliminate them."
"And the Hunter Association sent Ging Freecss as well."
"My strength wasn't enough back then, so the elders didn't let me go in person. I watched the battle a different way. I won't explain how now—but you'll understand in time."
"During that battle, Ging took down two members of the Kute thieves single-handedly."
...
Kaizen gave Gon a brief but vivid account of what he'd seen.
It was enough to get Gon's eyes shining with excitement.
He didn't need the full story.
His imagination filled in the rest.
"Thanks, Kaizen."
"No problem."
Kaizen waved as he turned to go.
"I've got things to do. I'll head off first."
"Okay!"
...
Once the examinees left the manor, they all went their separate ways.
Hanzo headed back to his homeland.
Pokkle was planning to become a Magical Beast Hunter.
Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio made their way toward Zoldyck Manor.
And Hisoka—assuming nothing changed—would likely return to Heavens Arena.
He didn't particularly enjoy the battles there.
But they were... entertaining. Like seasoning in a meal.
Kaizen reached a quiet corner of the area. Someone had been waiting for him there for a while—cloaked and hooded, mostly hidden from view.
When Kaizen approached, the figure pulled back the cloak, revealing a girl with fox ears.
"Master Kaizen."
Kaizen gave a slight nod.
"Alita, I don't think I've ever asked what your Nen ability actually is. Can you tell me?"
"Of course, if Lord Kaizen wants to know, I'll gladly explain."
Alita answered without hesitation.
"I have two main abilities—first, I can transform into the appearance of other people."
"And the second relates to scent."
"I can create three kinds of smells."
"The first is a tracking scent. It marks a target, and once it's in place, I can find them no matter where they go—unless it's really far, like across an entire country."
"The second is a hallucinogenic scent. It affects people's mental states. I used it during the Hunter Exam, especially when I fought Bodoro."
"That old man just wouldn't give up. He clearly couldn't beat me, but still refused to surrender."
"And the third scent is... charm."
Alita blushed faintly.
"It enhances my charm when facing the opposite sex. But… I haven't actually used that one yet."
Kaizen's expression didn't shift much.
Still, judging by Alita's tone and the nature of the ability, he had a pretty good idea of what that scent was really used for.
Most likely, it heightened allure in more… private circumstances.
"I see."
Kaizen nodded.
"I don't have any further orders for now. Head back to the Mafia Community and continue what I asked of you before."
"If anything comes up, contact me at the address I gave you."
Alita nodded eagerly—even her fox ears perked up.
"Yes, Lord Kaizen!"
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