"Heh heh heh…"
"It's no wonder you can't appreciate its flavor," Menchi said with a light laugh. "After all, this comes from the Raoul Mountains deep within the Smel Wetlands. These are horn scales taken from one of the last remaining Giant Horned Bears in the world."
She spoke enthusiastically, clearly enjoying the chance to explain just how rare the ingredient was.
"This is the legendary Horn Scale Rice—a dream dish that would make gourmets all over the world drool."
Menchi was extremely confident in the dish she had prepared and took the opportunity to share a bit more about Gourmet Hunters with the examinees.
"As expected of a one-star Hunter—and a Gourmet Hunter at that," Sattotz murmured approvingly from his perch in a large tree outside the window, making no effort to hide the fact that he was still observing.
"Wait a second," Leorio suddenly realized. "That Shimeru Wetlands eliminated half the examinees—and she went even deeper inside and brought back bear horn scales?"
Only now did it truly sink in how unbelievable that was. He felt a chill run down his spine, grateful that he had listened to Ou back then. Otherwise, those horn scales might have ended up being his fate instead.
"And she didn't get injured at all," Kurapika added. "What's more terrifying is that she made the round trip in under an hour."
They had taken a long time just to escape the wetlands themselves.
"She really is incredible," Killua admitted. At his current level, he knew he couldn't compare. He still needed much more training.
"Hunters—none of them are weak," Luo Ou said. He had expected Menchi to be strong, but witnessing it firsthand made him realize just how frightening her level truly was.
Unfortunately, some people were blind both in eyes and in mind, incapable of seeing reality.
"So," Menchi said leisurely as she sat down on the sofa, "have you started looking at Gourmet Hunters a little differently now?"
"I want to eat a bit more," Gon said, nimbly darting over to the table in front of Menchi. "Otherwise, I can't really judge it properly."
Since it was such a precious ingredient, Gon felt he should eat more of it. Ou already had a bowl—if he took another one, that meant it would all stay with them.
"You think this is just rice you can have bowl after bowl of?" Menchi snapped, snatching the bowl off the table with lightning speed. "Do you have any idea how precious this dish is?"
"Mm-hm, I know," Gon nodded seriously.
"…Alright then." Menchi glanced in Luo Ou's direction. Seeing that he already had a bowl—and that his companions hadn't passed the test anyway—she hesitated briefly, then handed the bowl back to Gon. "You can have it."
"Thank you, Examiner!" Gon said cheerfully. He took the bowl and headed back toward Luo Ou. Good food was best enjoyed together.
Unfortunately, the harmonious scene only further provoked Tony, who had been simmering on the edge of rage the entire time.
He strode forward and, without a word, kicked over the table in front of Menchi. The bottle containing the horn scales flew into the air, about to smash onto the floor.
Luo Ou tensed instantly. That ingredient was incredibly precious—spilling it would be an unforgivable waste.
Menchi's petite body twisted gracefully in midair as she flipped and snatched the bottle out of the air.
"I don't care what kind of mountain delicacy this is," Todo shouted angrily. "Food only needs to fill your stomach! You're obsessed with food to the point of madness. You're not a Hunter—you're just a gourmet at best!"
He was furious. To think that someone like her had judged him unqualified—this was absolutely intolerable.
"So your brain really is full of mush," Menchi said coldly as she straightened up. She now felt that both she and Luo Ou had been mistaken—people like this needed to be taught a lesson.
"What did you say?" Todo snarled. He didn't think there was anything wrong with himself and didn't even notice that the other examinees had already retreated far away, unwilling to stand anywhere near him.
"Let's move back a bit," Luo Ou said, gesturing to his companions, who had already finished eating the Horn Scale Rice.
In the end, even Leorio couldn't resist. He had eaten quite a bit—after all, this was something many people dreamed of tasting. It had to be expensive, and not eating more felt like a loss.
The moment they heard Luo Ou's warning, everyone instinctively backed away several steps—afraid that if they were too slow, something like the stampede of Wild Boars would happen again.
"We also think it's unfair that all of us were failed!"
Perhaps spurred on by Todo, two more examinees stepped forward, openly siding with him.
"I say we twist her arm and show that Gourmet Hunters have no right to be examiners!" Todo declared loudly. "We'll report this to the Review Committee!"
With people backing him up, his confidence swelled. He pointed straight at Menchi, utterly self-righteous.
"Suit yourselves," Menchi replied indifferently. She didn't take the three of them seriously at all and turned to walk out of the exam hall.
"Damn it—stop! Don't run!"
The man in green clothes thought she was trying to escape and immediately chased after her.
Menchi's small, delicate frame was deceptively misleading. People often assumed that a pretty girl like her was harmless—never realizing that this seemingly innocent flower was actually a man-eating plant.
Buhara moved swiftly from the side, cutting in front of Menchi. With a single palm strike, he sent two of the men flying. They collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.
"Damn it!"
Todo, running at the back, wasn't caught in the attack—but his anger only intensified.
He rushed forward, hoisted Buhara onto his shoulders, and hurled him away. As expected of a former wrestler, his strength and ability to handle weight were impressive.
Boom!
Buhara crashed straight through a wall.
"Heh heh," Tony sneered proudly at the sight of Buhara lying on the ground. "So much for that."
"Your strength isn't bad," Buhara said calmly as he immediately stood back up, looking completely unharmed.
"What?!"
Todo's smug grin froze on his face. He hadn't expected this at all.
"Looks like I'll need to get serious," Buhara said, his expression finally turning focused.
"Buhara, this won't require you," Menchi said, stepping in front of him. She intended to handle this examinee herself.
"This is getting interesting," Todo said eagerly. Afraid Buhara might intervene again, he attacked Menchi first. He assumed she was weaker than Buhara—after all, you pick the softest target.
Unfortunately for him, the instant he charged to where Menchi had been standing, she had already moved at blinding speed to a different position.
"This year's Hunter Exam really is extreme," Buhara remarked. "It has both the most promising future Gourmet Hunter I've seen in ten years—and also candidates so stupid they have absolutely no qualifications."
The former was naturally Luo Ou.
The latter was Todo.
Menchi didn't even need to use her hands. With her arms crossed, she lifted her long, slender leg and struck—two or three rapid kicks sent Todo reeling, completely disoriented, before he collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
"And someone like you wants to be a Bounty Hunter?" Menchi scoffed, planting her foot on Tony's back. "Don't make people laugh. The truth is, no matter what kind of Hunter you want to be, the basics are the same. Anyone who wants to become a Hunter—no matter who they are—must at the very least be physically capable. Whether you like it or not, your combat ability must be first-rate."
Just as Menchi was about to strike him again—
Someone appeared.