Chapter 29: A Powerful Ally

Staring at the Temp Hunters assembled in front of him, Auren doesn’t recognize a single face.Then he hears a sickly sweet voice call out, “Candidate No. 123, you’re with me.”

Without paying attention to the others, Auren quickly follows the speaker. As he approaches, he gets a better look—it’s an elderly woman, likely in her sixties. She’s quite petite, with greying brown hair and a height about equal to his own, roughly 1.5 meters.

Auren eyes her carefully and nods.

She’s a Nen user. No reason to underestimate her.

“You’re a nice boy, aren’t you? Follow me! We’re in charge of protecting the various embassies. My name is Ingrid,” she tells him.

“Auren. Nice to meet you,” Auren replies politely.

They get into a car, and Ingrid briefly outlines their assignment.

“Watch for suspicious individuals. If it’s not an emergency, tell me first. I’ll be sticking close, so there won’t be any need to act on your own. But if you see a weapon or a fight—react immediately. You’re authorized to use deadly force in emergencies. Still, try to hold back if it’s not serious. We don’t want any scandals. From my years of experience, a stern talking is more than enough, with a tiny little dash of Aura, to shock them.”

“Understood,” Auren says.

She’s using Nen to scare them? I guess that works….

The next eight hours feel like a boring, unimportant chore. They do nothing but patrol a fixed route near the embassies, walking in circles. A few protestors appear, but with only a few thousand and hundreds of police officers on duty, there’s no need for them to intervene.

The day ends peacefully. Ingrid drives Auren back to the branch.

“A pleasure working with you! I hope you pass!” she says warmly.

What just happened? Where was the task…? Was my instinct right? This was way too easy. How can Pariston justify this as part of the Hunter Exam?

“Welcome back!” Pariston greets Auren in the lobby. “I heard nothing bad happened—which means you did your job perfectly. Come, the others just returned as well.”

They enter the elevator. Pariston smiles at Auren, who returns the expression, unsure of how to respond.

Back in his office, Pariston claps his hands. “Congratulations to all three of you for passing the fourth task. And aside from that… allow me to give you this!” He takes out three envelopes and hands one to each of them.

“Please, open them!” he says cheerfully.

Auren opens his and sees a neat stack of bills inside. A quick count reveals 300,000 Jenny.

Pariston explains, his smile now stretching almost unnaturally wide, “This is your pay—as trial Temp Hunters. You earned it! I hope you not only learned something today, but that you’ve also developed an interest in this line of work. Here’s my card! I hope you’ll reach out if you pass the final exam. We’re constantly flooded with requests and in desperate need of new Hunters!”

He hands out his business cards, which Auren accepts and slips into his pocket.

The most blatant recruitment attempt I’ve ever seen. Not that I care. As long as I pass, it’s fine. And doing the occasional job for him might not be a bad idea. He’s probably the most connected person in the entire Association.

“The final exam begins now. Unfortunately… I have bad news. The last examiner is a real oddball. In my opinion, he’s the least suited of all the previous examiners. Depending on how he conducts his test, I might object and intervene. In any case, I wish you the best of luck! Forgive me for not escorting you—I’ve still got a mountain of work. The day is just starting for me. Please go to the lobby; the receptionist will guide you,” Pariston says.

Auren looks him in the eyes one last time. Pariston appears concerned, even worried. Then Auren turns and leaves with the others.

That guy… he gives me the creeps. If I didn’t know any better, I’d probably be fooled. He’s definitely charismatic and a fantastic actor.

Back in the lobby, the receptionist—a young woman in her early twenties—greets them with a bright smile and a clap.

“Congratulations! You’ve passed the fourth exam! Also, I hear two of you are rookies? That’s incredible! I’ll be guiding you to your final examiner.”

The three candidates follow her.

“You two are really rookies? You’re monsters,” Candidate No. 175 mutters, eyes full of disbelief.

“This exam’s about luck, too,” Auren replies. “With how random these tasks are, I could’ve easily failed if things had gone down a little differently.”

No need to brag.

Eventually, they reach a room tucked away at the back. As they step inside, they immediately recognize what kind of place it is.

A library, huh?

“Good luck,” the receptionist says before quickly stepping out.

“Come in,” a man’s voice calls from within the room.

They follow the voice and soon find him—not especially tall, but with a youthful appearance. His black hair is messy, tied back with a headband that makes it spike like straw. His beard is just as unkempt. He wears plain, casual clothing and doesn’t seem particularly interested in them.

It’s really him. After Pariston, I considered the possibility—but still. This is surprising. Ging Freecss!

“You three are the last ones? Figures. Pariston was as soft and blatant as ever,” Ging says, sounding unimpressed. “I suppose it’s fine, though—it balances out the earlier phases. I’m Ging Freecss, and I guess you could call me your final examiner. Frankly, the only thing I’ll be testing is your attitude toward becoming a Hunter. After that, I’ll evaluate your performance throughout the exam and decide if you pass.”

“Let’s start with you, Candidate No. 97,” Ging adds, motioning him into a side room.

Goreinu complies and follows him in.

Five minutes later, Goreinu returns, wearing a confused expression.

“Your turn,” he says to Candidate No. 175, who shrugs and walks toward the side room without comment.

“I know it’s probably pointless to ask, but I’m still curious,” Auren says.

“He asked a few general questions. Nothing important. I’m still confused,” Goreinu responds.

Exactly two minutes later, Candidate No. 175 emerges, looking equally baffled. He nods at Auren.

What is going on?

Auren steps into the room. Inside is a simple setup: one table, two chairs. Ging is already seated and gestures for Auren to sit.

“So you’re the last one, huh? Auren, from the Mitene Union—Republic of Hass. Not exactly the nicest place to grow up, is it? Twelve years old, and already quite proficient in Nen. Clearly, you qualify to be a Hunter. My question’s simple: Why do you want to become one?”

“My goals wouldn’t change even if I didn’t decide to become a Hunter,” Auren replies calmly. “But the license connects me with other Hunters, offers huge benefits, and makes things easier.”

“Any particular goal?”

“I collect weapons and other rare items. As long as they’re created by true geniuses, they qualify,” Auren says, placing his two Ben’s knives on the table.

Ging raises an eyebrow. “Nice work. A little dark, but definitely interesting.”

“To afford them and make more connections, I need money—and Hunters certainly have an easier time with that. I also want to learn more combat techniques. I plan to study various weapons and martial arts for decades. Being a Hunter makes it easier to find people qualified to teach me. Lastly… I guess a Hunter is the kind of person who can make it outside.”

Ging perks up. “Outside… where?”

“This small lake,” Auren replies with a meaningful grin.

“You know the truth about the world? I was about to wrap this up, but now you’ve caught my interest. Mind telling me how you know?”

“My master had connections—and even some wisdom from the outside. I can’t ask him for more details since I killed him a few months ago, but I found notes he left behind. If you want to know more, the other Elders in Meteor City might be able to help.”

“So you’re from Meteor City? And your ID is fake? Good enough to get past our background checks… impressive.”

Auren smiles, then briefly explains his situation.

“A real survivor, huh? I’m impressed. And honest too—I like that. You can go. You’ll get confirmation of your pass shortly. The staff just need a few hours to issue your license,” Ging says.

“May I ask something?” Auren asks.

“Sure. I owe you one,” Ging replies.

“Interested in one of the Calamities?”

Ging’s expression tightens. Before he can respond, Auren continues. “I encountered a snake during the second exam. I almost died.” He pulls the snake’s corpse from his backpack.

“Federation… snake… At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but then…”

“When I fought it, I nearly lost my mind. I’m telling you this in confidence—anyone would’ve died. That snake nearly made me lose control in a frenzy of rage and hatred. It could see Nen. It was unnaturally fast and incredibly dangerous for its size. You might not believe me, but it’s true.”

Ging opens the bag. Despite the smell, he doesn’t flinch. He inspects the corpse carefully as if he had stumbled across a priceless treasure.

“I’m gonna butcher it real quick, alright?” he says, grabbing one of the Ben’s knives—No. 241.

He expertly skins the snake, like an expert, surprising Auren.

“There’s a small black lump here… wasn’t visible from the outside. And this—bone growth is definitely suggesting a second tail. I can also still smell the corrupt influence it possesses. Without a doubt, this isn’t the real deal, but it’s either influenced by one or some kind of hybrid. Why show this to me? You realize I’ll go after the source now.”

“As I said, I almost died. I am not ready for this kind of task. You’re aiming for the Dark Continent, aren’t you? I might need years to get strong enough, but I’ll train every day—dedicating myself to Nen. When you go… take me with you. My Hatsu is something you won’t want to be without. It will be vital to surviving that journey, I swear this on everything I hold dear.”

Ging studies him carefully, then—finally—smiles. A genuine one.

“You’ve got a deal, my young colleague. Let’s aim for the outside together,” he says, extending his hand.

Auren grins and shakes it.

Ging grabs a random book, rips out a page, and scribbles a number on it.

“Call me in a few months. For now, keep training like your life depends on it. I’ll look into some weapon experts for you—I’ve got a few connections.”

Auren nods and stands to leave. Just as he reaches the door, Ging speaks again.

“If you’re ever without a clear goal… try a certain game. Ever heard of Greed Island? Give it a go when you’re bored.”

“Never heard of it, but sure,” Auren says.

“If you manage to clear it, I’d say you’re ready for the trip. Don’t rush. Take your time. You’ve got more pressing matters for now—but if you’re aimless, it’s a good challenge.”

That went better than I expected!!