"But..."
The aroma in the air was getting stronger, and Menchi was truly feeling restless.
"You didn't use the forest's..."
"The world's most ferocious Wild Boar, right?"
Morin gave her a smile, "But the examiner said that any roast pig from the forest would do. My roast pig is indeed a genuine great stamp pig."
Menchi: "You've said everything, what else can I say? So frustrating!!"
Menchi patted Buhara with some annoyance, "If you hadn't given your evaluation so quickly, maybe I could have had a bite or two!!"
"But Menchi," Buhara was still savoring the wonderful taste from earlier, "as gourmet hunters, we cannot lie about the 'taste' of food! When we taste food, we must immediately give it an accurate evaluation. That's our duty and obligation as gourmet hunters!!"
Buhara's words only fueled Menchi's anger instead of calming it down.
"I don't care, I just didn't get to taste the roast pig!!"
Menchi's hands seemed to transform into the soft, slippery tentacles of an octopus, waving and swaying in the air.
"If you don't let me taste the roast pig..."
Menchi pointed directly at Morin:
"I'll declare you failed the second round of the test!!"
"Isn't that blatant revenge?!"
Nearby, Killua, who was enjoying the spectacle and not particularly interested in the food, but still swallowing his saliva, clicked his tongue.
"Didn't that big brother examiner just say that gourmet hunters should give the most fair evaluation of taste? If Morin presents another dish in the second round that's as good as the roast pig and you deliberately lie about it, wouldn't that go against the basic principles of gourmet hunters?!"
Killua, not afraid of stirring up trouble, added fuel to the fire.
"Right."
At this point, he seemed to have thought of something:
"You still have your own test topic coming up. Can't you just present another roast pig then? Or, Morin will surely bring out something that satisfies you."
"When it's your turn in the second half, won't you be able to taste the delicacies?"
Killua shared his thoughts.
However?
"My test topic is my test topic. I definitely have to taste it then, but as for the roast pig now, I don't care, I must taste it!!"
Menchi said with righteous stubbornness.
"What a troublesome woman..." Killua's eyes turned into dead fish eyes.
"What do you know, kid? Aren't you a candidate too? Why aren't you hurrying to complete the test?!" Menchi waved dismissively at Killua with a look of disdain.
But?
Her expression changed, glancing at Morin, then at Killua, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "If you don't make him give me the roast pig, I'll have Buhara fail you!!"
Menchi pointed directly at Killua.
Killua, caught in the crossfire for no reason: "…???"
"What does this have to do with me?!"
He first pointed at himself in confusion, then his eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're blatantly abusing your power, dragging innocent people into this, using me as leverage... I'm going to report this to the Hunter Association."
"Hah, reporting won't help."
Menchi seemed to have found a breakthrough point, leisurely sitting back on the sofa.
Calmly, she said, "The results of each round of testing are determined by the examiner here. I have plenty of ways to ensure you fail while leaving the Hunter Association with no grounds to complain."
At this moment, Menchi seemed to transform into a villainous overlord, wielding her power to oppress and bully the weak, helpless Killua.
Killua: Is there no justice here?! Is there no law?!!
"Hey! Big brother examiner, didn't you say gourmet hunters must give an accurate evaluation of the dishes?!"
Killua, scratching his head in frustration, shifted his target to Buhara.
"Hah, do you think those little hands of yours can make any delicious dishes?"
Menchi glanced at Killua's hands with slight disdain.
That was her perspective as a gourmet hunter.
"In my opinion, those hands of yours are better suited for killing, not cooking... hehe."
Menchi chuckled with a meaningful tone, "Besides, Buhara has already tasted the roast pig presented by candidate number 406."
"After experiencing the taste of this roast pig, how could anyone possibly eat the roast pigs from the other candidates?!"
"And even if Buhara isn't picky about the taste of food, how can you be sure that your cooking will be to his liking?!"
"Let's take a step back. Even if Buhara accepts your roast pig, I can easily arrange for you to be at the end of the line among the candidates. By the time Buhara is full from eating everyone else's roast pig, he won't have room for yours, and you'll be naturally eliminated."
"And taking one last step back, even if you pass Buhara's test, when it comes to me, my standards for cooking are very strict. With those hands of yours that haven't done much cooking... hehe."
Menchi let out another mocking laugh, turning Killua's face as red as a pig's liver.
At this moment, Menchi was no longer just a chef and gourmet with bad habits, but a Hunter Exam examiner and a One-Star Gourmet Hunter, using her intelligence and the rules of the exam to her advantage.
No one who becomes a hunter is simple, and becoming a One-Star Hunter is even more remarkable. As long as Menchi doesn't relapse into her bad habits, such tactics come to her effortlessly.
Never underestimate a girl with unfulfilled desires; her resentment can be powerful and terrifying. Especially when this girl possesses great strength and authority, many people are bound to suffer.
Killua, the first to bear the brunt of this power struggle, felt utterly frustrated. It was the first time he felt so upset and somewhat wronged.
The feeling of being oppressed by someone wielding power... it's just too disgusting, isn't it?! Killua looked at the leisurely Menchi, wishing he could give her a couple of scratches.
But after comparing the strength of both sides and seeing the cold gleam of the exposed knife at Machi's waist, Killua decided to put away his immature thoughts. He silently chose to retreat.
"Is my path to becoming a hunter really going to end here?!"
Killua scratched his head in distress. Forget about trying to force Menchi to comply through violence; it was impossible. Even if he could, Killua wouldn't do it.
After all, the consequences of Hisoka doing something similar last year were still fresh in his mind. He didn't want his Hunter Exam journey to end so abruptly.
"Am I really going to be stuck here because of such an absurd reason?!"
Killua looked dejected, ultimately turning his seemingly helpless gaze to Morin.
"Your eyes are nice~" Morin commented with a smile, "They have a light in them that makes one want to pull you into a hug and tease you."
"If you were a girl, it would make people even more sympathetic."
"I think you should try acting cute with that examiner."
Morin offered Killua a suggestion, even encouraging him with a bit of eagerness.
"Forget it," Killua replied, deflated, seeing that Morin wasn't taking the bait. "I'd rather delve into cooking than be toyed with by that devil."
"Let's talk terms. What would it take for you to give me—or rather, that devil a roast pig?"
Killua's small eyes were filled with resentment. From the way he referred to Menchi as a devil, it was clear. Killua would rather ask Morin for help than speak to that devil again.
"Just wait until I become a hunter and grow stronger; I'll make sure you pay!" The little devil inside Killua grumbled fiercely.
"devil..."
Killua's voice wasn't loud, and he made no effort to hide it, so Menchi naturally heard it. The nickname made her hair stand on end. But seeing Killua finally turning to Morin for a roast pig, having achieved her goal, Menchi reluctantly nodded in satisfaction, letting him off the hook for now.
"When you become a hunter, I'll come find you openly!"
Menchi shared the same thought as Killua. In her view, with Killua's physical condition, passing the Hunter Exam should be no problem.
But the prerequisite is that he must pass her test. What she told Killua earlier, though somewhat disdainful, was the truth. And she was serious about doing it!
Her pursuit of gourmet excellence has always been about using every means at her disposal!
"Talking terms, huh?"
Looking at the dejected prodigy from the Zoldyck family, Morin smiled with a hint of mischief, "My terms aren't cheap, you know?"
Read a lot of chapters in advance at:
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