"Is there a big gap between and Ron?"
"There is."
"Then between Ron and you, Father—who's stronger?"
"I am."
"I see."
Shortly after, their car arrived at the airship station, and they boarded. Killua sat by the window, gazing back at Heaven's Arena with a hint of regret. Not far away, Sadaso watched him leave.
Eight days later, Ron gathered his things—mainly supplies of food, water, seeds, and fruit saplings—storing everything in Sumas. With these provisions, he could live inside its space for half a year if he wanted. He also packed up two gasoline generators, so computers, gaming consoles, and plenty of other electronic gear for entertainnt, as well as various firearms and explosives obtained through Underworld channels.
"I'm off," Ron said, waving to Nina and the others.
"Goodbye, Big Bro."
"See you, Captain."
"Bye, Big Bro!"
Ron took an airship to the rendezvous point with Miyazton. His journey to the Sahelta Union was officially underway.
Little did he know that this mission—to absorb Sahelta Union's 'traits'—would take far longer than expected, and be far more complicated.
…
…
Three years later…
"Technically, it's been over three years.
I was just twelve when I left for the Sahelta Union, and now I'm almost sixteen—just shy.
Once the Hunter Exam ends, I'll be about there.
Ti really flies."
Ron stood on the ship's deck. He looked notably different from before. The boyish look was gone, replaced by a more mature, almost young-adult appearance. He'd grown much taller, and all his older clothes had beco too small.
"Never imagined the Sahelta Union could be so complicated."
The Red Tron problem he and Miyazton solved didn't take long—maybe half a year. But collecting the Sahelta Union's traits took Ron well over two years.
On the surface, Sahelta seed stable, but underneath, it was roiled by turmoil.
An inept king, powerful ministers, nobles secretly raising private armies, and the commoners all suffering. Compared to Fiola Kingdom, it was a ss. Seeing how dire Sahelta was made Ron understand why, despite Fiola's rigid class distinctions, few people chose to leave. If a place lets you live well—even with a lower status—it often beats equality with no resources at all.
Out of that environnt, a revolutionary army had arisen. Nen users on all sides broke the usual rules of engagent, dragging ordinary citizens into their conflicts. Although the V5 had decreed that widespread slaughter of civilians wouldn't be tolerated, no country had the will or capacity to intervene deeply in Sahelta's internal strife, especially with ongoing tensions between Fiola and Mingbo. The other two V5 mbers were either too far away or unwilling to ddle in another nation's civil affairs.
The entire situation reminded Ron of a story from Aka ga Kill, where a useless young emperor let evil ministers run amok, and all manner of cruelty festered in the capital.
Ron had witnessed countless atrocities firsthand—nobles who tortured and killed commoners for sport, criminals who preyed on won, so nobles even enforcing "First Night" rights in their domains, while corrupt officials and rchants ford an iron triangle of exploitation. In many ways, Sahelta's peasants lived worse lives than those of teor City. At least in teor City, you could cling to a dream of freedom. Here, the monarchy and nobility were irredeemably rotten. The revolutionaries might be the only hope.
Nearby on the ship's deck stood a short, elderly man with a strong sll of alcohol—this was the ship's captain. But Ron knew he also had another identity: an external examiner for the Hunter Exam.
The Hunter Association recruits large numbers of candidates every year, far more than they can screen alone. Many licensed Hunters do not serve the Association directly—like Shalnark in the Phantom Troupe, or Zezella, who just wants money. Because the Association lacks manpower to filter applicants at scale, they hire outside examiners.
Most external examiners aren't especially strong, and many aren't even Nen users. Their job is rely to eliminate about 90% (or more) of the naive hopefuls. Only after passing these "preliminaries" can a candidate reach the true exam site.
Inevitably, so outside examiners misuse their authority due to personal bias or whim. This leads to unfair eliminations. But the Association deems it acceptable: any candidate genuinely able to pass the Hunter Exam wouldn't be stopped by such minor obstacles—they'd find a way. And those who can't even overco these unprofessional proctors wouldn't pass the real exam anyway. In a twisted sense, the incompetent examiners are also part of the test.
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