Ultimate X Pleasure

Ding!

[Temporary Weighting Task triggered!]

[Temporary Weighting Task: Demonstrate or teach Leorio how to prepare sushi ranging from passable to delicious. Depending on the finished dish, Advent Emulation uses of varying quality can be obtained...]

[Restriction - Forced Equivalence: To be determined]

Huh?

It actually triggered here?

Baishi slowed for a moment and glanced sideways at Leorio.

All four were members of the protagonist group, and the other three had already triggered their weighting tasks. Leorio's was the only one that hadn't shown any signs of appearing, and it turned out to be over such a trivial matter.

Was there water in his brain?

Even without guessing, he knew that the weighting restriction's equivalence for a small task like this couldn't be very high!

Uh...

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

A little uncomfortable under Baishi's glance, Leorio rubbed the side of his nose and drew his head back.

"It's fine if you don't agree. I just mentioned it in passing..."

"Sure!"

Shaking his head with an amused smile, Baishi felt the moisture in the air growing heavier and quickened his pace. Without looking back, he said with a smile, "But none of you should pin your hopes on me..."

"I'm just a humble information broker, not a top chef with superb cooking skills! I'll demonstrate the preparation method without holding anything back once we get back. As for whether you can learn it or make it taste good..."

Clap, clap, clap!

"You don't need to worry about the rest!" Leorio thumped his chest hard and declared loudly, "Once we catch the fish, I'll present the most delicious sushi to Lord Baishi!"

"Leorio!!!" x3

Gon, Kurapika, and Killua all glared at him.

Smack!

What an unreliable guy!

Baishi slapped his forehead, at a loss for words.

The next moment!

Fish? Fish? Fish? Fish? Fish?!

The examinees who had been following behind with their ears pricked, watching and eavesdropping, were overjoyed. They darted out of the bushes where they had hidden and raced toward the distant sound of rushing water.

"Hey! Thanks, big guy!"

"Hahahahaha! You're so tall, and sure enough, you don't have much of a brain..."

"Quick, quick, quick! Sushi has something to do with fish. We have to catch some and get back quickly!"

"That female examiner is so petite, she definitely can't eat much..."

"..."

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!

"Damn it!"

Leorio finally realized what had happened and chased after them, gnashing his teeth.

"You were eavesdropping! A bunch of despicable scoundrels!!"

Seeing this, Gon and the others helplessly held their foreheads and followed.

Baishi, however, didn't seem as anxious. He still remembered, more or less, how particular Menchi had been about her food in the original work.

If she didn't get a dish that satisfied her palate, passing was nothing but wishful thinking!

Even Baishi himself wasn't completely confident he could pass, unless Menchi made it once from start to finish in front of him.

With the complementary effects of Dynamic Simulation and Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory, he might have no trouble matching Menchi's skill after spending some time simulating it.

As for now...

Recalling everyone's cooking in the original work, Baishi shook his head. He had no memory of the preparation process, so there was no need to dwell on it!

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Emerging from the jungle path, Baishi looked ahead in surprise.

The river rushed along at a tremendous speed, and both banks near it were unusually open. Even from a distance, he could see strangely shaped fish occasionally leaping out of the water and disappearing again.

The examinees who had arrived first were scattered along the river. Most of those who were good swimmers had already jumped in, eager to catch fish, while the few who couldn't swim were looking for suitable materials to make fishing gear themselves.

Oh my~

"My, it's lively here!"

A slightly effeminate voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, and Baishi's pupils contracted sharply. Hisoka, who had appeared beside him at some unknown point and was now only inches away, narrowed his slender eyes and looked Baishi up and down with interest.

"With Zetsu at that level, if I hadn't been keeping an eye on you, I really might have overlooked you without realizing it."

"If I'm sensing it correctly, you haven't been awakened for long, have you? When did you start learning? Why did you choose to awaken after the first test ended?"

"And who forcibly awakened you?"

His words seemed to carry a strong hint of something unusual.

Yet they made the hairs on Baishi's body stand on end, because an extremely twisted killing intent had already enveloped him. It was like countless invisible blades, constantly tormenting him as though cutting him to death piece by piece.

Boom-hiss!

Under the intense stimulation, Baishi's closed Aura Nodes burst open throughout his body. His cold eyes met Hisoka's delighted gaze as the Nen Aura surging from his Aura Nodes forcibly drove the bone-chilling killing intent two meters away!

"I know what you want!"

His gaze turned icy as he stared at Hisoka. Then, changing tack, Baishi smiled faintly and said, "An evenly matched opponent isn't easy to find. Even if you attack me now, you'll only be defeating a boring weakling!"

"Give me some time to grow, and perhaps at some point in the future, I can give you an 'unexpected' surprise!"

"Oh my~ You seem to know me very well, don't you?"

All of a sudden, the killing intent that had been forced two meters away expanded with a boom like blazing fuel, forcibly squeezing the Ren Baishi had released in response back against his body.

"Oh my~~ With Nen Aura at such a low level, you can't arouse even the slightest interest in me."

Seeing no change in Baishi's expression, Hisoka looked even more delighted. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, then gently stroked a slender finger across Baishi's neck. His words carried a faint killing intent.

"You know me so well... You should understand that I'm always very picky. Fruit that isn't up to standard is of no use to me at all."

"To become fruit that's up to standard, you still need to undergo a proper test. How about this... Just like those little ones, I'll make one 'gentle' move against you in a later test..."

"Don't blame me if you die~~"

With that, Hisoka chuckled and turned to leave, looking delighted.

"Actually... the process of fighting and killing unripe fruit also gives me particular pleasure~~~"

Tap, tap, tap~

"..."

Before that, however, Baishi's expression had remained unchanged. He had seemed to be staring at Hisoka's retreating back, but through their contact, he had long since focused his attention on Hisoka's analysis panel.

Ding!

[Subject of analysis: Hisoka]

[Nen type: Transmutation]

[Nen Abilities: Bungee Gum (purple), Texture Surprise (blue/purple)]

[Analyzed talents: Card Magic (green), Combat Deceiver (blue), Flexible Body (blue), Ultimate Pleasure (purple)]

[Card Magic (green): Masterful card manipulation skills and his most frequently used magical killing method. He can use Nen Aura to turn ordinary playing cards into deadly magic tricks with tremendous cutting power at any time...]

[Combat Deceiver (blue): Instinctively uses lies, feints, psychological manipulation, and environmental setups in battle, and can accurately predict and manipulate opponents' psychology and patterns of action...]

[Flexible Body (blue): Possesses exceptional control over muscles, joints, and even internal organs. Can perform flexible movements that defy human biomechanics at any time, and can disguise his build and control injuries to a certain extent...]

[Ultimate Pleasure (purple): Gains ultimate pleasure and excitement from finding, nurturing, fighting, and killing them. These extreme emotions can be converted into the creativity to break past limits in the heat of the moment, a tenacious fighting spirit, and a terrifying drive to recover...]

[Bungee Gum (purple): Can change Aura into a special Nen that possesses both the extreme elasticity of rubber and the powerful stickiness of chewing gum. It can adhere to objects and space, allowing remote manipulation within ten meters, binding and pulling, high-speed launching, cushioning impacts, precise manipulation...]

[Texture Surprise (blue/purple): Transmuted Aura can cover an object's surface, perfectly replicating its texture, color, feel, and smell to create a disguise so convincing that the fake can be mistaken for the real thing...]

[Advent Emulation uses: 1 purple]

[Use Advent Emulation on Talisman?]