Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Underestimating an opponent can often sow the seeds of disaster.

What you hear is not as good as what you see.

Because of watching and coming into contact with him, Cook believed that Law posed no threat.

He had observed the clumsy, error-ridden punches, the unstable and inexperienced Ten, and the unnecessary movements revealed during his movement.

Every observation reinforced a single fact in Cook's mind: Law is just a novice who had only recently begun to grasp Nen.

"I'll kill you!"

With a powerful push off the ground, Cook's figure blurred into a shadow, and he rushed towards Law while leaving a trail of dust behind him.

'I can't fight him in close combat. First, I need to confirm if his attacks are entirely fixated on precision!'

Against Cook's Nen Ability, the defense formed by Law's Aura can only become a decoration. In addition, he has no real combat experience to rely on. As long as Cook gets close to him, the worst result will be that he will be killed in three strikes.

He stared intently at Cook, who was rushing towards him, facing the figure full of killing intent head-on. He did not feel fear or nervousness, but was able to think about the problem very calmly.

Whoosh!

The short, sharp scalpel stabbed towards Law's carotid artery once again.

A hint of understanding flashed in the depths of Law's eyes. He sidestepped to dodge again, but failed to completely avoid the scalpel, so a shallow wound was created on the left side of his neck.

Then, Law turned sideways and took a short leap backward. During this process, his eyes moved several times and he glanced around quickly.

After spotting what he needed, he gathered his Aura at the soles of his feet and released it slightly, then hopped around like a rabbit to change his position.

Law knew his experience in close combat was too shallow. Once he was entangled by Cook in a close combat, the continuous stabbing of the scalpel would definitely make him overwhelmed. In the end, he would definitely lose his rhythm and have his carotid artery cut by Cook.

'The outcome must be decided within five exchanges. The longer I drag it out, the more disadvantageous it will be for me.'

Law understood this clearly. So, every time he dodged an attack, he immediately created some distance, all while laying the groundwork for a decisive moment in their next exchange.

However, Cook no longer intended to play around. When his strike missed again, he suddenly pivoted on his ankle with explosive force!

Boom!

He rushed towards the retreating Law in an instant. The scalpel with a cold glow was still aiming at the carotid artery in Law's neck.

Law's eyes narrowed slightly. He barely reacted, and twisted his body to avoid the strike.

Splat!

A thin spray of blood arced through the air.

Cook's scalpel left another shallow wound on Law's neck, but this time, he did not give Law a chance to distance himself, but directly pressed forward, closing the gap to within a single stride.

'This is it!'

Law's expression betrayed no hint of his thoughts. He quickly took several steps back, looking as if he was being forced to retreat.

At the same time, Cook took several steps forward and slashed the scalpel in his hand across Law's neck, drawing a crescent-shaped streak of light in the air.

'At this time, I should be afraid.'

Then, Law's face contorted with apparent terror.

In order to avoid the slash, Law took another step back, and as if unconsciously, his heel touched a not-so-big stone, which was enough to make him slightly lose his balance.

The sudden stumble threw him off balance, with his upper body tipping backward. His right foot scrambled to steady itself but landed awkwardly, causing him to sway precariously to one side.

'Bingo!'

After seeing Law make an incredibly foolish mistake, a creepy smile instantly appeared on Cook's face, and he had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.

His target was still Law's carotid artery. The scalpel darted forward like a flash of lightning in a precise, short-range thrust!

Cook is very strong, and compared to Law, he is indisputably strong.

The obsessive scalpel that always targets the carotid artery is both ruthless and accurate. But, precisely because it is so accurate that created an opening for Law to exploit.

As the cold gleam of the blade drew near Law executed a deliberate move he had prepared for. He leaned back, letting his upper body fall entirely toward the ground.

After seeing Law's actions, Cook's eyes widened in surprise. In the moment when he couldn't retract his action at all, a chill passed through his skin like lightning, causing goosebumps.

Because Law leaned back, the scalpel would miss the target again, but it did not. Instead, a hand that was enveloped by a transparent sphere of Nen intercepted the path of the scalpel.

That is Law's left hand, and the white transparent sphere is Law's Nen Ability.

This was a calculated gamble that involved his life. Even with his body off balance, Law managed to complete the final step!

His left hand controlling the transparent sphere grasped Cook's right hand holding the scalpel, and the sharp blade of the scalpel slipped harmlessly between Law's spread index and middle fingers.

At the same time, Law's other right hand also condensed a transparent sphere and struck Cook squarely in the chest, directly over his heart.

With those actions complete, Law collapsed stiffly to the ground like a toppled pole. Meanwhile, Cook, caught off guard, stumbled over Law's legs and was flung forward. After skidding less than one meter, he forcibly adjusted his body and barely maintained his balance before landing.

What unfolded next was very strange. Law's left hand was clearly holding Cook's scalpel-holding hand, but Cook passed Law unhindered, then landed and slid a short distance without any signs of resistance.

The reason for this phenomenon is that Cook's entire right palm, which is holding the scalpel, is now in Law's hand, and of course, there is another more important organ in Law's hand.

Law, who is lying on the ground, stretched out his hands in front of his eyes, only to see a beating bright red heart on his right hand and a severed hand holding a silver scalpel on his left hand.

"This... is my Nen Ability."

Law murmured as he slowly stood up.

He used his left hand to hold Cook's right hand holding the scalpel, and Cook's entire right palm was separated.

He also tapped Cook's chest with his right hand where his heart was, and a vibrant, bright red heart was extracted.

Despite the grotesque nature of the scene, Law wasn't surprised, because it was exactly what he had imagined.

In terms of will alone, Law's initial desire was to 'strip' Cook's right palm and heart, just like he 'strip' Machi's clothes that night.

However, judging from the current situation, although the transparent sphere formed by his Nen has indeed achieved this, it is essentially different.

First of all, Cook's heart had left the body, but it was still beating energetically, and not a drop of blood was shed. The cross-section of the other severed wrist was unnaturally smooth, with not a drop of blood spilled too.

This is the fundamental anomaly that gave the scene its eerie quality.

A heart separated from the body should not beat so vigorously, nor should it be without any blood.

Law was a little confused, but there was no time to think about it. He just held Cook's right palm and heart, stared at Cook, who has his back to him, with a cold face, and waited for the result.

Cook just stood there quietly, not moving at all.

The incredible scene before him almost made his thoughts stop, and he even forgot to turn around and continue attacking Law.

"My right hand... My heart... They're gone?"

Cook seemed like a broken machine, muttering to himself: "Then I should be dead, right? And... why doesn't it hurt?"

As he spoke, he slowly turned around. Then, he saw the beating heart in Law's right hand, and a look of fear appeared on his face.

"You... what did you do?"

Law raised both arms like a set of scales, holding the hand and heart aloft. He looked at Cook's expression and said coldly, "You can feel fear too, right?"