Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Law's absence from the Battle Olympia disappointed the majority of the audience, but the event would proceed as usual even without him.

Law, who was studying hard in Linne's study, had no idea that Ellie had become a VIP spectator of the Battle Olympia, and that the wavy-haired flirtatious woman who once gave him a ride was also among the VIPs.

Ellie finally made it through the opening ceremony, and the moment it ended, she immediately pulled out her phone to call Law. But the call wouldn't go through.

She originally wanted to come secretly to give Law a surprise, but not only did she not see Law, she couldn't even get through to him on the phone, which made her worry about Law.

The Battle Olympia usually lasts for ten days, and by the time it concluded, Law's phone was still unreachable, deepening Ellie's concern.

On her private airship back to Spice City, Ellie asked Kenda to check for Law's whereabouts.

Kenda checked the spending records of the black bank card they had given Law, and the spending records showed that Law's last spending was forty-two days ago, in Swardani City, where the Hunter Association's Headquarters was located.

When Ellie heard this, she still couldn't relax. She then instructed Kenda to hire a Hunter to investigate Law's movements.

…

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, several months have passed, and the calendar turned, marking the start of a new year.

January 1st was the day when Hunter Exam's applicants began gathering, and the exam itself would officially begin on January 7th.

…

Santa Maria Square.

People bundled in winter coats hurried to and fro. At the center of the square, a massive fountain tirelessly spewed water in intricate patterns, while several children, undeterred by the cold, leaned over the fountain's edge to play.

Flocks of pure white winter pigeons loitered in designated areas, occasionally pecking at food tossed their way.

It was the heart of winter, and the temperature was bitterly low. Nearly everyone in the square was wrapped in thick clothes.

But at this time, a young boy with short black hair arrived at the square wearing nothing but a thin black long-sleeved shirt and black cropped casual pants. Such thin clothing made him very conspicuous in the square.

Anyone who noticed him stared in disbelief, wondering how he wasn't freezing.

This black-haired boy is Law. He is here to take part in the Hunter Exam.

For the past five months, he had been buried in Linne's study, devoting nearly all his free time to reading and using Ren.

Every day was monotonous, dull, yet somewhat fulfilling.

In those five months, his Nen was unsealed ahead of schedule, but he'd barely made it halfway through the books in the study.

At this rate, it would take another six or seven months before he could fully absorb everything.

Last year, he'd skipped the Hunter Exam to focus on training, but this year, after informing Linne, he decided to join in the fun.

After all, the number of pages in his book needed to be increased.

…

"Locker 265… should be in that direction."

Law held a slip of paper with instructions. He had obtained this clue after some effort. The note directed him to this square, instructing him to retrieve this year's Hunter Exam's location from locker number 265.

Santa Maria Square was a bustling place, and for convenience, coin-operated password lockers were placed throughout the square, allowing visitors to store their belongings and enjoy themselves freely.

Following the instructions, Law arrived at one of the locker clusters and found locker 265.

After entering the password on the simple keyboard panel, with a slight sound, the locker slid open, and a coin slid out, landing in the tray beneath the keypad.

Out of habit, Law pocketed the slip of paper and glanced inside the locker.

There was only a smaller, thinner piece of paper inside. He reached in, pulled it out, and read its contents. It's a simple address and a single line of text.

[Bring the coin and arrive at Santa Maria Restaurant by 4 PM today]

"Santa Maria Restaurant…"

Law knew this restaurant, because among Linne's collection, there was a book dedicated to the world's most famous restaurants. It is worth mentioning that Linne had been to all these famous restaurants.

Santa Maria Restaurant was the largest restaurant in the area, without a doubt.

Meanwhile, Santa Maria Square was the most famous historical landmark in the region. The fact that the restaurant shared the square's name spoke volumes about its prestige.

In fact, the Hunter Association holds part of the shares of this restaurant, and the restaurant owner is also a retired Gourmet Hunter. This was why the establishment had earned the honor of sharing the square's name.

Generally speaking, Gourmet Hunters focused on discovering rare ingredients, and they often have to go to some very dangerous territories. Few professional Gourmet Hunters had the patience to run a restaurant.

But if a Gourmet Hunter did open a restaurant, failure was nearly impossible. With the Hunter Association as a shareholder and a steady supply of premium ingredients, success was all but guaranteed.

Law picked up the coin and closed the locker. It was currently 2:10 PM, and he still had time before 4:00. But instead of wandering around, he decided to head straight to the restaurant.

Just as he turned to leave, two men with ill intentions blocked his path.

"10,000 Jenny. Hand over the paper and the coin." The scarred man among the two said in an evil voice.

"Examinees?" Law raised his eyes and looked at the two men.

Irritated by Law's lack of cooperation, the scarred man face suddenly fell and he planned to rob Law openly, though the price he'd offered was practically robbery already.

The two were brothers who had signed up for this year's Hunter Exam together. The scarred man, the taller, more muscular among the two had passed the preliminary test and obtained the clue, while his younger brother had failed, so they decided to steal a spot by force.

There are a lot of examinees who registered for the exam every year, so before the first test, the Hunter Association would conduct a large-scale screening. Since Law had obtained the coin, he had effectively secured his exam spot, and this spot could be traded.

There are some people who specialize in this and sell the exam slots for money.

These two brothers had the means to buy a slot if they wanted, but they preferred to take one by force. After all, they can save money that way.

However, they were about to kick an iron plate.

When the scarred man was about to attack, Law smiled at the two of them.

The two men saw Law smiling at one second, and then disappeared in the next second. Before they could react, they felt a sharp pain from the back of their neck and then they lost consciousness.

Law walked past the two men and delivered a precise chop to each man's nape, knocking them out cold. They wouldn't be waking up for at least four or five hours.

In other words, by the time they woke up, they'd already been eliminated from this year's exam.

Law was too lazy to pay attention to these unconscious brothers, and paid no attention to the onlookers' stares. He simply walked away, heading straight for Santa Maria Restaurant.

After he left, dozens of people suddenly rushed out from the crowd and ran towards the two brothers who had fallen to the ground.

They knew that the scarred man had a coin on him, which was the qualification to take part in this year's Hunter Exam.

Even before the first stage began, examinees were already doing exactly what the association expected, which is fighting over the limited slots.

The chaotic scramble ended quickly. Someone managed to snatch the coin in the confusion and directly ran away, while the rest stayed behind, waiting for the next opportunity.

By the time Law arrived at Santa Maria Restaurant, it was already 2:30 PM.

The restaurant was massive and eerily empty.

Law stood at the entrance and took a quick glance. Only a few dozen people were inside.

None of these people were customers. They were this year's examinees. There was a sign outside the restaurant saying 'temporarily closed', so no customers came to the restaurant.

When Law entered the restaurant, everyone inside immediately looked over.

Facing many gazes, Law saw an old acquaintance, and that old acquaintance also saw Law and immediately couldn't hide his terror.