HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

Killua was disqualified, while the remaining eight candidates all passed immediately.

Bodoro, clutching his wound, approached the young white-haired examiner.

"Thank you for stepping in just now," he said.

If the other party hadn't acted so quickly, he would've been dead before he even had time to react to Killua's attack.

Though he had no idea why Killua suddenly lashed out...

"Then be grateful," Cyr shrugged casually, not bothering to say anything like I didn't do it to save you.

"...?" Bodoro was momentarily stunned.

Wasn't this the part where the hero said, No need to thank me, it's fine?

Yet this kid was so bold in demanding gratitude…

Well, benefactors truly were different from the rest!

"I'll find a way to repay you!" declared the elderly martial artist, his tone carrying the firm principles of the older generation.

To repay kindness with kindness.

To never raise a hand against children.

Such values were rarely upheld anymore.

Well, at least the guy seemed like a decent person.

Speaking of repayment...

"Actually, you've got a chance to pay me back right now," Cyr suddenly looked as if he had an epiphany, clenching his left fist and tapping it against his right palm.

"Do you know where I can find Water Sapphire or a Rainbow Egg?"

Bodoro fell silent.

Of all the things Cyr could've asked for…

He had casually named two of the Seven Great Beauties of the World.

He was just an ordinary old man—how was he supposed to know where to find those?

But this was his savior.

His life-saving benefactor!

Even if he had to push himself, he had to find a way!

"I'll do whatever it takes to track them down and deliver them to you!" Bodoro was one step away from swearing an oath to the heavens.

Cyr stared at the man's beard, falling into deep thought.

An old man, huh…

"Forget it," he sighed. "If you died trying to find them, that'd be troublesome. People would say I bullied an old man."

For once, his Schrödinger's conscience seemed to be working.

It would be a hassle to involve someone with only average strength, especially someone who might not have that many years left.

If he had to mooch off someone, he should at least pick a powerful benefactor.

"You should just go back to running your dojo, be a successful old man, and live a peaceful life," Cyr said, waving him off casually.

Bodoro instinctively reached out to stop him, but Cyr had already walked away toward the proctors.

"Chairman, got any leads on Water Sapphire or Rainbow Eggs, Chairman?"

The white-haired teenager stood beside Chairman Netero, draping an arm over the old man's shoulder as if there was no concept of seniority between them.

With his free hand, he was playing with the chairman's long beard.

The other examinees looked like they wanted to intervene—but none of them dared to.

Netero, on the other hand, simply chuckled, like an ordinary grandfather.

Or rather, like a mischievous old man.

"I do know where you can find them, but are you sure you want to go?" Netero asked, snatching his beard back with one hand while redirecting Cyr's attention.

Having energetic young people around was great, but…

Too much energy was just exhausting.

"Where? Just tell me first," Cyr ignored the baiting question, keeping his composure.

He wasn't arrogant enough to think he was invincible in this world, where all sorts of mysterious and bizarre abilities existed.

After all, he still didn't have Reverse Cursed Technique or Limitless.

He was just 10% away from a compatibility score with Gojo Satoru and Sukuna, which would unlock both abilities.

He had spent eight or nine months grinding just to increase each compatibility score by 10%.

The closer he got, the harder it became.

What a pain.

"...Old people's memories aren't great, you know," Netero mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully before letting out a laugh. "I forgot."

"...?"

"Water Sapphire is said to be beneath a dormant volcano," Cyr murmured, his blue eyes fixed on the elderly chairman.

"And the Zoldycks live on a volcano, don't they?"

"Wouldn't their family have some?"

Netero smiled calmly, his true emotions unreadable.

"Perhaps," he said.

It was likely that Netero was acquainted with the Zoldyck family.

Cyr had once come across a video—something about Netero and a member of the Zoldyck family… Who was it again? Another old white-haired man, probably. The footage showed them fighting together.

"I've searched the volcanoes across all six continents. The only one left is the one near the Zoldycks. My instincts tell me that Water Sapphire is there," Cyr analyzed aloud.

As for why he hadn't gone there first…

Of course, it was because he had self-awareness. He knew he wasn't strong enough to just waltz up to their doorstep.

The Zoldycks weren't just rumored to have a walking wish machine; they also kept a horde of magical beasts. From their servants to the family members themselves, everyone was an enigma. The entire clan was full of hidden powerhouses.

As for his current strength…

Even if he couldn't win, he probably wouldn't die too easily. And besides, it wasn't certain that he couldn't win.

So, he had finally decided to go take a look.

He had a habit of assuming his opponents were incredibly powerful. It was a way to pressure himself, to stay cautious, to keep from becoming blindly overconfident.

Though ever since he came to this world, his sixth sense had been eerily… accurate.

With his Six Eyes and intuition combined, he could analyze threats almost instantly, distinguishing between dangerous and harmless individuals.

Sometimes, the danger wasn't even related to life energy—just their abilities alone were hazardous.

But that was rare. He barely encountered such cases anymore.

Even Netero didn't give him a particularly dangerous feeling.

"It's time to visit the Zoldycks."

"See ya," he waved casually at the other examiners before running toward the exit. His steps were light, just like any ordinary teenager.

"Oh, right. Hisoka," he suddenly stopped next to the red-haired man.

Visibly, the moment Cyr spoke, Hisoka's body tensed up.

"Last month, at Heaven's Arena, you were supposed to fight me."

The moment the words left Cyr's mouth, Hisoka froze entirely.

"But since you didn't show up, I won by default," Cyr said, spreading his hands as if deeply regretful.

Heaven's Arena battles occurred once every three months.

For some reason, Hisoka had skipped the last three matches, handing his opponents automatic victories.

What an act of selfless generosity.

"...Last month, you were my opponent?" Hisoka murmured.

He recalled signing up, of course. But he had been preoccupied with other things at the time—fighting wasn't his only hobby.

If he had missed just another random fight, it wouldn't have mattered.

But to think the opponent he had skipped was him…

Hisoka's entire being seemed to lose color.

If he had known his opponent was his little apple, he would have crawled there if he had to!

He would've dropped everything else!

"What a shame," Cyr tossed out the remark before jogging past him without hesitation.

Whether Cyr actually felt regret was unknown, but Hisoka definitely did.

The red-haired man stood motionless at the doorway, like a petrified statue.

"Hisoka… He… looks really shaken up," Leorio muttered to Kurapika as they passed by.

"He certainly does," Kurapika agreed, his expression serious.

"That bratty examiner actually managed to do this to Hisoka…?" Leorio looked as if he had witnessed the impossible.

A mass-murdering lunatic had suddenly turned into a ghostly white sculpture.

Forget radiating murderous intent—Hisoka's face only showed the same confusion as a lost child.

"Killua's gone home now… I wonder what's going to happen. His family already sounded messed up," Leorio switched topics, now worrying about the boy who had been taken away.

The moment Killua was disqualified, Illumi had immediately ordered him home—without even letting him say goodbye to Gon.

"...Yeah," Kurapika murmured, equally concerned.

°°°

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