The Old Chairman's Eye

After the mission ended, the Association did not immediately announce the next stage. Instead, it gathered all the successful candidates on a crude platform at the cliff's summit—wooden scaffolding and temporary supports barely kept out the wind, while the space itself was rather cramped.

This time, they did not distribute food as they had before, which caught everyone by surprise. Just as the crowd was wondering about it, an Association staff member stepped forward and announced loudly, "Listen up, everyone. Hand all the Spider Hawk eggs you retrieved over to the kitchen team."

This decision clearly took everyone present by surprise, and hushed discussion immediately broke out through the crowd.

"Boil them all in one pot? That's way too barbaric..."

"Then how are we supposed to tell whose egg is whose?"

"You're still hoping to eat your own egg? Keep dreaming!"

Some laughed, while others looked disgusted. But in the end, every egg was placed one by one into the large iron pot in the center of the platform. Firewood burned beneath it, and waves of heat drifted out with the wind, leaving a faint salty scent in the air.

Ryan stood at the back of the crowd, watching the pot.

It was not because he was hungry, nor because he wanted a good spot—he simply wanted to watch the eggs being cooked. The egg he had retrieved on his second trip down had also been handed over to the staff.

White steam churned in the pot. One grayish-white Spider Hawk egg after another rested motionlessly at the bottom. Then the first egg trembled slightly, followed by a soft gurgle as it floated to the surface.

"Hey, it floated!"

"Keep it down..." the candidate beside him said in a low voice. "Menchi said Spider Hawk eggs are different from other bird eggs—as soon as they float, they're cooked. That's when they taste best."

"Seriously? That sounds way too... scientific."

Ryan lowered his head and sniffed the fragrance drifting through the air.

There was no salt in the pot, no oil, not even seasoning. Yet the aroma was exceptionally rich, like freshly steamed egg rolls blended with newly peeled roasted chestnuts—warm, delicate, with a barely noticeable fatty fragrance.

He swallowed instinctively.

"...It really does smell amazing."

He rarely had this sort of "prompted" reaction in his mind, but this time, a thought truly surfaced in his head—I want to eat it.

The eggs gradually floated up, and the kitchen team began handing them out. Everyone received one serving: an egg cut in half, with one half placed in a wooden bowl. The yolk glowed a golden red, while the white resembled springy congealed cream, trembling slightly in the wind.

"Damn... now this is Hunter-grade food."

Leorio held his bowl and spoke loudly.

Killua picked up some egg white and took a light bite, raising his eyes as he chewed. "It's better than I expected."

Gon nodded and took a huge bite, his eyes shining. "It's so sweet, even though there's no sugar..."

Kurapika ate very slowly, but said nothing. He merely studied the cross-section of the egg intently, as though considering the role this creature played in the ecosystem.

Ryan gently picked up a small piece of egg and put it into his mouth.

The egg white was soft without being greasy, melting the moment it touched his tongue. The yolk carried a faint bitterness, but after lingering on his tongue, it slowly turned sweet, like some kind of naturally "slow-releasing aroma."

"The species in this world really are incredible. A simple boiled egg can taste like something no human could make," he murmured.

"A flavor code that living creatures themselves bestowed upon their offspring, so the world would remember them."

This time, he could not help but smile faintly.

He genuinely thought it was delicious.

Just as everyone was eating eggs and discussing the flavor, a figure slowly approached along the path not far from the platform.

The chairman, Netero.

The kitchen team had just fished the last egg out of the pot and offered it to Netero, but he waved his hand and did not take it.

"Yo, you're all eating pretty happily." Netero entered the platform with a smile. "I won't be having one, but the smell is certainly interesting."

He glanced at several candidates crouched beside the pot, licking their bowls clean, then blinked. "No seasoning at all, yet it has you eating like this... I thought you lot didn't care much for food. Now you've got a firsthand feel for what a Gourmet Hunter can do, huh?"

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

Only after he reached the middle of the crowd and plopped down onto the stone steps at the platform's edge did he truly seem as though he had "just happened to pass by."

Gon was the first to speak.

"Hello, Chairman!" He stood up, his voice bright.

"Oh, kid." Netero looked at him and grinned. "You're the one who jumped across the river while running on the first day, right?"

"Yeah!" Gon nodded.

"You've certainly got plenty of energy. Just don't rely too much on instinct. Sometimes, moving too fast makes you stumble." Netero smiled. It was less a warning than casual advice.

Leorio wanted to speak, only to realize he was still holding his bowl. He quickly straightened up. "Ch-Chairman, I'm..."

"I remember you." Netero glanced at him. "You were the one shouting slogans, weren't you? You've got a strong voice, but you're a little too loud."

"Uh..."

Killua tilted his head as he sized Netero up, faint disdain at the corner of his mouth, but he said nothing.

Netero smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. "You're not easy to fool."

Kurapika remained quietly seated until Netero's gaze fell upon him.

"You're holding something back in your eyes, unwilling to say it." Netero's tone softened. "You need to learn that, at the right time... you have to say what needs saying."

The words seemed directionless, yet a flicker of surprise passed through Kurapika's eyes.

Netero did not linger on anyone for long. Like a genuine elder, he simply watched the children going about their ordinary lives.

Until he reached the end of the line.

Ryan was still seated. Half an egg remained in his bowl. It did not seem that he did not want to eat it; rather, he was chewing unusually slowly.

Netero did not call his name. He merely looked at the bit remaining in Ryan's bowl and asked:

"What, not to your taste?"

Ryan looked up at him and answered softly, "It smells too good. I'm a little reluctant to finish it."

Those words made Netero pause before he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha..."

Then he turned and left, continuing on to the next person without looking at Ryan a second time.

Yet even after he had gone farther away, those words—"It smells too good"—continued to echo in many people's ears. They did not sound like politeness, but like a sincere truth from the heart.

Once he left the platform, an announcement sounded from the airship:

"All successful candidates, prepare yourselves. You will depart for the rest area in ten minutes."

The platform returned to silence, but many people were still immersed in the fragrance of the eggs and the casual remarks Netero had made.

Ryan finished the last small bite of egg in his bowl, closed his eyes, and let out a quiet breath.

He knew that after this egg, there would no longer be any "easy-to-digest" parts in the Hunter Exam.