"Ah~"
Boom boom boom!
Just as the coldest, most composed judge revealed a blissful expression after taking a bite of the fried rice, a series of explosions—and… rather suggestive moans—suddenly rang out beside him.
Turning to look—good heavens—why had the clothes of the other judges and the public tasters all suddenly exploded?!
The entire scene was filled with fluttering scraps of torn fabric!
The Holy Knights immediately cast magic, and in an instant, pure and sacred holy light blocked all indecent sights.
Once again, holy light preserved peace in the world—say thank you to the God of Light.
The bewildered spectators looked at the elven chef in horror. Could it be that he had added some kind of explosive alchemical reagent to the dish? Why had everyone's clothes exploded?!
However, before anyone could voice their doubts or anger, those who had eaten the fried rice—and whose clothes had exploded—began to squirm.
"Ah~ This is the most delicious food I've ever eaten in my life! The melt-in-your-mouth richness of the fat combined with that overwhelming sense of happiness is simply a perfect match! Ahh, it reminds me of the innocent days of my first date with my boyfriend, and how hard he tried—"
Why is this suddenly going in such an inappropriate direction?! The Holy Knights quickly knocked him unconscious.
Anyone who ate the fried rice exhibited the following traits:
Dazed eyes, flushed faces, twisting bodies, breathy voices—and most importantly, while commenting on the food, they couldn't help but steer the topic in increasingly strange directions.
Mendre stared at the elven chef in shock. Who would have thought that this timid-looking kid was secretly drugging his dishes?!
It's that kind of drug, right?!
This is outrageous! How can someone who disgraces cooking like this be allowed to remain a chef? Guards! Where are the guards?!
"No, he didn't add anything strange," just as things were getting more and more absurd, the head judge—the one wearing a blissful expression—stepped in to clarify. Pointing at those who looked like they were in the middle of something indecent, he said:
"This is a normal reaction to tasting true delicacies. It is the body's highest form of tribute to deliciousness. How can you associate it with something dirty?"
"This dish—goes to the red side!"
As he announced the victory, the judge's face was full of bliss, his smile practically reaching his ears.
Mendre's face turned ashen as he stared at the remaining golden meat, sinking into self-doubt.
Just how do you make a dish glow???
"W-we want to try it too!" At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted.
That's right—everyone wanted to experience for themselves what kind of dish could make all the judges reach "springtime."
Hearing this, the people on stage who had been writhing suddenly stopped hesitating and began stuffing the fried rice into their mouths.
"Cheapskates!" the crowd cursed, while the judges kept eating, laughing after every bite, their smiles impossible to suppress.
How… how is this even possible? Bashi looked like he had seen a ghost. No one understood better than him how picky these judges were—and yet they were showing such satisfaction.
Gulp…
He swallowed, then snapped out of it, his face slightly flushed as he slapped his apprentice. "You're up next!"
In the second round, Bashi's side presented marinated raw dishes, a cooking style from a coastal kingdom that best highlights the freshness of ingredients. As expected, they spared no expense in their ingredient selection.
Kuripa's side chose sliced fugu whale.
This ingredient, like the jewel meat, should have been impossible for him to obtain under normal circumstances—but the "dungeon" had clearly gone easy on him.
Not only had he "coincidentally" picked up a treasure chest containing jewel meat, he had also caught a fugu whale with its poison sacs already removed, and even found a BB corn kernel that had fallen from the sky and killed a member of the expedition team.
Under these circumstances, losing? For Kuripa, that was simply impossible.
The result of the second round was obvious—the fugu whale ended the match. Its ultimate flavor overwhelmed everything. The judges rated the sliced fugu whale even higher than the jewel meat fried rice!
The ingredient itself was absurdly powerful, but the elven chef's knife skills also elevated the dish. The thickness of the slices and the plating were flawless, matching Bashi's side in refinement.
And the Knife kept the ingredients perfectly fresh, which was yet another bonus.
In the third round, Bashi's side presented dessert, said to be made from the fruit of a super-sweet tree that only bears fruit once every three years.
Meanwhile, Kuripa brought out a single BB corn kernel—larger than a human!
They hired a mage to roast it using high-tier fire magic. It was the first time anyone had seen powerful magic used for cooking—and the corn held up in the flames for an astonishingly long time.
Just as it was about to undergo some kind of transformation, Kuripa shouted for everyone to get ready and threw a tiny bottle—barely one milliliter—of rainbow fruit juice onto the corn.
BOOM!
An unprecedentedly sweet aroma spread across Bed City along with a thunderous explosion. The crowd instinctively shut their eyes.
When they opened them again, they saw a breathtaking sight they would never forget.
A mountain of popcorn!
"My… god…"
Even the judges couldn't help but gape. A single corn kernel had produced a mountain of popcorn—enough to feed a hundred people!
The food crisis is solved!
BB corn popcorn with rainbow fruit flavor—Score: Perfect!
This time, not only the judges but the entire audience was satisfied. The air was filled with blissful sighs from those who had tasted the food.
Three consecutive losses—there was no longer any possibility for Bashi's side to win.
"How… is this possible…"
He clenched his teeth. Where were these absurd, beyond-imagination ingredients coming from?! Why was it completely different from the information he had gathered?
His understanding of the gourmet zone was still stuck at roasted whole pigs and lobster fish—common ingredients known to the public.
Who could have guessed that once the competition began, bizarre ingredients would sprout one after another like bamboo after rain?!
"I still have one last dish. If I don't present it… I won't accept this."
He reached into his chef's uniform and grasped a round, green object.
It had facial features like a human. As if sensing Bashi's emotions, it slowly opened its eyes and shed silent tears of blood.
A Fallen Demon Egg—a lesser one.
"Heh…"
He suddenly laughed.
At the lowest point in his life, he had obtained this treasure—and with it, a strange power.
For example—
His fingers had become rough. With a light rub, they would produce a colorless, odorless powder.
This powder could crudely enhance the taste of food. No matter what it was added to, no matter how it originally tasted—once consumed, the eater would wholeheartedly believe it to be delicious!
I didn't want to use this… but—
The fourth and final round began.
Bashi personally took the stage, preparing a richly flavored soup and dividing it into portions with a smile.
Kuripa, meanwhile, reluctantly took out a food container. Inside was a colorless liquid, as clear as the sky.
He simply heated it before serving it to the judges. This dish required no embellishment.
Because Century Soup was already perfect.
If not for Wade's request, he would never have been willing to let the judges drink it—he himself hadn't even been willing to drink it.
Bashi graciously allowed Kuripa to present his soup first, saving himself for last.
He believed he could not lose.
When the Century Soup was placed before the judges and the lid was lifted, aurora-like lights shimmered across the clear broth, drawing gasps of admiration.
The judges moved in unison, eagerly scooping up a spoonful and placing it in their mouths.
"Mm!"
Their bodies trembled.
The spectators watched nervously, waiting to see their reaction…
"Ehehe~"
The judges suddenly started laughing.
"Look at those expressions—they're hilarious!"
"No, no—rather than funny… they look kind of disgusting."
"It's like perverts or something—I've got goosebumps! Just how does that soup taste?!"
No one knew the flavor—but the judges all wore monkey-like grins, their entire demeanor distorted.
They became nothing more than "ehehe"-repeating machines!
Bashi's eyes widened—this reaction was exactly like those who had consumed his powder!
Had Kuripa also added something to the soup?!
As the judges turned into mindless, giggling fools, the crowd grew restless. Someone suddenly rushed forward to grab the remaining Century Soup.
"If you won't say anything, I'll taste it myself!"
"Hey, wait!" Kuripa shouted helplessly. "Don't grab it—I'll serve you!"
Better that than spilling it in a struggle.
The judges gave no response, completely immersed in their laughter.
The crowd sat in rows as Kuripa and his apprentices each carried small bowls, dropping a single drop of soup into every person's mouth.
There were too many people and too little soup—each person received only one drop.
Like a diligent gardener, Kuripa watered each open mouth.
With every drop, another person turned into a giggling fool.
By the time the bowls were empty, the entire crowd had become laughing monkeys. The scene was filled with bizarre joy.
"Ehehe… ehehe…"
A crowd gathered, laughing as if intoxicated. Was this some kind of cult ritual? Shouldn't the city lord intervene?
Unfortunately, Count Charon was among them—laughing "ehehe" as well. He had even gotten a full spoonful.
Kuripa looked at the scene and shook his head. This was some serious mental contamination.
So he took out the two drops he had saved… and drank them himself.
And just like that, only Bashi and his apprentices remained, staring blankly amid the sea of laughter.
"W-what do we do, Master?"
"Wait… let me think…"
Bashi's mind was blank. Even a madman couldn't imagine such a scene. Even the negative emotions stirred by the Fallen Demon Egg began to subside.
He looked at the judges—thinking: you're all busy laughing, what about my soup?! At least taste it!
He grabbed a judge, shook him awake, and stubbornly fed him his soup.
Though annoyed, the judge fulfilled his duty and took a sip.
Bashi's eyes gleamed—he had added a massive amount of powder. Surely no one could resist—
"It's… okay. Decent flavor."
The judge smacked his lips, didn't take a second sip, and looked at him expressionlessly.
"But it's not as good as Kuripa's."
"Not as good as Kuripa's."
Bashi's heart shattered.
He stared in disbelief. Why? Why didn't he like it?! I added so much powder!
Why?!
His eyes nearly split apart.
"Well… how should I put it? Your soup does feel delicious. I can't quite explain why, but my brain keeps telling me it's good."
The judge continued:
"But… since I've already tasted Kuripa's soup… it's like… my standards have been forcibly raised."
He sighed.
"I probably won't find any other soup delicious for the rest of my life."
Bashi didn't just shatter—he turned gray, staggering from the blow.
What kind of soup could override the power of the Fallen Demon Egg?!
He… he—
He suddenly noticed a drop of transparent liquid left in the judge's spoon.
Century Soup!
Without hesitation, he grabbed it and swallowed it.
He froze.
"What are you doing? That's disgusting," the judge said, backing away.
But Bashi stood there like a statue… until the judge realized—
He was crying.
Tears streamed down his face.
"H-hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Delicious… so delicious… ehehe~"
He laughed too—an ugly, ridiculous smile, crying and laughing at the same time.
There was sorrow in that laughter… but also relief, and complete acceptance.
I'll never find another soup delicious again, he thought.
All his negativity vanished, replaced by overwhelming happiness.
Never in his life had he felt such joy!
In his arms, the green Fallen Demon Egg writhed like a bug sprayed with insecticide, screaming in silent agony.
And as Bashi's negative emotions were completely purged—
The Fallen Demon Egg died.
This was a day that would go down in history.
For the first time, the Gourmet Zone revealed its true depth.
Everyone who witnessed the competition flocked to the Gourmet Zone, becoming its loyal supporters.
Bashi "turned over a new leaf," settling permanently in the City, spending his days researching new recipes with his apprentices using the zone's ingredients.
Kuripa was dubbed the "God of Food" by some, but after failing to find rare ingredients like jewel meat and BB corn again, he felt unworthy of the title and discarded it, continuing to indulge himself in the Gourmet Zone.
The Chef's Union quickly became supporters of the Gourmet Zone—though in truth, few had opposed it to begin with. It had mostly just been Bashi.
It was as if the Gourmet Zone had undergone an update—new ingredients began appearing before the public.
The aroma of food healed everyone equally.
No matter who you are, what you seek, whether you are happy or weary—you can find comfort in a steaming dish.
The joyful became even happier, the gloomy cast off their worries, the tired found relaxation.
The City once again entered a new era of culinary frenzy.
Meanwhile, beyond this craze—
In another place, the exploration of the Lake of Liurnia had made major progress.
Adventurers pressed forward relentlessly. More discoveries were made, new monster behaviors understood, and the difficulty of exploration decreased with accumulated experience.
Thanks to the relentless efforts of the frontline teams, exploration of the academy had reached its final stage.
At the top of Raya Lucaria Academy—
The final boss battle against the "Queen of the Full Moon" (Fake) was about to begin.