Chapter 331

From Don Freecss's achievements alone, you can see how impressive the Freecss bloodline is.

He's one of the few Nen users who's spent many years active in the Dark Continent. And Ging Freecss, at his current age, already ranks alongside Maha Zoldyck among the top five Nen users in the known world.

"Gon's talent is just as terrifying. 

He didn't undergo nearly as much childhood training as Killua did, 

Yet after learning Nen for only a short while, he was able to catch up to Killua. 

Their gap keeps shrinking. 

"It's different for Leorio and Kurapika. For one thing, they're older. Besides, Leorio isn't improving nearly as fast as Gon. 

Kurapika, on the other hand, is cashing in on his prior foundations. 

But Gon's age is the same as Killua's."

Just for a rough comparison: 

Before learning Nen, let's say Gon's power level was around 10, 

While Killua's was about 30. 

But once they learned Nen, including some advanced techniques, They both soared to around 80 or 90. The gap between them has become much smaller.

Then Ron couldn't help thinking about Hisoka.

"This is the Hunter Exam in which Hisoka sets his sights on Gon, 

But in reality, Gon isn't the only one Hisoka finds interesting. 

He's also interested in Kurapika and Killua. Still, because of Illumi, Hisoka won't go after Killua, 

And because of Chrollo, he won't target Kurapika either. In fact, he'd rather cooperate with Kurapika if it means achieving his goal of battling Chrollo.

"In short, Hisoka's interest in Kurapika might be a 5, while his interest in Chrollo is a 10. 

"But it's fortunate that Hisoka's only expressing 'interest' in Gon— 

Not genuine intent to kill him. 

Otherwise, he might not make it out of this exam alive."

Hisoka doesn't know Gon's background. 

But Ron does.

Gon is Ging Freecss's only son. 

Despite appearances, Ging certainly cares about his child. 

Creating Greed Island was partly for his own enjoyment, and partly for Gon's sake. As for why Netero chose to show up so early in this Hunter Exam, it's very likely due to Gon as well. 

Normally, Netero wouldn't appear until the final stages at most.

Once Gon passed the Hunter Exam, Netero deliberately directed him to Heaven's Arena to teach him Nen. That was no coincidence, but rather part of the Hunter Association's plan—letting Gon follow the traditional Shingen-Ryu path.

Ron suspects Biscuit's involvement in Greed Island had the same motive. 

Otherwise, given Biscuit's capabilities, there's no way she wouldn't have been able to obtain a Greed Island console long ago. 

With Ron's current connections, he could get one himself. Biscuit's network would only be stronger than Ron's.

Ron is inferring the Freecss family's situation based on his experience with the Zoldyck family. 

In the Zoldyck clan, "family" is hugely important, And the Freecss clan is much smaller, so it stands to reason they'd value family even more.

....

..

.

Night fell, 

And suddenly the ship began to pitch violently.

"A storm!" 

"Careful!"

Chaos erupted in the cabin. 

The ship rocked fiercely at a sharp angle. 

Essentially, this storm was part of the test, 

But it was stronger than in previous years—so strong it even exceeded the captain's expectations.

Leaning back in his seat, Ron was unruffled. This rocking was no different from a pirate ship ride in an amusement park as far as he was concerned.

Not even remotely exciting.

But for other examinees, it was a different story. Many clung desperately to pillars, 

Yet the violent rocking took a toll on them internally. 

Numerous people wound up vomiting and retching, 

Filling the air in the cabin with a pungent stench.

Ron, with a mere thought, used his aura to construct a barrier so the smell wouldn't reach him. 

Some people couldn't keep their balance and went crashing around the cabin, getting injured and bleeding profusely.

Aside from Ron, only Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon still looked relatively fine— 

More than that, they had enough energy to observe other people's conditions. 

That showed the gulf between them and the rest.

After a long while, the storm finally subsided, and the ship stabilized. 

A collective sigh of relief swept through the cabin.

"Finally stopped." 

"We're alive." 

"Thank goodness."

Someone pushed the door open— 

A dry-looking old man, short and somewhat plump, with a pipe in his mouth. 

He scanned the cabin.

"Ha, so these people think they can be Hunters?" 

"Ridiculous."

He wore a dismissive expression. 

Only when his gaze fell on Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio did his look soften a bit.

"You three. Come with me."

Leorio froze for a moment. 

Kurapika's eyes lit up slightly. 

Gon instinctively glanced in Ron's direction.

Ron smiled and pressed a finger to his lips in a "shhh" gesture. 

Gon gave a small nod and turned back around. 

Then the three left the cabin with the captain.

"That's truly Ging Freecss's son. The Freecss bloodline doesn't disappoint. That sensitivity is clearly a cut above the rest."

Ron had concealed his aura deliberately, so the captain hadn't noticed him. Kurapika and Leorio hadn't noticed him either.

But Gon had.

Ron watched the four until they disappeared from view, then looked away.

He didn't want the captain to see him for two reasons: 

First, staying on the ship was already enough for Ron to absorb the traits of the Hunter Exam. 

He didn't need to participate any further. 

Second, Ron simply didn't like that captain very much. 

As an external examiner hired for the exam, the captain was abusing his authority a bit.

According to Ron's investigations—through Chii's intel—there was only one real test for this preliminary round: 

During the storm, if you could maintain your condition, you'd pass this preliminary exam. 

At that point, the captain was supposed to give the examinees the location of the next test.

But he didn't.

Instead, he put on an act, interrogating Gon and the others about their motivations for becoming Hunters— 

But honestly, that's not what the Hunter Association cares about at all.

Shalnark from the Phantom Troupe, 

Illumi, an assassin, Hisoka, a madman, And Geretta, who only wanted money… 

All of them were granted Hunter Licenses by the Hunter Association. 

In other words, the Association isn't exactly concerned with people's reasons for wanting to be Hunters.