Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The annual Hunter Exam was approaching, and candidates from all over the world are flocking to it.

Marvando Port is one of the boarding points. As early as mid-December, many candidates had already arrived in Marvando City, so all the hotels there are full.

Law and Sanbica arrived relatively early, but due to the overcrowding, they had to settle for a rental stay in a local homestay. They were lucky enough to find one among the limited options.

The homestay owner was an elderly woman who made a living by weaving nets. Perhaps because she saw that Law and Sanbica were young, she easily accepted them to stay and did not charge too much.

Marvando is famous for its 'sea fishing'. Except for a port that can only accommodate two ships at a time, the rest of the coastal area was filled with reefs, making it impossible for ships to dock.

With few suitable places to build ports along the coast, there has always been only one port in Marvando. This would usually severely restrict the development of fisheries, but Marvando's fishery is very developed.

As a coastal city, Spice City has a good geographical location but does not rely on the sea. Marvando has a worse geographical location, but is famous for its seafood. This is because Marvando has a local technique called 'reef racing'.

There are numerous scattered reefs in the sea near the shore, which are the culprit that hinders ships from docking, but these obstacles weren't impassable. There are countless routes to pass through because there are many gaps between the reefs.

Reef racing involved navigating small boats through these dangerous waters using the swift, drifting movements dictated by the currents. It required mastery over the hidden flows, adjusting routes on the fly to find a safe passage through the maze of rocks.

The first time Law saw reef racing, he was immediately captivated. During the waiting period before the ship's departure, he left Sanbica behind, borrowed a small boat from the locals, and dived into the activity.

The local fishermen were surprised that an outsider wanted to try reef racing, and they enthusiastically lent Law a boat.

After all, compared to reef racing, outsiders prefer to catch 'drift clams' in the reef area, so Law's interest was quite rare.

Initially, Law thought reef racing would be similar to simple rafting. However, after trying it firsthand, he realized the two were worlds apart. Compared to reef racing, ordinary rafting was child's play.

Law was defeated over and over again, and his boat capsized countless times in the reef area, which quickly become a memorable sight for the locals.

Soon, his spectacular series of failures earned him recognition among the fishermen, and they began to teach him techniques with genuine enthusiasm.

Under their guidance, Law gradually improved, managing a few tentative successes and not capsizing so badly every time.

While Law's escapades made for a unique spectacle, the sight of hundreds of people standing on the reefs with long-handled nets was the true hallmark of Marvando's reef area.

The undercurrent in the reef area is very strange and has no specific pattern. It flows from the open sea through the reef area, goes to the shore, and then swirls out when it is still some distance away from the shore.

Therefore, the boats of the fishermen in Marvando are anchored in the sea just outside the reef area.

This unique current also brought a rare type of marine life to the reef area, that is, the drift clams. The outsiders standing on the reefs come for the drift clams, or to be more precise, for the pearls in the drift clams.

Drift clams were large, about the size of a washbasin, and spent their entire lives floating with the currents, hence the name.

They will be carried by the ocean currents to Marvando's reef area and then swept out again. During this process, people standing on the rocks would use nets to intercept the drift clams.

However, catching drift clams was no easy task. If they are not careful, they may not be able to withstand the force of the undercurrent and be directly carried into the water. The consequences could be dire.

While Law's Aura shielded him from harm even when crashing into rocks, ordinary people weren't so lucky. If they fell into the sea, even if they didn't drown, they might be killed by the reef. Interestingly, the small boats used in Marvando were made from a particularly sturdy material, ensuring they could withstand collisions.

Therefore, if someone wanted to catch drift clams, they must not only have quick eyes and hands, but also be strong enough.

Although drift clams are of high value, local fishermen will not go to the reef areas to fish for them.

Most of the people at the reef area are outsiders, all of whom come here for the value of the drift clams.

Amid the crowd of hundreds, one chubby boy around thirteen or fourteen stood out prominently. It's because at his feet, there's a pile of twenty to thirty drift clams.

People around cast envious glances at this boy, and some people were so distracted by the boy's success that they hardly focused on catching drift clams themselves, opting instead to watch him in action.

No matter where he moved, the results were always the same, as he consistently hauled in an impressive number of drift clams.

It can be said that mastering this skill could guarantee a lifetime free from financial worries.

A fully grown drift clam could be worth anywhere between 50,000 and 300,000 Jenny, depending on its quality. The reason for such a high value is not because the clam's meat is delicious, but because of the trading method derived from drift clam, clam gambling.

Drift clams were rich in vibrant pearls, with at least one pearl guaranteed per clam. People who buy drift clams do so to participate in the clam gambling.

So far, someone has opened a calm with eleven rare pearls of excellent quality and became a multi-millionaire overnight.

Even if a clam only contained one or two pearls, as long as the color of the pearl is rare, just one pearl can be worth tens of millions.

Like this chubby boy, he can catch drift clams with ease. It is no problem for him to earn millions every day.

While the onlookers envied his success, they were also deeply frustrated.

It's because this chubby boy doesn't catch drift clams for their pearls or monetary value, but to eat the meat of drift clams.

On this day, after Law capsized his boat several times, he decided to take a break and head back to shore to rest.

When the chubby boy saw Law preparing to go ashore, his eyes lit up. He scooped up the dozens of drift clams with a net, then ran across the rocks toward the beach, and followed Law happily.

When the people on the reef saw the fat boy carrying a bunch of drift clams to find Law again, they looked jealous again, but this time, their jealousy was directed at Law.

They all knew that the chubby boy caught drift clams to eat the meats. But for some reason, he would always give the shellfish to Law to deal with, and the pearls inside were basically given to Law, as if in his eyes, the clam's meat was much more valuable than the pearls.

"Law, I'm sorry to trouble you again today." The chubby boy man said with a goofy, earnest grin.

Law squinted at the chubby boy and said helplessly, "Buhara, do you really have to catch so many clams every day? You could just sell the pearls and buy more clams, you know?"

The chubby boy called Buhara said seriously: "It's not the same."

"How is it not the same?" Law asked as he walked back toward the shore.

"Clams you catch yourself taste better those you bought." Buhara said with a wide smile.

Law rolled his eyes and said, "Then, wouldn't the clam meat you cut yourself taste better too?"

"No, no! Only meat that you cut tastes the best!" Buhara exclaimed with serious tone as he lifted the net.

Law showed annoyed look and sighed, "You eat this every single day. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Never!"

Buhara replied without hesitation, leaving Law momentarily speechless.