Chapter 134: Idol
The Chimera Ants still needed time to evolve, so Haze had a moment to stay with the Association.
Before the great hunt began, there was a little "sweet treat" from the original story he couldn't miss ... Jade, from the movie.
This character was fairly strong, and the souls she released would surely have some effect.
As for the Phantom Troupe, to be honest, at this point the death of even one member wasn't very appealing to Haze anymore.
Even if the Troupe had grown to the level where every member was now a National-Level Hunter, the souls ... or the black mist ... they released when killed would offer very little in terms of "experience points."
National-Level Hunters… Haze had been killing them two years ago.
Still, the Phantom Troupe had numbers on their side, so overall the gains weren't bad.
After all, even a mosquito counts as meat.
Among Nen users, they were still considered an elite group.
In recent years, Haze hadn't bothered much with the Phantom Troupe. He simply didn't take them seriously anymore.
Hisoka's contact with him was limited too, and he seemed busy… most importantly, he wasn't causing trouble anymore.
From Haze's understanding of Hisoka, he was probably training alone, relentlessly sharpening himself.
Even if he had rejoined the Troupe, he still would've had plenty of free time.
Ever since Haze witnessed Hisoka's frenzied state ... when he overexerted his potential during the mission in Botswana ... Hisoka had changed...
A few days after earning her Three-Star Hunter license, Menchi and the others returned.
It was worth mentioning that Menchi had become a Two-Star Hunter two months earlier, with Haze's help.
Now she was the team's sub-captain, in charge of everything during Haze's absence.
Having achieved his goal, and realizing further training was useless to him, Haze temporarily left the team, letting Menchi lead them to continue improving.
The team was once again a group of five. Haze explained to them that his original intention in forming the team was to one day journey to the Dark Continent.
Before that day came, there was no rush to decide anything ... they could remain in the group, and once the time came, choose whether to go or not. That would give them plenty of time to reflect.
This would not hinder their growth.
The words Dark Continent held extraordinary meaning for Hunters…
Although all five trusted Haze completely, they had to consider this carefully. It was a matter of life and death.
While they all immediately acknowledged Haze as their leader, he told them not to rush.
Most Hunters carried an adventurous spirit deep within.
If they could return alive from the Dark Continent, their names would go down in history ... they'd be remembered as legends, idols, and heroes of humankind.
But the odds of that happening were slim.
Based on previous expeditions, death was the most likely outcome.
Eventually, Menchi and her teammates departed.
During their journey, something interesting happened ... the Hunter Exam Committee wanted Menchi to serve as an examiner for the 287th Hunter Exam, but she refused.
In the original story, Menchi was an examiner for the second testing site that year, alongside Buhara.
However, Haze's appearance had triggered a butterfly effect, causing Menchi not only to become incredibly strong ... advancing from One-Star to Two-Star ... but also, to some extent, to inherit Haze's ruthlessness.
For Menchi, serving as an examiner and judging a group of rookies felt like a complete waste of time.
It was far better to focus on missions and self-improvement.
So even when the committee personally requested her participation, Menchi rejected them outright, without hesitation.
Her teammates noticed that Menchi's personality was becoming more and more like Haze's.
As a result, Haze decided to step in, informing the committee that he would serve as the examiner for the second testing site that year.
The committee was astonished ... after all, Haze was a genuine Three-Star Hunter!
Even having a Two-Star Hunter as an examiner was already a rare occurrence.
Naturally, Haze's participation was the best possible outcome.
And so, as the story began anew, Haze became an examiner.
After promising the Chairman, Haze decided to take things easy for the time being.
As the story unfolded, his task was simple ... observe from afar and, using his knowledge of the original plot, wait for the right opportunities to claim all the "supplements."
His list of targets was already quite long.
"They've arrived."
The next day, Haze arrived at Association headquarters and entered a conference room.
When he opened the door, several familiar faces looked up at once ... all of them were this year's Hunter Exam examiners.
The room was filled with professional Hunters: Satotzki, in a pink suit with a curled mustache; Riber, the bounty hunter with a mohawk; Kara, always smiling; and Masta, dark-skinned and wearing sunglasses.
As soon as Haze appeared, everyone turned to look at him.
Some were nervous, others stood up in surprise… and some were simply stunned.
None of them expected a Three-Star Hunter to participate as an examiner.
Haze's name was legendary ... who didn't know him?
Especially newer members like Masta, dressed in a black suit and sunglasses, clearly imitating Haze's style.
He was a huge fan.
"Don't be so tense ... we're all colleagues here. Relax," Haze said with a smile, easing the heavy atmosphere.
After he sat down first, the others exchanged looks, then followed suit, beginning to discuss the exam content.
The Association would later choose and arrange the exam sites based on their proposed questions.
Not everyone was present ... there were reviewers, officers, and others of lower rank ... but the core group was there.
As they spoke and debated, Haze sat quietly on one side, smiling as he observed them.
" Haze-senpai, what do you think?" Masta finally asked, swallowing nervously and looking at him with open admiration.
"You decide," Haze replied calmly, smiling.
He looked over the group with curiosity.
Of all the examiners this year, Haze remembered Satotz from the first round, Riber from the third, and Kara, who had been the guide in the fourth round.
Masta was one of the black-suited referees from the final round, where the candidates fought each other.
In the original work, those later rounds were unusual ... no official examiners were assigned.
Perhaps because Kara and Masta were still new to the Association and lacked experience.
As for Satotz, he was a huge fan of Ging Freecss, and fate had drawn his attention to Gon.
To Satotz, Ging was the greatest Hunter in the Association.
After a while, they finalized the exam's content. It was much as Haze remembered ... except for the second round, which remained blank.
"I haven't thought of anything for that part yet," Haze said, snapping his fingers with a faint grin. "I'll improvise something on the spot."
"Understood," they all replied quietly.
No one dared to object.
The man before them had earned that right.
After exchanging ideas for a while longer, everyone dispersed.
Watching Haze's departing figure, Satotzki, still standing by the door, wiped the thin sweat from his forehead and sighed in relief.
Though Haze was outwardly kind and polite, Satotzki couldn't explain why ... but he felt immense pressure in his presence.
He had always sensed that Haze and Kim, despite both being high-ranking Hunters, were fundamentally different.
Maybe it had something to do with the rumors… that countless people had died at Haze's hands.
Including a former member of the Twelve Earthly Branches ... Shen Hou Xi You.
"How cool!" shouted Masta, clenching his fists excitedly.
Just moments ago, when Haze had passed him, he'd given him a pat on the shoulder and told him to keep up the good work.
It was encouragement ... from his idol!
Satotzki understood perfectly… When someone guided your path as a Hunter and gave you the motivation to keep going ... wasn't that a form of happiness?
(End of Chapter)