Fuck You, Old Man.

As the realization hit everybody, Dennis clicked his tongue and said, "Fuck you, old man. We'll make better ramen than yours."

The old man's lips curved up in a sly grin. What he wanted to achieve had been achieved.

The old man just hit these people's ego with those comments. Even though it was a 50/50 chance, he took it and made them feel worthless for a split second.

He made the four understand that they weren't shit and that he was disappointed in himself by keeping his hopes high, thinking that these kids may cook better.

It was all for naught and he should just call it a day, was what he conveyed.

Despite knowing what the old man was doing, Lith and the rest went with his tactics.

Part of the reason was their pride. They were from extremely revered clans and not being able to do such a small mission would make everybody look down on them and bring shame.