Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Linne's home was deep in the mountains. It's a huge house, but only she and a butler live there.

Judging by the untended courtyard, it seemed her usual attitude toward life was rather laid-back.

However, when Linne led Law into a huge study, he immediately overturned his earlier assumption.

It was a circular room, very similar to the room in the basement of Ellie's house where the antiques were kept, but it was taller than that room in Ellie's house.

The bookshelf stands against the wall, with the top of the cabinet reaching the ceiling. Books of different thicknesses are placed on the bookshelf, stacked up full.

Law casually walked around and noticed that none of the books had even a speck of dust, indicating they were cleaned frequently.

At a glance, he couldn't even estimate the rough number of books here, as there were simply too many.

"Do I have to read all of these?" Law retracted his gaze and looked at Linne.

"Yes." Linne said calmly, "Some of the books here are written by me, and they're one-of-a-kind. The other books will be beneficial for you."

"But… this is way too many." Law frowned.

"You said that after exorcising the Post-Mortem Nen, the forced Zetsu state would last at least six months to a year, so this period of time is just right for reading." Linne pointed to the bed in the room and the small bathroom in the corner, then said lightly: "You have everything you need here. Three meals a day will be delivered by Shachmono."

Law let out a heavy sigh and said, "I feel like running away."

"Then try it if you dare."

With that, Linne turned and left, leaving Law alone in the study. As for Buhara, she had other plans for him.

Law stayed alone in the study, where the light bright enough for reading, whether it was day or night.

Linne asked him to thoroughly understand all the books here, so it's not just reading them once. Moreover, there are quite a lot of books here, so it is unknown how long it will take to read them all.

Even if Chrollo were here, he probably wouldn't be thrilled either.

Law randomly pulled out a book from the shelf and glanced at the title, then froze directly.

[A Comprehensive Analysis of 1,001 Types of Eggs]

'What kind of ridiculous title was this?'

He quickly checked the author's name, which is Linne Horsdoeuvre.

"What the…!"

Law nearly choked on his own saliva. He flipped through a few pages and found that the content was indeed about various edible eggs, including the eggs of the Grape Spider.

After skimming halfway, Law was stunned.

The information about each type of egg is described very comprehensively, including how to obtain it, how to cook it, and what to pay attention to during the process. It is all written in great detail and can be called an egg encyclopedia.

Judging by the title, there were 1,001 types of eggs listed, and none of them ordinary. Law couldn't even imagine how much time and effort Linne had spent gathering so many rare eggs, let alone compiling them into a book.

Law put it back after reading half of it. If he had to stay here until he fully understood all the books, there'd be plenty of time to study them carefully.

After returning the book, he pulled out another from the same bookshelf.

[Tales of the Laira Rift]

[Sunbathing in the Kandian Desert]

[The Cool Paradise of the Leivi Cave]

[The Taste of First Love]

'…Wait, what was this?!'

[100,000 Whys About Seasonings]

'Even '100,000 Whys' made an appearance?!'

[Mud Bombs]

[Small Fish Eat Big Fish]

[A Compendium of Gluttonous Creatures]

[Dark Cuisine]

[The Importance of Knife Skills]

[Delicacies of the Kadim Forest]

After pulling out several more books with bizarre titles, Law finally figured out that the books on this bookshelf were all written by Linne herself. As she had said, these were all one-of-a-kind.

Looking at the titles of these books, Law was utterly speechless. He skimmed through the contents, and to his surprise, they actually matched the titles, albeit loosely. He could only sigh at Linne's complete lack of care when naming her books.

Despite the strange titles, the content was solid. Almost all of them are written by Linne based on her experiences and insights, and each book represents countless hours of her life.

"I have to fully understand all of these…"

Law muttered to himself, then started reading from the leftmost shelf near the door.

He could try using Ren while reading, killing two birds with one stone. By doing so, he might shorten the time it took for his Nen Abilities to be unsealed.

But even if his Nen were unsealed, he probably still wouldn't have finished understanding all these books.

…

August 8th is the biennial event of the Heavens Arena and also a carnival day for the city.

Today, the Battle Olympia officially opens. The competition venue is located at the top of the Heavens Arena.

The space there was smaller than any of the lower floors, and so were the spectator seats. Thus, only a lucky few managed to secure entry.

The opening ceremony would take place on the sole combat arena. The first day was mainly dedicated to introducing the participating Floor Masters and performances by mascots. The actual matches wouldn't begin until the second day.

Even before the fighters took the stage, the spectator stands were already packed to the brim, creating an overwhelming sense of congestion.

Compared to the crowded auditorium, the VIP section was far more spacious and elegant, featuring fifteen luxurious, throne-like stone chairs. Each person seated there was a distinguished figure from various fields, accompanied by at least two bodyguards.

Ellie had secretly come as well. She had spent a considerable sum to secure one of these seats and became the youngest one among everyone present.

She came here to give Law a surprise, but she didn't know that Law had already abandoned this grand event.

These seats could be obtained through connections and money. After all, this was a once-every-two-years spectacle, broadcasted live across multiple regions.

In addition, the VIPs will be introduced at the opening ceremony, which is a great opportunity for exposure.

After taking over her family's business, Ellie had shifted focus to logistics and transportation. Whether due to Kenta's excellent support, her own relentless effort, or sheer good fortune, the family business had flourished. Recently, they had even acquired a large shipyard in Spice City, planning to expand their operations further.

This time, spending a fortune on this seat not only fulfilled Ellie's wish to see Law, but also served as a strategic move for publicity.

Most of the VIPs seated here were middle-aged or older, men and women alike, though there were a few younger faces. Among them was a young woman who gazed at the sea of spectators below with a bored, almost sleepy expression.

If Law was here, he would definitely find this woman familiar. She was the wavy-haired curvy, flirtatious woman who had given him and Sanbica a ride after they left Ellie's estate.

Back then, she had even kissed Law on the cheek before dropping them off in Spice City.

But now, the young woman sitting on the throne did not have the charming temperament that Law had seen before. Instead, she wore an elegant white princess-style gown, her hair neatly pinned up, her makeup subtle and refined. Her entire demeanor exuded grace and poise.

She seemed to have little interest in the Battle Olympia and didn't like the atmosphere there. The fact that she was here at all suggested both her status and that she had been forced to attend for some reason.

The atmosphere in the venue was bustling with excitement. After the mascots left the stage, it was soon time to introduce the contestants.

Following the host's introduction, each contestant looked high-spirited, and it was estimated that they had made sufficient preparations for this event.

These contestants are all the Floor Masters of the Heavens Arena. They walked out of the passage, then stood on the stage, calmly looking around at the audience.

After introducing all the contestants, the host introduced the absent contestants in a regretful tone.

When the photos of the absentees were shown on the screen, Ellie and the young woman in the VIP seats were stunned. The former did not expect Law to be absent, and the latter did not expect that the little brother she remembered so clearly would be a Floor Master of the Heavens Arena.

She can't remember exactly when that happened, but what she can remember clearly is the time she spent with this little brother during that not-so-long car ride.

At that time, she had lamented that he was too young, otherwise, she might have pursued something more.

Now, staring at his photo on the screen, the young woman suddenly felt as if years had passed.

Meanwhile, most of the audience could not accept the fact that Law was absent from the event.

After all, most of them came just for Law!