Before long, Gon and the others finally caught up.
Leorio had been "escorted" in by Hisoka.
It was obvious that something amusing had happened between the main group and Hisoka along the way, and the magician's gaze toward them was—if anything—strange, especially the way he looked at Gon.
To Hisoka, the talent radiating from the boy was like catching the scent of an irresistible fragrance.
Xiang Nan had noticed the same thing the very first moment he met Gon.
For Nen users of their level, Gon's potential was practically blinding.
The Milsy Wetlands had already claimed a number of examinees, so even fewer people reached the site of the second test. Yet the veteran Tonpa, steady as ever, was still among the earliest to arrive.
The examiner from the first phase had never really left. Hidden in the shadows, he continued to watch the candidates. Although he did not know every detail of what had happened in the wetlands, he had seen enough to gain a clearer picture of the examinees' abilities.
After waiting a while and confirming that no more candidates were coming, everyone noticed the door of the small wooden cabin in the grove swing open. Out stepped the second‑phase examiners—Menchi and Buhara.
The subject of the second test was cooking:
Hunt your own ingredients, prepare a gourmet dish, and satisfy the two examiners when they taste it.
Both Menchi and Buhara were Gourmet Hunters. Almost every Gourmet Hunter was also a famous chef, and the very best among them were world‑renowned.
Hunter × Hunter is an interesting world: "Hunters" choose different specialties, and at the pinnacle of almost every profession you can find Hunters at work.
Still, many candidates had never imagined that a Hunter Exam phase would involve haute cuisine, and more than a few found it absurd. Some were already dissatisfied with Menchi; had she not spoken up and convinced Chairman Netero, they would never have had to endure the brutal first phase at all. Grumbling began to ripple through the crowd.
Menchi's fiery temper flared. She declared that anyone who questioned her qualifications as an examiner could simply quit the exam on the spot.
The scene grew chaotic, but in the end tempers cooled—no one wanted to slink away in shame.
Soon everyone set out to hunt ingredients and, one after another, returned to the large cabin to cook at the stovetop stations.
To be honest, cooking was not Xiang Nan's strong suit. His gift was "insight," but in two lifetimes he had never learned the culinary arts.
With enough intuition he could make food taste a little better, yet it still fell far short of Menchi's standards.
Buhara, by contrast, was extremely generous—he all but licked the plates clean no matter what the examinees served him, living up to his formidable size. Menchi, however, was mercilessly picky: some dishes she merely glanced at before tossing them aside without a single bite. Her high‑handed attitude only deepened the candidates' resentment.
In the end—Xiang Nan, Manman, and every other examinee included—not a single candidate passed.
Menchi announced to everyone that zero examinees had cleared this round.
Then the scene from the original story unfolded: even when the Hunter Association phoned in to protest, Menchi stuck to her decision. Tension filled the air; seated on the sofa, hands hanging low, she had already drawn her knives… a murderous glint in her eyes.
Xiang Nan kept his distance from the farce. He observed Menchi: to become an outstanding Hunter one must have personal standards and convictions, and Menchi's were on full display.
Even apart from her combat skill, her mindset alone placed her above many peers in her field; barring accidents, her future achievements would be considerable.
"I didn't expect you to fail as well."
Hisoka sidled up, a sly grin in his voice.
"I'm a doctor, not a chef," Xiang Nan replied coolly. "We're all equally bad here—no one has room to laugh at anyone else."
No one is perfect; everyone has a weakness. Gourmet Hunting simply wasn't Xiang Nan's calling.
The quarrel kept escalating and was on the verge of spinning out of control. Having been informed of the situation, Chairman Netero—who had shown himself at the very start—hurried over to prevent Menchi from actually carving up the examinees. It was no idle threat; Menchi would do it.
But that was only part of Netero's concern. He had also realized that a few "wolves in sheep's clothing" were hiding among the candidates. Menchi might discipline ordinary examinees, but against those few she could end up dead. Nen battles are never a joke.
With Netero's arrival the situation stabilized. Following the original plot, Menchi reluctantly demonstrated the true caliber of a Gourmet Hunter: in a howling canyon she effortlessly retrieved a rare ingredient—spider eggs.
The test parameters changed. The remaining candidates imitated her as best they could, each using their abilities to gather the same ingredient and one after another passed the round. They then boarded an Association airship bound for the next exam site.
The process was interesting enough, but to Xiang Nan—as a "player" who already knew what was coming—there were no surprises. Still, participation was its own reward.
All the examiners, the candidates, and even Chairman Netero boarded the airship and departed. They would fly through the night and arrive at the destination at eight the next morning.
On board, Xiang Nan deliberately avoided mingling with the other candidates and found a cabin to rest alone. As for Manman, she had been spirited away by Gon—something that surprised Xiang Nan. Normally shy and averse to strangers, Manman was actually playing with Gon.
Though she was older than Gon and Killua, her core consciousness was that of a teenage girl; with only a small age gap, it was natural for her to bond with the protagonists. Gon's personality—and charm—could pry open even her tightly sealed heart.
Xiang Nan was pleased; humans are social creatures and need friends.
"But after waiting so long—deliberately giving him the chance—why hasn't he shown up?"
He frowned at the city lights passing beneath the airship. He had stayed away from the others precisely to give Netero an opening to approach him. Yet the old man never came.
Strange… Is he truly not curious about what happened in Zaban City? The Hunter Association should already have the information. Is the old fox just playing dumb? Testing my patience?
"Crafty geezer," Xiang Nan muttered.
He turned—and found Illumi standing beside him, silent as a ghost.
"What do you want?"
Illumi's mouth made clicking sounds like a toy gun, as though he were speaking.
"You really have no sense of occasion, do you? Can't you see I want to be alone?"
The clicking continued.
"I'm not interested in charades. I'm going to sleep."
Hands in his pockets, Xiang Nan started to walk away.
"You're rather cold," Illumi's voice came from behind. "We knew each other before you met Hisoka."
As he spoke, he pulled out the needles in his face one by one; his skin writhed, features and hairstyle shifting until his true appearance emerged.
"You must have told Hisoka something interesting about those mysterious people who appeared in Zaban City…"
"Mm." Xiang Nan kept walking.
Illumi stuck to him like glue.
"I knew you before Hisoka did. I thought our relationship was closer."
"Give me a break," Xiang Nan yawned. "Don't tell me you've forgotten you once tried to kill me. I wouldn't dare have any 'relationship' with you, and I have no job for you. If you want to know, ask Hisoka. And if you keep following me and Killua discovers your identity, he might quit the exam early. Then you won't get to see your adorable little brother's growth."
"It's fine. I've already put everyone in this part of the ship under my control. We have time to talk," Illumi said blandly, empty eyes unblinking.
Xiang Nan's eyelid twitches. A true professional assassin… Even with Netero aboard, Illumi dared to act in the open.
"Those people who suddenly showed up in Zaban City—do you know them?"
"You told Hisoka about the Omokage, didn't you?" Xiang Nan smiled.
"He guessed it. As a client, you know I'd never reveal anything."
Xiang Nan believed him—but that didn't mean there wasn't some trickery involved.
"Ah, I get it," Illumi stopped and clapped once, as though enlightenment had dawned. "You're angry at me, so you told Hisoka and not me."
What kind of logic is that…?
"Don't flatter yourself. When the time comes you'll find out. Instead of wasting effort on me, go pester Hisoka. With the two of you so close, getting him to talk shouldn't be hard."
Xiang Nan waved him off and—whoosh—vanished from Illumi's sight.
"He really is angry," Illumi concluded, pounding a fist into his palm. He turned to look for Hisoka, convinced the magician had sabotaged their rapport and would have to make amends.
~~~
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