As expected, Menchi announced the second part of the test, making sushi.
Nicolas didn't rush. He knew it was a lost cause. He'd heard before that becoming a sushi master took years of practice. Even if he knew what sushi looked like, he'd never satisfy Menchi's palate.
After retrieving a fish from a nearby lake, he sliced it and did his best to form something resembling traditional sushi.
As expected, his dish was rejected, even though he had the honor of being tasted, unlike the horrors presented by other candidates.
Menchi shot him a dark look. "The shape wasn't bad, I had a sliver of hope… but I wouldn't even give that to a dog!"
Not taking the criticism to heart, Nicolas returned to the crowd. Now that they'd seen Menchi taste a sushi-shaped dish, everyone started copying the form, but no one succeeded.
"All candidates are disqualified," Menchi announced coldly.
Complaints echoed through the crowd. Paying no attention, Nicolas simply walked to the tree where Leorio had been sitting earlier. Soon, the strongest man in the world would come to resolve this problem.
Crack!
A loud noise drew his attention. One of the candidates had just broken his worktable in anger. Indifferent, Nicolas closed his eyes and waited for the Chairman's arrival.
Ten minutes after the angry candidate was slammed down by the giant, an airship hovered over the test site, catching everyone's attention.
Opening his eyes, Nicolas spotted a small dot falling rapidly from the blimp, no, it was a voluntary jump.
Now that I think about it, whether now or during the assault on the castle, that old man really loves dramatic sky entrances.
Landing without injury, the Chairman calmly walked toward Menchi, his gaze subtly drifting to her chest.
Nicolas slowly stood and approached while the Chairman scolded the examiner. Soon, she requested he take them to a nearby mountain.
A few minutes later, all the candidates were standing in front of a massive ravine. Menchi quickly explained the objective before trying to kill herself by jumping in. Moments later, she reappeared, holding an egg.
Soon, the candidates jumped in as well, climbing back out with giant eggs.
Boarding the massive blimp, Nicolas listened to Netero's introductions before leaving to explore with Gon and Killua.
After a good meal, they sat quietly admiring the view. Following a question from Gon, Killua spoke about his family.
Listening to a 12-year-old calmly describe his family of assassins made Nicolas feel strange. Still, he had to get used to it, this world was like that.
Gon turned to Nicolas. "And you, Nicolas? What about your family?"
"It's not as impressive as Killua's, I'll warn you, but I've been thinking for a while that my dad is part of the mafia. He's obsessed with the Hunter title. He even had my brother assassinated because he didn't want to take the exam. He's a bastard. I don't plan on going home after the exam."
The two boys looked at him with understanding. As expected, they didn't seem particularly surprised, except Gon, who frowned at the mention of the assassination.
Suddenly, the three felt a powerful presence. As they turned around, it was instantly behind them.
"What's going on?"
At the sound of the voice, they saw the Chairman. He looked at them for a few seconds before smiling at Nicolas. "You're very stealthy. You must train a lot."
Nicolas looked at him and instantly understood that Netero was referring to his Zetsu. He was certain no one had noticed it during the trials, but apparently, there was at least one exception.
"Well… thanks for the compliment, I guess?"
After a brief conversation, Netero proposed a game.
The four found themselves in a training room. The Chairman, now in a tank top, was juggling a volleyball.
"Anything goes. I won't fight back. If you catch the ball, I'll give you a Hunter License. Ready?"
Killua went first. But despite all his assassin skills and strategies, he couldn't do anything, same for Gon.
Clap!
After slapping Gon's hand, Nicolas stepped onto the training field to face the Chairman.
Stretching slowly, he felt lighter after removing his weights earlier during the trials.
Nicolas charged straight toward the Chairman, but the old man easily sidestepped the attack. Without wasting time, Nicolas continued the offensive. He wasn't afraid to injure this old monster, even at full strength.
However, no matter what he tried, Netero kept dodging easily. He looked like an adult playing with a newborn.
Eventually, Nicolas stopped. I've never felt such a gap in power… not even against the butler.
Netero looked at him mockingly. "This is boring. You can all come at once."
Faced with such obvious provocation, Nicolas didn't react. He nodded to the others and rushed in again.
Time passed quickly. Killua gave up halfway, leaving Gon and Nicolas alone against the Chairman.
A few hours later, Gon collapsed face-down from exhaustion.
Netero observed him with amusement before speaking. "Well, now that your buddy's knocked out, you can use Nen if you think it'll help."
Surprised, Nicolas looked up at the Chairman, who was casually juggling the ball.
"All right, old man. I'll go all out."
Despite the bold words, Nicolas had no special Hatsu to use. He hadn't even mastered the advanced Nen techniques. All he could do was activate his Ren at full power to boost his physical abilities.
Activating Ren, Nicolas ran at a much higher speed, but the Chairman showed no difficulty. A calm Ten enveloped him. He didn't even break a sweat.
"Hohoho, you're quite the specimen. Your Zetsu is perfect, but your Ren is weak. You shouldn't neglect the basics."
Panting, Nicolas replied, "Haaa… haaa… You say my Zetsu is perfect, but you easily figured out I was a Nen user. Liar."
Netero laughed, balancing the ball on his forehead. "I said your Zetsu was perfect, and it is. But don't think perfection is enough to beat me."
Nicolas thought to himself, face unreadable. What nonsense… has old age softened his brain?
Suddenly, he felt Netero's gaze land on him, a wide grin spreading across the old man's face. "Since you have time to think stupid things, why not get back to our game?"
"…Can you read my thoughts or something?"