Chapter 18: The Shortest Distance Between Two Points is a Straight Line
"Need a hint before we part ways?" Captain Old John offered.
Mord waved him off and jumped off the ship, striding forward without hesitation.
"See you around."
"That kid..."
As he watched Mord walk away, Old John's admiration grew. Just then, he thought he heard someone calling his name.
"Well, if it isn't Old John?"
On a nearby ship, a captain with a ruddy, drinker's nose waved at him.
"Chamot! Long time no see," Old John replied, turning to greet the man with a smile.
"Too long. Feels like just yesterday we were apprentice sailors under Captain Roger. Decades have flown by," Chamot mused, picking up a bottle of whiskey and tossing it effortlessly toward Old John. The bottle traced a perfect arc through the air before landing squarely on the opposite deck.
"True, so many years have passed. Now we're both captains, hired by the Hunter Association as examiners—how long has it been? Ten, eleven years?" Old John caught the bottle, uncorked it, and took a swig. "Ah—Northern Sea liquor still packs a punch. So, any interesting candidates on your end this year?"
"Three stood out. One of them—his father is someone you know," Chamot said.
"Testing me, are you?"
"Between the two of us, there aren't many mutual acquaintances worth mentioning. Your route passes by Whale Island, doesn't it? Is it Ging's kid?" Old John ventured.
"Just like back in the day, nothing escapes your notice. As for you, I only saw one person disembark from your ship earlier. These candidates nowadays are truly getting worse with each batch—can't even handle a little storm, yet still dream of becoming Hunters."
Captain Chamot assumed that the examinees on Old John's ship had met the same fate as those on his own—eliminated by the storm at sea.
With one glance at Captain Chamot's expression, Old John knew he'd misunderstood. Waving his hand, he said, "Not quite. The number of candidates eliminated by the storm on our ship was zero. That kid was the only examinee aboard—he threw all the others overboard before we even set sail."
"Hahaha, now that's impressive!" Captain Chamot paused, then burst into laughter. "This year's Hunter Exam sure has some interesting rookies. Really something to look forward to."
...
Dolle Harbor.
The crowd surged.
All these people had come to take the Hunter Exam. Buses were waiting to transport candidates to the so-called exam site—though this was merely a trap for novices.
Only someone as dim-witted as Leorio would fall for it.
Mord stood before the massive map notice board at the center of the harbor square. After studying it for a moment, he turned and walked in a specific direction.
"Where's that kid going alone? Did he find some clue?" someone in the crowd noticed Mord and asked their companion.
"Don't mind him. Taking the bus is safer."
"Yeah, you're right."
...
Mord didn't take the bus, nor did he follow the redwood path that Gon and the others took.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
After confirming Zaban City's location on the square's map notice board, the route to the official exam venue became obvious.
Without any artificially placed obstacles, the journey was smooth sailing.
Mord arrived in Zaban City in no time.
A bustling metropolis, starkly contrasting Meteor City. The streets teemed with people—food stalls, street performers, fortune tellers... all sorts of characters mingled in this vibrant chaos.
"Truly an ideal city to host the Hunter Exam," Mord thought to himself, finally stopping before a towering skyscraper dozens of stories high.
Tap!
Yet Mord's gaze wasn't fixed on the imposing high-rise. Instead, he looked toward a barbecue restaurant beside it.
"Tsubashi Street, Section 2, Number 5..."
"The address matches my memory, and the surroundings check out too. This must be the place."
Mord withdrew his gaze and approached, pushing open the door.
The aroma of grilled meat filled the air.
The dining area was packed with customers—by all appearances, just an ordinary barbecue joint.
No one would ever guess this was the screening venue where millions of Hunter Exam applicants were evaluated!
"Welcome!"
The moment the door opened, a cheerful greeting rang out.
The owner, a little old man, was grilling food while glancing toward Mord in greeting.
"What would you like to order, sir?"
"The steak set that resembles scales falling from eyelids," Mord answered from memory.
This was a code phrase.
When Mord spoke these words, the barbecue owner's expression clearly registered surprise.
It's important to note that examinees participating in the Hunter Exam who make it this far are usually guided by a guide. This means there should be at least two people, so when the barbecue shop owner saw Mord alone, he had already mentally categorized him as a regular customer.
That's why he showed a surprised expression upon hearing Mord's words.
His hands even faltered slightly, causing him to sprinkle a bit too much salt. But these were just momentary reactions—he quickly regained his composure and asked, "How would you like it done?"
"Low heat, slow-fried until well done," Mord replied without changing his expression.
The passphrase was correct.
No matter the circumstances, as long as someone could find this place and provide the correct passphrase, they would be allowed to proceed to the official examination site.
How they obtained this information was irrelevant.
"Understood," the barbecue shop owner nodded before calling out to the side, "Little Yae."
"Coming," said a young waitress as she approached, gesturing for Mord to follow. "This way, sir."
Without a word, Mord followed the waitress into the hall until they stopped before a private room.
When the door opened, the aroma of a prepared grilled meat set meal wafted from the dining table inside.
"Sir, your order is ready," the waitress said with a slight bow before turning to leave.
She closed the door behind her.
Mord entered the room calmly, took a seat at the table, and began enjoying what would be his last meal before the exam.
This private room was, in fact, an elevator.
It would transport Hunter Exam candidates to the actual testing site.
"Not bad," Mord remarked, cutting a large piece of beef with his knife and fork and savoring it.
As he enjoyed his meal, the elevator began its descent.
The floor indicator inside the room flickered rapidly.
Finally, it stopped at B100.