Peerless Cooking Genius!

Not just any challenge, but a cooking one… 

The nearby cooks suddenly got excited, tapping the Head Cook's shoulder happily. "Boss, you should accept!" "Wouldn't that be lots of fun?" "It's not every day this happens!" 

Sighing, the man turned to Lizzy. 

"A cookout, eh? Are you sure? I won't go easy on you, little girl!" 

"If Teacher wants me to do a cookout, then I'll do a cookout. If he wants me to do ten, then I'll do ten. Let's do this!" Lizzy looked so damn valiant!

Seeing this, the cooks couldn't help but be impressed. 

"Classic rules. Twenty minutes, you cook your best dish, then we do two very quick judging rounds. One behind the kitchen and one out there. Deal?" 

As she nodded, sparks flew between them!

IT WAS COOKING TIME! 

Head-Chef VS Lizzy 

Experience VS Youthfulness 

A Literal Cook VS An amateur

Rugged Veteran VS Cute Waifu 

As for who the crowd supported, well, that was obvious! "Go, Lizzy!" "Go, little one!" "Make him eat his socks!" "Make Teacher Proud!" "Show him how a bloody princess cooks!" 

As for the experienced and beloved Head Chef, well, grilled crickets would have made more noise than his fans. "Tch—you backstabbers!"

But, mere seconds into the fight, there was a clear gap. 

It was so damn clear that the man knew what he was doing, his mana going wild as it grabbed ingredients all over, measured them, infused them with power, and mixed it all! 

Golden rice that glowed like a sun as the fire activated all the Mana contained within. Spiritual Veggies that fused with the dish under the man's careful control.

That's when the dish started glowing, every glow with a different meaning! 

+ Satiety! 

+ Energy granted! 

+ Mana Regeneration! 

+ Increased Sensory Perception! 

As they saw the last one, they sucked in cold breaths. This was what a real chef was about. No wonder he was their Boss! He was an actual T3 Chef, after all! 

One had to know that all the others in the kitchen were merely T1 or T2 at best! T3? It was pretty much the equivalent of a third year, but for cooking! 

But that's when they turned toward Lizzy, frowning. 

"Did she just add a Verdant Onion without looking?"

"Wait, that shit can be poisonous if there's too much!"

"Not just that, it needs to be treated with Mana or else—"

But that's when a shaking cook suddenly pointed toward her fingers, his entire body trembling. Was he imagining things, or was she… 

"HOLY SHIT!" 

"Perfect quantity?!" 

"Also, Minimal Mana Infusing?!" 

Minimal Mana infusing? It lowered the Mana requirements but was FAR harder as a trade-off. This single technique? T1 requirement for Mana, but T3 for Mana Control! 

At this moment, the Lizzy who had once been considered a peerless genius shone once more. This was LITERALLY her Mana limit, but the cooks couldn't have known! 

Even the Head Chef gasped when he saw this, almost burning his golden rice completely. She was either a genius or had practiced this dish for decades! 

"L-Lizzy, was it? How old were you when you learned this recipe?" 

"Eighteen, why? It was yesterday…" She replied, confused. 

Eighteen?! Fucking 18?! 

T3 Mastery at eighteen? This was a genius! 

Wait, yesterday, yet so much confidence?! Ultra Genius! 

Their jaws reached the goddamn floor, their worlds suddenly feeling like collapsing. Compared to her, they were all utterly useless! Their shock lasted till it was all over. 

The two placed their dishes on a nearby table. 

Golden Imperial Rice VS Spicy Ramen! 

"Now, shall we judge their work then?" 

"Yes, please! Smells scrumptious!" 

"Hehe, I can't wait to dig in!" 

Every cook approached, taking a spoonful of each dish. 

First, it was the Head Chef's turn. The cooks simply shared knowing smiles. They had barely taken a bite when they felt their bodies overflow with energy! 

They were refreshed, re-energized, and the entire world around them felt more alive, more magical, their senses FAR sharper. That's when they tried Lizzy's. 

"SO FUCKING SPICY!" 

"I'm gonna die! No, I'm already dead!"

"What is this?! Are you sure it's really food?!" 

"Ah?!… This aftertaste… why do I suddenly crave more?!" 

Their enhanced senses made them feel it even more vividly than usual! Even after having finished it, they weren't sure what to think. 

Magical-wise? It didn't grant many buffs. Yet, they still wanted more, even after it had seemingly attacked them with Spice. This… how curious! 

Seeing them act like this, Teacher Gale's students smiled knowingly. 

They knew how the cooks felt. This was their master's legendary recipe! This Ramen alone had fueled a fortress' construction! 

Actually, no. One wasn't smiling. 

"Hungryyyy! So damn hungryyyyy! ARGGG, everyone's eating too! Surely it's fine if— NO! Teacher Gale said no!" Fatty Zhang was suffering atrociously and endlessly. 

Natural Hunger + Titan's Appetite Pills + Everyone eating → He was that close to going insane! This was just like that recurring nightmare he had been having. This was— 

To change his mind, he went to a corner and talked to a chicken. 

"You tasty-looking thing. I'm sure you can understand my pain. If there was grain right here you would eat it, right? Yet, I can't, or I'd never forgive myself." 

— Cluck? Cluck? — 

There was only innocence in those eyes. 

Even through the Hunger, he had a revelation. Why had their Teacher not sent them to the Hunting Grounds to kill instead? Because he was far too wise. 

Kill innocent chickens → Cultivate their ruthlessness.

Kill innocent chickens → Show them what happened to the weak

Kill innocent chickens → An excuse to show his junior sister's talents! 

"I'm so hungry. I'm so fucking hungry, Teacher. But I won't let you down…" 

That's when the slaughter resumed, Fatty Zhang exorcising his hunger through killing, the kitchen turning into a bloodbath again. He did it alone and amidst dying clucks. 

As for the rest of the crew? They had left him with his demons and were now at the Mess Hall's main room, ready to get feedback from actual students. 

Chuckling, one of the cooks whispered something to a Cafeteria lady, who rang a ginormous bell behind the counter.

— Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! —

Instantly, plenty of students sitting at the tables rose in a hurry. They even raised their hands toward the sky, volunteering as tributes! 

Regular Cooking? → Tasty and filling

Cookout Cooking? → Goddamn culinary masterpieces!

Then a few were chosen and the testing once again resumed, a familiar scene reappearing for the Ramen. Tasting → Feeling like dying → enjoying it afterward 

But this time, there were people in the know: 

"Wait, isn't that Burning Soul Ramen?!"

"Oh my god, it really is! The mess hall has it now?!" 

"No, it's a cooking challenge, but I hope they add it to the menu!"

"Hehe, how is it? You can feel your soul burning, right?! Of course, you can!" 

What started as a simple tasting session quickly derailed into storytelling time. The wall they had erected, how charismatic their leader had been, and how efficiently they had worked. 

"I'm telling you, leader was something else!" 

"Don't know his name, but he invented Soul Ramen!" 

"Yeah, I'm not even sure if he was a student or teacher…"

"What did he look like? He was wearing bandages all over!" 

Wait, invented Soul Ramen? Bandages all over? A certain Head Chef couldn't help but tremble, gulping as he remembered the "beggar" he had driven away this morning. 

But while he was freaking out, thinking about the error of his ways, the rest of the group returned to the kitchen and were ready to give their verdict. 

"Well, seems like the student opinions were hella divided."

"They really loved the Soul Ramen, but all for the wrong reasons." 

"In terms of cooking, our Head-Chef wins by a landslide, but popularity—"

But before they could go any further… 

"There's no need, it's my loss." 

At this moment, the Head Chef felt so foolish. 

First, getting angry at mere students, then utterly failing to recognize a genius, and even driving another one away! He sighed, then turned toward Lizzy with resolve. 

"You won! Feel free to use this kitchen whenever! As per custom, you also get a request. What will it be, Lizzy of the Burning Soul Ramen?" 

What did she want as a reward? She didn't even have to think about it. Slaughter? Done! Fatty Zhang's mental state training? Done! There just remained one thing: recruitment! 

That's when she took even more notes than before, the Head Chef examining the first one. But, as he did, his face suddenly turned ashen. 

"W-Wait, those are… flyers?! You want us to distribute them in the Mess Hall?!"

He really looked like he had seen a ghost. No, a ghost would have been far better than this! This was… Teacher Gale Propaganda! If they distributed this, there would be CHAOS!

"Please, gods, have mercy upon our souls. Do it…."