Buhara: "I'm stuffed."
Menchi: "Yeah, I'm stuffed too. Therefore, only one person passes. We're finished here!"
The crowd began murmuring, feeling the decision was unfair.
Max (thought):Wait, what? I'm the only one who passed? So that means the exam is over? Even if I'm happy about passing, this doesn't feel right at all. There's no way the exam just ends like this. I bet there'll be some kind of change. If I hadn't been here, no one would have passed... so something's gotta happen, right?
The crowd then turned to stare at Max, clearly pissed.
Max: "Hey, don't look at me! I'm not the one judging here! Sure, I'm happy I passed, but even I feel this is kinda unfair."
They quickly shifted their glares toward Menchi, demanding an explanation.Suddenly, Todo snapped — smashing the kitchen counter with his bare hands.
Todo: "I won't accept this... I absolutely refuse!"
Menchi, unfazed, replied coldly.
Menchi: "In the end, you still failed."
Todo: "Stop screwing around! You asked for pork, so we risked our lives to—"
Menchi, cutting him off sharply: "I said to prepare the pork in a way that we both found delicious. None of you made anything remotely satisfying. You all did almost the same thing — there was no effort. Just when I thought someone actually tried, all they did was change the appearance."
Leorio and Kurapika looked embarrassed as Menchi continued.
Menchi: "No one even attempted to emphasize the flavor. I'm positive none of you took cooking seriously."
She then pointed directly at Max.
Menchi: "Except him. He was the only one who took it seriously — he butchered the pig properly, selected only the best cuts, presented it beautifully, and even added extra ingredients from what he brought. If you think he cheated, you're dead wrong. Even without those extras, I bet he could still pass. He cooked the pork perfectly."
Max (thought):You're praising me way too much... And now you're making the other participants even more pissed. I heard from Tonpa that a jester once killed an examiner who pissed him off... That Jester looks even stronger than the examiner. If he decides to attack, sorry Menchi, you're cooked.
Hanzo, arms crossed, muttered under his breath.
Hanzo: "Pork dishes are all the same, anyway..."
Menchi's expression twisted in anger. She grabbed Hanzo by the sleeve.
Menchi: "Say that one more time. I swear, I'll shove my arm up your ass, knock your teeth out, and crack that bald head of yours like an egg. Don't mess with me! I don't want any lip from a bunch of amateurs who can't even roast a pig properly! Hey! What did you just say? Why don't you repeat it to my face?!"
Buhara sighed heavily and thought to himself.
Buhara (thought):There's Menchi's bad habit again... After all, only a handful of chefs in the entire world can satisfy her. Looks like there really is one now. Lucky for him... no, luck isn't the right word. He earned it.
Menchi, still fuming, let go of Hanzo and returned to her spot.
Menchi: "In other words, you people don't have the guts to try anything new."
Todo, veins bulging with anger, shouted back.
Todo: "Shut up! I'm not trying to become a cook or a gourmet... I want to be a Hunter!"
The crowd murmured their agreement, backing Todo.
Max (thought):Oh boy... Looks like a fight's about to break out.
Todo raised his hand in the air.
Todo: "My goal is to become a Blacklist Hunter! I refuse to let a mere Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!"
Max (thought):I wouldn't call it 'mere'...
Menchi smirked coldly.
Menchi: "Too bad. You got stuck with a 'mere' Gourmet Hunter as an examiner. Better luck next year?"
Todo, face turning red with rage, dashed toward Menchi to attack.
Todo: "Don't mock me—!"
But before he could reach her, Buhara stepped in and casually slapped Todo away. Todo was sent flying, crashing hard into a wall. He wasn't dead, but he was seriously injured.
Menchi: "Buhara, don't interfere."
Buhara shrugged.
Buhara: "Well, if I hadn't intervened, you would've killed him, right?"
Menchi, twirling her knife casually: "Probably."
She turned back toward the crowd, stepping forward with a dangerous glint in her eye, spinning her weapon.
Menchi: "Let me make this clear. Gourmet Hunters venture into the dens of ferocious beasts searching for ingredients. Every Hunter knows some form of martial art. You lack focus and the willingness to experiment. That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters."
The crowd fell silent, staring at her warily.Meanwhile, Hisoka casually toyed with a card, visibly interested — maybe even ready to jump in.
Max (thought):She's cooked... there's gotta be some kind of intervention coming soon. Otherwise, this'll turn into a bloodbath. Wait—what's that? An airship? With the Hunter Association logo... knew it!
Everyone turned to look to the airshipThen, a voice crackled over the speaker — the voice of an old man.
???: "That said, it would be excessive to fail every single applicant."
Random Person: That's the symbol of the Hunters Association! Is it someone from the selection committee?
The old man jumped down from the airship, landing hard enough to crack the ground and kick up a cloud of dust. As the smoke cleared, the old man stood there unharmed, looking completely fine. Watching him, Max thought:
Max (thought):What kind of aura is that?! He's not just a master... he's a monster. No way I could beat him — not even last 10 seconds! Looks like I'll need to train a hell of a lot more after this exam. Judging by his power... and you know, anime logic, if an old guy's that strong, he's probably the boss. Huh, weird... why are the tips of his beard black? Eh, whatever. Focus, Max. Watch the situation first.
The old man casually walked toward Menchi, stopping a short distance away — close enough to talk, but still giving her space.
Random Participant:"Wh-Who's that geezer?!"
Menchi (serious):"That's the Chairman of the Selection Committee. He's in charge of the Hunter Exam... Chairman Netero."
The crowd started murmuring nervously but immediately fell silent when Netero began speaking.
Netero:"Well, I usually work behind the scenes. I only step in when there's a problem, like now. So, Menchi…"
Menchi:"Yes, sir!"
Netero:"You passed only one applicant and failed the rest because you disapproved of their reluctance to try new things?"
Max (thought):...Did he just glance at her boobs? Seriously, anime really paints old men as pervs, huh? At least he didn't blush or nosebleed like Master Roshi. Gotta give him some credit — he's still a chairman.
Menchi (nervous):"No, sir... I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters. I made the exam harder than it needed to be."
Netero:"In other words, you're aware the exam was unacceptable."
Menchi (bowing her head):"Yes, sir. When cooking's involved, I get... emotional. I'm unqualified to be an examiner. I'll resign immediately. Please, redo the Second Phase!"
Max (thought):Honestly, you'd fit better as a MasterChef judge. Pretty sure there's gotta be a Hunter world version of MasterChef, right?
Netero:"Hm. But it would be difficult to find a replacement on such short notice."
Menchi:"I apologize."
Netero:"Very well. How about this? You continue as examiner... but you must also participate in the new test you propose. That should help convince the applicants to accept the results."
Menchi looked shocked for a moment, but quickly smiled after thinking of a new idea.
Menchi (grinning):"That's true... Then the new challenge will be—boiled eggs!"
The crowd immediately started murmuring again, confused and suspicious of another absurd challenge.
Menchi (explaining):"Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-Half in your airship?"
Netero (grinning):"Mt. Split-in-Half? I see what you're planning. Of course."
The airship began its descent, and Menchi ordered all the participants to board. As everyone piled in, Max approached Menchi, who was standing near Chairman Netero.
Max:"Uh, ma'am? Can I participate too?"
Menchi (tilting her head):"Huh? You already passed, you know. You don't have to."
Max (grinning):"I'm just really curious about the ingredient. It's not gonna be a normal egg, right? Plus... I can't wait to cook again."
Hearing that, Menchi's face lit up. She grabbed Max by the shoulder proudly.
Menchi:"You must really want to be a Gourmet Hunter, huh? Fine. I accept! You'll become the best Gourmet Hunter someday. The exam's dangerous, but if it's you, I know you'll be fine!"
Max (thought):Uuhh... I'm just still hungry though... Whatever.
Meanwhile, Netero glanced at Max, quietly evaluating him.
Netero (thought):So this is the kid Menchi passed, huh? Not just good at cooking — strong, too. And he's already learned Nen.
With that, everyone boarded the airship, preparing for the real second phase of the Hunter Exam.