Trigger X Collect

Hm?!

Had another evolution restriction been triggered so soon?

Noticing the panel, Baishi hurriedly looked at the evolution requirements in surprise.

[Talisman Wheel (black iron)]

[Evolution restriction 1: use Advent Emulation on one Enhancement Nen Ability Talisman (0/1)]

[Evolution restriction 2: raise the proficiency of any three Advent Emulation Talismans to mastery level (0/3)]

[Evolution restriction 3: collect ten kilograms of copper-based metal (0/10)]

[Note: once all evolution restrictions are fulfilled, the Talisman Wheel can evolve from black iron to bronze, and a corresponding number of sockets will be unsealed...]

[Note: the copper-based metal collected can vary, and the material of the evolved wheel will depend on the metal...]

Hmm~

A specific Advent Emulation Talisman, proficiency requirements, and the collection of evolution materials...

Seeing this, Baishi rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

So the more the wheel evolves, the more the difficulty of evolving it will multiply. But since the wheel's material improves according to the copper-based metal collected, there's a lot more room to work with...

Come to think of it, besides brass and bronze, what other copper-based metals are there?

He really didn't know much about that. At most, he had heard a few rumors about things like Shoushan copper from the ancient history of his original world.

Once the Hunter Exam is over, I'll gather some information...

Baishi put away the conjured wheel, drew in the Nen Aura around his body, and closed all his Aura Nodes once more.

His potential Aura couldn't possibly have fully recovered in such a short time. He had only wanted to experience the boost from the Scarlet Eyes just now.

With the first half of the test still ongoing, he needed to get back to peak condition as quickly as possible, in case something unexpected happened that he couldn't handle.

Baishi closed his eyes and rested, recovering his Nen Aura.

The minutes and seconds flew by.

Gradually, the test at the warehouse entrance also drew to a close.

Clang-

The clear ring of a gong echoed in all directions.

Huh!

A copper sound?

Realizing it was the signal that the test had ended, Baishi snapped his eyes open, a glimmer flashing briefly in them.

Aren't gongs usually made of brass?

At the thought, Baishi sprang to his feet, grabbed his black cane, and hurried toward the warehouse. Just as he emerged from the forest, he heard Menchi, standing beside the gong's wooden frame with the mallet in hand, announce that the first half of the test was over.

Yet all the applicants present were already rooted to the spot in shock.

Beside Buhara, whose face was full of satisfaction and whose belly had swollen like a drum, stood a mountain-like pile of white pig bones. A single glance was enough to make people swallow involuntarily.

Tap!

"Is this that Nen Ability Baishi was talking about too?"

Deeply astonished, Gon asked enviously in a low voice beside Killua and the others.

"..."

Kurapika and the others looked at one another in disbelief, at a loss for words.

After all, they had never even imagined it was possible to eat the meat of dozens of pigs, each nearly as big as the eater himself.

Yet now, it had actually happened right before their eyes.

What else could explain it but Nen...?

Tap, tap, tap!

At their side, Baishi, leaning on his cane, had appeared beside Gon and the others at some point, silently and with barely any presence.

"Huh?! Baishi, when did you get back?"

Leorio happened to catch sight of Baishi and, as if startled, jerked sharply to the side.

"Why are you like a ghost? You didn't make a sound!"

"Baishi..." x3

Three distinct voices rang out at once.

Gon and the others, who hadn't noticed Baishi until Leorio called attention to him, immediately crowded around with different expressions. Kurapika in particular stared at Baishi with an unrestrained, burning gaze, driven by his intense desire for power.

"...Keep it down."

Baishi held a finger lightly to his lips, signaling for them to be quiet, then chatted on and off with the four of them. From time to time, he tried to draw out a new weighting task, and occasionally asked about details of what had happened during the test.

At the warehouse entrance.

Beside the gong, Menchi, looking languid, couldn't help rolling her eyes. She looked at the thoroughly satisfied Buhara and snapped, "The Examining Committee sent you here to be an examiner, not a pet that eats whatever it can find!"

Hee hee hee~

"Don't worry about it so much, Menchi." Buhara patted his well-filled belly and grinned sheepishly. "The number of applicants went down, didn't it? That means there was nothing wrong with my test..."

Tsk!

"How can a Gourmet Hunter be so careless about food?" Menchi curled her lip. "Forget it. Let me show you my standards for judging..."

With that, she struck the copper gong hanging from the frame again.

Clang-

The clear ring spread into the distance, drawing everyone's attention.

Baishi, who had already been eyeing the gong, took a closer look and felt a little disappointed. It was clearly only a medium-sized gong, weighing no more than five kilograms.

Leaving aside its insufficient weight, if he used it to forge the wheel, would the wheel also produce a clear, resounding echo when struck?

"The first half of the test is over!"

Buhara slowly rose to his feet and looked down at everyone present like a little giant as he announced the results.

"The number who passed the roast whole pig test... sixty-six!"

The moment he said that,

wails erupted all around.

In particular, the applicants who, while hunting and roasting their food, had failed to get into the queue because of trouble with the hunt or because they had roasted it too slowly could only walk dejectedly to the designated area for those eliminated and wait to leave.

The sixty-six who had passed remained where they were, wearing various expressions as they watched Menchi and waited for the second half of the test to begin.

The two groups stood in stark contrast.

Satotz, the examiner for the first phase, was hidden in the shadows among the treetops. Upon hearing the results, his normally unchanging expression showed a trace of surprise.

"Sixty-six passed... Aren't Gourmet Hunters supposed to be picky?"

His curled mustache twitched as he cast a meaningful glance at Baishi, whose presence in the crowd was almost imperceptible. Then he turned his gaze to Menchi, recalling the information on this examiner.

As one of the world's handful of top chefs, she had an extremely discerning palate.

She also had extraordinary culinary talent and an endless, intense curiosity about ingredients. At just twenty-one, she had been promoted to a one-star Gourmet Hunter for her contributions to food culture...

"Ho ho ho... Compared to that big eater, she's the picky one!"

"The applicants this year are quite good. If she wipes them all out, even the chairman will have quite a headache, won't he?"

"Looks like I need to notify the Examining Committee in advance..."