"If I had to give Ron a score, I'd say 83 out of 100."
Illumi's brow twitched slightly.
"Naturally, one hundred."
"Is there anyone else you rate at a hundred besides yourself?"
Illumi narrowed his eyes.
"You think my strength is below Chrollo's?"
"That's not it," Hisoka replied, shaking his head. "Without actually fighting, you can't accurately gauge a Nen user's power. Even if you have fought them, it's still hard to be precise.
"Chrollo's ability just intrigues me more, that's all."
"What about above a hundred?"
"There are plenty," Hisoka said, recalling several figures in his mind.
"Then what's the point of your so-called 'hundred-point scale?'"
"Because I'm one hundred."
Illumi let the matter drop. He paused.
"I don't really know how strong Ron is, but I'm certain his talent isn't below mine. He may not actually need my protection in this exam.
"If you try anything against him, you might be the one who ends up dead."
Hisoka's eyes lit with excitement.
"So I can attack Ron?"
Instantly, Hisoka deflated, like a puffed-up puffer fish suddenly going limp. His whole demeanor turned gloomy.
Still, when he looked over at Ron and the others, his mood lifted a little. Ordinary examinees gave him no thrill, but Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon—Gon especially—were enough to provide some amusement.
"This year's exam is really interesting," Hisoka mused. "But what a shame…"
Satotz raised his voice just then.
"First off, congratulations on passing the first phase of the Hunter Exam. We're now at Biscayne Forest Park—this is the site of your second test.
"Please enter the park for the second exam. The examiners are waiting inside.
I'll be leaving you now; best of luck to everyone."
With that, Satotz headed back into the forest, leaving the examinees to exchange glances.
The massive iron gate swung open, first just a crack, then wider. One candidate stepped through, then another, and another…
They found themselves in a huge courtyard filled with row upon row of what looked like cooking stations. A central path of stone tiles ran between them.
At the end of that path stood two figures. One, a petite woman seated on a sofa; the other, a towering, hulking man—so big he seemed beyond human scale.
Ron's mind flashed to a name from another world—"Hagrid," from Harry Potter. The size difference between that man and a normal human felt similar. He was Buhara, a Gourmet Hunter.
The petite woman seated nearby was Menchi, also a Gourmet Hunter.
"I wonder if these two have some connection to that 'Gourmet Paradise' place," Ron thought. "Among Gourmet Hunters in the known world, Linne Horsdoeuvre is certainly prominent. She traveled with Netero and Zigg Zoldyck, so her power and talent must be far beyond ordinary Nen users.
"As for these two, since they're at this level, they might have ties to Gourmet Paradise too…"
He brought his thoughts back to the present as Menchi spoke:
"All those who have safely passed the first exam, please come in. Welcome.
We are your second-phase examiners, Menchi…"
Then Buhara rumbled in a low voice, "I'm the other examiner, Buhara."
A gurgling noise came from his huge belly. Menchi glanced over at him, then stood up.
"Here's the deal," she announced.
"The second-phase test is…cooking!"
A ripple of surprise coursed through the crowd. Many candidates hadn't expected this at all. Yes, they'd heard of Gourmet Hunters, but they thought it mainly involved tracking and capturing rare ingredients.
Actual cooking sounded more like a chef's job.
Delving deep into dangerous territory to catch elusive beasts—that was what most pictured for a Hunter's role. Simply making dishes seemed out of place for an exam.
Many of the examinees had no clue why they were being asked to cook. Even among those who knew a bit about Gourmet Hunters, plenty didn't grasp the necessity.
One burly candidate stepped forward.
"Are you kidding me? Cooking? We're here for the Hunter Exam! You want us to cook for you?"
Quite a few others agreed loudly. Even after Menchi and Buhara made it clear they were Gourmet Hunters, that person kept scoffing.
Menchi and Buhara's faces turned stern, but they went on.
"Don't underestimate cooking!" Buhara said, stepping forward. His enormous bulk shook the very ground.
"The designated ingredient for this test," he added, "is pork. Any pig from Biscayne Forest is fine."
Menchi picked up the thread.
"You'll use pork as your main material, and you can use the cooking tools here. Prepare a dish we both judge to be acceptable, and you pass. It's not just taste—presentation matters too.
"Also, we'll stop once we can't eat anymore. At that point, anyone who hasn't finished is automatically disqualified."
Some participants clearly weren't taking it seriously. One candidate even began urging them to hurry.
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