Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The overall Awakening Rate increased by 0.2%, and the amount of Aura in his body also increased slightly, making the average Awakening Rate of all the six Nen Categories become 5%.

This value is the result of Law's four months of hard training. Of course, the improvement from intense training alone accounted for less than 1%, and the majority came from absorbing Nen inside ancient relics.

This sudden change startled Law slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

The white smoke text has appeared in his mindscape for several months, and it is still full of mystery. This time, while having an expensive lunch, he accidentally discovered another function of it.

'Enhancing strength through food… That means I have another way to become stronger now.'

'This white liver…'

Law quickly finished the palm-sized white liver, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then began to read the introduction about porpoise liver.

Spiny Sea Pork Liver: Known as one of the Deep Sea Delicacies, this liver comes from the Spiny Sea Pork, which inhabits waters 2,000 meters deep. The creature is 10 feet long, covered in 4-foot-long sharp spines, and contains venom glands in its body. Improper removal of these glans can cause them to rupture, rendering the entire body highly poisonous in an instant.

Perfect extraction of the toxic sacs is key to obtaining the liver.

Because spiny sea pork lives in deep sea areas all year round, even experienced Sea Hunters find it difficult to catch them, and the acquisition difficulty is rated at C-level.

'C-level? That's fairly high difficulty. Yet, it can be purchased with money.'

'If food at this level can improve my strength, they will be faster and more effective than antiques… as long as I have enough money.'

Law thought silently. The taste of the sauce still filled his mouth and took a long time to dissipate.

At the dinner table, Barney and Ellie looked very indifferent after eating the liver. Perhaps it was because they had eaten too many exquisite dishes, a delicacy like white liver could not evoke much reaction in them.

Their indifferent reaction highlighted the ugly eating habits of Kuri and the others. They did not stop after eating the liver, but licked the sauce clean and even did not spare the garnishing vegetables and flowers.

Watching their antics, Law pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away.

Before the third dish was served, a semi-transparent drink was brought to the table.

Law raised his glass and took a sip. The taste was relatively light, with a hint of bitterness. But after just a few sips, the lingering flavor of the sauce in his mouth vanished entirely.

Soon, the third dish was served, which was a piece of steak that was a little bigger than the liver.

The ingredients are taken from the Horned Cattle that live in mountains over 1,500 meters above sea level. The piece on the plate was the most prized part of the Horned Cattle.

After eating the steak, Law noticed another 0.1% increase across all six Nen Categories.

He slowly put down his knife and fork, took a deep breath, and felt an indescribable sense of contentment in his heart.

'Thank God for allowing me to come into this world.'

The lunch concluded, but because the portions were small, Law and the others were still somewhat hungry.

Barney lacked any concern for such details. Seeing that it was almost 1 PM, he ordered Kenda to take Law and the others away.

Kenda took the order, and when Law and the others stood up and prepared to leave, Ellie suddenly pointed at Law and asked, "Hey, what's your name?"

Barney glanced at Ellie, then looked at Law calmly.

"Law."

Law turned his head slightly to look at Ellie.

"What's your last name?" Ellie asked.

"I don't have one." Law replied indifferently.

Ellie didn't believe it and wanted to continue asking, but Barney interrupted her and said to Kenda: "Take them downstairs."

Law didn't want to get too entangled with this inexplicable girl, so he followed Kenda without saying a word, and Kuri and the others didn't stop either. Although the lunch was delicious, it was quite uncomfortable to stay here.

After the group left the room, Ellie looked at her father angrily.

"Your curiosity shouldn't be focused on him." Barney said and patted Ellie's head.

"But I want to know." Ellie retorted defiantly.

Barney smiled bitterly and said, "Go back to your room."

Ellie snorted coldly, then turned around and walked away towards her quarters.

After watching Ellie leave, Barney walked to the sofa in the living room and sat down, looking at the tarmac outside the window with a calm face.

He made too many enemies, so he had to keep his daughter with him wherever he went.

For someone like him, who had chosen such a path, starting a family was a mistake, as that will only create a weakness that is difficult to avoid.

But if one insisted on having a family, that weakness would also become their most precious treasure.

"You're becoming more brazen... all of you..."

"When this trip to Yorknew is over..."

Barney's eyes grew cold as he recalled the recent alliance of enemies that had launched an assault, costing him many subordinates. If not for that, he wouldn't have needed to recruit people from Meteor City.

After all, he brought these five people with decent strength from Meteor City are just a form of insurance.

It was almost 1 PM, with only thirty minutes remained before takeoff.

Law had a very satisfying lunch. Not only did he enjoyed flavors he had never experienced, he also improved the Awakening Rates of six Categories by 0.3%, which is equivalent to the result of a month of hard training.

There is a huge difference between gaining strength by eating one meal and training hard for a month. The former is ridiculously easy, while the latter required relentless effort.

Kenda led everyone into an adjacent room, where a bald, eyebrowless burly man wearing a black suit was waiting for them.

Seeing this burly man, Law's eyes changed slightly.

'He's strong.'

This was his immediate judgment. While it might not have been perfectly accurate, it wouldn't have been far off.

The others made the same judgment as Law.

"How is the 'screening' going?" Kenda asked the bald, eyebrowless burly man.

"Everything is normal at the moment." The eyebrowless burly man replied in a deep voice.

Kenda nodded slightly and said calmly: "I'll leave these five people to you."

"Understood."

The eyebrowless burly man responded curtly, then turned to the group and said in a commanding tone: "I know your names, so there's no need for introductions. You can call me Team Leader."

"The airship will take off at two PM and will arrive at the destination around 7 PM the day after tomorrow. During this time, each of you will guard a designated area."

"As for the mission details and requirements, Kenda has already briefed you."

"I only have one demand, better safe than sorry."

"Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded in silence to show that they understood.

The team leader then took out five pieces of paper and handed them to Law and the others. They were the schematic of the airship's layout.

After getting it, they studied it carefully.

The team leader said, "There are two direct elevators and three staircases. You can choose one to guard."

The room where Barney is located is at the very end of the airship, occupying an independent space.

There are two corridors outside his room, each with an elevator positioned roughly in the middle. These two areas are the easiest to defend.

Without hesitation, the spiky-haired man and the horse-faced man directly asked for the elevator area.

Law and the other two had no objection to this.

The two elevators were situated in the outermost corridors, while the three staircases were located in the central areas of the airship, spread between the recreational and guest quarters, where foot traffic was heaviest.

Law chose the staircase at the junction of the staff work area and the recreational zone, while Vogt and Kuri each selected staircases between the recreational and guest areas.

Given that the protection target was at the rear of the ship, this positioning offered a defensive advantage. As long as the direct pathways were guarded, the area could be secured effectively.

After assigning the posts, the team leader gave a few brief instructions and let Law and the others go to the areas they had chosen.

Law arrived at his chosen location alone, which is a T-shaped intersection. The staircase descended below, the left corridor led to the staff work area, and the right corridor headed to the recreational zone.

'They've got us guarding entry points before boarding even begins. Is this a chance to screen passengers early...'

'However, judging from the bald man's attitude, guarding these five entrances may not be important.'

'From the 'screening' they just discussed, there must be other precautions that we are not aware of.'

'They will never let any outsider enter the 300 square meters outside of that room.'

'In other words, our escort mission is secondary and hardly worth of their attention.'

'Still, the 'better safe than sorry' directive is just to put Kuri and the others at ease...'

Law leaned against the stairs and sighed softly.

The boarding time has arrived and people began boarding the airship one after another.

'How many assassins would be among these hundreds of passengers?'

'The second floor is the VIP area, so there will be fewer people. Assassins usually sneak into the first floor first and then look for opportunities.'

After boarding was complete, the airship took off.

Everything remained calm until close to 9 PM.

Law had scrutinized 45 people but made no moves. Among them were 18 ship staff members, which crossed his path at least 24 times back and forth.

But at this moment, Law smelled a very faint smell of blood coming from the corridor leading to the staff area on the left.

Law turned his head slightly and saw two people, a man and a woman, wearing staff uniforms and caps.

Law had seen these two people 10 times, as they had traveled back and forth 5 times.

But this time... the scent of blood accompanied them.