Lu ou was left speechless by that remark.
Being just a bit shorter than Gon was a real, undeniable weakness—an outright fatal blow.
For a moment, Lu ou even had a wild thought:
Should I ask my body to cooperate and grow a little taller?
Of course, actually pulling that off would be extremely difficult.
How high-grade would the food have to be for his body to "do him a favor" like that?
So after thinking it over, Lu ou decided it would be more reliable to just hurry up and meet Lu ou—
…wait. That made no sense.
Clearly, what he really meant was that meeting future challenges sooner would be more practical.
"I'm not going to argue with a coward who's afraid of heights,"
Lu ou shot back, his expression clearly saying, Come on—mutual damage. Who's afraid of who?
In the original events, Leorio had screamed pitifully in the air all night long—
all because he was afraid of heights and the Kiriko flew far too high.
Leorio's retort got stuck in his throat.
That was the truth, and there was no way to refute it.
He'd already exposed himself when they came to look for Lu ou earlier.
Even with skin as thick as his, he couldn't immediately backpedal.
"I think… it's time we set off,"
Kurapika reminded them at just the right moment.
"Let's go,"
Lu ou said, signaling the Kiriko family.
Whoosh—shua—shua.
All four Kiriko spread their enormous wings.
Following Lu ou's assignments, each grabbed the person they were responsible for and slowly ascended into the air, flying toward Zaban City under cover of night.
The real Hunter Exam was about to begin.
After an entire night of grueling flight, the group finally arrived at the outskirts of Zaban City just as dawn was breaking.
The sun had diligently climbed above the horizon, casting golden-red light across the city.
Zaban City looked far grander and more massive than Dolle Harbor—towering skyscrapers stood alongside elegant buildings, radiating wealth and prosperity.
Upon landing, the male Kiriko transformed into a young man in his twenties, wearing a yellow headscarf and dressed like an Arab merchant.
He waved for the other Kiriko to return, then personally led the group inside to locate the exam venue.
"The test officially begins tomorrow. You can wait there for now,"
he instructed as they walked through the city.
"Lu ou, this place looks amazing. The buildings are way taller than the ones on Whale Island,"
Gon said excitedly. Being one step closer to his father made him visibly energized.
"It really is a big city… How much money would it take to build all this?"
Leorio's eyes sparkled with dollar signs as he stared at the surrounding skyscrapers as if they were made of gold.
The calmest ones were Lu ou—hardened by his previous world—and Kurapika, who had little interest in such things and was focused solely on becoming a Hunter to avenge his clan.
"Zaban City, Block 5, No. 10… where is it, where is it?"
The Kiriko muttered, holding a piece of paper and searching nonstop after entering the city.
"Found it. It's right here—this building is the test venue,"
he said, stopping in front of an enormous skyscraper gleaming brilliantly as he pointed.
The building towered into the clouds, its smooth surface reflecting the morning light like it was paved with diamonds.
Its structure resembled a medieval castle—majestic and imposing.
"So tall!"
Coming from Whale Island, where buildings were only two or three stories high, Gon was completely awed.
"As expected of the official test site—even the entrance is this extravagant,"
Leorio said, equally stunned.
"Amazing…"
Gon was inexplicably thrilled.
"This is where skilled people from all over the world who want to become Hunters—"
Leorio began.
"—gather,"
Kurapika finished, unable to help praising it as well.
"Is this how Dad felt too? Lu ou, are you excited like this as well?"
Gon asked, tightly gripping his fishing rod.
"Uh…"
Lu y paused, holding back a smile.
"I don't know about excitement… but I do know you're about to experience disappointment."
Even without knowing the original plot, Lu ou could tell:
the Kiriko's finger was clearly pointing not at the skyscraper, but at the small steakhouse next to it.
There was no way the exam site was that towering building.
"Huh?"
All three turned toward Lu ou at once.
What did he mean by disappointment?
Lu ou pointed toward the Kiriko, who had already walked several steps toward the steakhouse.
"I think that is where we're actually going."
He started walking over.
"This is the place. Why are you all just standing there? Hurry up,"
the Kiriko called impatiently, tapping the steakhouse entrance.
Whether he did it on purpose or overheard their earlier admiration was anyone's guess—
but the slight curve at the corner of his mouth suggested otherwise.
Lu ou felt oddly troubled by his own sharp eyesight.
This isn't good… really not good.
And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't suppress the faint smile.
His face stayed neutral, but inside he was thoroughly enjoying their misery.
"Why is it here?!"
the three exclaimed in unison again, comparing the luxurious castle-like building with the shabby steakhouse.
The contrast was brutal.
All the excitement they'd felt moments ago vanished instantly.
"Welcome!"
came a two-part greeting from the owner and a server.
The waitress was sweet-looking with a bright voice,
and the chubby owner looked cheerful and well-fed.
"Don't joke around—Guide, how could this possibly be—"
Leorio hurried after him, speaking as they entered, assuming the guide was just hungry again.
"Boss, one steak set,"
the Kiriko said calmly to the owner lounging at the counter, ignoring Leorio completely.
"How would you like it cooked?"
The owner squinted, an odd smile spreading across his face.
"Slow-grilled,"
the Kiriko raised one finger, his eyes narrowing to slits.
"Please, this way. You're early this year,"
the owner said, gesturing for them to head to a private room.
"Some things came up, so we arrived early. Everything's already arranged,"
the Kiriko replied casually.
"Come on in. A complimentary steak set will be served shortly,"
the cute waitress said, wide-eyed, pointing the way.
Once the door opened, they saw a round table and several chairs.
The room was fairly spacious—but completely bare, with nothing else inside.
Lu ou entered first, scanning the room carefully.
Finding no trace of hidden mechanisms, he could only give up.
Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon had no choice but to accept reality.
The Hunter Exam site…
was inside this shabby steakhouse.
"There's free food—better eat a lot to stock up energy,"
Leorio said, unable to resist at the word free.
"Food!"
Gon agreed, suddenly feeling hungry.
Even though they hadn't flown on their own all night, the trip still consumed energy.
The group quickly picked seats and waited for the meal to arrive.