Looking out the window, Ryusei gazed at the majestic Totsuki Academy in the distance, a hint of helplessness on his face.
If possible, he wished for an easier way to enter Totsuki Academy. After all, he loved food and naturally wanted to refine his cooking skills. For that reason, he had been learning to cook since the age of three.
In this country, the best place to master the culinary arts was undoubtedly Totsuki Academy, a school that followed the law of the jungle—where only the strongest survived. Every student admitted possessed remarkable talent, yet even then, the graduation rate was less than 10%.
Such a rigorous system ensured that any graduate would become a highly sought-after chef, with top-tier restaurants eager to recruit them. This was the foundation of Totsuki's reputation, having produced countless renowned chefs.
No ordinary cook could hope to graduate from Totsuki.
Despite the challenge, Ryusei was determined to enter the academy. He even used his family's connections to obtain a recommendation letter for the transfer student examination.
However, upon further investigation, he quickly became discouraged.
This year, the transfer exam would be held alongside none other than Soma Yukihira, the so-called "King of Culinary Aberrations."
That meant Ryusei had little chance of passing based on his current skills. The judge presiding over the exam would be none other than Erina Nakiri, the bearer of the famed God's Tongue.
Even for a gifted chef, satisfying Erina's palate was no easy feat. For Ryusei, who lacked natural talent and had relied on years of training to reach his current level, the challenge was overwhelming.
Even Soma Yukihira barely passed by using a secret family recipe—an enhanced version of Yukihira Restaurant's egg rice, originally developed by Joichiro Yukihira. Yet, Soma himself couldn't even replicate it perfectly.
Despite this, Erina still deemed him unqualified, humiliated by the dish's effectiveness. It was only thanks to Senzaemon Nakiri, the headmaster of Totsuki Academy, that Soma was allowed to enroll.
Ryusei, however, had no such powerful backer.
His chances of passing the transfer student exam were nearly nonexistent.
But Ryusei was not without hope.
Because he was a transmigrator.
Reincarnated with memories of his past life, he had a special ability—one that allowed him to travel to other worlds once every 30 days.
Moreover, time flowed differently in these worlds.
For every month he spent in another world, only a few hours passed in Food Wars! World. This gave him an incredible advantage—he could train for years while only days passed in his original timeline.
Two months ago, he had used this ability for the first time.
The first world he traveled to was none other than Toriko's Gourmet World, a land overflowing with incredible ingredients. By sheer luck, he arrived inside the body of a Regal Mammoth, a colossal beast known for producing Jewel Meat, one of the most exquisite delicacies in the world.
At first, he had no idea where he was. But after following the alluring scent of Jewel Meat, he realized where he had ended up.
Upon eating the Jewel Meat, he awakened Gourmet Cells—a unique ability that vastly improved his physical abilities.
Not only that, but he also gained an ability perfect for a chef: Fire manipulation.
Though he couldn't transform into flames like a Flame-Flame Fruit user from One Piece, he could freely control and generate fire, a skill that proved invaluable for cooking.
Additionally, he discovered another ability—a mysterious storage space within his body.
Anything he touched, as long as it wasn't actively resisting, could be stored inside. Despite extensive testing, he had yet to determine the space's limit.
This discovery excited Ryusei. With this storage, he no longer had to worry about collecting too many ingredients!
However, his excitement soon faded.
Though he had acquired Gourmet Cells and new abilities, he was still far too weak to escape the Ligaru Mammoth's body.
Not that he wanted to.
The outside world was teeming with terrifying creatures, far beyond his current ability to handle. Even inside the mammoth, he wasn't entirely safe—dangerous parasites lurked within.
These so-called parasites were not tiny insects. The smallest one he encountered was over two meters tall.
Thankfully, his fire manipulation kept them at bay, allowing him to survive inside the Ligaru Mammoth for a full month.
In doing so, he confirmed the limits of his travel ability—he could stay in another world for exactly one month.
Now, as the transfer exam loomed closer, Ryusei knew he had no time to waste.
If he wanted to pass, he had to travel to another world.
But where would he end up this time?
All he could hope for was a world filled with rich ingredients and opportunities to improve his cooking.
Because if he failed—
His dream of entering Totsuki Academy would end before it even began.
Ryusei withdrew his gaze from Totsuki Academy and checked the doors and windows.
After confirming that everything was closed and locked, he began organizing his equipment. Once everything was ready, he activated his golden finger.
In an instant, Ryusei disappeared from the room.
At that moment, he found himself in a city—one that looked incredibly modern. For a brief moment, he wasn't sure what world he had arrived in.
Left with no other choice, Ryusei started asking people for information. However, the responses he received only left him more confused. When he asked about special abilities in this world, many people mentioned superpowers, wizards, magicians, and the like. Some even provided examples.
It wasn't until someone mentioned the Hunter Exam that Ryusei realized he had arrived in the world of Hunter x Hunter.
After confirming that the next Hunter Exam would be the 287th—the one Gon Freecss participated in—Ryusei immediately set his sights on taking the exam.
If his memory served him correctly, the location for this year's Hunter Exam happened to have ingredients that could help him pass the Totsuki transfer student exam.
He couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.
Using the gold he had brought from the world of Shokugeki no Soma, Ryusei easily obtained identity documents and successfully applied for the Hunter Exam before the registration deadline on December 31st.
Once that was settled, he spent his time visiting various restaurants in the city.
On January 4th, Ryusei followed the guide to the Hunter Exam location.
Thanks to his talent for gourmet food, his eating capacity far exceeded that of ordinary people. Because of this, he easily passed the guide's test and was led to a barbecue restaurant.
Of course, the barbecue restaurant was merely the entrance to the first stage of the exam. After taking an elevator hidden within the restaurant, he entered an underground tunnel, officially arriving at the first stage of the examination.
A bean-faced man handed him a number plate.
Ryusei looked at it—123. A smooth number. Judging by the numbers around him, he had arrived relatively early. He simply placed the number plate in his pocket, then turned his gaze to the other participants.
Silently, he memorized the numbers pinned to their chests.
He knew how the Hunter Exam worked.
That number plate would be useful later.
Of course, preparation was key at this stage.
Among the candidates, the one who put Ryusei most on edge was participant #44—Hisoka. However, he only glanced at him briefly, careful not to attract his attention. He had no intention of catching the eye of the perverted magician.
Besides Hisoka, there was another person Ryusei needed to be wary of—Gittarackur.
Of course, that was just an alias. His real name was Illumi Zoldyck.
However, Ryusei scanned the room and didn't see him. Perhaps he hadn't arrived yet.
While observing the other candidates, Ryusei casually took a large piece of beef jerky from his pocket and started eating.
At least, that's what it looked like.
In reality, he had retrieved it from his storage space.
With gourmet cells, it was normal to eat eight meals a day. What's more, simply eating improved his strength.
Eating more was completely acceptable.
However, that also meant he needed to stockpile food supplies. Running out of food would put him in a dangerous situation.
That's why, before coming here, he had already prepared enough food to last more than a month.
As Ryusei continued observing the participants, a man approached him with a friendly smile.
"You must be a newcomer. It's impressive that you found this place so early!"
The man, Tonpa, greeted him enthusiastically.
Ryusei could sense a slight threat from him, though nothing too serious. Still, it was enough to prove that Ryusei was a relatively capable newcomer—something that excited Tonpa.
After all, the more talented the newcomer, the more satisfying it was to break them down!
"Oh? How did you recognize me?" Ryusei asked, feigning curiosity.
In truth, he was simply playing along with Tonpa's act.
After all, it was entertaining, wasn't it?
"Well, I've taken the test 35 times," Tonpa said proudly.
He genuinely felt a sense of accomplishment in that fact.
"35 times? That's really impressive!" Ryusei praised him sincerely.
Sticking to something for decades required persistence.
The only pity was that Tonpa hadn't used that perseverance in the right way.
"I-Is that so?!"
For a moment, Tonpa was caught off guard.
Most newcomers reacted with shock or disdain upon hearing that he had failed the exam 35 times.
Only one person had ever praised him before—someone named Ging.
That man had passed the Hunter Exam on his first attempt.
From what Tonpa had heard, he had become an extraordinary Hunter.
More importantly, that guy had even noticed when his drink was drugged.
For the first time in a while, Tonpa became cautious.
Of course, his expression didn't betray his thoughts.
"By the way, my name is Tonpa. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me," he said, extending his hand.
"My name is Ryusei."
Ryusei shook Tonpa's hand.
The two exchanged small talk, but Ryusei soon noticed that Tonpa seemed hesitant to take the next step.
This made him impatient.
He had no intention of wasting more time on this conversation.
So, he casually stuffed the last piece of beef jerky into his mouth and muttered, "I'm a little thirsty after eating so much."
Hearing this, Tonpa—who had planned to build a relationship first before making his move—immediately abandoned that strategy.
He quickly reached into his bag and pulled out two cans of drinks.
The reason he took out two was simple—he intended to drink with Ryusei to lower his guard.
Of course, only one of them was drugged with laxatives.
Handing the spiked can to Ryusei, he said, "I happen to have some drinks here. Would you like one?"
Without hesitation, Ryusei took the can, opened it, and took a sip.
Tonpa, who was about to open his own drink, froze in shock.
"Are you really that careless?"
At that moment, Ryusei frowned slightly before shaking his head.
"The overall taste is fine," he remarked, "but there are some extra ingredients ruining the original flavor."
Saying this, he took another sip.
As for the laxatives?
With his gourmet cells, ordinary poisons had no effect on him.
The same went for Tonpa's drugged drink.