Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

There are hunters in many industries, but not many hunters have formal Hunter Licenses. Within the hunter community, most are amateur hunters.

Official Hunters must fulfill specific duties and responsibilities once they choose their profession, whereas amateur hunters enjoy more freedom but lack most of the privileges that official hunters possess.

Whether official or amateur, hunters span a wide variety of specializations.

There are Treasure Hunters who pursue rare and valuable items, Relic Hunters who explore and protect ancient relics, Beast Hunters who look for and discover many unknown magical beasts, Blacklist Hunters who hunt down criminals or rogue hunters, Appraisal Hunters who identify ancient artifacts, Rock Hunters who pursue precious stones and gems, and Gourmet Hunters who travel around the world in search of delicious and rare ingredients...

If the Gourmet Competition that Kenda mentioned is enough to attract Gourmet Hunters from all over the world to participate, it would undoubtedly be a feast beyond Law's imagination.

The Rainbow Boat, even without amazing cooking techniques, had the flavor that Law longed for, not to mention the Red Wine White Liver.

These ingredients are not particularly hard to acquire. For example, the liver of Spiny Sea Pork is only C-level, so what about A-grade or even S-grade ingredients?

Since the top tycoons fund the Gourmet Competition just to satisfy their appetites, they'd undoubtedly prepare a plethora of high-grade ingredients.

The mere thought of this excited Law.

Even if he couldn't sit among the tasters, simply participating in the competition would grant him access to plenty of top-notch ingredients. Wouldn't it be great if he can cook them well and keep some for himself?

"Um… you're drooling."

At this time, Kenda reminded carefully.

"Cough, cough." Law came to his senses and cleared his throat to mask his embarrassment. Then, he quickly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, since you used to be in the assassination business, do you know anyone who can make masks?"

"I do, but… what do you need that for…?" Kenda asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I have my reasons." Law said seriously.

"You're not thinking of using a mask to conceal your identity, are you?" Kenda looked at Law with a strange look. The mask Kenda imagined was clearly different from the one Law had in mind.

"Something like that."

Law wouldn't always stay by Ellie's side. Once he most of the issues are resolved, he'd leave. In order to avoid unnecessary troubles, it would be best to conceal his identity.

"There are many people in Spice City who can make masks. When we get there, I will have someone take you to one." Kenda replied.

"Okay, then I'll go to rest first." Law downed his glass of milk in one gulp. Seeing that Kenda hadn't touched his whiskey, Law placed a straw in Kenda's glass before leaving, which made Kenda looked exasperated.

After returning to his room, Law did not go to bed immediately. Instead, he used up all the Aura in his body by using Ren, and then went to bed in an exhausted state.

…

Yorknew City was located on the western coastal region of the Yorbian Continent, while Spice City is located in the other direction. It is also a seaside city near the Balsa Islands.

It takes about five days to fly from Lingon Airport to Spice City.

During this time,, apart from his daily Nen training, Law spent the rest of his time chatting with Ellie. It was basically Law who was talking while Ellie was listening.

Law shared amusing stories from his past travels, leaving Ellie wide-eyed with wonder. But the little girl completely believed his tall tales.

Kenda occasionally eavesdropped on their conversations. Given Law's age and background, Kenda found the stories hard to believe, but he didn't bother exposing them. However, what Kenda didn't know was that all of Law's stories were true.

After a few days, Ellie's physical recovery progressed well, and her emotional state greatly improved thanks to Law's deliberate efforts. She was no longer as gloomy as before.

Seeing that Ellie was nearly fully recovered, Law announced his intention to cook with the airship's remaining rare ingredients.

"Law, you can cook?"

Hearing Law's words, Ellie's little face lit up with surprise, and Kenda, who is standing nearby, also looked equally astonished.

"Of course. But my cooking skills are average, maybe about the level of a five or six-star hotel." Law said humbly, but the meaning of his words was just as if 'I'm awesome' was written all over his face.

"So cool!" Ellie's big eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at Law.

However, Kenda, who is on the side, thought to himself: 'Five-star hotel level? Although it is mid-tier at best, but for Law to have this level of culinary skill is incredible in itself.'

Feeling Ellie's undisguised admiring gaze, Law couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"Kenda, what level are the chefs at our house?" At this time, Ellie suddenly looked at Kenda.

Kenda's expression stiffened slightly, and he replied honestly, "Nine-star."

"Oh." Ellie nodded in understanding.

"Nine stars?" Law's eyes widened in surprise.

Kenda looked at him and explained, "The highest rating for hotels is nine stars, and chefs' licenses are similarly categorized by star levels. Based on what you mentioned about five- or six-star skills, that level typically requires at least ten years of mastery in culinary arts."

What he means is that Law is exaggerating too much.

"But having five- or six-star skills is still amazing!" Ellie pretended not to understand, her big eyes gleaming as she blinked at him.

Kenda showed a faint smile, sensing that Ellie was turning into a little devil, and said, "At Mr. Law's age, his cooking skills can reach five or six stars. He must truly be a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy."

"Wow! As expected of Law! You're amazing!" Ellie looked at Law with admiration again.

"…"

Law's face darkened slightly. He could tell what was going on.

Without a word, he turned and headed for the kitchen. He had intended to show off a bit, but he didn't expect that the highest star rating of hotels in this world was nine stars. To make it worse, Ellie and Kenda didn't just doubt him it, as they also used subtle jabs to tease him.

Seeing Law's reaction, Ellie covered her mouth to suppress a laugh, with a mischievous look flashing in her eyes.

.....

The entertainment facilities on the airship are diverse, and even the kitchen is well-equipped. This shows that Barney is a person who knows how to enjoy life.

The main reason why Law wanted to cook himself was because of the leftover Spiny Sea Pork's liver.

After being teased by Ellie and Kenda just now, Law just wanted to use white liver to make a dish to redeem himself and improve his Nen at the same time.

He took out the white liver and placed it on the chopping board, stroking his chin as he thought about how to cook it.

'The Red Wine White Liver cooked by the Gourmet Hunter that time focused on the sauce and seemed to deliberately avoid the liver itself. Was it because they thought that the liver did not require too much cooking, or were they limited by the unique texture of liver?'

'Although doing so can preserve the original flavor of the liver, it feels like I am mainly eating the sauce, and the liver itself has not been flavored.'

'What kind of dish should I make with this?'

Law stretched out his index finger and gently pressed the smooth surface of the liver. It felt soft and tender to the touch. Thinking about the taste of the liver half a month ago, Law suddenly thought of something white and tender...

'Why not make that dish?'

Law's eyes lit up, and the idea that suddenly came to his mind directly jumped out of the restricted framework of ingredients. It was whimsical, but it was suitable for the characteristics of this white liver.

As soon as he thought of it, he immediately took action without hesitation.

'It was time to redefine Ellie and Kenda's perception of me.'