Chapter 28: Entering the World of Hunter x Hunter
The three-way cooking showdown came to a close, and the Polar Star Dormitory's welcome party officially ended.
Everyone dispersed and returned to their rooms to rest.
As for the messy room, Zenji Marui naturally had to clean it up all by himself.
However, early the next morning, when the sleepy-eyed residents arrived at the Polar Star Dormitory's dining hall for breakfast, they found Soma Yukihira sitting upright inside, looking as if he were bracing for a major battle.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, completely clueless as to what Soma was trying to pull so early in the day.
"Yesterday's showdown hasn't been decided yet!" Soma stared intently at Satoshi Isshiki, his tone solemn. "Let's wager your seat in the Elite Ten and settle this once and for all, Isshiki-senpai!"
Ray let out a bored yawn, then slowly walked over, patted Soma on the shoulder, and spoke with earnest gravity. "Soma, you really need to take a good look at Totsuki Academy's rules."
With that, he turned and walked to the dining table, finding a seat.
The others also lost interest at this point, lazily taking their seats around the table, clearly unbothered by what was about to unfold.
Only Isshiki was left looking helplessly at Soma.
"Sorry about that, Soma-kun. I didn't explain it clearly." Isshiki's tone carried a hint of apology. He then patiently explained Totsuki Academy's rules and requirements regarding a Shokugeki to Soma.
"Regarding Totsuki Academy's cooking duels, known as Shokugeki, there are strict rules..."
Without a doubt, even if Soma was willing to wager his expulsion, he was completely unqualified to challenge the Seventh Seat of the Elite Ten in a Shokugeki. After all, the core of a Shokugeki lay in equivalent wagers. And Soma simply could not produce anything that could match the value of an Elite Ten seat.
This was exactly why everyone else lost interest the moment they heard his challenge.
Upon learning the truth, Soma was deeply disappointed. But he had no choice but to temporarily suppress his desire to directly challenge the Elite Ten and become the number one student at Totsuki.
In the days that followed, Ray fully integrated into life at Totsuki Academy and the Polar Star Dormitory. He spent his days diligently studying culinary knowledge and enriching himself. Occasionally, they would gather in Zenji Marui's room for a lively, boisterous banquet.
This continued until his day off. Most of the Polar Star Dormitory students stayed behind to practice their cooking. Ray, however, did not stay at the dorm; instead, he returned home.
Upon entering his room, Ray looked at the newly materialized door of light. Behind the door lay an entirely new world. His return home was naturally to prepare to enter it.
Fortunately, after entering other worlds, the flow of time in the Food Wars! world would slow down drastically. A week spent in another world equated to only an hour or two passing here.
Therefore, after making thorough preparations, Ray stepped into the Gate of Worlds without hesitation.
In the moment light and shadow intertwined, a wave of bustling noise washed over him. Row upon row of towering skyscrapers filled his vision, while a steady stream of traffic wove through the wide streets. The air was thick with the distinct atmosphere of a modern metropolis.
Ray felt a bit disoriented, unable to immediately identify which world he was in.
To figure it out, Ray first 'borrowed' some money from a few locals, then found an internet cafe. He began searching for unusual places or people in this world.
Soon, he uncovered information about espers, magicians, and prophets. The key detail was that these reports all seemed to be verified.
This left Ray thoroughly confused. That was, until a bolded headline caught his eye—*Registration for the 287th Hunter Exam closes in three days.*
After looking up information on the Hunter Exam, Ray's pupils shrank sharply. A surge of wild ecstasy welled up in his heart, making his blood boil.
The world of Hunter x Hunter!
Admittedly, the Hunter x Hunter world could not compare to the Toriko world, which was overflowing with rare delicacies. However, the Hunter x Hunter world also possessed a vast number of mysterious uncharted territories and magical realms inhabited by bizarre creatures.
Not to mention the Dark Continent, a land shrouded in unknown mist that lay beyond the human world.
Just thinking about the Five Threats and the Five Hopes of the Dark Continent made Ray's stomach rumble with hunger.
Among the Five Threats was the two-tailed snake, Hellbell, which infected prey with murderous intent. Snake meat was a highly nutritious delicacy, so its flavor was bound to be excellent.
Then there was the human-keeping beast, Pap, which exchanged pleasure for life. Since it was called a 'beast,' it definitely had a physical body and could likely be turned into a delicious dish.
As for the immortality disease, Zobae Disease, the gaseous lifeform, Ai, and the botanical weapon, Brion... Ray pondered for a moment, then shook his head. Even if they were edible, they would probably require highly specialized cooking methods.
On the other hand, among the Five Hopes, aside from the electricity-generating Unmanned Rock, the cure-all herb, the longevity-granting Nitro Rice, the Trinity Elixir, and the alchemical plant Metallion could all likely be used as ingredients.
However, despite his anticipation for these ingredients, Ray wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was currently qualified to set foot on the Dark Continent.
Still, the uncharted territories and magical realms within the human world also hid countless rare ingredients. And to freely explore those places, a Hunter License was an absolute necessity.
Ray quickly scrolled through the information, the smile in his eyes growing more pronounced.
There were six days left until the 287th Hunter Exam. This was the exact same exam that Gon would be taking.
Even better, the route for the first phase of the exam would pass through the Numere Wetlands. The Numere Wetlands could be considered an uncharted territory, harboring many rare ingredients that were difficult to find in the outside world.
If he signed up for this Hunter Exam, he could get his hands on some excellent ingredients early on.
Amidst his joy, Ray also felt a bit troubled; he couldn't carry too many ingredients with him.
But right now, that wasn't the most pressing issue. To participate in the Hunter Exam, he needed a legal identity to register openly.
Money became his most urgent requirement.
Although Ray had brought some gold with him—enough to cover daily expenses—it was merely a drop in the bucket when it came to purchasing a flawless, legal identity.
To make matters worse, time was tight, with only three days left until registration closed.
After a moment of thought, Ray simply decided to take a shortcut—robbing the mafia.
Relying on the highly developed information network on the internet, Ray quickly mapped out the strongholds of the major mafia families in the city.
Once night fell, Ray infiltrated the mafia bases directly. After cleanly dispatching the guards, he swept the vaults clean of all their wealth.
After consecutively looting seven or eight mafia families, Ray felt he had enough and finally stopped.
With heavy sums of money, things naturally went smoothly. A flawless legal identity was soon delivered into Ray's hands.
In the end, Ray successfully submitted his application for the Hunter Exam on the final day of registration. He even used his wealth to pave the way and uncover the exam's gathering location ahead of time.
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