Chapter 1: A Deal with the System
Victor groaned, wiping sweat from his brow as he stirred a pot of bubbling soup. The cramped kitchen of his small-town diner was a far cry from his dreams of culinary stardom. He had once envisioned owning a Michelin-starred restaurant, but life had a way of stomping on ambition.
"Order up!" came a shout from the front.
Victor grabbed the plate of pancakes, slid it onto the counter, and forced a smile. "Enjoy!"
The customer barely glanced his way.
Victor sighed. "This is it, huh? Cooking for people who don't care, scraping by, and dreaming of something better."
Little did he know, his wish for change was about to be granted.
---
**[System Notification!]**
**[Congratulations! You have been selected as the host for the Infernal Culinary System!]**
Victor froze mid-step, blinking at the floating text in front of him. "Uh… what?"
**[Your skills have been deemed worthy of a greater challenge. Prepare to embark on a journey where your cooking will shape the fate of worlds.]**
Victor pinched himself. "This is just a stress-induced hallucination. Right?"
The notification flickered. **[Welcome to the Demon Realm Tavern. Please accept your new position as Head Chef.]**
---
The world blurred around Victor as the smell of burnt bacon and grease disappeared, replaced by a strange, sulfurous heat. He stumbled, nearly dropping his spatula.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in an enormous, dark kitchen. The walls were made of jagged black stone, glowing faintly with veins of molten lava. A massive stove sat in the center, its flames licking unnaturally high.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
"Close enough," a raspy voice said.
Victor whirled around to see a small, bat-like creature with glowing red eyes perched on the counter. It grinned at him, revealing sharp teeth.
"Name's Skritch," the creature said. "System's assistant. And you, human, are the new chef of the Demon King's Tavern!"
Victor blinked. "Demon King? Tavern? No, no, no. I didn't sign up for this!"
Skritch tilted its head. "Sure you did. You accepted the system's call. Now you're bound to the contract."
Victor groaned, rubbing his temples. "This has to be a bad dream. I'm going to wake up any second now."
Skritch chuckled. "Dream or not, you've got work to do. The Demon King expects his first meal in one hour. Better get cooking!"
---
Victor stared at the glowing **Beginner's Recipe Guide** that materialized in his hands. The pages flipped open on their own, revealing a dish called **Screaming Tomato Soup**.
The ingredients list was bizarre:
- **Screaming Tomatoes**
- **Nightshade Broth**
- **Inferno Peppers**
He squinted at the instructions. "Chop the tomatoes… but watch out for the screaming? What does that even mean?"
As if on cue, a basket of bright red tomatoes on the counter began shrieking. Victor jumped back, nearly dropping the book.
"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered.
Skritch fluttered over. "Careful, human. Screaming Tomatoes don't like being chopped. They'll fight back if you're not quick enough."
Victor stared at the creature. "Fight back? They're vegetables!"
Skritch shrugged. "Welcome to the Demon Realm."
---
Armed with a knife, Victor approached the tomatoes cautiously. He grabbed one, only for it to squirm violently in his hand, letting out an ear-piercing wail.
"Shut up!" he hissed, pinning it to the cutting board.
The tomato wriggled, but Victor brought the knife down, slicing it cleanly in half. The wailing stopped.
He exhaled. "One down. Only… a dozen more to go."
Skritch watched, snickering as Victor wrestled with each tomato. By the time he finished, his hands were covered in juice, and his ears were ringing.
Next came the Inferno Peppers. Victor eyed them warily. "These don't scream, do they?"
"Nope," Skritch said. "But they might set you on fire if you're not careful."
Victor groaned. "Of course they do."
---
By the time the soup was simmering on the stove, Victor was exhausted. He stirred the pot, watching as the ingredients melded into a vibrant, spicy concoction.
**[System Notification!]**
**[Screaming Tomato Soup completed! Quality: Satisfactory.]**
Victor frowned. "Satisfactory? That's it?"
Skritch shrugged. "Hey, for your first dish in the Demon Realm, it's not bad. But you've got a long way to go if you want to impress the Demon King."
Victor slumped against the counter. "This is insane. How did I end up here?"
Skritch grinned. "Fate works in mysterious ways, human. Now, get ready. The Demon King's on his way to taste your cooking."
Victor's eyes widened. "Wait, he's coming here? Now?"
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway, growing louder with each passing second.
Skritch fluttered to the side, his grin widening. "Good luck, human. You're gonna need it."
Victor swallowed hard, gripping the ladle like a weapon.
As the doors creaked open, revealing the towering, armored figure of the Demon King, Victor muttered under his breath.
"This is the worst career move I've ever made."