Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

High expectations met with harsh reality.

Law's cooking skills may not be as good as those of famous chefs, but his tongue is very powerful, so he is often treated as a guest of honor by famous chefs.

The smoked meat, which looked good, tasted like smoke and was lightly salty when chewed. Law could easily tell that apart from that, no other spices were added.

This method is a complete waste of such good quality pork. This is Law's evaluation after eating a piece of smoked meat.

If he hadn't seen Machi and Uvogin enjoying their meals so much, he would have really wanted to make some sarcastic remarks.

'I didn't expect that in a place as remote as Meteor City, there would be pork close to top-tier quality. This kind of premium pork isn't something you usually see on the market.'

What surprised Law was the quality of the pork.

But what Law didn't know, however, was that in the Hunter x Hunter World, the pork he deemed extraordinary was just average-quality meat commonly found in markets outside Meteor City.

This world was vastly different from Earth. Not to mention the various rare ingredients that are divided into different grades, even the quality of those daily ingredients is excellent, far beyond what can be compared to Earth.

Law was only aware of the various rare ingredients that existed in dangerous places, but he did not expect that in the Hunter x Hunter World, even the quality of domesticated pigs, ducks, chickens, fish, vegetables, fruits and flowers should not be underestimated.

Even so, these ingredients can only be classified as ordinary. The real delicacies can only be obtained by Hunters, which is the meaning of the existence of Gourmet Hunters.

However, everything has two sides. Since the value of the ingredients themselves is too prominent, far exceeding the importance of cooking skills, many Gourmet Hunters focus on obtaining the ingredients without paying too much attention to cooking skills.

The fundamental reason for this phenomenon is the excellent ingredients.

For example, the Great Stamp in the Visca Forest Preserve and the Spider Eagles's eggs in Split Mountain. The difficulty of obtaining these ingredients is D-level, and amateur hunters can also obtain them. After the simplest preparation, these ingredients can become a rare delicacy.

There is no need to add any spices when roasting the pork, and you just need to throw the Spider Eagles's eggs into water and boil them.

Even with such simple method, it creates a unique taste. So, over time, what Gourmet Hunters pursue becomes best ingredients.

But now, Law is here. If he perfectly combines his knowledge about the Earth's cuisines with the ingredients here, he will surely be able to create even more delicious food.

With a sad face, Law shoved the remaining slices of smoked meat into his mouth, and then took several mouthfuls of rice.

'This rice... it's decent.'

After putting the rice in his mouth, Law was slightly stunned by its quality, then he picked up a piece of lettuce leaf and stuffed it into his mouth, and was stunned again.

While the lettuce wasn't as fresh as it could be, it had a faint, pleasant sweetness and none of the bitterness he expected.

Lastly, Law peeled the roasted potato and tried a bite. It was an ordinary potato, as he'd assumed. However, the other ingredients were of unexpectedly high quality.

When he was hungry, Law had no idea what wasting food meant. Even though the food in front of him tasted bad, he would still eat it all up without leaving any. This was thanks to his tongue not being overly picky.

"These ingredients aren't from Meteor City, are they?" Law suddenly asked after finishing his meal.

He didn't think that the harsh environment of Meteor City was suitable for growing vegetables and raising pigs.

Machi was very puzzled why Law asked such a question, but still answered: "No, they're all brought in from outside."

"Does Meteor City have a market then?" Law continued to ask.

"Yes," Machi replied.

Law nodded slightly and thought to himself, 'Maybe I should open a small restaurant here. It'd be better than scavenging through the landfill. As for risk assessment, it was not necessary at all.'

"I'm full, we can go now."

Law looked at Chrollo, who was sitting by the window reading a book with a calm expression.

There are still three hours left before the deadline Chrollo mentioned, so there is no rush.

Plok.

Chrollo closed his book and handed it to Pakunoda, who was standing beside him. Then, he stood up, looked at Law and said, "Follow me."

Without waiting for a reply, he walked towards the door.

Seeing this, Law picked up the Hand of Ominous Signs and followed.

"Chrollo."

When Chrollo opened the door, Machi suddenly called out.

"Don't worry."

Chrollo said without looking back and stepped out of the room.

Behind him, Law flashed Machi an 'OK' hand gesture before following Chrollo out the door.

After the two left, Pakunoda retracted her gaze and said calmly: "If Chrollo says it'll be fine, then it definitely will be."

Machi glanced at Pakunoda and nodded silently.

"Pakunoda, ask the people from the church to send over another meal." At this time, Uvogin said while touching his stomach.

Pakunoda looked at Uvogin and asked, "Are you sure one portion is enough? I don't want to make another trip."

Uvogin grinned and said, "Make it five, then."

"Okay." Upon hearing this, Pakunoda left the room.

…

After leaving the church, Law and Chrollo walked side by side through the streets in silence.

Chrollo's silence was so abnormal that Law was a little surprised. After all, in about fifteen minutes, the conditions for stealing Law's Nen Ability would become invalid.

Although he was surprised, since Chrollo didn't speak, Law would not take the initiative to talk to Chrollo.

The two continued walking in silence for seven minutes before Chrollo finally broke the silence.

"When we meet the Elder, I'll use the Hand of Ominous Signs to spark his interest."

Law kept his gaze forward, quietly waiting for Chrollo's next words.

Chrollo also looked forward and said in a voice that only Law could hear: "At that point, you'll explain the Hand of Ominous Signs' origin and age."

"Alright." Law replied. He could guess Chrollo's motive for doing so, which was to show Law's value in front of the Elder.

"The elder has a lot of collections. If you're skilled at appraising treasures and cultural relics, this matter can basically be solved." Chrollo added.

When Law heard this, his eyes immediately lit up.

'If the Elder really has many collections, there may be treasures like the Hand of Ominous Signs. As long as I absorb the Nen attached to these treasures, I can strengthen myself.'

'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… Luckily, I didn't run away before. But how could I gain access to those collections?'

'Is appraisal the key?'

"Well, as it happens, I'm an expert in appraising artifacts. Whether it's authenticity, origin, or age, I can determine it all."

In order to get the opportunity to touch those collections, Law bluffed directly.

He had no real knowledge of antiquities, but he had the white smoke text, so he could easily get the information of the item just by touching it.

"I'll relay your exact words to the Elder as your introduction." Chrollo was surprised at Law's words. But his face was calm and he said calmly, "So, you're serious about this?"

Law smiled and said nothing. Instead, he just raised the Hand of Ominous Signs and shook it.

Chrollo glanced at the Hand of Ominous Signs and nodded slowly.

Whether Law's claims held water or not would soon be revealed.

And if Law was merely boasting, then Chrollo wouldn't hesitate to leave him to die at the Elder's hands.