Plop!
The lid of the jar came off with a swift twist. As Ji Hoon opened it, a sudden, shimmering, moonlight-like glow from the Sea Sugar nearly blinded him. Before his eyes could even adjust to the light, the smell hit him.
It was a mix of the ocean's crisp, clean breath and a sweet, almost floral honey-nectar. The aroma wafted from the jar, so potent it was like the entire arena—the roaring crowd, the frantic competitors—simply vanished. For a single, suspended moment, he was on a far, secluded beach, with a cool, sweet breeze gently touching his face.
He used a small spoon to take a tiny bit of the sugar, wanting to taste its raw form. This might be his only chance to taste something like this, considering its priceless nature.
Unless he finds the real source that is, which is nearly impossible. Right?
As the fluid crystals trickled onto his tongue, he didn't care about the competition anymore.
He was lost.
Clank!
A pan fell near Ansen, the sharp metallic clatter jolting Ji Hoon violently from his daydream.
"S-Sorry!" Ansen yelped, quickly scrambling to pick up the pan.
Ji Hoon blinked, his focus snapping back to the jar in his hands.
'This sugar... it's unlike anything I have ever seen or tasted! Sea Sugar? Hell, I'd call it Ambrosia!' he thought, the memory of the taste still echoing on his palate like a divine whisper.
Ji Hoon rolled up his sleeves, his arms now bare. He brought a heavy-bottomed pan and set it on the stove, pouring a portion of the glowing Sea Sugar into it. He decided to add only a small amount of water to help the sugar dissolve evenly.
This was an ingredient he had never cooked with; in fact, no one from his world had. He had to take every step with extreme care.
But at the end of the day, it was still sugar, so the core principles should apply. His Inspect skill had warned him it was highly volatile, so the real challenge would be controlling the temperature.
Luckily, he had a skill that made that worry irrelevant. He focused, activating it.
"Inspect level one activate. Caramelization."
======
Target: Sea Sugar.
Property: Caramelization Window.
Activation Point: 90°C.
Optimal Range: 115°C - 124°C.
Volatility Threshold: 124°C. [Warning: Do not exceed.]
======
'It's so volatile...! A less than ten-degree window?' he thought, a trickle of sweat running down his temple. This was like performing surgery with a sledgehammer.
He lit the stove, keeping the flame painfully low. As the pan heated, he activated his second skill, his eyes seeing a translucent, digital readout over the pan.
======
Target: Sea Sugar.
Current Temperature: 95°C... 105°C...
======
As the heat rose, he raised his hands and whispered, "Alchemy activate. Manipulation: DE crystallize." A faint green halo emanated from his hands. Thankfully, between the bright lights of the dome and the Sea Sugar's own glow, his powers weren't very visible.
======
[ De-crystallizing the desired content... ]
[ De-crystallization finished. ]
======
This was the crucial part where his alchemy replaced ingredients from his old world. Back on Earth, he would have used cream of tartar, but since he couldn't, this was his solution. Ji Hoon watched as the alchemy did its work, but suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through his head.
"Ungh!" he moaned softly, gripping his forehead before forcing his focus back to the pan.
This had happened before. Using too many skills at once took a heavy toll on him. He had realized that the skills consumed his mana, and the more he used them in quick succession, the more this painful headache and feeling of weakness would wash over him.
It was his body's warning not to overexert himself. Even his simple yet powerful skills had limits, despite their short cooldowns.
~Blip-Bloop~
The sound of bubbling sugar pulled his attention back. He pushed through the headache. The sugar began to melt into a swirling, liquid opal. The air around it shimmered, and the sweet, floral-nectar smell wafted out to the surrounding areas.
His teammates, the contestants around them, and even some of the crowd seated nearby could smell it. It was a magnetic aroma that pulled at everyone's senses, making them crave a taste.
The mage in charge of the Light Box, noticed the captivating glow and the crowd's shifting attention. With a swift gesture, he shifted the Light Box's focus directly onto Ji Hoon's station.
The main screen above changed, and the glowing, swirling liquid opal of the Sea Sugar caramel was projected across the entire dome. The crowd's cheers softened into a mesmerized hush, captivated by the otherworldly dish and the intense focus Ji Hoon displayed.
Lady Seraphina, who was supposed to be commenting, was momentarily speechless, her expert eyes locked on the perfect, clear golden amber of the caramelizing Sea Sugar. She waited a beat, collecting herself, before her voice, filled with genuine awe, rang out.
[ Look at that, everyone! A sight I never thought I would witness! The contestant who has taken the Sea Sugar has not only tamed the Sea Sugar... he has made it sing! Look at that flawless, luminous caramel—a true masterpiece in the making right before our eyes! ]
Victor, whose station stood in front of Ji Hoon's, glared at him. He saw the intense focus he exuded and how every eye was now drawn to his team. He scoffed, his voice a low grumble.
"Show-off. What matters is the end result," he whispered to himself, his grip tightening on his rolling pin.
Ji Hoon was so focused he couldn't tear his eyes from the pan, swirling it gently. He was barely aware of the attention toward him; his entire world narrowed to the digital readout ticking up degree by degree.
110°C... 113°C...
He held his breath. It was almost there. The scent intensified, that same serene beachside breeze now filling their entire station.
115°C.
"Now!" he whispered to himself, yanking the pan from the heat and immediately submerging the bottom in a prepared ice bath to stop the cooking. The caramel glowed in the pan—a perfect, stable, liquid sunset.
Sweat trickled down his temple as he let out a long, satisfied breath. He had actually pulled it off. A tired but triumphant smile tugged at his lips. It would be fun to experience other new ingredients like this.
Lior, Ansen, and Yuna rushed over. Lior threw an arm around his neck in excitement. "You actually pulled it off, brother!" Lior laughed. Ansen stared at the caramel, his eyes wide with amazement at the sight and smell.
Yuna, standing beside them, didn't say anything aloud, but a small, genuine smile formed under her mask. "He actually pulled it off..." she whispered to herself.
Ji Hoon pulled the pan from the ice bath and covered it with a lid to keep the caramel warm and pliable. He set it aside and turned to his teammates with a smile. "Did you finish the choux?"
Lior and Yuna nodded, presenting the bowl. He inspected the smooth, glossy, golden dough. "Nice," he said, his smile widening.
When he turned back, he saw that Ansen had already prepared two sets of plastic piping bags and filled one of them with the chilled pastry cream. Meanwhile, Lior and Yuna brought over the baking sheets they had prepared earlier with the traced circles.
Working together, they filled the other piping bags with the choux dough. Using a plain tip, they piped small, uniform mounds onto the parchment-lined sheets, carefully tracing the faint circles visible from the underside. They worked efficiently, each taking a sheet.
To anyone watching, they moved with a seamless, practiced rhythm—like long-time partners, not a team that had met just that day.
* * *
40 Minutes Ago...
Up in the Noble's booth, Viscountess Yuhwa sat in a plush velvet seat, Madam Ashdown a silent, observant presence beside her. The air was thick with perfume and the low hum of aristocratic chatter.
When the contestants first filed onto the arena floor, Yuhwa's breath caught. There he was. Her Cassian, standing tall amidst the sea of black-and-gold uniforms.
But it was the look in his eyes that made her heart clench—a fierce, passionate focus she had never seen in him for a long time.
A genuine smile, small and private, touched her lips.
Her gaze never left him throughout the opening announcements. She watched him form his team, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Then came the ingredient selection.
When he walked past the safe, Grade-A options and his hand closed around the jar of glowing Sea Sugar, her knuckles turned white. A collective gasp rippled through the nobility around her, but she remained silent, a statue of maternal tension.
Madam Ashdown, who had been watching with curiosity, let out a soft, appreciative "Hmph," her sharp eyes glinting with newfound interest. "The boy has either lost his mind... or he really has a spine."
Now, watching the Light Box display her son's team working in perfect harmony—piping the choux pastry with a precision that belied their short time together and then putting it into the oven one by one—Viscountess Yuhwa felt a swell of incredulous pride. He wasn't just participating; he was commanding the stage.
* * *
Back to Ji Hoon's Station...
It had been about twenty minutes since Ji Hoon put in the chox in the oven. He opened the oven door. They took turns, carefully transferring the baked profiteroles onto the table. They had made a small mountain of them, enough to build their tower.
It was finally time for assembly.
Ji Hoon picked up a small knife. "Watch closely, everyone. You pierce a tiny hole, like this, to let the steam out and make room for the filling." His teammates watched his every move before mimicking him. One by one, they finished poking holes in the bottom of every profiterole.
Then, they picked up the piping bags, filling each puff through the holes. A soft plop echoed from each one as the hollow shells swelled with the chilled custard.
After the last one was filled, Ji Hoon brought over the pan of caramel. Surprisingly, despite its volatile nature, it had cooled slowly and was now the perfect, viscous consistency. He set it beside the profiteroles and prepared a wide, clean plate.
He pulled on a heat-safe glove, turning to see the others had done the same, just as he'd instructed. The caramel was still dangerously hot. He picked up one profiterole to demonstrate.
"Now, we use this caramel as our glue to build the tower. We just dip the sides slightly," he explained, carefully dipping two pastries and sticking them together on the plate, forming the sturdy base.
Lior and Ansen stood on one side of the table, while Ji Hoon and Yuna stood side-by-side on the other. As they worked, Yuna glanced at Ji Hoon from the corner of her eye.
Their arms brushed as they reached for pastries, but he was so focused on the work he didn't seem to notice her watching. A small, private smile touched her lips before she turned back to the task.
Together, the four of them worked in a circle, building the tower of cream puffs higher and taller, the golden caramel cementing each piece into place. They continued dipping and sticking the puffs in concentric circles, their movements falling into a rhythm as a magnificent conical tower took shape.
Finally, they stepped back to look at their creation. The croquembouche stood tall and glorious. Lior let out an amazed reaction. "Wow, this looks amazing..." he breathed, and the others murmured in agreement.
But Ji Hoon's voice cut through their admiration. "It's not finished yet. It needs one last touch."
The others watched, trying to figure out what he meant. Ji Hoon brought the caramel pan closer and picked up a fork. He dipped the tines into the molten gold, then flicked his wrist with a practiced grace.
He wove the fork through the air around the tower, trailing hair-thin strands of caramel that solidified instantly into a delicate, sparkling web leaving the others out in an awe.
It was finally finished.
A Croquembouche, with its towering profiterole, glued together with the sea sugar's glowing caramel and a cage of spun sugar that encased their creation in a final, breathtaking veil of magic.