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“The rice is too hard! Fail.”

“Not acceptable, the way you sliced the fish doesn’t follow the grain, fail!”

“The shape of the rice ball is not up to standard.”

“Too slow, the warmth from your palm didn’t transfer to the fish, fail!”

Menchi’s continuous criticisms resounded as one examinee after another had their sushi judged as failures.

“Menchi, you’re being too strict!” Buhazi interjected, trying to persuade her.

“Shut up!” Menchi, already in a bad mood, roared and resumed berating the examinees’ dishes.

“I knew it would turn out like this!” Buhazi sighed helplessly.

“When Menchi gets like this, there’s no stopping her. Hopefully, the Chairman will send someone soon!”

“Examiner Menchi, here’s my dish.” Lorin placed a tray in front of Menchi, putting another portion in front of Buhazi.

“It’s you!” Menchi glanced at Lorin. She had a deep impression of him from the first half of the cooking test.

Naturally, she had a good guess about Lorin’s intentions. However, she didn’t mind or, rather, preferred smart people who could discern her real purpose for the test, especially over clueless fools.

“Just so you know, your dish from the last round was good, but that doesn’t mean I’ll pass you because of it!” Menchi snorted.

“Of course.” Lorin nodded. He wasn’t surprised she saw through his little scheme, as he hadn’t concealed much in the first place.

There was no need to, anyway.

After all, the point of the test was for the participants to figure it out!

He was merely being polite and didn’t show any disdain towards Gourmet Hunters.

What was wrong with that?

As for his true intentions, they went far beyond what a mere display of wit could reveal.

“Hmm…” Menchi lifted the lid on Lorin’s tray and let out a soft exclamation upon seeing the dish.

“You didn’t make the sushi according to that bald fool’s recipe?”

“This round isn’t about following the nigiri sushi recipe, is it?” Lorin shrugged.

“Besides, I don’t think someone unskilled in cooking could make sushi that satisfies a Gourmet Hunter’s palate.”

“Finally, someone gets it!” Menchi snorted softly, picked up a piece of sushi from the tray, and ate it.

“Hmm… The knife skills are lacking, the shaping technique isn’t good enough, the rice-vinegar ratio is off, and the fish preparation is slightly undercooked,” Menchi critiqued mercilessly.

Immediately, some examinees who were anxiously listening to the conversation between Lorin and Menchi burst into laughter.

“Hehe, no matter how much he tries to curry favour, it’s still a fail!”

“The Hunter Test isn’t something you can pass with a few cheap tricks!”

The group of examinees whispered amongst themselves, mocking without restraint.

“But…”

“I like your bold and innovative approach to cooking, and it’s not unpalatable. You pass!” Menchi declared loudly, hinting at her true meaning.

With that, the examinees who had been mocking Lorin froze, their expressions turning sour.

“Bold and innovative… not unpalatable…” Kurapika’s eyes widened as Menchi’s hint suddenly clicked.

“I understand now, the real purpose of this test!”

“The real purpose?” Gon asked, puzzled.

“Exactly. This exam isn’t about the cooking itself; it’s about bold innovation or, more accurately, testing our courage and ability to explore the unknown,” Kurapika explained excitedly in a low voice to Gon and the others.

“The reason why the examiner chose an obscure dish like sushi and provided various ingredients as hints was to test our observational skills and bravery in venturing into unfamiliar territory.”

“As for the taste of the dish, it’s merely the result of exploring the unknown, a reflection of one’s capability. Naturally, it shouldn’t be too terrible.”

“How did I not realise this until now?” Kurapika felt a pang of regret.

Because he had some knowledge of sushi from literature, he instinctively began recalling details about it and tried to recreate it from memory.

Then, Hanzō had outright revealed the recipe, preventing him from discerning the true content of the test.

Kurapika wasn’t alone; there were many intelligent examinees. Following Menchi’s repeated hints, they, like Kurapika, finally grasped the real objective of the test.

Many excitedly began preparing their dishes anew.

Onstage, seeing this, Menchi finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both amused and exasperated.

The test she’d designed wasn’t hard at all; a little thought was all it took to discern her purpose.

Yet this group had first mocked Gourmet Hunters, and then one or two troublemakers disrupted the proceedings, turning her carefully prepared test into a chaotic mess.

But now, things were finally back on track.

However…

Among the examinees who had figured it all out, there were still those who didn’t understand.

“I refuse to accept this!” One of the examinees who had previously mocked Lorin, number 255, was red-eyed and punched a hole in the cooking station.

“Why did he pass? You listed so many flaws in his dish!” Tuo Dou shouted angrily.

“Because I’m the examiner! If I say he passes, he passes. If I say you fail, you fail,” Menchi snorted. Had she not been the examiner, she wouldn’t have even bothered with such a fool.

“Damn it, I’m not here to become a chef; I want to be a Bounty Hunter! I don’t recognise you as an examiner. What gives you the right, as a Gourmet Hunter, to judge me?” Tuo Dou roared furiously.

“That’s too bad. This year, I’m the examiner. You’ll have to find one you approve of for next year’s Hunter Test!” Menchi replied impatiently.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Tuo Dou rushed at Menchi in a fit of rage, clearly intending to resort to violence.

But just as he reached Menchi, Buhazi moved. Despite his large frame, he was incredibly fast and slapped Tuo Dou away before he could react.

The overwhelming force sent Tuo Dou flying across the park, landing unconscious at the park’s entrance.

“Mind your own business!” Menchi glared at Buhazi and put her knife away.

“Well, Menchi, if you killed someone, it would be a big problem!” Buhazi chuckled.

“Hmph, thanks to idiots like him, I’ve completely lost my appetite.” Menchi snorted, raising her voice.

“I’m full. The exam is over. The second stage of the Hunter Test, cleared by one person!”