Killua, at his core, is also someone stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat. The pressure brought by Illumi constantly echoes in his heart, making it hard to forget. He doesn't aspire to reach the same level of strength as Morin, but...
"Regardless, I must surpass Illumi's level!!" Killua clenched his fists secretly.
"Morin's teaching methods? Don't even think about it, he's different from you," Biscuit Krueger said bluntly. "Though your talents are quite good, they're far from Morin's level."
"It's not just physical talent, but also insight and learning ability. If it were Morin facing the canyon you just passed, with all those monsters inside, he might just take one look and figure out many of the secrets to passing through."
"For him, it might not even take half an hour to completely understand the challenges left in that canyon."
"Both have talent, but Morin knows how to use it reasonably, while you just waste it."
"This is the fundamental difference between you two and him. Morin has a drive to become stronger that you completely lack."
Biscuit Krueger glanced at Killua and Gon, her gaze sharp as a hawk:
"I can feel it; your main goals aren't to become stronger. One is just looking for his dad, and the other might just want to make friends.
"But I can tell you very clearly, in this world, only strength guarantees the fulfillment of all goals."
"If you continue to drift along like this, there will come a day when you'll regret it."
Biscuit Krueger's words were blunt but undeniably reasonable. At least, after hearing them, Gon and Killua's expressions turned genuinely serious.
"Ahem!"
At that moment, the barber who had been knocked to the ground struggled to get up. Thus, Biscuit Krueger arranged for this ready opponent to be a training partner for Gon and Killua.
The requirement was to remain within this rock-surrounded space, and for two weeks, this barber had to evade Gon and Killua's attacks. If he succeeded, Biscuit Krueger would spare his life; if not or if he broke the rules, she would kill him.
And if Gon and Killua failed, they would face punishment from Biscuit Krueger.
Before the training battle began:
"You're the barber Binolt, right?" Biscuit Krueger sat on a nearby small rock, revealing the barber's identity.
"Reward Hunter Binolt, you're a wanted fugitive."
She articulated his identity: "Your crime is eating human heads, especially the meat of twenty-year-old girls, right?"
Binolt spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and corrected her.
Yes, he was a Hannibal-esque villain, quite picky and principled.
Biscuit Krueger pointed out his identity to make Gon and Killua understand. The opponent was a bloodstained executioner, a ruthless character. Don't underestimate him just because he lost to her so easily, and remember he is a heinous criminal, so there's no need to have any psychological burden using him for practice.
Psychological burden? If it were someone else, like Wing, maybe there would be some. But for Killua and Gon? Born into an assassin family, Killua was a different case, and as for Gon...
Everyone knew his character.
During the training with Binolt, Gon naturally called him "uncle." And after the training was over and they had completed their practice...
"Mr. Binolt! Thank you!!" Gon bowed with a face full of joy, thanking Binolt.
"Because of you, we've improved a lot!!"
His behavior even made Biscuit Krueger take notice:
"You planned to do this from the start, didn't you? He's a first-class murderer!"
"Yeah," Gon nodded, as if it were obvious. "But we learned a lot from him!"
Should it be said that he is pure to the point of being terrifyingly innocent, or...
"Growing up in the wild, he spent too much time coexisting with animals. Concepts like killing for food, the strong suppressing the weak, and killing for food don't seem wrong to Gon."
Morin watched Gon's actions on the screen, "Perhaps he's more like a talking beast, only disliking meaningless slaughter."
What is meaningless slaughter? Accepting a commission, like Killua and the others, seemed fine to Gon. He saw Killua and the other assassins as tools like knives and guns, with the real responsibility of taking a life lying with the person who paid for the contract.
Later, during the dodgeball match, when Razor killed Bobobo, Gon questioned Razor about his reasons. But after learning of Bobobo's crimes of "strong murder" and "robbery murder," he let it go.
Gon, he's not ignorant of good and evil; he just doesn't keep it in his heart.
---
Gon's actions and behavior aren't guided by traditional notions of good and evil. He has his own standards and worldview, shaped by Aunt Mito's upbringing. Otherwise, he wouldn't get angry when others disparage Ging's game. He just needs a reason to kill; as long as it feels right to him, that's enough.
When captured by Nobunaga, his only question was: "You cry for your comrades, so why can't you spare a little of that emotion for the innocent people you've killed?"
For Gon, what's truly important might be the concept of being "unrelated." His attitude towards those killed hinges on whether they are "unrelated."
On Greed Island, when Genthru used "Life's Sound" to kill many, Gon, after learning the truth and defeating Genthru, didn't kill him. Instead, he used "Breath of the Archangel" to heal Genthru and his companions, much to Goreinu's confusion. In Gon's eyes, those who entered the game did so with the mindset of risking their lives, so their deaths at Genthru's hands were due to their own lack of strength, nothing to do with him.
During the Chimera Ant arc, Kite himself said they went to kill the ants with the resolve to die. If they lost, it was due to their weakness. But Gon couldn't accept that reality, leading to his transformation into "Dark Gon."
Gon only cares about people he knows. The lives of others don't concern him at all. In short, he's a bit of a double standard.
Gon's personality, strictly speaking, isn't much of an issue. In the Hunter world, with so many bizarre and twisted characters, Gon even seems a bit endearing. It's like picking the tallest among the short ones, just a group comparing who's worse.
Ging found Morin's evaluation fair. He didn't see a problem with Gon's mindset; it might even help him live more purely and easily in this dog-eat-dog world.
Biscuit Krueger was also quite satisfied with Gon and Killua's performance. "Not bad, they managed to suppress Binolt's actions in just half a day, even though he was injured."
Understanding that this was a life-or-death battle, focusing intently on the opponent's moves wasn't a bad thing. "Only by facing death directly can you unleash your full potential! They lacked experience before and didn't know how to accelerate battles, like speeding up while driving."
"Though they have no concept of predicting enemy moves, muscle usage, or controlling force, they can start learning from now! They're like uncut gems!"
Biscuit Krueger smiled like a seasoned expert. Her smile was almost reminiscent of Hisoka's. Speaking of which, both are Transmuters, treating Gon and Killua differently but sharing some surprisingly similar thoughts.
So, are Transmuters more neurotic and twisted than Conjurers?
"The determination in their eyes, the deep and unfathomable power within their bodies!!"
"With proper training... they can transform their abilities!!"
"They're like rare, priceless gems, with that calm and stern blue..."
"Surface seems unstable and vague, but with proper heat treatment, they achieve semi-permanent hardness."
Biscuit Krueger clasped her hands together, her face showing a captivating smile: "Things that shine after polishing always attract me!! Hoohoohoo! I'll refine them carefully!!"
The seasoned expert had ulterior motives, and Morin and Ging noticed. But they said nothing. After all, Biscuit Krueger's training for Gon and Killua was beneficial.
Seeing Gon and Killua engrossed in training, Ging relaxed. Reclining on a panda chair, he stretched slightly.
"By the way, I almost forgot to ask, what brings you here?" Ging finally turned to Morin.
"Oh, nothing much," Morin replied, peeling peanuts and eating them. "I just visited the Navigation Office and got some information about the Dark Continent. Thought I'd share it with you."
"Navigation Office? Dark Continent stuff?" At the mention of these familiar words, Ging's interest piqued.
"You visited the Navigation Office?!" Ging asked, somewhat surprised.
"What's the big deal? Don't tell me you've never been there???"
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