Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

"What are you guys doing?"

Machi was forced to take a step back by the three men's odd, synchronized stares, and she subconsciously pulled out the threads hidden in her sleeve.

"Hmm, nice weather we're having." Law was the first to react and immediately averted his gaze elsewhere.

Nobunaga turned sideways, raised his head and whistled nonchalantly to cover up his previous action. He wanted to put his hands in his pockets, only to awkwardly realize his protective suit had none.

"Machi, don't tell me you've taken a liking to this kid? I didn't expect you would be interested in such a weak guy." Uvogin did not avoid his gaze and said directly.

He stroked his chin, showing thoughtful expression that is rare for him. While he wouldn't meddle in other people's choices, he firmly believed Law wasn't worthy of Machi.

His reasoning? Law's strength was clearly inferior to Machi's, a fact that made Uvogin even consider the possibility seriously.

'That Uvogin…' Nobunaga looked at Uvogin with a sidelong glance and thought to himself, 'He is seriously looking for trouble. Things are going to get interesting if Machi snaps.'

Law stared at the big oaf and sighed in his heart, 'I hope Machi can hang you up with her threads.'

If Machi hadn't just answered Law's question with the answer 'intuition', he might've agreed with Uvogin's statement.

After all… he's quite handsome.

Perhaps sensing Law's gaze, Uvogin suddenly looked towards him, not noticing that Machi's expression had turned ugly. He shook his head and said, "This kid is completely useless."

'Useless, your ass!'

Law's face immediately turned dark, but he held back from retorting. He knew that when dealing with people like Uvogin, words were useless. Only actual actions were convincing, so he must beat Uvogin in arm wrestling.

'With the help of Aura, I should be able to defeat Uvogin.'

Bang!

At this moment, Machi suddenly kicked Uvogin on the thigh fiercely. The latter let out a muffled grunt, then reached down to rub the sore spot with a look of surprise.

"You deserve it." Nobunaga and Law curled their lips and muttered in unison.

"I don't want to waste time. Let's arm wrestle and then get to the landfill already." Machi said curtly as retracted her threads. She had no intention of offering an explanation.

"Fine by me. This kid's strength doesn't even compare to yours. I really can't muster any interest in him." Uvogin shrugged and dismissed Law entirely.

"Agreed." Nobunaga added, scratching his head. He genuinely concurred with Uvogin's assessment.

Putting aside Law's status as an outsider, strength is the defining criterion for their small group. From the start, neither Nobunaga nor Uvogin had any intention of accepting Law.

Therefore, when Machi brought Law with her, neither of them questioned it and just treated Law as if he didn't exist.

Though Nobunaga hadn't said it outright or displayed overt hostility, Law could still vaguely feel the contempt coming from Nobunaga. Unlike Uvogin, who expressed his contempt openly, Nobunaga didn't even think it worth the effort to do so.

As Law looked at the three people standing in front of him, he felt as though there's an invisible barrier separating him from them.

'So, this is Meteor City...'

'So, should you to the world, or make the world adapt to you?'

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

Law suddenly chuckled softly. Even though he was looked down upon by others, he was not angry at all.

Thanks to Machi, he had a rough understanding of Meteor City's survival rules. If he doesn't want to be looked down upon, he has to demonstrate his own value. In this case, he has to show the strength to convince Uvogin and Nobunaga so that they can change their minds.

'I won't stay in Meteor City forever. My ambition lies in the vast, limitless world, and Meteor City is just a 'novice village'. Sure, that's true, but even if it's just a transitional novice village, I can't afford to look pathetic.'

There was a gleam in Law's eyes, and he suddenly had the idea of ​​subduing Uvogin and Nobunaga so thoroughly that they would have no choice but to acknowledge him.

"Hey, big guy, are you scared?" Law suddenly directed his gaze at Uvogin with a smile on his face.

"Oh?"

Uvogin turned his head and stared at Law silently.

"It's fine. I understand." Law narrowed his eyes slightly, showing his provocation blatantly.

"Haha! Uvogin, it looks like you're being underestimated." Nobunaga suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Just for that, I've gained a bit of respect for this kid."

Uvogin didn't seem to be angry. He simply grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. He just looked at Law quietly, as if he was sizing up his prey.

Law's half-narrowed eyes slowly opened wider. Just from meeting Uvogin's gaze, he could feel an intangible pressure. Yet, strangely, his spirits lifted. He remembered that the last time he felt this way was during a rock-climbing session.

Rock climbing was one of Law's favorite extreme sports. It's dangerous, and required absolute focus, with no room for error.

Once you started the climb, there was no turning back. The only option was to persist, to face challenges head-on and conquer the seemingly insurmountable.

The key to reaching the summit wasn't just skill but also the unyielding belief in pushing forward, fighting against the urge to give up, and encouraging oneself to keep going.

"Law..." Seeing that Law actually provoked Uvogin, Machi frowned slightly. When she was about to speak, Law cut her off decisively.

"Don't say anything."

When Law said this, he didn't look at Machi, but calmly met Uvogin's gaze.

Nobunaga, who was watching the show from the side, laughed even more happily when he saw this.

Machi sighed softly and decided not to intervene. She felt that Uvogin should be more sensible than Marza. If he broke Law's arm, it wouldn't be a big deal. Machi could just take him to the church for treatment and let him recuperate for a while.

Although Law had blocked one of Marza's punches on the street earlier, Machi still didn't think Law stood a chance against Uvogin. It's because Uvogin's strength was on another.

Moreover, Machi believed that the reason why Law was able to block Malza's punch was that he must have used some means that she was not aware of.

"Follow me."

Uvogin's interest was aroused, and he started walking outside after saying that.

Law followed without hesitation. His action just now was equivalent to putting himself in the situation akin to being halfway up a sheer cliff with no safety harness. At this time, he could not give up or retreat and he could only press forward and overcome the challenge.

As for losing? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

If you start thinking about losing before the match even starts, you've already lost half the battle.

"This is going to be fun to watch." Nobunaga finally suppressed his laughter and looked at the two people walking at the front with interest.

Machi glared at him when she heard that.

"Machi, you're not seriously interested in this kid, are you?" Nobunaga lowered his voice and asked curiously.

"What do you think?" Machi responded coldly.

Nobunaga thought for a moment and said, "I think it's possible. But if you're going to brush it off with 'intuition', that's another story."

"He's special." Machi responds succinctly.

"Care to elaborate?" Nobunaga raised an eyebrow.

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

"Not even close, right?" Nobunaga was taken aback.

Machi stretched out her index finger and tapped her temples twice, then stopped talking.

Seeing this, Nobunaga was dumbfounded, 'So it's still intuition?'

The group walked over 200 meters before reaching a flat rock. The surface was about the same height as a standard table, making it the perfect spot for arm-wrestling. It had long been Uvogin's go-to location for such challenges.

Meteor City is located in a vast rocky area with rock peaks and mountains everywhere. Although there is sand on the ground, there are rock layers below two meters.

"Need some time to warm up?" Uvogin asked with a cold smirk, half-crouching in front of the rock and readying himself.

"No need."

Law walked to the other side, planted his elbow firmly on the rock, and extended his hand, his intense determination shining in his eyes.

"Nice look in your eyes."

Uvogin suddenly became interested and clasped the hand Law extended. Both men prepared themselves for the match.