Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 125 (Patreon)

Chapter 125: Withdrawal

"Ho ho..."

On the couch, Netero laughed upon receiving the message.

The report detailed Luo's actions in the first phase of the test. Normally, such reports wouldn't associate with the examinees, but Luo's act of saving others set a precedent.

Because of Luo's actions, the casualty rate of the first phase's examinees dropped to zero, thereby increasing the success rate for passing the first phase of the test.

According to the test rules set by Dafei, reaching the top counts as passing.

"No record of this person, huh..."

Netero's smile faded, and his eyes reflected deep thought.

The information provided by the Bean Man indicated that the name was Luo, but no other relevant information was available.

From this, it could be inferred that only someone from that place would have no information available at all.

Of course, with the Hunter Association's information network, it was still possible to find out about Luo's recent deeds, whether it was the incident in La Xiang City or the slums...

"Such an interesting young man, it would be a pity not to meet him."

Netero thought silently, the number of people who passed the first phase was 575, estimating that it would take six rounds of tests to finish. With Luo's capabilities, reaching the last phase should not be a problem.

Estimating the time, it would take at least half a month for the test to end, there should be enough time for a visit.

It had been five or six years since a newcomer had passed the test, but this year seemed promising.

Netero, resting his chin on his hand, quietly gazed out the window at the blue sky and white clouds, his face full of contemplation.

"Luo, huh?"

The Bean Man quietly glanced at Chairman Netero. This examinee named Luo seemed to have caught the chairman's interest, so much so that he had him specially check the information, which was rare in the past.

Because of Netero's special attention to Luo, the Bean Man also quietly took note of Luo.

....

The Hunter Association's exclusive airship was parked on Red Pudding Mountain.

The examiner for the second phase of the test was a middle-aged uncle wearing a worn straw hat, with thick eyebrows, eyes like copper bells, and a beard as dense as a thicket, named Tansen.

Upon seeing the number of people on the mountaintop, Tansen was shocked and silently sought Dafei's opinion, who could only helplessly shake his head.

Reducing the number of examinees to within three hundred in the first phase was a standard practice. If the examiner had a quirky personality, it might even reduce to single digits.

Tansen didn't immediately board all the examinees onto the airship. He observed the examinees present and noticed that almost everyone's gaze was on a black-haired youth, as if that youth was the focal point.

There were many questions that needed to be answered by Dafei, but it wasn't appropriate to ask them on the spot, and the pressing matter was to reduce the number of examinees by half again, as only three hundred sets of equipment were prepared for the second phase of the test.

"Clap clap!"

Tansen clapped his hands, making all the examinees shift their gaze towards him.

After everyone looked at him, Tansen spoke lightly, "Hello everyone, I am the examiner for the second phase of the test, you can call me Tansen. First of all, congratulations on passing the first phase of the test. Now, we will immediately start the second phase of the test, the subject is...wrestling!"

"Wrestling?"

The examinees looked at Tansen with a mix of confusion and surprise.

They didn't expect the second phase of the test to start right after the first phase had just ended, those who hadn't fully recovered their physical strength felt particularly apprehensive.

Seeing that Tansen was about to start the second phase of the test right away, Dafei said nothing and just stood by quietly to observe.

He was the examiner for the first phase of the test. Since the first phase was over, the subsequent tests had nothing to do with him, no matter how Tansen set the test rules, he had no right to interfere.

Tansen walked to an open space, drew a small circle with a diameter of two meters with his foot, and then pointed at the circle, speaking lightly, "As you can see, the test area is within this circle. The test involves two examinees wrestling inside this circle. Whoever forces the other out of the circle passes the second phase of the test."

Saying this, Tansen raised a finger and continued, "Rule 1, no killing, offenders lose their qualification."

He raised a second finger, "Rule 2, there's a 10-second time limit. If there's no result within ten seconds, both examinees lose their qualification."

He raised a

third finger, "Rule 3, any means are allowed."

He raised a fourth finger, "Rule 4, the arrangement of the combatants is such that the first to reach the top will face the last one to reach the top, the second to reach the top will face the second last, and so on."

"That's the content and rules of the second phase of the test, got it?"

Tansen pressed his thumb into his palm, extending four fingers, and looked at the many examinees present.

"I have an objection!"

At this moment, an examinee raised his hand and said.

Tansen looked towards that examinee, speaking calmly, "Let's hear it."

"The arrangement of combatants is unfair. The person who reached the top first has ample time to recover their strength, but those who reached later still haven't fully recovered their strength. It should be more fair to arrange the first against the second, the third against the fourth, and so on!"

The examinee who raised the objection was among the last group to successfully reach the top. He looked exhausted while speaking, with limp limbs and not fully recovered yet. Asking him to wrestle now would essentially mean giving up.

Hearing the examinee's objection, Tansen's mouth curved in disdain, and before he could speak, other examinees also started complaining about the unfair arrangement.

From the rule of arranging combatants, the examinees who reached later were at an absolute disadvantage, and with only a ten-second time limit for a duel, it essentially left no room for survival.

"Indeed, looking at the rules, it's quite unfair to the examinees who reached later, but...isn't the first to reach the top and the last to reach the top a direct manifestation of the difference in abilities?"

Dafei looked at the group of highly emotional examinees, mostly those who were the last to reach the top, with less than an hour's rest.

"Quite a strong opinion, huh..." Tansen scoffed disdainfully, speaking coldly, "Why can others reach the top ahead, and you can't? The rules are as such, the capable ones come first."

The group of examinees who raised objections were left speechless. The capable ones come first, it's a skill to reach the top first, and falling behind means you're less capable.

"The second phase of the test starts now, the first and the last examinee step forward." Tansen spoke emotionlessly, then glanced at Dafei, who could only smile bitterly.

This was for him to determine the order, to prevent any examinee from trying to muddle through.

The first to reach the top was a strongly built man with a buzz cut and handsome features.

Being the first to reach the top indirectly indicated his capabilities. In fact, the man knew Nen, but from the stability of his Ten, his level wasn't high.

The last to reach the top was Luo.

Both of them stepped forward, facing Tansen.

From a physical standpoint, the buzz-cut man had an absolute advantage, while Luo was at an absolute disadvantage.

Tansen didn't care about that and said, "Enter the circle, and then start on my signal."

The buzz-cut man didn't immediately step into the circle but looked at Luo, speaking solemnly, "I respect you, even if I lose to you, I accept it, I hope you can get the Hunter License."

Luo had saved so many people below, the buzz-cut man was well aware of this. This was the reason he respected Luo, and also because, from a strength perspective, he felt he had no chance of winning against Luo.

But even with a slim chance of winning, the buzz-cut man didn't want to give up without even trying.

The rules of the second phase of the test indeed gave an absolute advantage to those who reached the top first, but with Luo being the last one to reach the top, the rule became a nightmare for the first one to reach the top.

"Uh..."

Hearing the buzz-cut man's words, Luo was already inside the circle, scratching his cheek, not knowing how to respond.

Tansen watched this scene with a hint of confusion in his eyes, while Dafei felt pity for the first one to reach the top. The rule was in his favor, yet he had to face Luo.

The surrounding examinees held their breath, watching the first wrestling duel unfold. Most of them had been saved by Luo, so they all hoped Luo would win.

"Aren't you coming in?" Luo looked at the buzz-cut man standing outside the circle, asking.

The buzz-cut man didn't speak, silently stepping into the circle, his face solemn as he took a ready stance.

As soon as both were in position, Tansen immediately shouted, "Start."

As soon as he spoke, the buzz-cut man was about to make his move when he saw Luo step back, voluntarily exiting the circle, leaving him dumbfounded.

Not just the buzz-cut man, but

the surrounding examinees watching the match, including Dafei, were all dumbfounded.

"Examiner, stepping out of the circle counts as a loss, right?" Luo looked at Tansen, asking seriously.

Most of the examinees present had been saved by him, saving them again wouldn't add to his page count, so to speak. There was no need for him to continue playing along, only by withdrawing from the test could he go in search of Grade B ingredients.

Tansen was somewhat surprised but still nodded, announcing, "Examinee number 217 wins."

Dafei's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He really wanted to run over and grab Luo by the collar, asking why he had to do this.

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