Chapter 153

During this time, Biscuit gave him a call.

She mentioned that at the Hunter Association, she had met Kastro, her "grand-disciple."

Moreover, she expressed her delight, saying that Kastro's appearance was to her liking, and she was thoroughly satisfied with this choice of disciple.

Apart from that, their martial lineage had gained a new member.

Biscuit had taken on another disciple, Wing, though this time only as a registered apprentice.

Unlike before, after witnessing Morin's extraordinary talent, Biscuit had become far stricter with her standards for disciples.

Even though Wing caught her eye, she only took him in as a registered student.

Still, as he was now part of the fold, Biscuit planned to have Wing formally visit Morin, his senior brother, if the opportunity arose.

After discussing these matters, Biscuit mentioned something she had overheard within the Hunter Association before hanging up.

"I heard there's a proposal being discussed within the Hunter Association to establish a new organization."

Biscuit shared this as casual gossip:

"Apparently, this initiative is being pushed forward by Chairman Netero. The goal seems to be for this organization to assist in managing and operating the Hunter Association."

"It's said they're currently selecting personnel, and quite a few Hunters in the Association are eagerly looking for opportunities to benefit from this."

Biscuit sneered as she spoke.

"But it's a pity. Since Chairman Netero is the one deciding the candidates, even the V5 can't easily sway his decisions. What chance do those people think they have?"

While Biscuit treated it as small talk, Morin's expression shifted slightly.

"Managing and operating the Hunter Association's affairs?"

"Could this be the formation of the Twelve Zodiac?"

The Twelve Zodiac was a group of twelve elite Hunters handpicked by Chairman Netero, entrusted to manage the Association's affairs when needed and to serve as sparring partners in his leisure time.

Of course, the latter was Netero's true priority.

Each member was given a Zodiac codename, and many of them were so devoted to Netero's vision that they would go as far as changing their names, appearances, and even making grueling sacrifices to align with their codenames—though there were exceptions.

Take Ging and Pariston, for instance...

Once established, every member of the Twelve Zodiac in the original timeline was at least a Star-ranked Hunter, renowned for their extraordinary achievements in their respective fields.

The group wielded immense authority, including overseeing the election of the next Association Chairman.

Becoming a member of the Zodiac was akin to holding the keys to the Hunter Association's core power.

"But all of this has nothing to do with me," Morin concluded with ease.

"After all, I'm not a Hunter Association member, so it's impossible for me to become part of the Zodiac."

He thought little of it, but Biscuit suddenly shifted the topic:

"By the way, Chairman Netero called me earlier and asked about you."

"About me?"

Morin raised a brow. "I don't recall having any connections with Chairman Netero. Why would he inquire about me?"

"Don't tell me this personnel selection is somehow related to me," he joked.

"You're half right."

To his surprise, Biscuit snapped her fingers.

"Half?"

"I heard that your disciple, my grand-disciple, Kastro, is one of the key candidates under Chairman Netero's evaluation for this selection!"

Biscuit shared the news with some excitement.

"Kastro?"

Morin was momentarily stunned but quickly understood.

It made sense upon reflection.

"Kastro is already a Hunter and a member of the Hunter Association."

"He's also credited with wiping out the Kute Thieves, which earned him the rank of a One-Star Hunter. His qualifications are impeccable."

"Furthermore, with his strength, while he might not yet rank among the best like Botobai in the still-developing Twelve Zodiac, he's undoubtedly among the upper echelon."

"For someone like Chairman Netero, who's mainly looking for sparring partners to pass the time, Kastro would be an excellent choice."

"From this perspective... Kastro's chances of becoming a Zodiac member seem pretty high, don't they?"

If Kastro were to succeed, Morin would feel both proud and fulfilled.

Who wouldn't be pleased to see their disciple rise to the top of the Hunter Association as one of its elite leaders?

"If only you had become a Hunter back then, you'd undoubtedly be a shoo-in for this selection," Biscuit remarked with a tinge of regret.

Morin's disciple might reach the Association's upper echelons, but he himself wasn't even a Hunter.

Did this mean Biscuit's teaching skills fell short of her own disciple's?

Her thoughts felt like a loop.

Shaking her head, she dismissed the notion. After all, Morin had never acquired a Hunter license, nor had he participated in any Hunter Exam since.

This had frustrated Biscuit to no end.

"No worries. In the end, whoever gets selected, they're still part of our lineage. It's all the same," Morin said nonchalantly.

Managing the Association wasn't his thing. Dealing with constant affairs and navigating verbal sparring matches with someone like Pariston sounded exhausting.

"Is that so?" Biscuit chuckled dryly. "You're far too naive."

"Even if this selection process doesn't concern you, I heard that Chairman Netero has a more secretive list for another evaluation."

"And guess what? Your name's on it."

"You'd better start preparing."

After saying her piece, Biscuit hung up, leaving Morin slightly puzzled.

"Aside from the selection for the Twelve Zodiac, is there another evaluation going on? And I'm actually on the list?"

Morin pondered for a moment, but suddenly, his phone rang again.

"This number... Ging?"

Looking at the screen, he saw it was indeed Ging Freecss, who had gone to restore the Ruluka Ruins.

"If he's calling, does that mean the restoration is complete?"

Morin thought to himself as he pressed the answer button.

Recently, the Hunter Association's rumored organizational selection was causing quite the stir.

Suddenly, voices from the archaeology, ruins, history, and literature communities began reporting a world-shaking piece of news:

The Ruluka Ruins, one of the most famous historical sites in the world, had been successfully restored.

This was a historic achievement, a world-shaking event destined to be recorded in history books!

Media outlets swarmed to cover the news, scrambling to identify the individual responsible for such an extraordinary accomplishment.

Soon after, the Hunter Association stepped forward to announce that the one who had restored the Ruluka Ruins was one of their One-Star Hunters, Ging Freecss.

They declared that due to Ging's invaluable contribution to humanity's cultural heritage, he was being promoted to Two-Star Hunter status. Additionally, he had been selected as a candidate for the new organizational leadership within the Hunter Association.

It was a major PR success.

Meanwhile, Ging Freecss, hailed as a global hero, was comfortably lounging on Greed Island, chatting away happily with Razor and others.

"You seem to be doing pretty well," Morin teased as he arrived at Ging's side through a spell card in the game.

Ging, as energetic as ever despite their time apart, still sported his signature disheveled look.

"Hey, Morin," Ging greeted with a grin. "Thanks a lot for your help this time."

As he spoke, he immediately handed Morin the Restoration Light Beam Lamp, returning the tool he had borrowed.

"How was the restoration project?"

While taking back the item, Morin asked casually.

"Perfect!"

Ging beamed with pride.

"Especially with your tool, the restoration turned out even better than I expected."

It was clear he was thoroughly pleased with the results.

"That's good to hear," Morin replied indifferently, as he wasn't particularly interested in ruins.

Knowing the mission was completed was enough for him.

"By the way, thanks for helping with the Kute Thieves as well."

"Don't mention it," Morin said. "It was a good chance to give Kastro some experience."

In just a few words, the two resumed their easy rapport.

"I didn't expect him to grow so quickly," Ging mused, reflecting on how he had also contributed to Kastro's training.

"Yeah, now he's on track to join the Hunter Association's upper ranks," Razor chimed in with a chuckle.

"If Morin were a Hunter too, then all three of you would be in the running," he added jokingly.

"Not interested," Morin replied with a shrug.

Ging casually sat cross-legged on the ground.

"If it were the old me, I might have been more inclined to join, to pursue the things I wanted."

"But now..."

Ging glanced at Morin and laughed heartily. "After meeting you, I've realized that whether I join or not doesn't really matter anymore!"

In the original timeline, Ging joined the Twelve Zodiac not out of interest in internal Hunter Association politics but to gain more opportunities to approach the Dark Continent.

Ging's true goal had always been the Dark Continent, and it had never wavered.

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