[28] : Cooking Challenge, A Hunter's Resolve, Path to Nen!

(A/N: As a thanks for Ranking In Top 10 Power Stones, Here is an Extra Chapter!!) 

~Thank you, Enjoy!!

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"Whew!"

Watching Hisoka's retreating figure, Mika exhaled deeply.

Just moments ago, the malice and killing intent emanating from Hisoka was truly terrifying, making even Mika feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Is this Nen?"

Recalling that fear-inducing aura from before, Mika knew it was the power of Nen.

Those who haven't awakened Nen are almost defenseless against Nen users, as the aura of Nen has a special suppressive effect on other living beings.

"It's fortunate Hisoka didn't fight to the end. If he had used Nen in battle, even if I had managed to win by luck, I probably would have missed this exam. Then I'd have to seek other methods to acquire Nen ability!"

Shaking his head in relief, Mika suddenly recalled the fight before Hisoka used Nen.

Looking at his own arms and remembering his state back then, Mika gradually came to a conclusion.

"Could that have been Nen?"

Mika vaguely remembered that in the Chimera Ant arc, the human girl Komugi, who was loved by the Ant King, gradually awakened her Nen while playing Gungi with the King.

In this world, it seemed that those who reached the pinnacle in certain skills could spontaneously awaken Nen abilities.

"I remember that Nen training itself is about cultivating the spirit and will."

"Those who continuously research and practice a certain skill are instinctively engaging in this kind of training. When their level surpasses a certain boundary, they might awaken Nen abilities!"

"What about me? My level in the Transparent World is itself a pinnacle of martial arts, but because I didn't train in this world, there's some discrepancy."

"But when I fight with all my might against others, this discrepancy gradually aligns, and eventually, I'll awaken Nen, right?"

"So the feeling I had when fighting Hisoka earlier was the precursor to awakening Nen abilities!?"

Having understood himself, Mika's face once again wore a smile.

The state of being about to awaken Nen abilities lifted his spirits.

Turning his head to look at Airmid and the others, Mika finally noticed their condition.

"Are you all okay?"

At this moment, apart from the unconscious Leorio, whether it was Gon, Airmid, Mellie, or Kurapika who had arrived during Mika's battle, all four had uncomfortable expressions on their faces.

"It's nothing!"

Mellie waved her hand, indicating she was fine.

Airmid and Gon also nodded.

Only Kurapika, who had arrived later, was now deep in thought.

He was muttering to himself, "So this is a Nen user!?"

Clearly, Hisoka's display of power had plunged him into thoughts of vengeance against the Phantom Troupe.

Patting his shoulder, Mika advised, "Don't think about it, Kurapika! Once you pass the Hunter Exam, you can also gain this ability."

"So, for now, let's focus on the Hunter Exam!"

"That's right, we must pass the Hunter Exam!"

Hearing Mika's words, Kurapika immediately snapped back to reality.

"We're probably far behind the main group now. How can we find the direction to catch up?"

"I can smell their scent!"

Gon said eagerly.

"Then let's move quickly. I'll carry Leorio on my back. Are you all okay with your stamina?"

"Don't worry! We won't fall behind."

Smiling at Kurapika and Gon, Mika led Airmid and Mellie in running ahead.

Gon and Kurapika, carrying Leorio, followed closely behind.

After a long run, Mika, Airmid, and Mellie, who had fallen behind again, finally reached the venue for the second phase of the exam just before time ran out.

As soon as they arrived, Mika felt a sharp gaze.

Looking back, Mika's eyes met Hisoka's.

"Have I been targeted?"

Shaking his head, Mika no longer paid attention to Hisoka's gaze. After finding Gon and the others, the three of them went over to take a good rest.

After all, judging by the speed of the three, the next test was likely to start soon!

However, since the most difficult part for Mika and his companions was over, the upcoming tests were even less likely to eliminate them.

Mika thought confidently.

"To all examinees, you've worked hard on the journey. This Viscan Forest Park is the venue for the second phase of the exam."

"I'll take my leave now. I wish you all good luck in passing."

Before Mika and the others could catch their breath, the voice of the examiner Satotz was heard.

As he finished speaking and left, the gates of the forest park slowly opened.

What then came into everyone's view was a beautiful girl with five spiky ponytails and an extremely fat man.

"Examinees who have successfully passed the first phase, please come in!"

The woman sitting in the middle said loudly, "Welcome everyone, I am Menchi, the examiner for the second phase of the Hunter Exam."

"I am examiner Buhara," the extremely fat examiner introduced himself.

"Menchi and Buhara? I remember this phase is supposed to test cooking, right?"

Recalling the plot he had seen before, Mika's lips curled into a slight smile.

Almost everyone participating in the Hunter Exam had trained their bodies thoroughly.

Although the world doesn't lack people talented in both martial arts and academics,

Asking these people to cook was almost impossible!

Sure enough, as soon as Menchi announced that the next test would be cooking, the crowd erupted into an uproar.

This commotion gradually turned into laughter as Menchi referred to herself as a Gourmet Hunter.

However, even if they looked down on Gourmet Hunters, they still had to follow the examiner's orders.

After Buhara announced that the next test required them to make a pork dish using pigs from the forest, everyone quickly ran outside.

"These pigs are really big!"

In the forest, looking at the wild pigs that were about as tall as a person, Mika couldn't help but marvel.

"I wonder if the meat from these pigs tastes good!"

"It should taste better than ordinary pork, after all, those two examiners are so-called Gourmet Hunters! The ingredients they require should be better than ordinary pork."

"I see, then what dish do you think we should make?"

"Pork chops?"

"Is that too ordinary to pass?"

Listening to Airmid and Mellie's discussion beside him, Mika suddenly froze.

Although almost no one here could cook, Airmid and Mellie could!

In fact, because they were responsible for the Coeurl clan's meals and had been taught by Yahweh, the two were master-level chefs in this area!

So the question arose.

If they passed, would there need to be a retest?

If there wasn't a retest, wouldn't Hisoka and Illumi be eliminated?

Wouldn't they go on a killing spree at the venue then?

If they killed the examiners, would Netero, who was nearby, take them out?

Imagining the scene of Hisoka being eliminated or killed, Mika's lips couldn't help but curl up.

But he quickly returned to normal.

"A retest is still more likely. Besides the small number of people, it's more because Menchi was intimidated by Hisoka's killing intent, and because of everyone's mockery towards Gourmet Hunters, she deliberately raised the passing threshold."

"But it doesn't hurt to try!"

Turning around to face Airmid and Mellie, Mika said with a smile, "It's all up to you two now!"

"Leave it to us!" Airmid and Mellie said confidently.

---

After finding the pigs Buhara mentioned, everyone present felt stumped.

There was no other way; these pigs were truly difficult to control.

But soon, Gon accidentally discovered these pigs' weakness: their foreheads.

Because of this, almost everyone completed the challenge of hunting wild pigs, quickly returning to the venue holding their catches high.

"Looking around, it seems everyone's just roasting whole pigs? Don't tell me you're not even going to process the internal organs?"

Watching the examinees who started roasting pigs right away, Mika couldn't help but rub his forehead.

With their attitude, it's no wonder Menchi would get angry.

Anyone faced with this scene couldn't remain calm!

Shaking his head, Mika began to process the pork in front of him.

Although Mika himself knew how to cook, his skill level probably wouldn't pass Menchi's standards.

Even so, Mika would seriously complete the task at hand.

Doing one's best to perfect the task at hand was Mika's belief.

...

"Fail!"

"Fail!"

"Fail!"

...

Hearing the constant judgments around him, Mika remained unmoved.

At this moment, he was concentrating on completing his own dish.

"Done!"

Because of Airmid, the super chef at home, Mika's cooking skills were actually limited to just a few dishes.

What he was making now was the pork chop that Airmid and Mellie had earlier said was too ordinary.

In cooking pork chops, the most important aspect is controlling the heat.

As someone who could manipulate fire magic, Mika's control over heat was extremely advanced.

This was the only culinary skill where he could match or even surpass Airmid and Mellie.

"Please taste!"

Mika had specially prepared two plates.

Menchi's portion was moderate, while Buhara's was piled high.

After all, the two had different judging criteria.

Buhara was concerned with quantity, while Menchi focused on quality.

"Finally, a refreshing dish!"

Looking at Mika's pork chops, as an experienced Gourmet Hunter, Menchi could tell the quality of the dish at a glance.

Because of this, for the first time since the exam began, Menchi picked up her utensils, cut a small piece of the pork chop, and put it in her mouth.

"Mmm, delicious. What perfect control of heat!"

Tasting Mika's dish, Menchi's eyes suddenly lit up.

Although Mika's other cooking techniques weren't up to par, his control over heat perfectly captured Menchi's taste buds.

"You pass!" Menchi announced with a smile.

Hearing Menchi's voice, the crowd suddenly erupted into chatter.

After all, Mika was the first person to pass the second phase of the test.

"Such perfect control over heat. Young man, if you pass the Hunter Exam, would you like to join us Gourmet Hunters?"

Hearing Menchi's recruitment, Mika waved his hand in refusal.

"My ambitions don't lie in the culinary world!"

"I can tell. If you had interest in this field, your skills in other aspects wouldn't be so poor."

Seeing that Menchi had given up on recruiting him, Mika returned to his cooking station with a grin.

As soon as he returned, he received pleading looks from Gon and the other three.

To this, Mika could only spread his hands and say, "I can't help either. I passed because of my talent in controlling heat. I don't have any technical knowledge to guide you."

The four could only shake their heads helplessly.

After all, they had heard Menchi's comments on Mika's dish earlier. Mika's dish indeed had no merits other than heat control.

And heat control isn't something that can be improved in a short time.

But their disappointment didn't last long.

Soon, Airmid and Mellie passed the test one after another. Compared to Mika, they were the true culinary experts.

After all, in Orario, there were all kinds of deities. Although they had sealed their divine powers, they were still unparalleled in their areas of expertise.

Therefore, thanks to them, Orario's level in various skills far surpassed that of other worlds.

And culinary skills were no exception.

Watching the scene of Gon and the others surrounding Airmid and Mellie with questions after they returned from passing the test, Mika sat leisurely under a tree shade, leaning against the trunk, enjoying the scene at the venue.

Waiting for the upcoming show.

Sure enough, after Mika and his two companions, no one else passed.

This made the other examinees particularly dissatisfied.

They remembered Mika and his companions vividly.

In the previous test, the three of them had always arrived last.

Yet these 'low-level' performers had passed a test that they couldn't. How could this be convincing?

Thus, the atmosphere at the venue became tense.

Just as the scene was about to erupt into chaos, Chairman Netero suddenly descended from the sky, landing in the middle of the venue.

"Menchi, was there really no personal bias in this exam?"

Faced with Netero's inquiry, Menchi admitted on the spot that she had raised the passing threshold on her own due to the examinees' disrespect towards Gourmet Hunters.

So, the second phase of the test welcomed a retest.

However, this had nothing to do with Mika and his two companions.

Given that they had passed even with Menchi's raised standards, the three excellent performers didn't need to retake the test.

So, Mika and his companions could relax and watch others take the next test.

However, when they learned that the retest involved obtaining rare and delicious eggs, Airmid and Mellie ran off to participate, bringing back four eggs.

As for the extra two, one was naturally for Mika, and the other was for Goddess Yahweh.

"This is really delicious!"

Tasting the egg dishes made by Airmid and Mellie, Mika's face showed satisfaction.

As expected of a world with the profession of Gourmet Hunters, the rare ingredients here were truly delicious!

After the retest, the remaining examinees boarded Chairman Netero's airship, heading towards the location of the third phase of the test.

"Tomorrow is the third phase of the test. I wonder what kind of challenge it will be this time."

Mellie's face showed an expectant expression.

Evidently, she had grown to like the feeling of constantly facing challenges.

Airmid, standing beside her, nodded in agreement.

"No matter what tomorrow's challenge is, you two should go and rest well now!"

"What about you?"

Mellie immediately caught the meaning in Mika's words.

Clearly, Mika had no intention of resting.

"Me? I plan to go have a chat with someone."

"A chat? Is it dangerous?"

Recalling Mika's earlier battle with Hisoka, Airmid's face showed a worried expression.

Both she and Mellie could see that Hisoka had definitely held back at that time.

The opponent hadn't used the ability called Nen.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to find those troublesome guys! You two just rest well!"

With that, Mika waved to the two and walked towards the other end of the corridor.

...

"Where is he?"

Moving along the corridor, Mika kept searching for traces of a certain person.

But this airship was truly large, and he hadn't seen the person's figure yet.

"Bang!"

After turning a corner, a collision sound suddenly reached Mika's ears.

"Found it!"

Walking towards the source of the collision sound, Mika soon arrived at the place where the sound came from.

This should be the place where Hunter Association Chairman Netero was playing with Gon and Killua.

And Netero was precisely the person Mika wanted to find.

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