I'm Really Not A Nen Exorcist (HxH Fanfic)

The quadrennial Gourmet Competition was held in the Swardani City.

This prestigious event was long revered by elites and wealthy patrons from all walks of life and provided an excellent opportunity for Gourmet Hunters to gain fame.

No Gourmet Hunter could afford to ignore the existence of this competition.

As with previous years, this year's competition was held in Swardani City, with the Hunter Association fully responsible for managing the event's security and order.

The Hunter Association's Chairman, Netero and the oldest Double Star Gourmet Hunter, Linne, were participating as judges for the competition.

Every Gourmet Competition attracted Gourmet Hunters in droves.

However, only those who passed the stringent preliminary rounds could step onto the final stage.

Menchi and Shizuku had successfully passed the preliminaries, joining 68 other Gourmet Hunters in the main competition.

Beautiful, youthful, energetic, and skilled in culinary arts-

These traits made the youngest participants, Menchi and Shizuku, the center of attention in this event.

"Oh, Linne…"

Netero looked at Menchi, who was concentrating on the fire, stroked his beard and said leisurely: "I still faintly remember the time when you were also in the spotlight..."

Knock.

Linne tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

Although she didn't say anything, her meaning was conveyed, causing Netero to shut up.

The other judges glanced briefly at Netero and Linne, then shifted their focus back to Menchi and Shizuku in the arena.

One of them, a stern-looking middle-aged woman with black-framed glasses, let out an almost imperceptible huff.

Inside the competition arena-

Shizuku eyed the bluish-purple piglet laid out on the chopping board and hesitantly asked, "Are we really only using the large intestines..."

"Yes."

Menchi replied concisely, gently stirring the sauce in the pot with her ladle.

"What a waste."

Shizuku looked at the meat on the bluish-purple piglet and whispered to herself.

Even though the pig was filled with toxins, its meat could still be eaten once the poison was removed.

Shaking her head slightly, Shizuku picked up the kitchen knife and swiftly made several cuts on the piglet.

Then, she skillfully removed the poisonous purple large intestines.

"Should I handle them now?"

Shizuku held up the purple large intestines and looked at Menchi.

"Mm."

Menchi nodded.

Hearing this, Shizuku stepped into a large drying machine that hadn't yet been activated.

Of course, she wasn't about to use her Nen Ability in front of an audience.

Menchi glanced at Shizuku, who had entered the drying equipment, and silently mused to herself: 'The bluish-purple piglet—one of the most infamous poisonous creatures. Such an unprecedented ingredient will surely conquer the judges.'

Having already tasted the bluish-purple piglet herself, Menchi felt confident in her decision.

On the judging panel-

Aside from Linne and Netero, the other five judges were engaged in a discussion about the ingredients Menchi had chosen.

Their main concern was why Menchi would use a notoriously poisonous ingredient that was known to be inedible.

While there was indeed a 'toxic cuisine' branch in the culinary world, the number of safe toxic ingredients and dishes that could be served was extremely limited.

The bluish-purple piglet wasn't one of them, being a creature with highly lethal poison.

The woman with the black-framed glasses coldly remarked, "Does she think this is a joke?"

"Uh…"

The other judges were well aware of the personality of the woman with black-framed glasses, so they refrained from responding.

Time flew by, and the cooking phase came to an end.

The first thing served on the table was Menchi's dish, a plate of large intestine rolls drizzled with a red sauce.

As Menchi presented the dish to the black-framed glasses woman, the latter suddenly said, "Overconfidence isn't a good trait. Toxic cuisines aren't something a youngster like you can master."

"It's not too late to say these things after you have tasted it."

Menchi retorted indifferently.

The woman with black-framed glasses picked up her knife and fork, pointing at the faint purple hue that lingered in the sauce-covered intestines, and asked coldly:

"Then what about this toxin that has not been completely removed? I don't want to hear excuses like 'an accident'. Or, are you going to tell me this was intentional?"

"Yes, it was intentional. A mild amount of toxin helps retain the ingredient's original flavor."

Menchi looked at the woman with the black-framed glasses without flinching.

The Gourmet Competition had strict food inspection protocols, so it was impossible for an 'unqualified dish' to make it to the judges' table.

As a judge, the woman with the black-framed glasses certainly knew this.

The woman with the black-framed glasses said no more. She cut off a small piece of the dish and put it in her mouth.

"…"

A few moments later, the woman with black-framed glasses was stunned, slowly took off her glasses, and looked at Menchi in disbelief.

…

(T/N: This is another extra. Since they're both short chapters, I fused them into one.}

"Kyoka Suigetsu..."

Under the pale moonlight, Moses sat by the lake, quietly gazing at the reflection of the full moon on the water's surface.

It had been more than half a month since he arrived in the Melin Ecological Zone.

Aside from accompanying Menchi in her search for unknown ingredients, Moses spent the majority of his time relentlessly training.

Occasionally, like now, he would sit by the lake as the night deepened, contemplating the future direction of his abilities.

The Ability Keystone, [Super Speed] he acquired earlier had been applied to enhance his Emission Ability, bolstering his offensive power.

The remaining materials in his possession could also be used to construct the Kyoka Suigetsu's ability system.

However, based on the nature of the 'illusionary emotion fragment', developing the corresponding ability would require following the process of the tendril parasitism activation condition.

This would undoubtedly limit Moses's creative freedom.

"Tendril parasitism... That's a bit too restrictive."

Moses stared at the full moon reflected in the lake, suddenly recalling the scene of countless black tendrils descending from the sky.

At that time, it was these very tendrils that pulled everyone into an illusionary space, feeding on their Nen to continuously strengthen the ability's effects.

If the development of Kyoka Suigetsu required such conditions to be met, then ensnaring enemies with it would prove to be incredibly challenging.

Moreover, considering the 'parasitic' nature of the ability, it would likely involve the creation of Nen Beasts.

The many conditions tied to the ability made its direction particularly complex.

However, complexity in an ability wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

The more limitations there were, the stronger the ability's unique traits would become.

With a slight shift in thought, Moses casually picked up a stone.

[Super Speed: Bullet]

The condensed Nen wrapped around the stone, generating a massive force of propulsion.

A sharp whistle echoed as the stone pierced through a ring of air, streaking through the night like a flash of lightning, shooting toward the reflection of the moon on the lake.

Boom!

The reflection of the full moon in the water suddenly shattered, accompanied by a burst of light, sending a huge spray of water into the air.

"Too bad I'm a Specialist."

Moses muttered regretfully as he watched the water droplets fall back from the sky.

The enhancement of his Emission attacks, thanks to the [Super Speed], had significantly boosted his speed. With the principle of 'speed equals power', the destructive force had become quite formidable.

However, due to the limitations of his Nen type, Moses couldn't fully harness the conversion rate of Emission abilities.

Otherwise, he imagined that one day he could possibly unleash an attack as devastating as the Chimera Ant King, blowing away half a mountain with a single strike.

"Step by step."

Moyou said to himself as he watched the reflection of the moon on the lake gradually return to its original form.

The changes that the Super Speed Keystone brought to him were more than just the 'bullet' mode...

It can be said that it compensated for his previous lack of destructive power.

Though it came with a steep cost in Nen...

But there is nothing he can do about it.

That was just the reality of using a non-native Nen type. The Aura consumption would always be higher.

"Are you an Emitter?"

Shizuku's voice suddenly came from behind him.

Hearing Shizuku's voice, Moses responded casually: "Nope, sorry. Was I being too nois-"

He turned around mid-sentence to look at Shizuku, but the words caught in his throat.

Because Shizuku was only wearing her underwear at the moment, her graceful and precocious figure was clearly revealed.

Under the moonlight, beads of sweat slowly slid down the curves of her body, disappearing into the shadows.

Her fair, delicate skin seemed to glow faintly in the moonlight.

"You…?"

Moses looked at Shizuku, who was only wearing underwear, with a look of surprise on his face.

"I sweated a lot. I'm going to take a bath."

Shizuku explained, wiping some sweat from her neck down to her chest.

"Uh, okay…"

Moses nodded stiffly.

'Does she really not care about being seen like this?'

Moses thought to himself, amazed by her nonchalance.

Shizuku didn't press him further about his Nen type and instead waded into the lake, heading towards the moon's reflection on the water.

Soon, the lake water reached her waist.

She suddenly stopped, turning back towards Moses with her head tilted slightly, and asked:

"Moses, you're sweating too. Want to join me?"

Bathed in the silvery light, it was a breathtaking scene. Despite the suggestiveness of the moment, the innocent tone of her invitation made it impossible to harbor any inappropriate thoughts.

"No, thanks."

Moses replied.

"Okay."

Seeing his refusal, Shizuku nodded and then submerged herself in the water, swimming like a fish, gracefully moving up and down.

Moses rested his chin on his hand, watching Shizuku swim happily in the lake.

It was hard to reconcile this carefree, innocent girl with the same person who could swing her vacuum cleaner and smash someone's head in without flinching.

In the future, she would become even more detached, able to calmly clean up the remains of a thousand dismembered bodies.

'The people coming out of Meteor Street...'

'Are they all so special?'

'No… that's not right.'

'There are too many environments in this world that are shrouded in darkness, which is why all kinds of dangerous people emerge.'

'In addition, with the existence of Nen, the darkness that grew from such environments could be amplified to extreme levels.'

'As for Shizuku...'

'At least in my opinion, she is a friend with whom I can get along forever.'

Moses thought silently.

Meanwhile, a pair of eyes quietly withdrew from the shadows not far behind him.

"Hmph."

In the darkness, Menchi let out a soft snort. She instinctively glanced down at her chest, and Shizuku's strong capital flashed through her mind.

'Just you wait!'

Menchi thought to herself unyieldingly.

If Moses could hear Menchi's thoughts at this moment, he would definitely make Menchi feel relieved instantly.

Because in a few years—

Menchi wouldn't lose to Shizuku in terms of 'assets'.