Hunter x Hunter: Card Master, the Strongest in the World

Seeing that the time had come, Satsu, standing in front of the large iron gate, stroked his curly beard and calmly said:

"Thank you all for your hard work. The second exam is coming up, so I'll stop here for now."

After saying that, Saci once again strode into the depths of the forest with that "swaggering" walking posture.

The other candidates thought that Satsuki had left, but in fact, when Satsuki went into the forest, he would hide in a tree and observe the second exam.

It seems that Chairman Netero assigned Saji to monitor Menchi to see if she was behaving inappropriately, since Menchi's personality is prone to being stubborn.

It's also possible that he simply wanted to watch the show, which is why he didn't leave immediately?

As Lynn expected, after walking a short distance into the forest, Satzer leaped onto a tree branch, pulled out a pair of binoculars he had prepared beforehand, and secretly observed the group, muttering to himself:

"The next one is that legendary figure—Menchi. It seems like only ten... no, it's very likely only five people can pass!"

Shortly after Saci left, the large iron gate in front of everyone slowly opened to both sides, revealing the interior layout in its entirety.

As the doors opened, the tension in the hearts of all the candidates tightened once again.

Now that we're here, how can we relax!

They not only have to pass the first exam, the second exam... but they have to keep going until they pass, get their hunter license, and reach the pinnacle of their lives!

Chapter 131 Reunion with Menchi! Lynn as the Examiner?

The group entered the park.

The first thing that caught everyone's eye was a row of tables, on which were deliberately placed some special kitchen utensils, which were the tools to be used in the second exam.

At the very front was a large stage, on which sat a young-looking, petite woman.

It was Menchi!

To Lynn's surprise, the fat man Buhara from the original story did not appear; only Menchi was present.

As the candidates surged in like a tide, Mencius kept scanning the room, eager to catch a glimpse of that familiar figure. Only when she saw Lynn did she finally smile.

Sure enough, Lynn really did participate in this Hunter Exam!

Then, Menqi sat on the sofa, stretched, and smiled:

"Welcome to the second exam. I am your examiner, Mencius!"

"See the kitchen utensils in front of you? The test for today is cooking!"

Menchi's statement startled the other candidates present. Was the test really about cooking?!

"Wait a minute! We're here to take the Hunter Exam, why are we being asked to cook?"

"I'm a big, fat wrestler with blond hair," said Tuomen indignantly.

In his opinion, it was unreasonable to choose cooking as an unconventional subject for the Hunter Exam, which was open to everyone... Of course, the main point was that he knew absolutely nothing about cooking!

Menqi stood up, swayed her slender waist, put her hands on her hips, and said confidently:

"Because I'm a gourmet hunter! The exam I set will naturally be related to food!"

"You need to divide into groups of four and, regardless of the ingredients or cooking methods, prepare lunch within two hours. I will then taste it to see if it's up to standard!"

"The rules are that simple."

"In addition, I also intend to select one of you as a temporary assistant examiner to assist me in scoring."

"What do you think of candidate number 436?" Menqi smiled and looked at Lin En in the crowd.

In fact, the original plan of the Bean Man was to give her another partner, which would fit the tradition of two Gourmet Hunters working together, and could also dissuade her to some extent when she "goes crazy". In the original work, this person was Buhara.

In last year's culinary competition, Menchi and Buhara were supposed to team up and finish in the top three, becoming one-star culinary hunters together and serving as examiners for this year's hunter exam.

However, many changes occurred due to Lynn's appearance. Menchi's partner became Lynn, but Lynn was not a hunter yet, so he could not become a formal examiner.

Menchi came up with a good idea: to make Lynn her assistant as a temporary examiner, which would also reduce the pressure, since she couldn't eat much by herself.

Even the changes to this exam were due to Mencius reminiscing about the time she, Lynn, Bisge, and Galul teamed up during the culinary competition, which led to the rules being set.

Having candidates serve as temporary examiners is unprecedented in the history of the Hunter Exam, so Beanman had no choice but to consult Chairman Netero for his opinion.

"Hehehe, isn't this interesting? Let her go." These were Chairman Netero's exact words.

In any case, the examiners have considerable power to arrange the exam content themselves, and Lynn is practically a one-star gourmet hunter, so he is acceptable in every way. Netero is also happy to see interesting things happen and make the hunter exam more innovative.

Lynn blinked. Was he to be the temporary examiner?

He had no idea about this, and Menchi hadn't mentioned it beforehand.

However, having him around would indeed help prevent Mencius from acting rashly.

In an instant, countless eyes fell on Lynn.

The wrestler, Tuomen, frowned. He was about to retort when he saw that candidate number 436 was none other than Lynn. His lips trembled, but he swallowed his words and didn't dare to speak.

Last year, he was on the same ship as Dongba and the others, and witnessed firsthand how Lynn displayed his power that night... If he had angered Lynn, he would have been in trouble.

Despite his burly physique, he wasn't actually that brave.

Although Tuomen remained silent, other candidates voiced their opposition.

"Are you kidding me! How can you let a candidate be an examiner?" one candidate exclaimed angrily. "What if he's deliberately targeting others and intentionally failing us?"

Menqi remained expressionless, raising her right index finger and thumb, and said coldly, "There are two problems with what you just said."

"First of all, you don't need to worry that he will be too harsh, because I will definitely be stricter than him. The reason for arranging temporary examiners is to ensure that more of you can pass."

"Secondly, the Hunter Exam has never explicitly prohibited the use of temporary examiners, and this practice has been approved by the association."

"You don't know, candidate number 436 is not an ordinary candidate; he is already a one-star Gourmet Hunter!"

The park was completely silent as the examinees digested the information in Menqi's words.

Many people looked surprised, including Kurapika and others. What did it mean that Lynn was already a one-star Gourmet Hunter?

He hasn't passed the Hunter Exam yet, has he?

Is it possible to board the train first and buy a ticket later?

"Leorio, is what she said true?" Kurapika couldn't help but ask Leorio beside him in a low voice.

Leorio nodded slightly: "It's true. Although Master hasn't passed the Hunter Exam yet, he's already a one-star Gourmet Hunter."

It's actually true.

"What is a one-star Gourmet Hunter?" Xiao Jie asked, looking puzzled. "I know what a Gourmet Hunter is, right? They're people who pursue delicious food."

"The so-called One-Star Hunter is an honorary title given by the Hunter Association to those who have made great contributions in a certain field. There are very few of them, and they are very powerful people." Kurapika, acting as a know-it-all, explained this basic knowledge to Gon.

This was indeed basic knowledge for those present.

Only people like Gon and Killua, who are either single-minded or make decisions on a whim, wouldn't know about the One-Star Hunter.

"Oh, I see. Mr. Lynn is such an amazing person." Xiao Jie suddenly realized, and understood Lynn a little better.

That said, I wonder if Mr. Lynn has ever seen Gold, and if Gold has any stars?

Having received the accurate answer, Kurapika, though still puzzled, had no choice but to accept the facts. The other candidates felt the same way; after all, the examiner had gone this far, and they could only wait and see.

If there is any evidence of favoritism or corruption, they will not agree to it under any circumstances and will insist that the Hunter Association give them an explanation.

Seeing this, Lynn accepted the role of temporary examiner.

This way, the events described in the original story can be prevented from repeating themselves.

"The second exam is about to begin!" With Menqi's command, countless candidates began to form teams.

While there's no strict requirement of four people, in team competition, every extra person provides an advantage, so naturally, the more the better. Teammates should also be skilled in hunting and cooking to increase competitiveness.

Leorio, Kurapika, Gon, and Killua form a perfect team, so there's no need to find anyone else.

After quickly forming teams, people rushed out in a swarm.

With only two hours to spare, they couldn't possibly travel far to collect ingredients, so they had to choose from nearby options. If they were a step too late, the best ingredients might be snatched up.

Another point is that there are only two examiners, and it's uncertain how much they can eat. If it takes too long, lunch might not be ready before they've already eaten.

"Lynn, it's been a long time." After everyone had left, Mencius stepped off the stage and came to Lynn's side with a smile.

"Yes, it has indeed been a long time." Lynn sighed slightly, realizing that it had been half a year since he had last seen Menchi.

The two friends immediately started chatting and reminiscing, telling each other what they had done in the past six months. At the same time, Lynn asked Gengar to release the ingredients, which Erina then cooked.

When it was lunchtime, it was time for him to have lunch as well, and he could also share the high-end ingredients he had collected with Menchi, and show off Erina's increasingly exquisite cooking skills.

Menchi stared wide-eyed at the dazzling array of high-quality ingredients. Each one was a "treasure" that many gourmet hunters would dream of. Of course, Menchi's real focus was on the knife that Erina was using.

"Can I take a look at this knife?" Menqi swallowed nervously.

"Here you go." Erina generously handed over the [Eternal Spirit Blade]. "It's called the Eternal Spirit Blade. It can greatly enhance the flavor of seafood, and even bring it back to life."

"The Eternal Spirit Blade...it's truly an amazing blade." Menqi carefully stroked the blade, as if looking at a perfectly crafted, rare work of art, her eyes shining.

This is absolutely a knife that every chef would fight tooth and nail for!

What's more, it has amazing effects... Is it a Nen tool? That's great, kitchenware-type Nen tools are very rare. The more Menchi looked at it, the more perfect the Eternal Spirit Blade seemed.

After a period of use, the B-grade Eternal Spirit Blade has been gradually unsealed by Erina and upgraded to B+ grade, with its effects also improved.

Erina immediately used the Eternal Spirit Knife to prepare several seafood dishes for Lynn and Menchi to enjoy together. In an instant, the rich aroma filled the entire park and lingered.

Lynn was alright, because he ate this kind of food every day.

But Menchi was different. When she tasted the radiant and delicious food created by the combination of Erina's superb cooking skills, the Eternal Spirit Blade buff, and high-quality ingredients, she felt as if she were ascending to heaven. Her face flushed, and she trembled with excitement, as if her clothes were about to be torn apart.

This is exactly the kind of delicious food she's been searching for!

After a long while, Menchi finally calmed down. While enjoying the food, she secretly decided that she must stay by Lynn's side more often so that she would have the opportunity to learn cooking skills from Erina and cook high-end ingredients... She wondered if he needed a second full-time chef.

As long as she can taste this kind of delicious food every day, she would be happy to work like a beast of burden without pay!

Chapter 132 Netero Extends an Olive Branch! A Sparring Match?

At the same time, Menchi also noticed that Lynn had changed quite a bit.

This is especially evident in their strength!

If Lynn seemed sharp and outspoken six months ago, she is now much more reserved, like a sharp blade hidden in its sheath.

Although he didn't directly display his prowess, you could feel it just by being around him. Every move he made exuded immense pressure, clearly showing that Lynn's strength had improved dramatically in the past six months!

Time passed slowly, and about twenty minutes later the first group of people returned to the park. As soon as they entered, they smelled an extremely tempting aroma of food, as if a little elf was teasing their noses. Just smelling that aroma in the air was enough to whet their appetites.

Who made this dish? It smells so good!

The group quickly spotted Lynn and the others who were cooking... What? It turns out the examiners were cooking?

Wait a minute? Who is that woman? Where did she come from?

Seeing Erina appear out of nowhere, all the examinees were puzzled, wondering where she came from.

However, their thoughts were quickly drawn away by the rich aroma, and it took them a while to regain their senses through perseverance and reason.

If they hadn't known they couldn't lay a hand on the examiners, they would have had the urge to attack Menqi and the others and snatch the food; it stemmed from their deepest desires.

Let's hurry up and prepare the food; the Hunter Exam is the priority.

Once they become hunters, what delicacies won't they be able to eat!

Due to their lack of experience, they subconsciously believed that once they became hunters, they could easily buy delicacies like those made by Erina, unaware that this was already the pinnacle of cuisine across the six continents.

Gradually, more and more test takers returned to the park, most of them returning with their spoils. At the same time, since the most common meat in the nearby forest is the mongoose, many people also hunted this animal to bring back.

【Hunting】 and 【Cooking】 symbolize that the two major stages of the gourmet hunter have been completed halfway, while the other half is equally important, and even more important.

Even if the ingredients are not good, they can still be made up for with excellent cooking techniques.

But if your cooking skills are terrible, even the best ingredients will be wasted.

In just a short while, Lynn had already seen several examinees turn their lunches into charcoal. Of course, they weren't without options... some were already eyeing the dishes that other examinees had already prepared with greedy eyes.