Who Says A God Can't Be A Hunter Too?

Chapter 9

                  

"Will all applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?" A voice called from inside the forest park. Eager to move on, I hopped down from my place in the tree, speeding past Hisoka and winding my way through the crowd of applicants to get to the front. Being one of the first ones to enter, I could take my time to examine my surroundings. At the far northern end was what looked to be a huge mansion, and along the stretch of lawn before it sat what seemed to be...very large counters. I stared, perplexed for a few moments before focusing on the two people at the front of the mansion. A young girl with bright green hair styled in elaborate spikes sat on a cushioned lounge chair, while behind her sat a mountain of a man who looked as if he weighted over a few hundred pounds.

"Welcome," the girl greeted us with a smile as we all entered. "I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner."

"And I'm Buhara, the other examiner," announced the man sitting behind her, a wide smile on his chubby face.

We all stared at the two in silence, before that silence was interrupted by what sounded like a dying animal's cry.

"W-What was that sound?"

The question rose up from most of the applicants, who looked around in utter confusion. I had a faint idea of what the sound was and who it had come from, considering Buhara had placed his large hands on his equally large stomach, a slight crease on his forehead.

Menchi turned her head, smiling up at her partner. "You must be hungry."

"I'm starving..." Buhara complained, and my suspicions were proven correct.

"There you have it," Menchi stated, standing up from her seat and placing her hands on her hips. "Phase Two will involve...cooking!"

"C-cooking?"

"Wait, cooking!? We're here to take the Hunter Exam!"

This was hardly what anyone expected, and it was obvious by the dropped jaws and the complaints that came from those around me. I for one felt quite giddy about this decision, considering the chances of dying would be slimmer than running through a swamp full of things that wanted to eat me for lunch.

"That's quite right. Your challenge for the Second Phase is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate," Menchi explained.

"Why do we have to cook?!" Someone still called out, irritation lacing their tone.

'Why do you have to keep complaining?' I thought to myself, rolling my eyes heavenward.

"That's because...we are Gourmet Hunters!"

There was a short silence before laughter broke out among the applicants, the loudest and most obnoxious laugh coming from applicant #255, Todo.

"Man, what a letdown."

"They're Gourmet Hunters..."

I couldn't understand why the others were laughing, but I could understand that it was making Menchi very unhappy. Her smile was replaced quickly by a scowl, and I could feel the anger rolling off her in waves.

The laugher for the most point finally died down, and Todo the wrestler spoke up. "So, Gourmet Hunters, what are we supposed to make?"

"Buhara," Menchi called forward her companion in a tense tone of voice. Buhara stepped forward, the ground shaking under each step he took.

"The required ingredient is pork."

"Pork? As in pig meat?" An applicant called out.

'Obviously; I'm pretty sure there isn't anything else called pork that isn't made of pig.'