When Leo walked out of the clothing store, he had changed into a set of white casual wear.
The simple style and tailored fit made him look like a completely different person compared to his previous animal skin outfit.
He used the emergency funds that Satz's team had stuffed into his hands before they left to pay—it wasn't much, but it was enough to purchase basic gear.
After spending half a year in the forest, all he wanted now was to experience the atmosphere of human life.
The streets of Lanbo City were clean and tidy, and the sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent.
He wandered aimlessly, watching people chatting leisurely in roadside cafes, children chasing and playing in the park, and street performers putting on shows.
To him, having survived alone in the Secret Realm for half a year, these ordinary scenes held an indescribable warmth.
At dusk, he found a clean and affordable hotel to stay in.
A hot shower washed away the dust of his travels, and the feeling of lying on a soft bed was both strange and comfortable. He slept exceptionally soundly that night.
The next day, Leo headed to the airport. He used his remaining money to buy a ticket to Kent City.
The airship traveled for a day.
When his feet touched the ground of Kent City, Leo realized a realistic problem: after buying the ticket, his money was basically gone.
He walked down the streets of Kent City, pondering his next plan.
The top priority was to make money—he needed funds for food and lodging, as well as start-up capital for his subsequent actions.
Just as he was walking and thinking, a commotion ahead caught his attention.
A crowd was gathered at the entrance of a restaurant, with cheers and whistles rising one after another.
Leo walked closer and saw a large sign standing at the entrance:
[Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Our Restaurant · Big Eater Challenge]
The rules are as follows:
Finish an entire Wild Nose Hog within one hour to get the meal for free.
If the challenge fails, you must pay double the meal fee (200,000 jenny).
The person with the shortest time will be the champion of this event, with a prize of 500,000 jenny.
The runner-up prize is 250,000 jenny.
Wild Nose Hog. Leo remembered this creature—it was the size of a small elephant, with delicious meat but an enormous quantity.
A normal adult wouldn't necessarily be able to finish one in a day, let alone an hour. This challenge was clearly a marketing gimmick by the restaurant.
But for him, it might not be impossible.
His level 24 physical fitness brought him not only strength and speed, but his metabolism and digestion were also far beyond that of an ordinary person.
During the Late Stage in the Secret Realm, when food was plentiful, he had tested his appetite—it was roughly equivalent to the sum of five adults.
500,000 jenny would be enough for him to use for a while.
Leo walked into the restaurant.
The interior space was more spacious than it looked from the outside, with a large area cleared in the center, surrounded by tables and chairs filled with onlookers.
"I want to participate in the challenge," Leo said to the waiter at the entrance.
The waiter was a young girl. She sized up Leo—under his white casual wear, his figure was well-proportioned but not burly; he didn't look like the big eater type.
"Are you sure?" she reminded him kindly. "The Wild Nose Hog is really huge, and if you fail, you have to pay double..."
"I'm sure," Leo smiled.
The diners around them who heard the conversation began to whisper:
"Another one?"
"He doesn't look like the type who can eat that much."
"The last fat guy who challenged it only ate a quarter before throwing up."
"Just wait and watch the show."
Leo was led to the waiting area next to the stage. There were two other challengers ahead of him, both eager and ready to go.
Half an hour later, it was Leo's turn.
Four strong men worked together to carry out a golden-roasted Wild Nose Hog. The whole pig was placed on a special cart, over two meters long and waist-high, with grease glistening under the firelight.
The aroma instantly filled the entire restaurant, and the diners let out gasps of admiration.
The waiter walked to the side of the stage with a timer: "Are you ready? 3, 2, 1—Start!"
Leo began.
He didn't wolf down the food like typical big eaters, but maintained a steady rhythm: using both hands, he tore off large chunks of roasted meat, chewed thoroughly, and then swallowed.
His speed wasn't astonishing, but it was extremely steady, with the interval between each bite being almost identical to the second.
At first, there was jeering from the surroundings, but as time passed, the noise gradually died down.
Because everyone could see—this young man wasn't forcing himself; he was truly "dining," as composed as if he were eating a normal meal.
At fifteen minutes, Leo had already eaten one-third of the whole pig.
His breathing was steady, and he didn't even have sweat on his forehead.
"Is this guy's stomach from another dimension?" someone muttered.
"He looks quite relaxed..."
Just as Leo was focused on the food in front of him, another person entered the restaurant.
It was a man wearing a black vest, carrying a shoulder bag, with short black hair and two particularly striking thick eyebrows.
He scanned the lively shop, his gaze falling on Leo on the stage and the huge roasted pig, and he raised an eyebrow.
The man walked to the waiter and whispered a few words. The waiter looked at him in surprise and then nodded.
Soon, another roasted pig was carried out and placed on the stage next to Leo.
The man in the black vest sat down. He didn't start immediately but observed Leo with great interest for a while.
Leo sensed the gaze and turned to look. Their eyes met.
Short black hair, thick eyebrows, vest... Leo felt this person looked familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen him for a moment.
The hunter world had many characters, so it was normal not to have a deep memory of some secondary characters.
He withdrew his gaze and continued to focus on eating. No matter who the other party was, winning the competition and getting the prize money was what mattered.
Leo sped up, and the roasted meat decreased at a visible rate.
But even so, when he finished the last piece of meat, the timer showed: 49 minutes 16 seconds.
The restaurant owner—a chubby middle-aged man—walked onto the stage and clapped in amazement.
"Too amazing! You are currently the customer with the shortest time in the shop! As long as no one faster than you appears in the next two hours, you are the champion!"
Leo wiped his hands and nodded.
He sat on a chair to the side to rest, his gaze turning to the man in the black vest next to him.
At this time, the man also began.
His way of eating was completely different from Leo's—he grabbed the roasted meat with both hands and stuffed it into his mouth frantically, swallowing it almost without chewing.
The speed was so fast that the onlookers let out bursts of exclamation.
But Leo noticed something wrong.
Beside the man... there was something.
Although he was in a state of "Zetsu" and could not perceive Nen, Leo's vision had been enhanced, and he could vaguely see a faint distortion in the air on both sides of the man, as if some invisible thing was helping him tear and swallow the food.
Moreover, the speed at which the man swallowed had already exceeded human physiological limits.
After that meat entered his mouth, it disappeared.
It was Nen!
Leo recalled quickly in his mind. Black vest, thick eyebrows, and this cheating method...
The Greed Island arc. That Emitter who could materialize two gorilla Nen beasts—
Gorenou.
He remembered; Leo understood in his heart.
Gorenou's abilities, "Black Sage" and "White Sage", could materialize two gorilla Nen beasts and could swap the position of the Nen beasts with himself or others.
Razor had said that Gorenou's ability was quite good and should be cherished, which meant that even he highly approved of Gorenou.
Now he was obviously using Nen beasts to help eat the food, and because normal people couldn't see "Nen," it looked like only he was eating.
What a... tricky method.
Leo smiled helplessly. He didn't lose because of appetite; he lost because he didn't have a Nen Ability. If he could use Nen, he wouldn't necessarily have lost.
45 minutes 35 seconds.
Gorenou finished the whole pig, nearly four minutes faster than Leo.
The restaurant owner took the stage again, this time with an even more exaggerated expression: "A new record! 45 minutes 35 seconds! It's incredible!"
He announced the results of the competition: Gorenou was the champion, and Leo was the runner-up.
The prize money was awarded on the spot—Gorenou got 500,000 jenny, and Leo got 250,000.
The onlookers gradually dispersed, and the restaurant returned to normal business.
Gorenou put away the jenny, picked up his shoulder bag, and prepared to leave.
Leo followed him.
After walking out of the restaurant and turning into a relatively quiet side street, Gorenou suddenly turned around, his eyes alert.
"Do you need something?"
Leo raised his hands to indicate he was harmless, with a friendly smile on his face.
"Hello, I saw you in the restaurant just now and knew you weren't weak. I want to make friends with you; I have no malicious intent."
Gorenou did not lower his guard, his eyes under his thick eyebrows scrutinizing Leo.
Seeing that the other party was unmoved, Leo continued.
"I know you used 'Nen', which is why you were able to win the Big Eater Challenge."
The air froze for a moment.
Gorenou's eyes suddenly became sharp: "You actually know about Nen?"
"That's right."
Leo answered calmly.
"Because of some special reasons, my Nen is temporarily under a Seal, so it's normal that you couldn't see I also know Nen."
"There is a saying in my hometown: 'At home, rely on parents; when out, rely on friends.' Having more friends means more paths. Making different friends is also part of the journey of life."
His expression was sincere and his tone natural when he spoke.
Gorenou stared at him for a few seconds, and his thick eyebrows slowly relaxed.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a hint of a smile: "Hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense."
He extended his hand: "My name is Gorenou."
Leo shook his hand, smiling: "My name is Leo. Nice to meet you."
The moment their hands clasped, Leo could feel the thickness and strength of the other's palm—this was a hand that had undergone long-term training.
Gorenou let go of his hand and nodded: "Looking at how you ate just now, you are also not simple. An ordinary person couldn't have that kind of appetite."
"Likewise," Leo laughed.
The two walked side by side on the street. Night began to fall, and streetlights lit up one by one.
"What are your plans next?" Gorenou asked casually.
"Find a place to stay first, and then... maybe go check out Heavens Arena." Leo did not hide it.
Gorenou's steps paused slightly, and he looked at him: "Heavens Arena? You want to fight in the ring?"
"I want to earn some money, and also accumulate combat experience." Leo said truthfully.
"Then you've found the right place," Gorenou said.
"But be careful, there are all kinds of guys in the arena. Don't expose all your strength too early."
This was a kind reminder. Leo nodded.
"Understood. Thank you."
They stopped at the entrance of a cafe. Gorenou took out paper and pen from his shoulder bag and wrote down a string of numbers.
"This is my contact information. If you encounter trouble in Kent City, you can find me—of course, provided that I am still here."
Leo took the note: "Are you planning to leave?"
"Pretty much."
Gorenou looked into the distance.
"I was already traveling, and passing by here to participate in that competition was just on a whim. I might stay for a few more days, or I might leave tomorrow."
"Alright, I forgot to buy a mobile phone. I will use a telephone to contact you. See you when we have a chance." Leo put away the note.
"See you when we have a chance." Gorenou waved his hand, turned around, and merged into the crowd.
Leo watched his back disappear, then lowered his head to look at the 250,000 jenny in his hand and the note with the contact information.
The first Nen User friend he had made since officially stepping into the hunter world... although it was just a preliminary acquaintance, it was a pretty good start.
He looked up at the night sky, where the neon lights of Kent City dyed the sky a dark red.
Next, it was time to go to Heavens Arena. But before going, there was one thing that must be completed—
Level up to 25 and lift the "Zetsu" Seal.
Leo touched the dark red tattoo on the back of his hand. He was still one level short and needed to hunt some more creatures.
Biscayne Forest Park, I'll go scout it out tomorrow.
He walked toward the hotel at the corner, already having a clear plan in his mind.