Chapter 2

" Welcome to the second exam. My name's Menchi and this is Buhara, we are the proctors for the second phase. " Said a green-haired woman, having 5 top knots, forming the shape of a star, wearing a bikini top with a mesh shirt and denim shorts. Beside her, a large man with his even more enormous potbelly, black hair, and fair skin stood up, towering over his fellow proctor.

" The test for the second phase is cooking!" Menchi announced. Confusion set into the many applicants, a simple doubt entered their minds.

Why?

" The test is simple. We will tell you the name of the main ingredient that has to be the star of your dish. You will then go find the ingredient and make a dish using the cooking stations we have provided for you, along with other ingredients you can use. Menchi informed, staring at the various applicants, looking at her, listening to her summarization of the test.

" If we like the dish you created, you pass. If the dish is not satisfactory, you fail. Got that? Good. With that said, let's begin. " Menchi said as Buhara stood up to his full height, towering over everyone.

" The main ingredient is pork. You can obtain pork from the VIsca Forest Preserve. " Buhara said.

" Excuse me? " A voice asked out, a hand raised in the air. Heads turned toward the owner of the voice, Menchi looked at Luffy, who was staring back at her with a calm but serious expression.

" You, in the black hoodie, participant 150. Something wrong? " Menchi asked.

" No. I just have a question. What does cooking have in relation to being a hunter? " Luffy asked bluntly.

Many looked at Luffy with varying levels of reactions, yet all were glad that he spoke up and asked a question that they themselves thought about as well. Why the hell did they have to cook in the hunter exam? Since when was cooking a skill needed to pass the dangerous and highly possible death rate exam?

" Come again? " Menchi asked, surprise evident on her face at the question.

" What does cooking have in relation to being a hunter? " Luffy asked again, slower than before, emphasizing each word to get his question across. This wasn't the first time this situation had occurred.

" Pardon me, but why ask that question? " Menchi asked, a bit of sweat rolling down the side of her head.

" Pardon my language, but except for one element of this test, the rest is bullshit. " Luffy said bluntly, his shoulders relaxed, his face easing into a bored yet serious expression, his eyes focused solely on Menchi.

" Come again? " Menchi asked, gritting her teeth in anger, yet didn't lash out a surprise, yet a welcome one to Satoz, who was watching from afar and listening in to the conversation and knowing Menchi's short temper.

The other applicants stared in shock at Luffy's bluntness, some were belittling him for speaking up, some were afraid for him since he spoke up against their examiner, and others were intrigued, and their curiosity peaked.

" Except for one element, the test is bullshit. " Luffy repeated, gaze still fixed on Menchi.

" And what is that element? " Menchi stressed out, every fiber of her being trying not to unleash her bloodlust at Luffy.

" The fact we have to hunt for our ingredient. " Luffy informed, garnering the attention of everyone.

" This is the hunter exam. My question related to what capacity cooking and being a hunter had in relation to one other because from the way the test was constructed, it's telling us we need to know how to cook high-class meals or acceptable meals in order to pass. Which is bullshit.

I don't understand why I need to know how to cook, but hunting for my ingredient, forcing us to venture into a dangerous area to get said ingredient, and from what we have done so far, possibly battle a pig that could very well kill us and bring its body back, seems more in line of a hunter is supposed to be capable of.

The art of cooking is something that's completely different and is a skill one can choose to learn, either for a different career or as a hobby, nothing of which has to do with the core fundamentals of a hunter.

Once again, what does cooking have in relation to being a hunter? "

Silene rained over the area. Menchi stared at Luffy who was silently staring at her, waiting for an answer. The silence cracked when one spoke up

" He's right," Someone said and that was enough.

The silence broke; a torrent of comments bellowed out, all aimed toward Menchi, all the applicants in agreement with Luffy. Why did they have to know how to cook? Since when was being a good cook a necessary requirement to becoming a hunter? This test was complete garbage.

Menchi stared in silence, only focused on Luffy, his gaze still staring, patiently waiting even when surrounded by the loud commission around him. Menchi had a moment, a moment where everything clicked, and realized her mistake, something that surprised her greatly as many other conversations she had come rushing into her head.

'Except for one element, this test IS bullshit. ' Menchi thought, chuckling to herself at her stupidity. Opening her eyes, gazing at the applicants, a cold sensation rushed over them, freezing them in their place, all their attention on Menchi.

" Oi, applicant 150. What's your name? " Menchi asked curiously.

" Luffy. "

" Luffy. Well, it's nice to meet you. " Menchi said with a gracious smile. " You are right about this test. It is bullshit, which is why we will be having a different test. It won't take much time to prepare and no cooking will be involved on your part. Leave the cooking to me.

Until then, please wait patiently while I make a phone call and get this sorted out. It won't take that long. "

With that, Menchi walked off, taking a phone from her pocket with Buhara following her. Watching her leave, Luffy's gaze softened as he turned around to go look for a seat.

" Hey! " A voice called out. Luffy glanced at the voice, seeing a bald man walk up to him in a black outfit, with a tag with the number 294.

" You said your name is Luffy, right? " He asked standing in front of Luffy.

" Yep. " Luffy said.

" Okay. My name is Hanzo and... " Hanzo then abruptly bowed his head to Luffy, surprising him.

" Thank you! If you hadn't spoken up like that, I would have failed the exam. I have no experience in cooking, so thanks. " Hanzo said, before standing straight and walking away. He said want he wanted to say, there's no reason to speak any more than necessary.

Luffy just stared before walking away under the gaze of the other applicants. It would take a while before the test actually begins.

Soon enough, a blimp landed in front of the applicants as Menchi stood at the forefront. The doors opened and a man walked out, garnered in a white, blue striped robe while wearing sandals. The chairman of the Hunter Association, Issac Netero.

" Thanks again chairman for arranging this. " Menchi said, walking up to Netero.

"It's no trouble. What's surprising is that this event occurred, considering your stubbornness. " Netero mentions.

" Yeah. " Menchi said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

" Alright. Listen up. We will be heading towards Split Mountain to retrieve Spider Eagle eggs. The trip will take around 30 minutes, till then do whatever to help you prepare for the test. " Menchi said to the applicants, before walking into the blimp with the chairman.

The applicants followed, heading inside the blimp, and started to walk around, bracing themselves when the blimp lifted off the ground.

...

Jumping off a cliff, hanging from a tightrope made of spider eagle threads, grabbing an egg while free-falling, and getting blasted upward by a strong gust of wind, was an experience, Luffy thought. A good experience mind you, his heart had beaten so fiercely that he could hear it so clearly in a long time.

' What a fun test. ' Luffy thought, a smile gracing his face.

" Hey, Luffy! " Leorio called out, Kurapika in tow.

" Sup. " Luffy responded, turning his body to the side, waiting for them to catch up.

" You enjoyed that test more than others it seems. " Kurapika mentioned, looking at Luffy's change in behavior after the test.

" You're not wrong. Haven't felt that excited in a long time. " Luffy said.

" I'll bet, considering you are 33. " Leorio mentioned, grumbling that last part out. It's unfair, he gets compared to an old man while being 18 but Luffy looks like a teenager while in reality, he's actually a lot older than them.

" How are you guys feeling? " Luffy asked.

" I'm alright. Leorio on the other hand is quite tired. " Kurapika said with a smug smile as Leorio yawned.

" Yeah, well, you decided to come with me to find a place to sleep, didn't you? That means you're tired as well. " Leorio said.

" No, I'm just mentally drained from everything that happened. Physically, I can keep going. " Kurapika mentioned.

" Good for you. all that training to avenge your clan is paying off. " Leorio grumbled. Kurapika flinched as Luffy's eyes widened slightly at the notion.

" Uh, sorry, but avenge your clan? " Luffy repeated as Kurapika glared at Leorio who looked away sheepishly.

" Yeah. My name is Kurapika Kurta. I'm the sole survivor of the Kurta clan. You see... "

" No, that's good. " Luffy said solemnly, interrupting Kurapika, already getting a clear picture. " Your last name is enough for me. You don't have to say another word. "

" Oh. I see. " Kurapika said. He was glad he didn't have to explain his backstory to another person. The memories were quite hurtful, especially to his heart.

" So, will you come with us to sleep? Rooms will be filled up quickly and we might not get space. " Leorio said, steering the conversation to a different topic.

" I will, but I'm going to go have some tea first. " Luffy said.

" Tea, huh? " Leorio muttered. "You know, that's not a bad idea. "

" It would be nice. " Kurapika said.

" Well, let's head towards to cafeteria. We passed it a while back. " Luffy said.

" We did? " Leorio questioned.

" We did. " Luffy said, walking towards the cafeteria with Kurapika and Leorio.

The tea was divine and Luffy decided to take a keepsake.

A spinning top.

...

Standing atop the Trick Tower, the task being simply to get down to the end in 3 days, Luffy walked around, tapping his foot against the tiles. He wasn't going to climb down from the side anyway, it was basically suicide so that only left a trap door. The process of elimination is quite useful in combination with basic observation and knowledge.

Hands in his pocket, Luffy stood on a tile where he saw someone fall. Looking around, he saw the gang leaning over the edge, looking below. Feeling someone's gaze on them, Gon looked behind him to see Luffy, who stared back. Killua noticed Gon and looked towards Luffy who just stared while ignoring the screams of the fodder.

' Right about... now' Luffy thought. Smirking, Luffy fell through the trap door, flashing a peace out sign, and disappearing from view.

Surprised, Gon and Killua ran toward the tile, gaining the attention of Leorio and Kurapika who followed.

" What is it? " Kurapika asked, watching as Killua tapped the tile with his hand.

" Luffy fell through the floor. " Gon said, pointing at the title.

" He did? Then it's a trap door. That's how we can move along. " Leorio said.

" Yeah. But it's probably at different intervals of time... " Kurapika muttered.

" We'll just have to find one for ourselves and hope through it. " Gon said.

" Or we can wait and see if there is a tile that can fit all of us so we can attempt the phase together. " Leorio suggested.

" That's not a bad idea. " Kurapika agreed.

" Then we'll have to wait and watch. " Killua said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

...

"Welcome to the start of the 3rd phase. " A voice called out as Luffy looked around the room, noticing something connected to the wall on his right and a large mutilated picture on his left while wearing the watch given to him to show the amount of time he had left.

" As you have noticed, you have two options. ON your left is a puzzle and behind the door are more puzzles you have to solve to get to the end. A long, dangerous and tiring path, yet on the right, is a potential FastTrack to the end!! " The announcer yelled dramatically.

" The game is simple. You will be given marbles and will have to roll them across the table, completing all the tasks given to you. You have 3 days and you can choose either at any time within the time limit. " The announcer said.

Curiosity peeked, Luffy walked over to the table to inspect it. It was connected to the wall, an open slot where the marbles could go into, similar to an air hockey table where the puck could enter to score a goal. Grabbing a marble, Luffy placed the marble on the table and spun it. He watched the marble rotate on the table before grabbing it and then flinging it across the table, back to his fingers.

' The table's good. ' Luffy thought. Walking over to the side, Luffy took steps relative to the table.

' With my foot, it's approximately a bit above 5 feet in length and lesser than 2 feet wide '

" I'm going to attempt this. " Luffy announced, placing his hand on the table.

" Very well then. " The announcer spoke. " Your first task, score 15 goals in 1 minute. "

Before Luffy's eyes, a holographic timer appeared with 5 minutes being shown on the screen. Putting away his thoughts, he got into position, figures twitching as he waited for the signal.

" Ready, GO! "

1 minute turning into 59 seconds happening instantaneously, Luffy gripped a marble with his right hand, placing it between his thumb and forefinger, flicking his wrist, and the marble slid across the table into the goal. Without wasting time, Luffy took another marble, his left hand this time, and flicked his wrist.

Another goal.

Repeating the motion 13 more times, Luffy slammed each marble into the goal, 23 seconds remaining on the clock. Luffy looked at the timer, proud of his achievement.

" Still got it. Though, I don't think I'll ever forget. " Luffy muttered.

" Wow! That was good. Congratulations. You pass the first task. " said the announcer. " For the second task... " A stick figure appeared in front of the goal. " You'll need to score goals while a goalkeeper tries to stop you. "

"Do you wish to try now or in 30 minutes? " The announcer asked.

Luffy looked at the table, the goalkeeper standing on the other end.

" Quick question. If I fail to complete the task, is that the end of the game? " Luffy asked.

" Nope! If you fail the task, you can have another attempt. However, it will cost you something precious. " said the announcer.

" You mean the amount of time I have left? " Luffy asked, stating the obvious.

" Ding DIng DIng! That's the correct answer. " The announcer said. " Now then, what will it be? Do you want to continue with the next task now or after 30 minutes? "

" I'll do it now. " Luffy said with a smirk.

" Yes! You have to make 30 goals and you have 30 minutes to do so, starting now! "

'30 minutes huh? Okay, let's test him. ' Luffy thought.

Taking a marble, Luffy flicked it across the table, the marble speeding towards the goal. As it approached, the goalkeeper reacted, moving towards the marble, but unable to block, getting scored on.

Repeating the same throw, Luffy scored another goal with the goalkeeper unable to block the shot. Observing the scenario, Luffy noticed that by the time the keeper reacted, the marble was already about 3 quarters of the way there.

'It's slow. Will the speed increase? Also, what will happen if I use two marbles at once?' Luffy thought.

Deciding to test his doubt, Luffy flicked marbles at the goalkeeper in rapid succession. The goalkeeper couldn't keep up with the speed of Luffy's flicks, 10 goals had been scored easily. With another flick, the goalkeeper missed the ball, however, its reaction was much faster than before.

' Oh good, it's faster now. ' Luffy thought grinning. "Warm-ups over. "

Going on the offensive, Luffy flicked the ball at the goalkeeper and the goalkeeper reached the ball in time, stopping it, but a swish and clunk later, Luffy scored another goal. Using the first marble as a distraction with one hand while the other flicked a separate marble, ricocheting off the side.

The announcer watched with a wry smile, impressed and excited at the moves done by Luffy. It surprised him that Luffy was so good at the game, not even breaking a sweat as he brutally destroyed the match, scoring goal after goal, 20 goals in total.

Finally, two defenders appeared, causing Luffy to smile.

" 3 people huh? Well then, let's see how you'll do. " Luffy said.

Using the same process, Luffy tested the defenders, aiming marbles from the side to see how far the defenders can move and react to the marbles approaching while taking active shots when possible to score goals. It didn't take that long and what a show it was, from the announcer's perspective.

A hearty laugh bubbled to the surface, and the announcer's eyes watched intently at the skill shown on screen. Marbles slammed into marbles, ricocheting off each other, the defenders unable to keep up as the last 10 goals were scored in record time, 8 minutes 44 seconds left on the clock.

" That was pretty fun. " Luffy said, grinning. " Oi, what's next? "

" Taking the elevator down to the ground level to pass. " The announcer said, causing Luffy to do a double take.

" I passed? Come on, shouldn't there be more? " Luffy asked confusion in his voice, yet pleading for more.

" Nope! " The announcer said.

Sighing, Luffy walked over to the elevator. The doors opened, and a luxurious couch was inside, Luffy sat down as the doors closed and the elevator descended to the ground floor, while a certain table disappeared into thin air after its creator willed it to be gone and prepared for the next applicant.

____________________________________________________

Sup.

New chapter release. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

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