As Kurapika was thinking this, another unexpected incident occurred at the Hunter License distribution site.
The man with needles suddenly pulled them out of his face, revealing his true appearance.
Kurapika recognized him immediately—it was Illumi, the man who had worked with the Phantom Troupe to attack Germain on the train!
And this time, Illumi's target was Killua.
Killua barely put up any resistance. Under the sheer pressure of Illumi's Nen, he completely surrendered.
Kurapika and Leorio wanted to help, but Illumi blocked them with a single sentence.
"This is a family matter. I hope you don't interfere."
It was only then that Kurapika and Leorio realized—Killua was Illumi's younger brother.
Illumi's deep black eyes locked onto Kurapika.
"Especially you... if you lay a hand on me, things will get troublesome... because if I kill you, your teacher will definitely come after me..."
"Honestly, I don't want to mess with that guy. Otherwise, there's a high chance I won't have any peaceful days ahead."
"I don't want to end up like Chrollo, hiding away... even my family won't let me get near him."
"Don't worry, I won't do anything to Killua. I'm just here to take him home."
Killua also told Kurapika and Leorio not to intervene. Then, he left the scene, looking dejected.
Illumi followed closely behind.
Of course, both brothers took their Hunter Licenses with them.
Kurapika understood that he's probably no match for Illumi right now. Plus, with Killua not in any life-threatening danger, he decided to let it go.
Leorio was frustrated, but since his main concern was the unconscious Gon, he didn't take any further action.
The interruption with Killua came to an end.
Kurapika successfully obtained his Hunter license and was specially called over by "Ox" Mizaistom.
"Come with me, I have something to give you."
During the earlier conflict between Illumi and Killua, Mizaistom and the other Hunter Association members watched coldly from the sidelines, not intervening.
They didn't want to involve themselves in anything beyond the Hunter Exam.
When Kurapika tried to help Killua against Illumi, Mizaistom's expression showed a slight change.
Illumi, the eldest son of the Zoldyck family, was quickly recognized by Mizaistom, the "Crime Hunter."
A troublesome person...
However, if it came to a confrontation between Illumi and Killua, Mizaistom would have no choice but to act, unconditionally standing by Kurapika's side.
Fortunately, the situation didn't escalate to the worst-case scenario. No conflict occurred, and both Illumi and Killua left.
At that point, Mizaistom chose to stop Kurapika, asking him to follow him alone.
Kurapika bid farewell to Leorio and then followed.
He was both curious about what Mizaistom wanted to give him and wanted to figure out why the Hunter Association was paying him so much attention.
Regardless of the reason, Kurapika decided to follow Mizaistom.
Soon, Mizaistom led Kurapika into a private room, and in the dimly lit surroundings, he revealed the reason for bringing Kurapika there.
"You should want them," Mizaistom said.
Kurapika's pupils shrank suddenly. If he wasn't wearing colored contact lenses, his eyes would likely have shone with a crimson glow in the darkness.
"Why... why are they in your hands?"
After months of training under Germain and Melody, Kurapika quickly suppressed his anger and calmed his emotions.
If it were the old him, seeing the five pairs of Scarlet Eyes in the five jars of solution in front of him, he would have been furious, maybe even spoken harshly to Mizaistom.
But now, he didn't do that. He had become more rational, calm. He didn't directly confront Mizaistom.
Mizaistom had been silently observing Kurapika's reactions, watching his emotional shifts. He had seen it all.
He truly was a good prospect. No wonder Germain took him as an apprentice.
I thought he'd be like the "profile"—someone consumed by revenge, torturing himself, burning out. But unexpectedly, he remained so composed.
It seems that "Hunter" suits him more than "Avenger"... With this, many things will be easier.
Mizaistom adjusted his round hat and spoke slowly.
"I believe you've already noticed, during the entire Hunter Exam, many people have been watching you."
Kurapika pressed his lips together but didn't speak.
Mizaistom paced slowly in the dim room, continuing.
"As for the reason, you must have already guessed... yes, it's because of your teacher—Germain."
"In the past few months, you've been doing various tasks with 'Melody the Hunter,' and you must have heard about Germain's recent achievements, right?"
Upon hearing "Germain," Kurapika could no longer remain silent. He nodded.
"It was the Chimera Ant extermination war, right? Melody logged into the professional Hunter network and showed me the information about Teacher Germain."
"Good. That's settled," Mizaistom said with a serious expression, standing firm before Kurapika.
"Your teacher is exceptional. He was the top contributor in the Chimera Ant extermination war. His contribution was decisive, even surpassing Chairman Netero."
"He also played a key role in reducing casualties among the Chimera Ant extermination team members. You could say, he has a debt of gratitude to many."
"We wanted to repay him, but we didn't want to do it just with wealth or power... After that, we discovered you, and after some investigation, we learned about your background."
"Chairman Netero found out you've been collecting the Scarlet Eyes of your clan, and there are only five pairs left, but those last five are the hardest to obtain."
Kurapika slowly exhaled. He had to admit, Mizaistom was right.
The collection of the Scarlet Eyes had been going smoothly over the past few months, but the last five pairs were a real challenge because they were in the hands of some troublesome people.
These individuals were influential, wealthy, and Kurapika couldn't offer them a fair trade.
Moreover, they were surrounded by skilled people, even having Nen users as bodyguards. The chances of successfully taking them by force were low.
Unless Germain could help him, but Kurapika had no idea where Germain was right now.
He also didn't want to burden Germain with a task that wasn't too difficult but still troublesome.
But then, the problem was solved unexpectedly.
The last five pairs of Scarlet Eyes had ended up in Mizaistom's hands.
What Kurapika and Melody couldn't solve, Mizaistom, with his vast resources, solved quickly.
"After the Chimera Ant subjugation feast, Chairman Netero gave me a task—secretly collect these five pairs of Scarlet Eyes and return them to you."
"Now, I've completed it. Take them."
Kurapika stood there, speechless, unable to respond. After a long pause, he finally managed to say a dry "Thank you."
"No need to thank us," Mizaistom finally smiled, "You know why we're helping you collect these eyes."
"If you want to show gratitude, thank your teacher. But I think the best way for you to thank him is by becoming an outstanding Hunter."
"How about setting a goal first?"
Kurapika had been gently stroking the container with the Scarlet Eyes when his hand stopped. He turned his head in confusion.
"Goal?"
"Yes," Mizaistom said. "Becoming a Hunter is just the beginning. As for honor, there are 'One-Star,' 'Two-Star,' and 'Three-Star' rankings among Hunters."
"Since you've chosen the path of a Hunter, your first goal should be to become a 'One-Star Hunter.' What do you think?"
Mizaistom gently encouraged him.
Although Kurapika didn't fully understand the significance of it yet, the goal did resonate with him. He had to do something to meet the expectations of his mentor, Germain.
So, Kurapika quickly made up his mind. His goal was set: to become a 'One-Star Hunter' and continue his journey toward the future.
However, before that, Kurapika needed to find Melody and gather all the Scarlet Eyes—both the five pairs and the ones he had recovered earlier.
He needed to hold a funeral for his fallen people, a funeral long overdue. He hoped that their bodies would remain intact and their souls would finally rest in peace.
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer