"Woah, dude… You've gotta have guts to pull something like that in an exam."
"I seriously wonder how he even made it this far."
"He tried so hard to impress the judges he went full Western pastry chef, lol."
"He's hot though."
"It's game over for him already."
"Why's he just standing there? Might as well head home—no point dragging this out."
...
...
...
The practical exam had just ended at noon. Candidates were filing out of the room to grab lunch and get ready for the evening's written tests.
Everyone was whispering, casting glances at the one contestant who hadn't managed to present anything after a full hour of cooking—despite having the freedom to make whatever dish they wanted.
That contestant was Gon.
He stood there, motionless, eyes closed, lost in thought.
"Guess I'm going back to Japan…"
Mom will find out today anyway. There's no hiding it anymore.
But… is it really okay to just give up here?
A voice snapped him out of his daze.
"Is cooking just a game to you?"
"Huh?" Gon looked up, startled, toward the voice that had cut through his thoughts—a woman's voice.
It was Koné Julia's voice.
In front of him stood a tall, striking Black woman with short hair. Her eyes were hidden behind large tinted glasses.
Arms crossed, standing in front of her own workstation, she repeated:
"Is cooking a joke to you?"
"What's her deal…?"
"Sorry, but I don't really—"
"People like you disgust me. If you were just gonna quit, why bother putting on an apron in the first place?"
"With that pretty face, it's obvious you come from money. You could've done anything with your life. So why come here and make a mockery of a serious culinary exam?"
"Hey, wait a sec… You don't even know me, so why—"
"And thank God I don't know you."
Her voice was sharp—like the edge of a chef's knife. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and walked toward the door.
Just before stepping out, she cast one last look at Gon—still frozen in place, visibly stunned.
Even through her tinted glasses, the contempt in her eyes was palpable.
Tsk! She clicked her tongue.
"Cooking is a battle. And people like you don't belong on the battlefield."
She paused, then said coldly:
"Thanks for doing everyone a favor by never picking up an apron again."
And with that, she was gone.
She was the last candidate to leave the room. Gon, still frozen in place, stared at the door in disbelief.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered, still reeling from the verbal assault.
Is she messing with me? Does she seriously think I came here to screw around?
These goddamn prodigies… They think everything's easy just because it is—for them.
Even Gon had noticed it during the exam: Julia wasn't just good. She was exceptional. Her skill level was overwhelming—on a whole different plane.
"I worked my ass off too, damn it!" he growled through clenched teeth.
Her... my parents... they all think I'm just some spoiled brat playing pretend with his dreams… Is that really how I come across?
...
...
Exhale.
"It's not fair…"
Suddenly, his eyes flew open.
"Wait a second…"
He whipped his head around, scanning the room.
"Where is it?"
It was there during the exam—I'm sure of it…
That blue screen…
"And there was… a voice. A voice in my head! Like those TikTok AIs that narrate stories…"
I remember it saying something like:
[Chef's Inspiration activated]
...
Or was I just hallucinating?
"But still, after that… I was in… how do I put it? Hmm… a state of omniscience."
"It felt like I could do anything."
"Yes! That's it! And I even figured out a solution… I know it would've worked, if I'd just had the execution skills to pull it off…"
Sigh.
Wearing a wry smile, he walked over to the sink and washed his hands under cold water.
"That must've been that so-called 'flow state' I've heard about…"
"And that metallic voice? Must've been all those cooking tutorials finally messing with my brain…"
But before he could finish his sentence, the same blue interface from the exam suddenly reappeared in front of him.
"Holy sh—!"
Caught off guard, Gon stumbled backwards and fell onto his butt, eyes wide with shock.
And just like before, a voice echoed in his mind, in sync with the glowing text flashing across the floating screen:
[Tier: Student]
[Student Progress: 5%]
[Points: 60 CP]
[Unique Skill: Chef's Inspiration I]
[Quests Available!]
Ah… it's happening again.
But this time, Gon didn't look away.
He clenched his jaw and tried to assess the situation logically.
"What the hell is this thing?"
[I am the Culinary System.]
Whoa… it answered?
---
...
"What… is the Culinary System?"
[I am the logical conversion of the host's culinary potential.]
"Culinary potential?"
"What potential?"
[Your innate culinary talent has been converted.]
"My talent? What the hell… None of this makes any sense."
Since when do I even have talent? Yeah, right.
"Let's say it's true. Who pulled off this madness?"
[Host's level too low for that information.]
Gon didn't take his eyes off the screen displaying his profile for even a second.
Exhale.
Either I've lost my mind… or this is one sick joke.
"Pff… Whatever. I don't get any of this, and I'm not in the mood to try."
Just as Gon muttered that and turned to leave the room, a voice called out to him:
"You really are unlucky, you stubborn brat."
"Professor?"
It was his university professor—one of the judges on the exam panel.
He had returned to deliver some paperwork to Gon.
"I'm not your professor, you incompetent idiot. I warned you, didn't I? Told you to go into business. But no—you just had to be stubborn. Well, congratulations. You're going to fail again. But this time, not in this university. You can count on that."
"Ah…"
"No worries, Professor."
I wasn't planning to continue anyway.
"Tsk. You see that masked judge from earlier?"
"I… didn't really notice."
"Doesn't matter, dumbass. Your culinary career's over. You made a bad impression on someone very, very influential. Hahaha. That's what you get for being useless."
"Come with me."
What a waste. He was actually pretty sharp when it came to theory… but oh well, his choice, the professor thought with a trace of regret.
Gon was thinking too, silently.
As if I had any kind of "career" to begin with. Haha…
Let's just get this over with.
With that, Gon followed the professor toward the university's main conference hall.
And once again, a metallic voice echoed in his mind:
[Complete quests to earn CP points. Good luck, "Student."]
---
"Be as respectful as possible," the professor said before exiting the room, leaving Gon alone with the masked man.
"You're Kô Gon?" the man asked calmly, sitting cross-legged on one of the chairs at the back of the room.
"Yeah? Hello," Gon replied with a neutral tone, completely devoid of tension.
Hmm… He's oddly calm, compared to earlier in the kitchen...
"I'll get straight to the point. In that final minute—what were you thinking? What exactly were you doing?"
"Hm? Why does it even matter?" Gon shot back, making no effort to hide his disrespect. What was the point of pretending? The culinary world was already behind him.
"Answer the question."
A strange pressure radiated from the man. An invisible aura—heavy, oppressive—seemed to force the words out of Gon's mouth.
Sigh.
"Truffle with..."
"Ah… interesting."
A faint smile curved beneath the man's mask.
He really thought of making truffle chocolate at that moment?
That kind of instinct… it's not something an amateur could possess.
And that technique he used to form the spherical shell… it was brilliant.
I had my doubts at first, but now I'm certain…
He's a rough diamond.
The man slowly rose from his seat.
"Huh?!" Gon flinched, slightly startled.
"Have you ever heard of The Culinary Throne?"
"?"
Why's he asking me that?
"Of course. Who hasn't heard of the biggest culinary competition in the world—the one where top chefs from all over the globe compete?" Gon replied with a shrug.
"Good. Then you probably also know about the Global Culinary Competition of New Chefs—and how to get in?"
"Um… what's with all the questions?"
"Just answer."
"Yeah, it's a competition where the ten best new chefs from around the world are chosen to compete in the Culinary World Cup alongside professionals."
"And?"
"Sigh… To enter, you either need a strong culinary resume, or the approval of special judges placed around the world. SATISFIED?" Gon snapped, clearly irritated.
Can I leave now?
His eyes said it all.
That's when—
The man pulled a golden ticket from his pocket.
Written in elegant, embossed letters:
Global Culinary Competition of New Chefs (GCCNC)
The card shimmered brilliantly in the light.
"Originally, I intended to give my vote to Julia. But you've piqued my curiosity… so FACE HER IN A TEST. The winner gets this invitation."
...
...
...
One word perfectly described Gon's face at that moment:
Speechless.
He knew exactly what this meant.
It was the one thing he had longed for—something he had desperately wanted to earn to gain his parents' approval.
Something that could make his childhood dream feel real again.
[Quest: Don't give up on cooking!]
[Reward: +4 CP; Chef's Body]
The metallic voice rang instantly in Gon's head, just as the translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
Ah…
He didn't even realize he was smiling. Without meaning to, he whispered:
"This isn't a dream… is it?"
System or gods—whatever you are—just tell me it's real.
"Hahaha…"
Is he insane? thought the man, genuinely puzzled.