What was even more terrifying was that the small hole and its surrounding contours looked unmistakably like an eye!!
"The Sea God... it's the Sea God!!" one of the examinees shouted hysterically.
"The Sea God has descended with St. Elmo's fire!!"
"No one can escape the Sea God's wrath!!!"
"Ahhh! Why is the Sea God appearing before us?!"
"It must be someone on our ship who angered the Sea God!!"
"That's right, nothing happened when we boarded elsewhere, but as soon as we picked up examinees from Whale Island, the Sea God appeared!!"
"Throw the examinees from Whale Island overboard to appease the Sea God's anger!!"
"Yes! Yes!!"
"Throw them out! Throw them out!!"
A group of people screamed hysterically, as if clinging to a lifeline, their eyes bloodshot as they looked around.
Finally, everyone's attention turned to the last ones to board the ship, Gon and Leorio. Gon blinked his eyes, "Is something wrong?"
Leorio: "...?!"
There was no helping it; they were the last to board, making them conspicuously obvious targets if the anger was directed at those from Whale Island.
"This is troublesome," Leorio muttered, instinctively taking a step back as he faced the many red eyes staring at him.
He tugged at his collar and pulled out a short knife from his waist. Although he didn't want to hurt anyone, he wouldn't hesitate to defend himself if necessary.
"The Sea God, huh?" Gon looked up at the hole resembling an "eye," thought for a moment, and then glanced in Morin's direction.
He saw Morin playing with something that looked like a toaster, having a great time.
"Excuse me, sir... what are you playing with?!"
Despite being under the watchful eyes of so many with ill intentions, Gon moved over to Morin's side, curiously asking.
He suddenly realized he didn't even know the other person's name.
"I'm Gon, and I want to become a Hunter to find my dad!"
"Morin," Morin replied casually, then asked, "What's your favorite thing?"
"Favorite thing?" Gon thought for a moment, scratching his head. It seemed like he didn't have a particular favorite thing. Or rather, he liked all good things, which was a bit too broad.
Seeing Gon unable to give a clear answer, Morin didn't press further. Instead, he began kneading a cloud-like mass in his hands.
"Mr. Morin," Gon started to say something, but at that moment—
"Look! The clouds have changed again!!"
The group of examinees, who were about to seize Gon and Leorio, suddenly shifted their focus.
They looked up to see the clouds in the sky changing once more.
The so-called Sea God's eye gradually disappeared, replaced by a large round ball.
They watched as a few strands of hair appeared on top of the ball, resembling a spiky hedgehog hairstyle.
Then, the outline of a human face began to emerge on the ball.
Eyes, nose, mouth, ears...
Gradually, all the examinees on the deck fell silent.
Their mouths opened and closed unconsciously as they stared blankly at the changing clouds in the sky.
Soon, the clouds finished transforming, revealing a face with a sunny smile.
"This..." Gon blinked his big eyes, somewhat uncertainly, "Is that me?!"
How could it not be you!!!
Leorio was the first to shout internally, also shocked by the transformation of the clouds in the sky.
The clouds hanging over the ocean were unmistakably Gon's smiling face!!!
The entire deck fell into an eerie silence.
By now, even the slowest person could tell that this was not a warning or anger from St. Elmo's fire or the Sea God.
Instead—
Everyone silently glanced at Gon, then shifted their gaze and attention to Morin, who continued to operate the controller.
The oppressive atmosphere on the deck dissipated, replaced by a sense of dread and apprehension.
A man who can control the weather, huh?—
The blond boy also looked at Morin with a hint of seriousness, then closed his eyes, imprinting Morin's image firmly in his mind.
"This is the first time I've seen a man who can control the weather," the red-nosed captain said, continuously puffing on his cigarette to suppress his inner shock.
He walked over to Morin, speaking with a complex mix of emotions, "It's really unexpected, or should I say?"
He joked to lighten the mood, "Are you perhaps the embodiment of the Sea God?"
"Sea God?" Morin looked up, smiled, and said, "I can't say for sure about the Sea God, but if it's the Sea King, well, maybe a little."
Red-nosed Captain: "...?"
He didn't understand Morin's meaning, but it didn't affect his impression of Morin.
After taking one last look at Morin's [Cloud Controller], he shook his head and left. This Hunter Exam could be said to be the most unforgettable and thrilling one he had ever experienced.
"That's amazing, Mr. Morin!!" Gon said, his eyes bright as he realized it was all Morin's doing.
"You can even control the weather!!!"
Is this something humans can do?
Leorio, questioning reality, scratched his face and slowly approached.
In any case, Morin had helped them escape the other examinees' entanglement by controlling the clouds, so they should express their gratitude.
"No need for thanks," Morin interrupted, seeing Leorio about to speak. "I just hate thunderstorms, so I did it for my own reasons."
With that, he put away the [Cloud Controller].
"Hahaha..." Leorio didn't know what to say in response, so he just scratched his head and let out a couple of awkward laughs.
"Mr. Morin, are you also aiming to become a Hunter?" Gon asked curiously.
"Leorio and I both want to become Hunters... Oh, he's Leorio, someone I met on the way."
"Ahem," Leorio cleared his throat, "Leorio Paladiknight." That was his full name.
"Aiming to become a Hunter?" Morin chuckled, "No, I'm just bored lately and thought I'd take the Hunter Exam for fun."
Bored... for fun...
Some examinees initially thought Morin was being arrogant, but recalling his weather-controlling feats, they quickly dismissed those thoughts.
"I see~" Gon readily accepted the explanation.
"Then we're all examinees fighting for the Hunter Exam, let's work hard together!!"
Leorio nodded silently to himself. Yes, with Morin's demonstrated abilities, he seemed like a particularly strong ally.
If they could rely on him, their chances of passing the Hunter Exam might increase.
It wasn't appropriate for him to say such things, but if pure-hearted Gon said it, it wouldn't offend Morin.
"Together?" Morin glanced at him and said leisurely, "That's not certain."
"Who knows, during the Hunter Exam, I might find it boring and just quit."
Leorio: This personality seems a bit eccentric?
Or is it that powerful people are inherently more capricious?!
And so, the so-called St. Elmo's fire incident passed just like that.