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[Start of the chapter]
"Normally, nothing should happen," Roy said, glancing at the braided man.
"Don't forget, there are still some very dangerous people among the examinees. They're not the type to just accept this result obediently."
Gon and the others instinctively glanced at Hisoka, only to find that he was still shuffling his cards without a care.
"And both Examiners are Gourmet Hunters, so they're quite strong. That female Examiner is especially stubborn and domineering, so there's no way she'll compromise with the examinees. But no matter how forceful she is, she's not an idiot. And she didn't learn 'that' for nothing, either, so of course she knows there are dangerous people among the examinees. That's why this braided guy stepping forward is actually perfect timing."
"P-Perfect timing?"
"In other words, before Hisoka and that female Examiner could get into a conflict, this braided guy jumped out first. On the surface it looks like a confrontation, but in reality, he's giving all the examinees a way to vent their frustration and easing the tension in the room."
Killua answered the question.
Damn it, what the hell is "that," anyway?!
Their assassin family had specialized training for situations like this, where you had to adapt on the fly.
"So that's how it is." Leorio and Gon finally understood.
"Yeah, Roy's amazing. If he says that's how it is, then it probably is." Roy's image as the top student had already sunk deep into everyone's minds, and Gon trusted him unconditionally.
"Then let's keep watching." Leorio also felt Roy was right, so he decided to wait and see how things developed.
After learning Nen, the one who had changed the most was actually Leorio.
Roy had originally assumed that after gaining the power to become stronger, Leorio would become even more reckless and impulsive.
But unexpectedly, he had calmed down instead.
Maybe it was because once he gained confidence in himself, he no longer became as impatient as he had in the original story.
After all, in the future, he would become a doctor.
Watching the examinees arguing noisily with Menchi, Roy smiled faintly.
"It's been a while since I loosened up my muscles, too. Crushing people one-sidedly doesn't give me the satisfaction I deserve. Once Netero gets here, I'm sure he'll be delighted to have an opponent he can fight with his full strength for once~"
…
Over there, the man in purple with the braid had already started shouting.
"You've got to be kidding me! I didn't come here to apply for a chef's job!" the braided man roared, fist clenched, his face full of anger.
What he said was exactly what the failed examinees were thinking. Judging from these two tests alone, this felt more like a gourmet competition than a Hunter Exam. They were actually using flavor as the standard for whether someone passed or failed.
In an instant, the examinees' emotions were set ablaze. Complaints rang out one after another, and some of them even started mocking Gourmet Hunters.
The whole venue immediately turned as noisy as an open-air market.
With so many examinees backing him up, the braided man became even more confident and said coldly, "We refuse to accept this result. Don't tell me every single Hunter who earns a License has to learn how to cook first?"
The moment he finished speaking, waves of agreement rose and fell all around him.
All of them were dissatisfied with both the test content and the judging standards. It was as if the advantages and disadvantages had been decided from the very start.
For example, people who were good at cooking could pass easily, while those who were bad at it could never pass no matter how hard they tried.
A test like this simply made no sense.
Listening to the complaints from all those examinees, even Roy, who had already passed, found himself somewhat agreeing.
After all, making a dish that a top-tier Gourmet Hunter like Menchi would actually find delicious was something even a master chef might not be able to pull off, let alone the vast majority of examinees, who valued combat ability above all else.
Rather than studying cooking, it made far more sense to spend that energy training their bodies and making themselves stronger.
That way of thinking was exactly why there were so few Gourmet Hunters.
As she listened to the uproar from the examinees, Menchi's gaze gradually turned dangerous.
"Once Menchi gets picky about food, she just never stops," Buhara said, rubbing his head in frustration. How had things ended up like this?
Step. Step. Step.
Buhara crossed the distance in a single stride and stopped right in front of the braided man. Instantly, the examinees fell silent.
"Hold it, Buhara. Can you stay out of this?" Menchi's hands remained behind her back the whole time. Roy could already sense the pressure building around her.
"How could I do that? If I make a move, this guy might just lose an arm or a leg at most. But if you make a move, he'll end up as a dish."
Buhara sounded utterly helpless.
"A dish? You can turn a person into food?" Gon asked, full of curiosity.
"Oh? Then I really want to see that." Killua was very interested in all the different methods and styles of killing.
"Humans, in the end, are just another kind of mammal. The only difference is that they possess a level of intelligence other animals don't. Members of the same species killing each other happens in every group. And in the eyes of some extreme lunatics, humans are actually considered delicious food. Things like stir-fried woman's tongue or spicy-sautéed man's kidneys do exist. In fact, among people like that, there's even a saying that gets passed around."
Roy said this with a completely serious expression.
"What saying?" Gon and Leorio both felt a chill run through their bodies.
"Everything is edible!"
(End of Chapter)
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