"Hmph! Kids are kids. So naive."
"My carefully prepared dish, even better than a professional chef’s, still failed. You think you’ll pass with such a simple dish? Too unrealistic."
"Kids your age probably don’t even know how to use kitchen tools."
Ignoring them, Loki watches Menchi, who’s nearly driven mad by the examinees. Seeing Loki’s dish, she finally smiles. Buhara is also surprised.
A small, elegant porcelain plate. A palm-sized piece of meat. Spotlessly clean cutlery. Though the presentation is simple, it’s neat and clean.
"Finally, someone decent!"
Menchi looks at Loki. ’Not bad, kid!’
"Menchi, let me try first!"
Buhara cuts off a small piece, puts it on his fork, and eats it quickly.
Menchi doesn’t expect much from Buhara’s palate. Loki is the only examinee who didn’t use fire, but if the taste doesn’t meet her standards, he’ll fail.
She cuts a piece, puts it in her mouth, chews, and stops. She looks at Loki.
"Why this cooking method?"
The examinees quiet down. This is the first time Menchi has asked a question instead of rejecting a dish. Some examinees sense something’s up. Loki thinks he might pass.
Loki calmly says, "I’m not skilled in cooking. This is the only way I could think of to preserve the flavor."
Menchi nods, looking at Buhara, who eats the rest and raises the ’pass’ sign.
"You’ll accept anything, no matter how bad it tastes!" Menchi says. Turning to Loki, "Do you know how your dish tastes?"
Loki shakes his head. "I didn’t try it. Whatever the taste, it’s my best effort."
Menchi looks at Loki. "Your dish was terrible!"
"See? A kid couldn’t make a passing dish." The examinees laugh.
"A terrible dish passes? What’s going on? Are you making fun of us?"
"Are you kidding? You said it was terrible, why did he pass?"
"I’ve had enough of this test..."
Menchi roars, silencing them. She pulls out two knives and slams them on the table, putting a foot on the table, hands on her hips. "Anyone who speaks again is disqualified!"
The examinees are stunned. When they’re quiet, Menchi sits down.
"Hmph! The exam continues." She looks at Loki. "You pass, barely. Your dish was terrible, but not because of your cooking, but the ingredient’s flavor."
"I’m a Gourmet Hunter. The cooking is fine. You preserved the ingredient’s original flavor perfectly, making it terrible. But tastes vary. You preserved the original flavor, meeting a Gourmet Hunter’s standards. You pass."
Loki nods and leaves. Menchi looks at the others. "This dish won’t pass a second time. Don’t copy him." For more chapters visit novel⟡fire.net
The examinees stop copying Loki and start arguing again.
Loki focuses on the system. The moment he passed, the system announced:
’Reward: One B-rank item lottery.’
’Congratulations, host! You’ve won three Senzu Beans from the Dragon Ball world!’
Loki sees the item appear in his inventory.
"Senzu Beans. Good. These are lifesavers."
"Gon, failed again?" Loki asks, seeing Gon return with a dark, unidentified dish.
Gon is frustrated. "Even though you told us how to pass, I still can’t make a satisfactory dish."
After Loki passed, the examinees understood Menchi’s intention. But besides Loki, no one could make a dish Menchi approved of.
"Will only Loki pass?" Leorio asks, carrying a giant burger.
Kurapika sighs. "Maybe. Everyone else will fail."
Killua sits on the counter. "You’re lucky."
"It’s impossible for only one person to pass. If so, the next exams would be pointless."
A ship appears in the sky. Loki smiles. "Here it comes!"
A shadow falls from the sky.
Footsteps sound. The dust clears, revealing an old man with white hair.
"No way! An old man jumped from that height?"
Menchi is surprised. "Chairman, what are you doing here?"
"I heard you were ending the exam, and only one person passed."
Menchi nods. "Yes, only one passed."
"I see." Netero touches his hooked mustache. "The Hunter Association hasn’t had a successful new recruit in years. Satotz said there were good candidates, but only one passing seems harsh."
Netero looks at Menchi. "If you insist, there’s nothing I can do. But reconsider. Are there really no other candidates?"
Menchi thinks. "I’m sorry, Chairman. I misjudged due to the examinees’ dishes. I get irrational about food."
She bows and stands. "I’ll give them a new exam."
Netero nods. Menchi uses Netero’s ship to transport the examinees to a canyon. Loki, having already passed, doesn’t participate.
On the ship, Loki examines the Senzu Beans. They’re ordinary-looking green beans, but their effects are extraordinary. He puts them away.
"This item space is convenient."
Loki watches Netero with the examinees below. After this exam, he’ll have his chance to quickly finish the Hunter Exam. He needs to follow Gon closely. He can’t miss Netero’s test.
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