Chapter 10 - Retest x Conditions x Identity

Chapter 10: Retest x Conditions x Identity

“I’m full. The exam is over. One person has passed the second stage of the Hunter Test!” Menchi announced loudly, her stubborn streak coming through.

“What?”

“How can this be?”

“My dish is almost finished!”

The Hunter examinees erupted in protest, each growing anxious.

Having achieved his intended goal, Lorin was back among the crowd, quietly enjoying the commotion.

The most stunned were undoubtedly the candidates who had realised the test’s true purpose but hadn’t yet had the chance to present their dishes.

Compared to those who were eliminated without understanding why, these candidates felt the most frustrated.

“When I say it’s over, it’s over. Are you not satisfied?” Menchi shouted angrily at the indignant examinees.

“You fools mocked the examiner from the beginning, then acted like idiots, failing to grasp the test’s essence and not taking your cooking seriously. Now you think you have a right to complain?”

“Even so, isn’t this a bit too harsh?” A voice tinged with amusement suddenly came from above.

Everyone froze, looking up to see a blimp had somehow appeared overhead. The voice had come from the broadcast on the blimp.

“That’s… the emblem of the Hunter Association.”

“It must be someone from the Hunter Examination Committee.”

The examinees grew excited. In their eyes, since the committee had arrived, justice would be served.

“Buhazi, you’re meddling again…” Menchi frowned, glaring discontentedly at her partner.

Though the Hunter Association’s blimp was nearby, it was clear they had departed in advance to arrive so quickly.

“Hehe, since the situation escalated, we’d be in a bind otherwise!” Buhazi chuckled softly.

“Hmph…” Menchi snorted, but said no more.

At that moment, the hatch of the blimp, still dozens of metres off the ground, suddenly opened, and a figure leapt down.

The next second, with a thunderous crash, the figure landed among the examinees, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Who’s that old man?”

“He jumped from that height without a scratch?”

Many of the Hunter examinees stared blankly, looking up at the blimp, then at the figure in front of them, completely in disbelief.

Jumping from dozens of metres without a parachute was absurd.

“That’s Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Examination Committee and the chief overseer of the Hunter Test,” Menchi explained.

“Calling me the chief overseer is a bit much. I’m mostly here to handle troublesome situations like this!” Netero chuckled.

“So, Menchi, I remember in your original report, you mentioned that this stage of the test was primarily about the candidates’ courage to face the unknown. The evaluation concluded with only one passing, correct?” Netero looked serious… but his gaze subtly wandered over Menchi’s alluring figure, earning her a silent compliment.

“No, that’s not entirely accurate.” Menchi, now standing before Netero with some embarrassment, answered, “At the beginning, some examinees made derogatory comments about Gourmet Hunters, which provoked me.

“Then, when another examinee revealed the cooking method, I grew agitated. Later, further provocations led me to handle things excessively.”

At that moment, many of the examinees were stunned by the exchange between Netero and Menchi.

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Wasn’t the test about cooking?

But there were few fools present. With Netero’s clear explanation, anyone still failing to grasp it was truly unsuited to be a Hunter.

Suddenly, the realisation caused the faces of the awakened examinees to flush with shame.

“Oh ho ho—”

“So you admit your judgment was unfair!” Netero laughed cheerfully.

“Yes, once cooking is involved, I lose my sense of judgment. I’m not fit to be an examiner,” Menchi stated seriously.

“I hereby resign from the role of Hunter Test examiner and request that the results of this exam be declared void.” Menchi paused, then added, “But, Chairman Netero, can we exempt the candidate who passed from having his result annulled?”

“The one who passed, huh!” Netero glanced across the crowd, quickly locating Lorin, and flashed a radiant smile.

“No, we can’t,” he stated without hesitation.

Menchi was taken aback, not expecting Netero to refuse even this small favour.

“But what I meant was, you’re not allowed to resign,” Netero continued, still smiling. “You’ll remain the examiner and give a new test. This time, however, you’ll also participate as a candidate, so the examinees will be more accepting of the results.

“What do you say, do you agree?” Netero asked Menchi with a grin.

“Of course!” Menchi agreed immediately.

“Over here, over here, Chairman Netero, I haven’t agreed yet!” Lorin suddenly raised his hand.

“Oh! You don’t agree…” Netero turned, smiling at Lorin.

“Naturally, if there’s no retest, I’d be the only candidate to receive the Hunter Licence, right? With a retest, I’d be at a disadvantage…” Lorin spread his hands, disregarding the glares from the other examinees.

“Ah, you have a point… You should be compensated!” Netero stroked his beard, thoughtfully considering Lorin’s words.

“How about this: you’ll be granted a special qualification for the Hunter Test,” Netero said suddenly.

“Special qualification… for the Hunter Test…” Lorin was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on.

It turned out he hadn’t officially registered for the Hunter Test at all!

That’s right.

Having participated in two stages of the test, Lorin hadn’t even signed up for it.

After all, he had arrived in the elevator cabin immediately after transmigrating. He hadn’t registered for the exam or even obtained an official identity in this world.

His system certainly wasn’t the kind that took care of everything like a nanny.

Along the way, Lorin had suspected this.

Now, Netero’s words confirmed it.

However, it was clear that Netero didn’t mind and was willing to let Lorin continue with the Hunter Test.

Lorin grinned and replied, “Then I appreciate it, old man!”

“Oh ho ho… Now that it’s settled, Menchi, please announce the new test!” Netero said, still laughing.

Menchi, still contemplating the meaning of Lorin and Netero’s conversation, quickly responded when Netero called her.

“Yes… right away!”

“Chairman Netero, may I use the blimp to transport the examinees to that mountain?” Menchi pointed to a round, isolated mountain in the distance.

“Oh… of course.” Netero glanced at the mountain, his eyes revealing understanding, and responded with a smile.