"How rude, as if we have a high chance of failing this year," Leorio muttered while devouring the freshly grilled steak.
"After all, the pass rate for first-time examinees is only one in three years," Kurapika said, cutting his steak swiftly yet politely.
The Hunter Exam has always been brutal, especially for newcomers. Among them, many have suffered mental breakdowns due to the harsh tests, and quite a few have been so severely tormented by veterans that they could never take the exam again.
"But why?" Gon asked while eating, "Why do people still desperately want to become Hunters?"
Kurapika and Leorio both gave him a bewildered look: "…?!"
You mean you came to take the exam without knowing anything?!
"The so-called Hunters!" Leorio slammed the table, and Kurapika sat up straight: "Hunters are the world's... most lucrative (noble) profession, don't you know (understand)?!"
Leorio and Kurapika turned to each other with disdainful looks. Leorio: "Pretending to be noble~!" Kurapika: "Greedy money-grubber!!" Gon: "..."
Seeing them like this, Morin couldn't help but feel amused. Clearly, the one who thinks it's the most lucrative became a noble doctor saving lives, while the one who thinks it's the most noble became the head of a mafia family, with blood on his hands.
Such a stark contrast with their aspirations, yet perfectly in line with their characters and personalities. This twist of fate truly makes one ponder the unpredictability of life.
"So, Gon, have you decided what kind of Hunter you want to be?!" they both pressed him.
"I don't know either," Gon said, sweating profusely, while shoveling meat into his mouth like a seasoned eater. His left hand's "Guiding Angel" played dead, offering no suitable choice. Seeing Gon like this, they didn't press him further.
"By the way, Morin, what kind of Hunter do you want to be?" Leorio asked, noticing Morin hadn't joined their conversation.
"It doesn't matter what kind of Hunter," Morin leaned back in his chair with a smile. "My master is a Gem Hunter, my apprentice is a Bounty Hunter, and my friend is a Ruins Hunter.
Personally, I'm not very interested in the Hunter profession. Like I said at the beginning, I just want to have some fun and casually get a license, that's all."
"Master? Apprentice?!" Kurapika and Leorio both turned into beady-eyed characters. Although they understood every word Morin said, they couldn't grasp the meaning behind them.
"Eh? Morin, you have a master and an apprentice?" Gon looked over, still eating. "But you look so young, how old is your apprentice? Has he already become a Hunter?"
Due to the "Age Fountain Rope," Morin's age has remained almost eternally youthful, always looking like he's eighteen or nineteen. It's no wonder Gon had doubts.
"I may look young, but do you know my real age?" Morin said with a leisurely smile. "I'm already forty or fifty years old."
A flock of crows flew over Gon's head. As for Leorio and Kurapika, they twitched their mouths, not believing Morin's words, thinking he was just teasing Gon.
They didn't sense any middle-aged aura from Morin, who was full of energy like a young man.
"That's unbelievable," Gon said, genuinely shocked. "Morin, you maintain yourself so well, you can't tell at all!"
He actually believed it. Kurapika and Leorio were speechless, once again raising their estimation of Gon's naivety.
"For some professional Hunters, it's not a difficult task. I'm still lacking," Morin explained.
"Some Hunters are already in their fifties but disguise themselves as a blonde princess, a cute little innocent. That's what I call top-notch disguise skills."
A master-disciple relationship with hidden meanings and backstabbing.
"There are such Hunters?" Gon exclaimed in wonder. As for whether Kurapika and Leorio believed it, that was up to them.
Morin often trained late at night using the "Can Studio," spending decades inside. Time flies in training, and in the mountains, a thousand years pass.
If you add the decades in the "Can Studio" to the outside world's ten-plus years, Morin's physiological age is easily over fifty. But with the "Age Fountain Rope," his age remains unchanged.
"But Morin?" Gon seemed to have thought of something, asking another question: "Why aren't you a Hunter when your master and apprentice are?"
"Even though you learned from a Hunter and guided your apprentice onto the Hunter path."
He was very curious about the Hunter profession, which his father dedicated almost everything to.
"Because when I apprenticed, it was mainly for my master's ability to train and guide people. I let my apprentice become a Hunter because the Hunter Exam is a great way for him to train," Morin said nonchalantly. "Personally, the Hunter profession is neither here nor there for me."
Gon furrowed his brows, seemingly understanding, and nodded seriously.
"So that's how it is!"
'You didn't understand at all, did you~??'
Leorio and Kurapika both thought to themselves.
"And Morin," Gon continued like a curious child, one question after another. "Earlier, Mr. Fox mentioned the number of newcomers as 'three'? Does that mean you've taken the Hunter Exam before?"
Everyone noticed Mr. Fox's wording earlier, but for some reason, they didn't ask. Now Gon asked for them, and Kurapika and Leorio were curious about Morin's answer.
So, they all looked at Morin in unison. They were all newcomers, so the only veteran was the mysterious Morin. They wanted to know more about the Hunter Exam.
"Hey, Morin, have you taken the Hunter Exam before?" Gon's eyes sparkled. "Can you tell us what the Hunter Exam is like?"
"I can, but I don't think it has much reference value," Morin shrugged.
"Why?" Gon asked, puzzled.
"Because the last time I took the Hunter Exam was a long time ago, fifteen years ago," Morin said with a smile, giving them an unexpected answer.
Fifteen years ago...
They all turned into beady-eyed characters again.
Soon, as their conversation hit a lull, the feeling of weightlessness gradually disappeared. When the elevator display showed "B100," it came to a complete stop.
"It seems we've arrived."
Their expressions turned serious. After tidying their clothes and preparing themselves, they walked out as the elevator doors slowly opened.
In the spacious underground passage, a large crowd had gathered. Each person exuded a strong aura, completely different from the people they encountered at the port, and the atmosphere was noticeably different. Everyone here was not to be underestimated!
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they received "friendly glances" from many examinees present.
"These examinees are completely different from those so-called Hunter volunteers we met earlier. The atmosphere is much heavier," Kurapika observed, becoming more vigilant.
"This place is really dark, like an underground passage... How many people are here?" Gon was peering around curiously.
"Hey, it looks like you guys are the last examinees," a simple voice suddenly came from their left.
They saw a man who looked honest and simple, like a neighborhood uncle, sitting there.
"Judging by your faces, you must be newcomers. Hello, I'm number 16, named Tonpa...?!"
Originally, Tonpa was pretending to be friendly, greeting them with a smile and introducing himself. But when he saw the person behind Kurapika, taking the number plate from the Bean Man...
Even after many years, he still remembered that unforgettable figure, causing his voice to suddenly rise by eight octaves.
"Thank you, Mr. Bean Man," Morin said, taking the 406 number plate from Mr. Bean Man and pinning it to his chest.
"You're welcome~" Mr. Bean Man, who was handing out number plates, shook his head. "I've never seen the Hunter Association so focused on a Hunter Exam like this one."