Leorio and the others had been standing further inside and came out a step too late. All they caught was a fleeting trace of Menchi's figure—gone in the blink of an eye.
"Looks like she's really skilled," Killua said, carefully examining the deep footprint left in the ground. At his current level, he couldn't manage that kind of force—let alone disappear so completely in just a few moves. Her footwork alone was impressive.
"She's amazing… that power," Gon said as he stared at the footprint, genuinely awed by Menchi's strength.
Hearing Gon's comment, Leorio couldn't help but sigh. Of course his focus would be different from everyone else's. Truly unique.
"Yeah… she's really strong," Leorio said. A chill ran down his neck. He was suddenly very glad he hadn't tried to force his way forward earlier. He had always known he couldn't beat an examiner—but now, the reality of it was crystal clear.
Thank goodness I listened to Leorio, he thought. At this point, he had absolutely no desire to know what "being turned into a dish" meant. Whatever Leorio said was right—he didn't need to know.
"She really is impressive," Kurapika added. Seeing how powerful Menchi was only strengthened his resolve to become a Hunter. With strength like that, his own goal would be one step closer.
Even though Menchi had left, the examinees didn't relax their guard. They still gathered in small groups around familiar faces. The exam wasn't over yet. Tonpa might specialize in sabotaging rookies, but some people didn't care whether their targets were newcomers or veterans—if there was an opportunity, they'd strike.
Of course, not everyone was cautious. There were always people overflowing with confidence, convinced the world revolved around them.
"Hmph. All smoke and mirrors."
Todo had zero faith in Menchi. He had no idea what she was doing with that one hour, but he didn't believe it would be anything worth being impressed by.
Still, since the examiner herself had said to wait an hour—and since he technically hadn't been completely eliminated yet—waiting a bit longer didn't hurt. In any case, he had no intention of accepting Menchi's earlier judgment.
"What a joke."
When Todo thought about how the single passing slot had gone to some guy he'd never even paid attention to before—and that he had lost to someone like that—a fire burned in his chest.
He shot several vicious glares at Leorio, but it still didn't ease his anger. However, with Buhara standing there like an immovable Buddha statue, Todo didn't dare go too far. All he could do was glare murderously.
"That guy's staring again," Killua said. He had always been extremely sensitive to others' gazes.
"It's nothing. Just some irrelevant person," Leorio replied.
Leorio had noticed Todo's behavior long ago, but he had no interest in paying attention to a jumping clown. Still, some people only got more obnoxious the more you ignored them. He decided that if needed, he'd teach Todo a lesson later—before the guy went out into the world and offended the wrong person.
"He's probably unbalanced because only Leorio was announced as having passed," Kurapika analyzed.
"Want me to go punch him?" Leorio asked eagerly, fists itching. Leorio was his friend—why should someone like that get to glare at him?
"Relax. We'll deal with him soon enough. For now, stay quiet. Things are definitely going to change," Leorio said calmly.
Though Leorio didn't know exactly what would change, Gon and the others understood immediately. Passing the exam came first—everything else could be settled later.
While things had quieted down on Leorio's side, Chairman Netero's side was anything but peaceful.
Truly, one act ended only for another to begin—the drama never stopped.
"How do you plan to handle this?" the short, peanut-shaped man asked anxiously, holding a phone. "It looks like their communications have been cut off."
"That girl is extremely stubborn by nature," Chairman Netero said leisurely, standing on one leg while calmly sipping juice held in the other foot. "Unless she's given a reason she truly accepts, she won't change her mind easily."
"But her reasoning is far too subjective," the peanut-shaped secretary said worriedly. Dressed in a proper suit, his round face was full of concern. "The purpose of the second phase was to test the examinees' observation skills and attention through cooking."
His understanding of the exam's purpose happened to align perfectly with Leorio's earlier speculation.
"Well, none of that matters now. Hahahaha," Netero laughed. "Hunters are full of stubborn, eccentric people. When people like that become examiners, of course they won't hand out passing scores easily. The committee usually respects the examiners' decisions—even when there's been an entire year without a single successful candidate."
He paused, then continued.
"But this time… the problem seems to lie with Menchi."
Netero gently placed the cup back onto the table with his foot and slowly walked toward the docking platform where the airship was stationed. Since the issue wasn't with the examinees, the committee couldn't simply ignore it.
The peanut-shaped secretary followed closely behind and opened the door leading to the platform.
Whoooosh—
A powerful gust of wind rushed toward them, stirring the air violently. Neither of them paid it any mind as they calmly stepped aboard the ship.
Rumble—rumble—
The airship quickly lifted off, soaring into the sky and heading straight toward Visca Forest Park.
The turning point Leorio had predicted was about to arrive.
Whoosh—whoosh—
On the other side, Menchi had accepted Todo's challenge. Not only could she demonstrate the true strength of a gourmet Hunter—she could also obtain a top-tier ingredient. Killing two birds with one stone.
She moved rapidly through the forest, leaping between trees as she searched for her target, hoping to locate traces of the Bear as soon as possible.
At last, she spotted fresh footprints in a clearing.
Got you.
Rustle—crash.
The bushes nearby shook violently, and a massive bear with two ox-like horns emerged in front of her.
"Found you."
Menchi drew her twin blades and assumed a combat stance, facing the Horned Bear.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock at the exam site advanced second by second. The one-hour limit was almost up.
Swish—
A faint sound tore through the air.
Leorio glanced at the clock just as the second hand landed exactly on 1.
Right on time.
"Wasn't it supposed to be one hour? Why isn't she back yet?" Todo sneered. If there was an opportunity to provoke trouble, he never missed it. When it came to courting death, no one this year surpassed Tony.
"She's here," Leorio said calmly.
"The timing's about right," Gon added. "She should be back now."
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Menchi appeared, one hand brushing through her wind-tousled hair while raising the other to greet the crowd.
"Didn't you say you were giving us a farewell gift? And now you come back empty-handed?" Todo sneered. Seeing nothing in her hands, he immediately seized the chance to attack.
"Are you blind?" Menchi said coolly, completely unfazed by his attitude. She reached into her chest area and pulled out a glass vial, holding it up for everyone to see.