Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Information related to Netero is prominently displayed on the webpage, beginning with a front-facing photo of him making a peace sign, followed by a video.

Sanbica subconsciously clicked on the video. After a brief pause, the video began to play. The camera panned slowly, and five people could be seen sitting behind a long table covered with white cloth.

From left to right, the three people sitting on the left seem to be wealthy people who funded the competition. They are older, but still look much younger than the other two people sitting on the right.

The fourth person was an elderly woman with a face as wrinkled as tree bark. She looked extremely old and her exact age could not be estimated.

The last person was Netero. When the camera moved to him, he made a peace sign toward the lens.

The video was short and ended there. Below it was a brief introduction to the five individuals.

The three people on the left were all among the top ten wealthiest people in the world. They were the main sponsors of the competition's prizes, which included at least three awards per event. The prizes varied and could consist of Jenny, gemstones, gourmet ingredients, or rare treasures.

Among them, Jenny and gemstones were the constant prizes. This is because, among the three sponsors, one preferred simplicity and always contributed Jenny, while another owned the world's largest jewelry conglomerate, so the prize he provides is naturally jewelry.

The final sponsor was an avid foodie. The emergence of this competition is closely related to him. Occasionally, he will use rare A-level ingredients as prizes for the competition, though these often came with conditions.

As for the old lady, she is a veteran Gourmet Hunter named Linne Horsdoeuvre. She and Netero are frequent visitors to the judging panel.

The information displayed on the webpage was very comprehensive. After reading through it, Law learned that the Gourmet Competition had no fixed schedule.

It could be held two to three times a year or once every two to three years. However, announcements were always made in advance, and obtaining the lavish prizes was far from easy.

Because in the last stage of the competition, the organizers will not provide ingredients and the contestants were required to bring their own ingredients, with the minimum requirement being a B-level ingredient.

That is to say, even if they rely on their cooking skills to pass the fierce competition, they will not be qualified to compete for the finals without B-level ingredients.

This effectively served as an entry ticket and a risky investment, as the price of B-level ingredients on the market is over ten million Jenny. If they don't get the first place, it means they have wasted tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of Jenny.

Basically, at the finals of every competition, almost all the contestants left in the competition were Gourmet Hunters from the Hunter Association.

Not to mention the generous prizes, the mere presence of Netero and Linne at the judging panel is reason enough to push contestants to give it their all. This is also what the three sponsors wanted to see. After all, no one would want to see a group of amateurs fighting for scraps in such a prestigious competition.

Without professional Gourmet Hunters participating, could it even be called a Gourmet Competition?

However, looking at the requirements for the finals, it was clear that even these wealthy sponsors were not the type to suffer losses, even in pursuit of their culinary desires.

But on the other hand, the championship prize for each tournament was often worth dozens or even hundreds of times the value of the finals' 'entry ticket', so there are many participants who were more than willing to take the risk.

In general, obtaining a B-level ingredient is a difficult threshold to cross. While it was possible to buy one with Jenny, that is not an option because there are not many B-level ingredients circulating on the market.

Even with money, they may not be able to buy it. And if they were available, the choices were often limited.

Hunters who wanted to participate in the competition will specifically obtain B-level ingredients before the competition begins. This is one of the advantages of being a Gourmet Hunter.

Without sufficient strength, even obtaining an F-level ingredient would be out of reach, let alone a B-level one.

It was because he understood this point early on that Law had been focused on becoming stronger ever since arriving in this world. Wasn't it all for moments like this?

"Without a B-grade ingredient, you won't be able to enter the finals..."

Law muttered to himself. He is not weak now, so it should not be difficult for him to obtain B-level ingredients. However, he still found this rule rather peculiar.

Hearing Law's mumbling, Sanbica asked curiously, "Are you thinking about joining the Gourmet Competition?"

"Of course." The prize that Law had his eyes on was A-grade ingredients. After all, they were rare sources of immense experience for him.

It must be known that even in the extremely species-rich Amaromi Forest, there were only two kinds of B-level ingredients, so it can be imagined how rare A-level ingredients are.

Sanbica didn't know Law's capabilities, so her first reaction was that Law was good at dreaming. However, instead of discouraging him, she simply changed the subject and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to look up?"

"Can you look up information on A-level ingredients for me?" Law asked casually while thinking about the Hand-Hand Bear and the Butterfly-Patterned Python.

Upon hearing this, Sanbica quickly typed on the keyboard and soon found the search results. Glancing at the displayed information, she said, "There are a total of 12 known A-level ingredients, all of which were discovered by Linne Horsdoeuvre."

"Only 12..." Law stared at the screen in surprise.

Sanbica nodded.

"Check the details on the A-grade ingredients." Law said as he stared at the screen.

"My clearance is too low, so I can't see it." After Sanbica clicked on the relevant information, a dialog box popped up, indicating insufficient permissions.

Law also saw this dialog box and felt a little exasperated, 'The Hunter Association was really a rip-off. They provided a specialized website, but why did they still require permission to check some information?'

The difficulty and danger of acquiring A-level ingredients were incredibly high, and the minimum permission required to view related information is Single-Star. Since Sanbica is still a new Hunter, she does not have the permission to look it up.

If Law really wanted to obtain the information, he would need to visit a specialized intelligence hub and pay for it.

While some A- or B+ ingredients that are called A-level ingredients, but true A-level ingredients are extraordinarily rare and challenging to acquire.

'There is no news about the Gourmet Tournament in the near future, so I can only participate in the Hunter Exam first, and then make a trip back to Meteor City. I wonder how Machi and the others will react.' Law thought as he planned his itinerary.

"Anything else you want to look up?" Sanbica asked calmly.

Although she also had her own things to do, she still waited patiently for Law to finish first.

"That's all." Law smiled, and he suddenly thought of his previous life's team. There was also a girl one year younger than him who was in charge of managing information. He would always ask her questions, and she would patiently answer his questions, never once showing impatience.

Just like Sanbica now...

Seeing that Law had no further queries, Sanbica began focusing on her tasks. She uploaded the relevant information about the G2 Virus to the database, and then looked for information about a slum.

That slum was where she had originally planned to visit, but her plans had been delayed due to the G1 Virus.

Now that the issue had been resolved, she intended to take a trip to the slums. Of course, Law would accompany her, as there was still about a month before the Hunter Exam began, leaving them plenty of time.

This trip was part of their agreement, and the time they could travel together was limited to three months, which was also one of the conditions.

Law kept Sanbica by his side in order to study her Nen Ability and see if he could learn something from her to strengthen the power of God Hand. This was his primary motivation for doing this.

"All set."

After Sanbica finished her work, she took out her Hunter License, then turned off the computer and stood up.

"Shall we head straight to the airport?" Law asked.

"Mm." Sanbica nodded, and the two walked out of the library side by side.

"Is going to the slums a mission given to you by the Hunter Association?" Law suddenly asked as the two walked on the street.

"No." Sanbica replied without looking at him.

"Is it related to virus?" Law continued to ask.

"Um."

Law instantly understood.

'This wasn't about profit or obligation.'

'Her reason for heading to the virus-ravaged slum might have been to investigate the virus, or maybe… it was simply to fulfill her duty as a doctor.'