DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hunter X Hunter
Chapter Five: Cooking Exam
As Satotz vanished into the forest, the candidates instinctively turned their heads at the sound of the gates grinding open.
Beyond the gate stood a white mansion with a tiled roof painted in alternating white and red hues. Its windows were bordered in white.
Resembling the opulent dwellings of the wealthy, the mansion boasted a vast courtyard adorned with a lush grassy expanse and trees standing sentinel along the perimeter. However, instead of the expected ornate gardens and fountains, the lawn was decorated with countertops, a gas stove, and roasting spits.
The scene resembled that of a cooking show set.
"Will all the applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?" A woman's voice resounded.
Seated in front of the mansion's main entrance, a woman lounged on a sofa. Her physique was well-toned, accentuated by turquoise-colored hair tied into five top knots, complemented by a bikini top beneath a mesh shirt and daisy duke denim shorts. "I'm Menchi, the Second Phase Examiner," she announced.
Beside her sat Buhara, a massive man whose hulking figure was emphasized by a large potbelly - perhaps the most substantial Morgan had ever seen. It surpassed even the bellies of the drunkards she encountered at the beer house she frequented after work. Despite wearing a gigantic-sized t-shirt, it still resembled a crop top on him.
As Buhara introduced himself, a loud growl emanated from his stomach, sounding akin to a beast prowling outside the walls. Yet, it was his stomach itself.
Glancing up at Buhara, Menchi remarked, "You must be hungry."
"I'm starving," he responded, sounding akin to a child starved for a week.
The female examiner uncrossed her legs and rose to her feet. "There you have it. Phase two will involve…"
She paused dramatically, eliciting anticipation among the candidates as they awaited the theme for the next stage.
"Cooking!" she announced, catching them off guard. "As Gourmet Hunters, your mission is to satisfy our appetites by preparing a meal!"
Cooking? That sounded easy enough. But considering they were Gourmet Hunters, would they expect dishes of a higher caliber?
"This has to be a joke. I don't know how to cook," Leorio protested.
"I wasn't expecting this," Kurapika admitted.
"No one could have possibly expected this," Morgan added.
"Well, that means this phase is in your favor. They say girls know how to cook," Killua chimed in.
"Why do they always think that all girls know how to cook?" Morgan interjected, her voice tinged with irritation. "Don't go stereotyping girls. Not all of us know how to cook, and there are boys who are much better than girls. It really doesn't matter what gender; it depends on who's talented or not."
"So you don't know?" Leorio inquired.
"I can cook," Morgan replied. If it's just frying. She had to learn at least the basics; otherwise, she'd starve. It's not like she could depend on pre-made food every day—that would cost more.
"Really? What dishes can you cook?" Gon asked, his curiosity piqued.
"That's not important. The problem here is they're Gourmet Hunters."
"Gourmet Hunters?" Gon sought clarification once again.
Kurapika stepped in to explain. "Gourmet Hunters have extensive knowledge about worldwide cooking. They are cooks themselves, constantly seeking new flavors."
The boy looked amazed upon hearing this revelation.
Morgan nodded grimly. "It means we might have a hard time satisfying them."
"I say, this is boring," Killua complained from beside her, wearing an unsatisfied expression.
What a complainer. Would he prefer bloodshed? It's a relief that they're only tasked with cooking. At least in that scenario, even if they fail, no one has to die—unless someone decides to start slitting each other's necks.
"Cooking? We didn't come here to cook!" bellowed a large, rotund man with a rounded face, slicked-back hair ending in a ponytail, and each side of his head shaven. His number, 255, was pinned on his jumper. "Why do we have to cook?"
His complaints triggered a cascade of protests from other candidates, who chuckled at the examiners as if it were a joke.
"Because that's the theme of this phase," Menchi pointed out, her tone obvious.
The others fell silent immediately, but the same man shot a displeased look at the female examiner.
Morgan couldn't help but roll her eyes in disbelief.
'Weren't most of them screaming like little ninnies back in the swamp?' Morgan thought, shaking her head. They were hypocrites.
"Buhara," Menchi called.
Buhara stepped forward. "The required ingredient is pork," the large man began his instructions. "I don't care what kind of pork it is, as long as it's from the Biska Forest. You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork, and you'll only pass if we both find it delicious."
"And we'll evaluate more than just the taste. Don't underestimate the intricacies of cooking, got it? When we've both eaten our fill, the exam will end," Menchi concluded.
The man who had complained earlier wore a smug expression on his lips. He waved his hand, signaling for Menchi to cut her speech short and get straight to the point. "We get it. Let's just start."
"So let the second phase begin!"
With the sound of a gong echoing from Buhara's belly, they raced back into the forest.
As Morgan found nothing in the first area she inspected, she ventured towards a downhill area.
A rustle in the bushes caused her to freeze in her tracks. An enormous, wild pink pig emerged snorting from the underbrush.
Her jaw dropped as she took in the full image before her. The pig had enormous snouts curving towards its forehead. But what truly captured her attention was the sight of it chewing on bones.
Bones! They're carnivorous!
Morgan took a step back, immediately regretting it as the boar locked eyes with her. The two stared at each other, the boar clearly displeased with her intrusion into its domain.
"Nice piggy," Morgan said meekly. But the boar suddenly charged. She dodged it swiftly, her mind racing as she frantically looked around for a way to capture it. There was no way she'd let it devour her!
Every time she tried to turn her back on the ferocious beast, the boar would charge at her, attempting to knock her over and gore her with its snout.
"Morgan! Aim for the head! The head!" she heard Gon's voice shouting, though she was too preoccupied with running away to pay much attention.
Morgan didn't attempt to look around for him; she couldn't afford to. All she knew was that she needed to increase her pace.
The head? Was it the boar's weakness?
Dodging the boar once more, Morgan reached its feet, grabbing a handful of earth and unsheathing her sword. When the boar charged again, she tossed the dirt into its eyes before leaping into action.
In a hurried blur, it was over. The boar lay on the ground, its head bleeding from the stab wound Morgan had delivered. It died on the spot.
She hopped down to the ground, realizing the function of the large snout was to protect the vulnerable forehead. "Well, now that's over," she muttered, scanning her surroundings and spotting something that could be of use. "I'm gonna need some vines."
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.
.
Buhara and Menchi watched in amazement as the applicants rushed into the courtyard, each carrying their captured dead pigs with their own unique style.
Morgan dragged her pig behind her.
The first batch to arrive wasted no time in lighting fires on the spits. Morgan noticed a common approach among them: they simply skewered the pigs and began roasting them above the blazing flames. She looked on with a grimace.
They didn't even bother to clean them. Not even a sprinkle of salt.
'Unbelievable,' she thought.
Ignoring the others, she took the opportunity to survey her workstation: a sink, chopping board, a set of knives, salt, pepper, oil, various sauces in containers, and a bowl of vegetables.
She crouched down to check the cabinets below, finding neatly arranged fine china and cooking utensils.
Morgan glanced back at her pig. It was too large; the rest of the meat wouldn't cook properly over the flame.
It felt like preparing a meal for a town festival. She was accustomed to cooking chicken or frogs—those that were edible, of course.
She had never even attempted to cook a normal pig before!
Morgan grabbed a butcher knife and began the arduous task of skinning the pig. It took a while, but she managed to remove most of the hide and some of the larger slabs of meat.
Next, she sliced the meat into smaller pieces, enough to fill a bowl for marinating in the sauce. She added sliced onions and garlic, followed by a sprinkling of pepper and salt.
How it would turn out, she wasn't too sure. She simply applied the same techniques she used for roasting chicken and hoped for the best.
Morgan was still tending to the small blaze on the spit when number 255 placed his dish on the coffee table. "Now eat the pig and send me to the next phase already," he urged, a sense of urgency in his voice.
He had cooked a pig that big in just a few hours. Would it be okay?
"Okay, it's evaluation time," Menchi declared in a bored tone.
Buhara wasted no time digging into the dish. After a few bites, he raised the 'pass' sign.
Menchi, however, raised the 'fail' sign without even touching the food. "It's overcooked. The tough texture ruins the flavor of the meat," she explained.
"What? You haven't even tried it!" he protested.
"Are you blind? It's plain as day!" she snapped back angrily, pointing the sign at him. It seemed Menchi couldn't control her anger any longer.
Morgan peeked at the dish, and true enough, it didn't look edible.
"Damn!" he growled before storming off the terrace.
A bald ninja-like contestant followed suit. Buhara gave his approval, but Menchi failed him instantly. "Charred on the outside, uncooked on the inside. Your fire was too strong," she critiqued.
.
.
.
Rejected! Is that even food you're serving?!" Menchi's voice echoed across the courtyard.
They were still roasting their pigs at their own cooking stations. Many were brave enough to present their dishes, with Buhara remaining easy to please while Menchi hadn't passed anyone. Not. A. Single. One.
From Morgan's station, she could hear the repetitive rejections from the female examiner. In fact, hearing it depleted her self-confidence, making everything feel dull. But she continued to fan the flame using a plastic cover lid from a food container.
"Morgan! Still not done?" Leorio's voice came from the neighboring station. She only realized how close they were when he seared his hand and let out a screech of pain.
Coughing as she inhaled smoke, Morgan replied, "Not yet."
Gon and Kurapika gathered around Leorio's station as they observed Menchi continually rejecting every dish presented.
"No one's passed yet…" Leorio stated the obvious.
"And Menchi hasn't even taken a bite…" Kurapika added.
"The hell?! Can't someone give something good?!" Menchi screamed, giving in to rage.
With that, Kurapika snapped his fingers, as if he had finally grasped the essence of what needed to be done in this phase. "That's it! This phase of the exam is a cooking test, but they're judging us on originality and powers of observation."
And he managed to convince Gon and Leorio.
Well, partly. Blondie was right, but—
"How do you like my cooking?" Leorio interjected confidently, placing his whole roasted pig in front of the examiner with a miniature flag of the Hunter's Association pinned on its back.
'Thought so,' Morgan mused, realizing he had misinterpreted Kurapika's idea. "Uh, I think there's not much of a difference from other dishes aside from putting a tiny flag on top."
Leorio chuckled. "I'm sure this will be different. So, how is Leorio's special?"
With Menchi's raging temper, the woman grew even grumpier and tossed the dish away without a second thought. "Is this supposed to be a kiddie meal?!"
Leorio returned to his station in disappointment. "Damn…"
Gon was next.
As soon as Morgan saw what it was, she literally ran the lid over her face. Slowly sliding it off, she saw Gon's dish once again.
It was worse! She wasn't sure what was running through that kid's brain, but he had decorated the plate with flowers, circling its bodice. He even tied a ribbon on its tail.
"I don't feel like watching," she mumbled.
"Alright, I'm next," Gon said, stepping into the spotlight. He served his dish.
Menchi was quick to throw it out. "It's basically the same thing!"
Gon returned with a dejected expression, his shoulders slumping.
Right after Gon, Kurapika suddenly became hyped up as he chopped something on his station before carrying the platter with confidence.
Morgan spied his dish. Instead of presenting a whole roasted pig, Kurapika had sliced the meat into large patties, stuffed with vegetables.
"Oh," Morgan breathed in astonishment. 'At least someone thought of something.'
"Please judge my creation," Kurapika said.
Menchi looked at it with a skeptical stare as she twirled the sign. "Finally, something that resembles an actual dish…" She grabbed a fork and took a bite but spat it out right after chewing. "Yuck!" His food was instantly thrown out.
Kurapika looked shocked.
"Appearance is important, but only if it also tastes good. You're no better than number 403!"
It was like lightning struck Kurapika's whole being. It was as if he refused to accept being lumped in the same category as Leorio.
Now Morgan was intrigued by one thing: what the hell was their problem with Leorio's level?
The blonde teen walked back to his station with a defeated look on his face.
"No better than number 403…" Kurapika mumbled in a glum voice, sounding as if it were the end of the world. "I really thought taste was insignificant."
"How could you think that taste is insignificant?" Morgan asked, pulling Kurapika out of his overly depressed state.
"Huh?"
"Think about it. If you were in a fancy restaurant and they served you something that tasted dull or like crap, would you like that?"
Kurapika pondered over her words. His face showed a desire to argue back, but he realized he had nothing to counter. "Why haven't you presented yours?" he asked her, annoyance evident in his voice.
"Actually, I already planned to," she replied as she set down the last slice of meat on the plate. "I'll be going now."
She carried her dish and placed it on the examiner's table.
Menchi bent forward and sniffed it out. "Well, it smells good," she commented. Buhara neared with his mouth drooling.
As usual, Buhara was eager to taste it, but Menchi inspected the food like it was some sort of microorganism before taking a bite. "Pweh!"
To her shock, even Buhara choked and coughed it out.
"What is this? It's like tasting seawater straight from the ocean! It's too salty! Look, even Buhara's stomach flipped it out!" And just like the other dishes, she threw it.
Morgan blinked, processing what had happened to the meat she had prepared and cooked for hours. "Hey! I put a lot of effort into that food!"
"Effort in marinating the meat with too much salt and soy sauce?" Menchi retorted.
Morgan snapped, her face already red from anger. "Still! You didn't have to throw it! If you don't want it, then don't! Food shouldn't end up on the floor! I thought you're a Gourmet Hunter? Don't you respect and value food?!"
Menchi released a mock breath. "You're questioning my status? Well, here's some breaking news. You failed. There's no difference from the others. Oh wait, actually, I hate your dish the most," she said as she drank some tea, perhaps to calm herself down. "I'm full. I don't even know if it's the dishes or exasperation that made me full. All I know is that all of you failed! The Second Phase has already ended!" she announced, her voice reverberating across the lawn.
The candidates all stopped what they were doing.
Morgan's eyes widened. 'What? Failed? That can't happen!'
Menchi called someone on her phone and reported the end of the exam. Morgan, being the closest to her, heard muffled shouts on the other side of the line, obviously against her decision. "Whatever you say, nothing could change my mind," she said firmly.
But her decision brought a different reaction from the others. None of them could believe that not a single candidate had passed the exam. Was this really how this year's exam was going to end?
"I absolutely refuse this!" Number 255 exclaimed, destroying the sink in frustration.
"Not even teaming up against me could change anything. You all fail," Menchi reiterated.
"Stop screwing around!" he continued. "You asked for pork, so we risked our lives to catch those pigs!"
Morgan calmed her nerves. "He's right. True, not all of us are good at cooking, but still— Is it necessary to fail all of us?" she asked, intercepting.
Menchi looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then harshly thumbed the end call button. "The objective is simple. Prepare a dish that we'll like, but none of you did anything. You almost did the same thing! The same outcome! No one made an effort. Yes, there are some who tried to make it presentable, but no one gave importance to taste. You took cooking lightly."
"Still, pork dishes are all the same…" Baldy ninja muttered with a shrug.
Menchi erupted at Hanzo like a mad bull, as if seeing a waved red piece of cloth. She rashly grabbed his scarf and shook him violently. "Just say that one more time! Any more crap from you, and I'll shove my arm right up your ass and knock your teeth out!" she said angrily to Hanzo, looking ready to eat him whole. "Don't mess with me! I don't want any lip from a bunch of amateurs who can't even roast a pig!"
"Shut up! I didn't take the Hunter Exam to cook or to be a gourmet!" Number 255 thrust his way into the conversation. "I want to become a Hunter!" The men on his back supported and agreed with him. "My goal is to become a black list Hunter. I refuse to let a mere Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!"
Well, that was low. But Menchi couldn't care less about the insults he was spewing. "Too bad you got stuck with a mere Gourmet Hunter as an Examiner. Better luck next year?"
Number 255 turned red with anger. "Why you…" He advanced towards the female examiner, attempting to attack her while sitting aloofly on the sofa.
Morgan genuinely thought he would run into her.
Buhara smacked Number 255 like a fly with only his right hand, sending him flying up against the walls. He landed with a heavy thud.
Despite his extra-large physique, Buhara moved with surprising speed, as if his body defied the laws of gravity when it came to giants.
"Buhara, don't interfere," Menchi confronted.
All the applicants stared in shock.
Number 255 attempted to attack first, but—
"Was that even necessary? That was too much," Morgan suddenly voiced out.
"Kid, that's just minor compared to letting Menchi strike at him. I saved him from her," Buhara said.
'What?'
Menchi sneered. "What do you even understand about the Hunter Exam? It seems like you joined the wrong group."
"Not the bigger scope of it, but I'm pretty sure you failed us not because we really failed, but because of your pride," Morgan retorted, facing the female examiner with boldness.
"She's right!" some candidates said, causing others to chant as well. Even if they didn't start off well with some candidates, they stood with her because of the current matter at hand.
"Hmm, probably…" Menchi stood up and held a total of four knives in her hands. The heels of her boots clacked with every step she took downstairs. She juggled the knives with effortless moves of her hands. "But did you know that as a Gourmet Hunter, we frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts, searching for ingredients? And it's not just cooking I'm referring to here. Every hunter knows some form of martial arts. You're not open to new things. Some of you lack motivation and willingness to experiment." She finally stopped and caught all four weapons with such precision and grace. She pointed them at the examinees. "That's the reason you're not qualified!"
Morgan was speechless. Even if Menchi was not entirely referring to her, what she said was a direct hit.
"No motivation, lack of willingness to experiment. Not qualified."
"But some made an effort!" Morgan debated.
"Yes, but you didn't mind the most important objective of the phase: the taste," Menchi stated. "You marinated the meat, but you didn't even mind if it was enough or not. Therefore, you failed as well!"
"That said," a voice emerged from the sky, amplified with a microphone, making their heads turn up. "It would be excessive to fail every single applicant."
An airship floated across the sky with the symbol of the Hunter's Association. They watched as it stopped midair.
Morgan narrowed her eyes as she looked up at the airship. They all followed suit. At first, she thought something was being thrown out until she had a clear image of a person jumping down.
The figure landed as if a grenade had been thrown at them, blasting off chunks of soil and rocks. Out of impulse, she ducked her head and covered her eyes with her arms as debris flew in every direction.
Morgan coughed, feeling like she had inhaled all the dust.
When the cloud of dust cleared, the girl cautiously tried to peek with one eye. In view was an old man walking closer. At first glance, Morgan perceived him as a helpless and ordinary man, but upon closer inspection, she was surprised by how muscular and fit he was for his age.
He had a ponytail, a thick beard, and stretched earlobes with two piercings in both ears. He wore a traditional kimono and a pair of geta with—
'Why geta with one tooth?' She thought, feeling it was a strange detail to focus on.
"Wh-Who's that geezer?" asked a random examiner.
"The Chairman of the Selection Committee. He's in charge of the Hunter Exam… Chairman Netero," Menchi responded.
Morgan looked on in amazement after learning who this geezer was. He didn't particularly look flashy (except for wearing geta with one tooth), but he stood out among all of them present at the area. A lot. Was it because of his presence?
"Well, I work behind the scenes," Netero said, his old voice sounding like he gurgled something. "I only take action when there's an issue, like now. So, Menchi…" He referred to the female examiner.
"Yes, sir," Menchi straightened.
"You failed all the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance to try new things?"
"No. I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary," Menchi responded.
"In other words, you're aware that this exam is unacceptable," he pointed out.
"Yes, sir," Menchi weakly replied. "When cooking is involved, I lose control. I'm unqualified to be an examiner. I will resign as an examiner, so please redo the exam," she announced.
The chairman just hummed. "But it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice."
The examiner bowed. "I apologize…"
Netero smiled. "Very well. How about this? I'd like you to continue serving as an examiner. But you must also participate in the new test you propose. Is that acceptable? I am certain that will help the applicants to accept the results."
Morgan's eyes glinted for a split second. A second chance!
Menchi thought for a moment, then smiled. "That's true… the new challenge will be boiled eggs!"
'Boiled eggs? Why did it become so easy? Well...Who cares! That would be an easy pass!' Her mind screamed in delight.
"Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-a-half in your airship?" Menchi requested, pointing in a certain direction.
The chairman's face lit up with recognition. "Oh! I see what you're going to do. Of course. I'll bring you there." With that, he used his phone to instruct someone in the airship to airship made a few circles before deciding to lower down on the clearing until finally settling. Once the main entrance opened, the candidates entered and headed to Mt. Split-in-Half.
The mountain's appearance was true to its namesake. As they overlooked the view of the ecosystem below, Mt. Split-in-Half was noticeable, with no grass or any trees on top. It was sliced in the center, equally dividing the mountain in halves. At its foot, trees covered the earth.
When they reached the top and disembarked, Menchi started to give instructions.
They carefully looked down at the edge. A few feet away from the surface were web strings attached to either side of the cliff. The only difference from a regular spider web was that it was thick and its pattern resembled an image of a plant cell under a microscopic lens of seamless vector pattern.
It was home to the Spider Eagles that built their nests between the cliffs on Split Mountain with their webs.
A strong wind blew from the abyss. Morgan's locks and fringes danced wildly along with the wind.
"Look below the web," Menchi told them.
And they did.
Morgan was amazed. She usually encountered common animals in their place—cows, horses, cats, dogs, rats—just to name a few. She had never seen a Spider Eagle before, aside from animal encyclopedias and zoology books, let alone its nest.
Past the strands were eggs clumped together encompassed in a network of strands.
"Those are Spider Eagle eggs," Menchi explained.
"Spider Eagles build their webs in deep ravines to protect their eggs from predators," Chairman Netero continued as he walked closer to the group. "These make their eggs one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain. They are also known as—"
'Dream eggs!' Morgan excitedly filled in her head. But then a realization slowly hit her, ending all stirred feelings. This means—
"W-wait a minute…" Number 255 stammered. "You don't mean we—"
"I sure do," Menchi sang before diving into the abyss.
Candidates gasped in shock and fear. The female examiner grabbed a strand from the first rows.
"Even if she can grab some eggs, how will she climb up?" Leorio wondered.
Morgan took the chance to look closer at the walls of the cliff. There were no footholds or handholds for climbing it. And considering she'd have to hold the egg—that's minus limbs to work.
It was suicide.
Menchi was hanging there, as if waiting for something.
The candidates stared wide-eyed when Menchi let go. Their cries chorused when they saw her falling down. When she passed a clump of eagle eggs, she reached and grabbed one of them.
And she went down straight until she was out of sight because of the fog.
Morgan crouched down, her hands touching the edges of the cliff as she observed the woman falling down.
"Is she trying to kill herself?" Leorio uncertainly asked.
"No, she's not," Kurapika responded.
Again, there was that same strong gust of wind escaping the abyss. It carried Menchi. Their eyes followed her until she was floating above the applicants, a wide smile on her lips and a large egg held in her hands.
"Whoa!" Gon exclaimed.
"That looks fun," Killua said expectantly.
Morgan spared the boys a look like they were crazy. Her eyes went back to the long abyss. Well, it looked thrilling to her. She had always wondered how cliff diving felt like. She wasn't really given an opportunity to do so.
But she only knew one thing. Her body will mess up if she fails.
"This ravine has updrafts that help the hatched chicks fly up to the web," Netero explained.
Menchi landed gracefully on land. She raised the egg to show it to everyone. "There. Now I just need to boil the egg."
"You must be joking. No reasonable person would jump down there…" Number 255 told the female examiner like it was preposterous.
Morgan ignored them. She was busy strategizing where to jump and to make sure where she can reach a strand…
"Afraid of heights?" Killua suddenly spoke, centimeters away from her ears.
Morgan visibly jumped because of it.
And because of shock, her hand slipped from her hold on the edge. Everything happened in a span of second but she knew she fell lamely into the canyon- with her head diving first.
It gave her a stomach drop sensation.
"You damned brat!" She screeched on top of her lungs. If she dies, she won't let her soul rest and haunt him. She'll probably curse him to the evil spirits.
The wind was slapping her body, her face. She could hear the loud swoosh of the wind as she plummeted down.
Good thing she was able to contain herself as she faced down. She extended her hands and she grabbed a strand of web.
She peeked below to locate the eggs but instead her eyes went straight to the other side.
The bottom.
'Shit! I'm hanging. Dangling hundreds of feet above!'
As the tension eased and the strands stopped swaying, Morgan let out a shaky breath. However, her moment of relief was short-lived as the strands suddenly shook once again.
"Yo. Nice dive," came a voice beside her.
Turning her head, Morgan saw the four others dangling in the air beside her.
"Be grateful that both my hands are not available or I might've scratched you by now," Morgan snapped at Killua, her frustration evident.
Killua just shrugged uncaringly, seemingly unfazed by her remark.
"Are you okay?" Gon asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"The truth? No!" Morgan replied, her voice tinged with exasperation. Who wouldn't be rattled after falling over a cliff?
"Can you refrain from shouting?" Kurapika scolded her, his tone firm.
Morgan clenched her jaw, trying to contain her frustration. With a deep breath, she nodded in acknowledgment, realizing that shouting wouldn't help their situation. As they hung there together, she knew they needed to stay calm and focused if they were going to find a way out of this predicament.
As tension mounted, Morgan felt the weight of the situation pressing down on her. With each passing moment, the strands holding them began to weaken, threatening to give way at any second. She watched anxiously as Gon closed his eyes, focusing intently on listening for any signs of an approaching updraft.
The others remained silent, their attention fixed on Gon as he concentrated. Despite her doubts, Morgan couldn't help but hope that Gon's instincts would prove to be right. The alternative was too terrifying to contemplate.
But as the seconds ticked by, the absence of wind only heightened their sense of urgency. Morgan's heart pounded in her chest as the strand holding them continued to snap slowly, inching them closer to the edge of disaster.
"Shit!" Leorio panicked.
"The strands can't hold our weight any longer!" Kurapika alarmed.
"Gon, not yet?" Kilua asked. The other kid remained silent.
Sensing the imminent danger, some couldn't risk waiting and let go too soon, plummeting to their deaths.
Morgan's gut churned with panic. She debated whether to let go or trust the kid. How sure was she that Gon's senses were reliable?
Should she wait? Or not?
Just then, a slight breeze brushed Morgan's cheeks.
"Now!" Gon yelled.
They all jumped and grasped hold of an egg as they plummeted. At some point, they were propelled upwards by a strong gust of wind.
When she found herself floating, Morgan's eyes were fixed on the remarkable sight before her. It differed from the views atop the mountain or inside the airship.
As far as her eyes could see, it was all breathtaking. It felt as though she had been granted a new perspective on the world, revealing a beauty she hadn't known existed.
They successfully completed the task. The remaining examinees at the edge were awestruck, impressed by their courage.
Menchi commended their bravery and allowed them to proceed to the third stage. But before that, she instructed the examinees to boil the eggs they had collected. As they tasted the eggs, they were filled with astonishment.
Approaching Morgan, Menchi watched as she began to dig into the egg. "Well, how is it?" she asked.
It took a few seconds for Morgan to respond after finishing the egg. "It's the most delicious egg I've ever tasted. I won't forget its existence," she concluded.
Menchi smiled. "That's what us Gourmet Hunters do; we risk our lives to try these delicacies. It might sound ridiculous to some, but for us Gourmet Hunters, it's worth it," she explained.
In short, Hunters take risks because they're passionate about their work. No one has the right to judge or belittle what they do.
"Hunters are passionate, huh?" Morgan mused aloud.
"Can I jump again? I really want to eat it," Morgan blurted out, lightening the serious mood.
Menchi laughed and patted her shoulder before walking off.
"If you do that, you'll wipe out the eagle species," Killua remarked suddenly from behind her.
Her mood deflated upon hearing him. Morgan glanced at the area where they had placed the large cooking pot. Unfortunately, they had already extinguished the fire used to boil the egg. She could have doused him with hot, boiling water.
She couldn't do that now, could she?
The second phase officially ended with 43 applicants left.
Hope you enjoy! Please review.