Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 11 (Patreon)

Chapter 11: Intuition

"What are you all doing?"

Machi took a step back under the uniform and strange gaze of the three men, instinctively pulling out the thin wire hidden in her sleeve.

"Ah, the weather is really nice," Luo was the first to recover, immediately looking elsewhere.

Nobunaga, on the other hand, turned away and whistled upwards, attempting to mask his earlier action. He tried to put his hands in his pockets, only to awkwardly realize his protective suit had none.

"Machi, don't tell me you're interested in this kid? I didn't expect you to be interested in someone so weak," Uvogin didn't avert his gaze. He stroked his chin, pondering the possibility. Though he wouldn't interfere with others' decisions, he thought Luo wasn't worthy of Machi.

The reason being Luo's strength was inferior to Machi's, probably why Uvogin was willing to consider it.

"This guy, Uvogin," Nobunaga thought to himself with a sidelong glance at Uvogin. "He's seriously picking a fight. Wait until Machi gets angry; that'll be interesting."

Luo stared at Uvogin, the big oaf, wishing internally, "I hope Machi hangs you up with her wires."

If not for Machi's answer of "intuition" to Luo's question, he might have agreed with Uvogin.

After all... I am handsome, am I not?

Perhaps sensing Luo's gaze, Uvogin suddenly looked back at Luo, completely missing Machi's grim expression. Shaking his head, he said, "This kid is no good."

No good your grandpa!

Luo's face darkened instantly, though he didn't retort verbally. He knew that words were useless against someone like Uvogin; only action would be convincing. Hence, he was determined to win the arm-wrestling match against Uvogin.

With the help of 'nen,' he should be able to surpass Uvogin, right?

Bang!

Suddenly, Machi kicked Uvogin's thigh, causing him to grunt and rub the spot, looking surprised.

"Serves you right," Nobunaga and Luo muttered.

"I don't want to waste time. Let's finish arm wrestling and head to the Junkyard," Machi retracted her wire, lacking even the intent to explain.

"Fine. This kid's strength is even inferior to yours; I'm not the least bit interested in him," Uvogin shrugged, completely disregarding Luo's presence.

"Agreed," Nobunaga scratched his head, genuinely agreeing with Uvogin's statement.

Disregarding the outsider status, strength is the criteria for their small group. From the beginning, Nobunaga and Uvogin had no intention of accepting Luo.

So, when Machi brought Luo along, Nobunaga and Uvogin didn't even bother to inquire, treating him as air.

Though Nobunaga didn't say it outright or show explicit aloofness, Luo could faintly feel the contempt from Nobunaga. Unlike Uvogin's direct contempt, Nobunaga didn't even bother to show his disdain.

Looking at the three standing together, Luo felt as if an invisible barrier separated them.

So, this is Meteor Street...

Then, is it about adapting to the world, or making the world adapt to oneself?

The answer is, of course... the latter!

Luo suddenly smiled lightly, not feeling the slightest bit angry despite being looked down upon.

He had roughly grasped the survival rules of Meteor Street from Machi. To not be looked down upon, one must display their value. In this case, it meant showing the strength that would convince Uvogin and Nobunaga and change their views.

"I can't stay in Meteor Street forever. My ambition lies in the vast world, and Meteor Street is just a 'newbie village.' Well, even if it's just a transitional newbie village, I... can't afford to be too shabby."

Luo's eyes sparkled slightly as he suddenly harbored the idea of putting Uvogin and Nobunaga in their places.

"Hey, big guy, are you scared?" he suddenly focused on Uvogin with a smile.

"Oh?"

Uvogin turned his head, quietly observing Luo.

"No worries, I can understand," Luo's eyes narrowed slightly, his provocative intent unmistakable.

"Haha, Uvogin, seems like you're being looked down upon," Nobunaga suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "Just for that, I've changed my view of this kid."

Uvogin wasn't annoyed but merely grinned, showing his teeth and quietly watching Luo as if sizing up prey.

Luo's eyes, slightly squinted, slowly opened. Just from the eye contact,

 he felt an invisible pressure, yet... his mood inexplicably soared. The last time he felt this way was during rock climbing.

Rock climbing, a dangerous extreme sport, is also one of Luo's hobbies.

Without any safety measures, once climbing begins, there's no going back. Only by persistently facing challenges and climbing higher can one overcome the dangers.

Facing difficulties, overcoming the urge to give up, and constantly reminding and encouraging oneself to push forward is one of the keys to reaching the summit.

"Luo..." Machi was about to speak when Luo interrupted her decisively.

"Don't speak."

Luo didn't look at Machi when he said this but calmly met Uvogin's gaze.

Nobunaga, watching from the sidelines, laughed even more joyously.

Machi sighed softly, deciding not to intervene. She figured Uvogin would have more sense than Marza. If Luo's arm got broken, it would be okay; he could be treated at the church, and a period of recovery wouldn't be a big deal.

Although Luo had blocked one of Marza's punches on the street, Machi still didn't think Luo had the capacity to compete with Uvogin because Uvogin's strength was too great. Moreover, Machi believed Luo's ability to block Marza's punch must have involved some unknown technique on his part.

"Come with me."

Uvogin's interest was piqued, and he walked outside after dropping a line.

Luo followed. His actions had placed him in a situation akin to mid-climb rock climbing without safety measures. At this point, there was no giving up or turning back, only facing the challenge head-on.

As for losing, it hadn't even crossed his mind.

If one starts thinking about losing before a contest even begins, the chances of winning are already halved.

"There's a good show coming up." Nobunaga finally managed to suppress his laughter, looking forward to the showdown between the two.

Machi shot him a glare.

"Machi, you're not seriously into this kid, are you?" Nobunaga whispered, curious as a child.

"What do you think?" Machi responded coolly.

Nobunaga pondered and then said, "I think it's possible. But if you're going to use 'intuition' as an excuse, that's another matter."

"He's special," Machi stated.

"Keep it simple," Nobunaga raised an eyebrow.

Machi thought for a moment and then said, "Like Chrollo."

"Not at all, right?" Nobunaga was taken aback.

Machi pointed at her temple twice and then fell silent.

Nobunaga was dumbfounded. In the end, it was still intuition!

The group walked a couple hundred meters to a flat rock that stood as high as a regular table, a spot where Uvogin and the others usually arm-wrestled.

The land of Meteor Street was a vast rocky area, dotted with rocky hills. Though there was sand on the ground, rock layers lay just two meters below.

"Do you need some time to warm up?" Uvogin sneered, squatting in front of the rock, ready.

"No need."

Luo approached from the other side, elbow on the rock, his desire to win clearly visible in his eyes.

"Nice gaze."

Uvogin became interested, clasping the hand Luo extended, both ready for the challenge.

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