Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Every year, the Hunter Exam's contents are set by the examiners themselves. As long as they don't violate the review rules, even if the questions are so difficult that all the examinees are wiped out, the Review Committee will abide by the examiner's judgment.

The question Adini came up with could be considered very simple, but from the very beginning, his test was designed to eliminate half of the examinees… because the dishes on the buffet table corresponding to the list were only prepared for 300 people.

If an examinee could recognize the dishes without relying on the menu booklet, Adini should have been pleased, as it would mean that the outstanding examinee had the foundation to become a Gourmet Hunter. But Law had gone and gave hint to the others.

This test, which was only meant to pass 300 people, was all about speed. But Law's actions had thrown everything into chaos. The situation, which had been clearly divided, was now back to square one for everyone.

Adini's gaze toward Law was undisguised, but Law paid no attention. He peeled the crab meat, drizzled it with mint sweet sauce, then first ate a slice of Caracol melon, followed by Yuri caviar, then the crab meat with mint sweet sauce, and finally, the Egg Benedict as dessert. (T/N: I don't understand why Law didn't eat it in order even though the rule said he needed to eat them in order. Maybe the list from before is not in order, but who knows?)

These dishes were exquisite, finished in just a few bites, and tasted fantastic, worthy of being from the most famous local restaurant.

After finishing the five dishes in order, Law glanced at Adini. Since the examiner hadn't declared him eliminated, it meant he had passed the first stage of the test.

'The first stage has no risks, so it seems I can't increase the number of pages.'

Law's eyes shifted to the other examinees still searching for the menu. These examinees were potential 'pages', so if he could help them all pass the first stage, perhaps they could be converted into pages in the second stage.

'Might as well give them a hand.'

Having made up his mind, Law decided to help these examinees pass the first stage. Just then, he noticed Tonpa standing by the buffet table, sneaking around and doing who-knows-what.

Law walked over and patted Tonpa on the shoulder, causing the latter to jump in fright before turning around with an unnatural expression.

"Drugging the food?"

Law asked in a friendly, laughing tone, keeping his voice low.

"What?" Tonpa pretended not to understand.

"Hand over your list."

Law didn't bother pressing further and simply demanded Tonpa to take out his list.

Tonpa showed no resistance and obediently handed his list over.

Law took the list, skimmed the dishes, then asked, "Do you recognize these dishes?"

"No." Tonpa answered honestly.

When Law heard this, he immediately understood this old bastard had never planned to pass the first stage. Instead, he intended to drag others down by drugging the food while everyone else was busy looking for the menu.

Such a blatant act would definitely be noticed by the examiner, but Adini hadn't stopped Tonpa. It seemed that obstacles created among the examinees were also part of the test's content.

"Let me help you." Law said with a grin.

For some reason, whenever Law showed kindness, Tonpa couldn't help but feel a chill crawl up his spine, making him shiver slightly.

The buffet table was arranged in a hollow ring shape, with plenty of space in the middle.

Law effortlessly vaulted over the table and landed inside. Then, he picked up Tonpa's list and announced loudly, "You want me to help you get your food? No problem! One of my greatest strengths is being too kind and helpful. Of course, I'll help you. Besides, I recognize all the dishes here, so it won't be difficult at all."

Tonpa stood frozen in front of the buffet table, staring at Law standing inside with his mouth wide open, completely baffled by what Law was trying to do.

The restaurant had only prepared a limited number of menu, and not many examinees had managed to find them, so after Law completed the test, the examinees were on the verge of erupting into chaos, ready to start a brawl to get their hands on the menu.

The first stage's test question had always revolved around one principle, which is: there are more monks than porridge, so it's a first come, first served.

Just as the fight for the menu was about to break out, Law's deliberately raised voice cut through the tension, once again disrupting the delicate situation.

The examinees, whose attention had been entirely on the menu, immediately turned toward the buffet table. They saw Law quickly getting five dishes for Tonpa and even instructing him on the order to eat them.

Tonpa had no words to express his pain. In front of Law's smiling face, had no choice but to play along, following Law's instructions and finished the delicately plated dishes in a few big bites.

At the side, Adini's forehead twitched uncontrollably. Law, who is standing at the buffet table, was like a thorn, piercing his eyes fiercely, and he couldn't pluck out no matter how much it irritated him.

'Is this kid here just to stir up trouble?'

Adini was furious, but he didn't stop Law's actions.

The core of the test was assessing observation and action, while the outer layer was about competing for resources. Conflict among examinees was inevitable, so mutual assistance or cooperation wasn't restricted either.

His fury unconsciously leaked out in the form of Aura, drifting toward Law.

This Aura was created unintentionally by Adini and he had no intention of actively attacking, so the effect was very weak, but it should still have had some impact on an ordinary person.

Realizing that the leaked Aura was covering Law, although Adini was angry, he still suppressed his Aura, but the Aura still covered Law for two seconds.

"Huh?"

When Adini withdrew his Aura, he noticed Law remained completely unaffected. He immediately gathered his Aura in his eyes and looked at Law, and found that Law was just like an ordinary person, with the Aura in his body slowly dissipating.

'How did that boy, who was not a Nen User, resist my Aura? Even if his willpower was exceptional, there should've been some reaction.'

While Adini was pondering this, some of the less confident examinees tentatively began handing their lists to Law.

Law moved swiftly, preparing the dishes for the second brave soul and even instructing them on the eating order.

That second examinee nervously followed the instructions, then anxiously looked at Adini. When he found that the other party didn't declare him eliminated, his face suddenly lit up with joy.

Where there was a first and second, there would soon be a third. Before long, the examinees who lacked confidence in snatching a menu crowded around the buffet table, waving their lists.

"Hey, don't push! I was here first!"

"Boss, help me first!"

"Get lost! I was here first!"

In an instant, the restaurant turned into a chaotic marketplace, which made Adini very upset.

"Line up properly."

Law is now acting like a professional cafeteria worker. He snatched up lists with lightning speed, scanned them, and plated the correct dishes within seconds. His efficiency is terrifyingly fast.

Thanks to Law's meddling, what was supposed to be a serious test had turned into a lunch rush at a corporate canteen.

Tonpa stood dumbfounded on the sidelines, watching Law work busily. While he couldn't understand why Law was doing this, his heart suffered a critical hit of emotional damage.

'Since Tonpa was born, why did Law have to be born too?' (T/N: It's actually a quote from Three Kingdoms' Zhou Yu in his deathbed. The real one is, 'Since (Zhou) Yu was born, why did (Zhuge) Liang have to be born too?')

'Why must you cruelly strip away my fun?!'

Examinees who had managed to grab menu didn't need Law's help and could serve themselves, while those who obediently lined up got their meals with Law's assistance. By the nine-minute mark, 300 freshly minted qualified examinees had emerged.

Since there were only 300 servings of the correct dishes prepared, no matter how the process unfolded, only 300 examinees could pass the exan in the end. This was one of the reasons why Adini did not stop Law.

Most of the candidates who passed the first round of the exam expressed their sincere gratitude to Law.

"Those who are qualified, go and collect your number tags. In five minutes, the examiner for the second stage will come to pick you up."

Adini glared at Law, then walked into the kitchen without looking back, leaving a staff member in charge of distributing number tags.

The reason why the number tags were not issued at the beginning and were only issued after the test results came out was because Adini only prepared 300 number plates from the beginning. This is a clear reflection of Adini's rigid, uncompromising approach.

Adini walked through the kitchen and into his private office, then picked up his phone to report the proceedings to the Review Committee.

The head of the Review Committee was none other than Netero. He observes every year's exam in secret, so Adini's report naturally went straight to him.

After learning the content of the test over the phone, Netero immediately burst into laughter.

Listening to Netero's hearty laughter, Adini was utterly confused, 'Shouldn't he be angry that someone had disrupted the exam? Why was Chairman laughing so happily instead?'

Back in the restaurant, Law controlled the flowing Aura and covered his body surface to form Ten. Earlier, he had deliberately let it fade as a disguise.

Law walked up to Tonpa and smiled. He stretched out his hand, patted Tonpa's shoulder, and said, "Tonpa, see you next year."

While patting Tonpa's shoulder, he injected the laxative he had drawn earlier into Tonpa's body.