"The theme of the second exam is cooking."
"As long as you make a dish that satisfies us, you'll pass."
"First, you have to cook the dish I specify!" said the chubby Burhara, who was already starving to the point of dizziness.
Menchi added, "Only after passing his test can you move on to mine."
"As long as we say 'delicious,' you pass. The test ends when we're full."
The two examiners explained the rules of the test.
"I'll go first," Burhara said impatiently, drooling. "I only have one request: a whole roasted pig."
"This is my favorite dish. Any pig will do—any kind at all."
"You're free to choose."
"The second exam begins now!"
With Burhara's announcement, the candidates scattered like fish, rushing into the forest.
Although he had said any kind of pig was acceptable, in reality, only one type of pig existed in this plain—the most ferocious and violent species in the world: the Rampaging Boar.
The first phase of the second exam: a test of strength.
"Burhara, you're really evil. At least seventy percent of them will be eliminated," Menchi said, slapping Burhara on the back with the air of a tough woman.
"Examiner, your whole roasted pig is ready."
A voice rang out behind them, accompanied by the rich aroma of roasted meat.
Yamcha walked over, carrying a massive platter.
"So fast?"
Only a few dozen minutes had passed since the exam was announced—not even enough time to properly roast a pig.
"This isn't a Rampaging Boar. Where did you get it?" Menchi frowned at the pig on the plate, clearly determined to get to the bottom of this.
Naturally, the pig Yamcha presented wasn't a Rampaging Boar—it was just an ordinary domesticated pig.
"Examiner, you said any pig would do," Yamcha replied without addressing Menchi's question.
"As long as it's a whole roasted pig, it's fine," Burhara said without fuss. Technically, only Rampaging Boars lived in this area, but that wasn't an absolute rule.
Taking the plate from Yamcha, Burhara swallowed the entire roast pig in one bite, chewed for a moment, and spat out a pile of bones.
"Delicious. Not bad. You pass."
To be fair, it was indeed well-cooked—after all, Yamcha had trained under Torasadi, a master chef, though he rarely bothered to cook.
Menchi shouted angrily, "Burhara!"
"Menchi, this isn't a taste test. No need to be so strict," Burhara said, patting his stomach. Yamcha's roast pig was just an appetizer for him.
"Hmph! I won't be so easy to fool!"
Menchi turned toward Yamcha with a grudge-filled glare.
"I will thoroughly taste your cooking this time—to repay you for your 'hospitality' from before."
Yes, Menchi was the one-star Gourmet Hunter Yamcha had hired to cook for him a while back.
"Menchi, is he your friend?" Burhara asked curiously.
"Tch! Just some guy I know!"
Menchi turned her head away with a pout, refusing to show Yamcha any kindness.
How dare he criticize her cooking! Today, he would pay!
"Oh, right, I have another request. Will you accept it?"
"Ab-so-lute-ly NOT! I will never cook for you again! Not even leftovers!"
"Don't you still owe three billion?"
"Ugh..."
Gourmet Hunters were obsessed with food—Menchi even more so than most. Despite being a world-renowned chef, she occasionally spent money recklessly.
Before long, the candidates started returning, each carrying a boar with an enormous snout.
The first phase of the second exam started with 148 participants. Only 60 passed.
This meant Burhara had eaten 60 whole roasted pigs.
A stomach capacity rivaling a Saiyan's.
Terrifying. Truly terrifying.
Menchi, however, was deeply dissatisfied. She felt Burhara hadn't been true to his own taste buds.
"My challenge is sushi."
"I won't be as lenient as Burhara. You must make sushi that truly satisfies me."
Menchi crossed her arms and scanned the candidates before locking eyes with Yamcha.
"Especially you. Don't even think about using cheap tricks to pass this time."
Yamcha yawned, unimpressed. He had no intention of making sushi.
Sushi required precise knife skills and showcased the natural flavor of ingredients. Most sushi was made with ocean fish.
But the exam site was far from the sea. Running all that way just to catch fish and make sushi that might not even pass? A waste of effort. Better to take a nap instead.
Menchi had mentioned she wanted to taste "something different." That meant ordinary sushi wouldn't satisfy her.
And based on what Yamcha had learned about her, even if he made sushi, unless his cooking skills matched hers, he wouldn't pass.
And Menchi was a world-class chef—far beyond a mere one-month cooking trainee like him.
Her obsession with food was practically insane.
According to the usual scenario, this part of the exam would be annulled anyway, so there was no point in showing off his cooking skills.
Still, just in case, Yamcha had prepared a backup plan. If things went south…
Plan B would be set in motion.
'Zzz…'
With that in mind, Yamcha found a spot and secretly went to sleep.
"Not qualified! Not qualified! Not qualified! None of you are qualified!"
Who knew how long he slept? A loud commotion woke him.
Menchi was slamming the table, pointing at the candidates and shouting,
"You people have no respect for cooking! Your food is worse than garbage!"
'Wait… have you actually eaten garbage?'
'Truly worthy of a Gourmet Hunter. I respect your dedication.'
Yawning, Yamcha entered the scene just in time to witness Menchi's furious outburst.
The reason? None of the candidates had made a dish that satisfied her.
When Menchi spotted Yamcha, her anger skyrocketed.
She had planned to make things difficult for him—but he had been sleeping instead of presenting a dish.
Her blood pressure surged.
"You disrespectful lot!"
"Apologize!"
"You all need to apologize!"
Her rage reached its peak as she slammed the table and announced,
"I declare that the second half of the Hunter Exam's second stage has NO PASSING CANDIDATES!"
Sixty contestants participated.
Zero passed.
(End of Chapter)