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Setsuno-baasan savored the impossible flavor lingering on her tongue, deeper curiosity lighting the folds of her timeworn face.
"Hoho… what an extraordinary taste."
Her kindly smile came with a gaze so penetrating that it made Shun a touch uneasy.
Before a titan like Setsuno, he felt as though his every strength—and every weakness—were laid bare.
Her eyes did not linger. Looking back to the dish, she said, "You've tamed the Crimson Dire Tiger's wild energy until it's as docile as a kitten—its finest savor revealed without reserve. The texture is supremely tender, yet it still carries the resilient bite unique to a top-class predator. This level of heat control is excellent."
Praise from Setsuno-baasan—a living national treasure—was no small thing.
She paused, a hint of curiosity in her tone. "Even more intriguing is this faint, hidden coolness… It perfectly offsets the slight agitation that fire-aspect essence can bring, bringing the dish into flawless balance. This spice… I've eaten my way across the world, but this is my first time encountering it. You're Shun, yes?"
"Yes, Setsuno-baasan."
"I'd like to know the name of the spice you used—and where you obtained it."
Shun fell briefly silent.
The spice came from his Universal Spice Caddy (Basic). Beyond the Ice-Crystal Mint-Orchid he'd just used, it held several other seasonings unknown to this world.
The system was his greatest secret—he could never expose it. Yet to offer a flimsy lie to someone like Setsuno would be disrespectful—and transparent besides.
Shun bowed slightly, respectful yet steady. "Setsuno-baasan, I call this spice Ice-Crystal Mint-Orchid."
He gave the name first—an honest nod to her unmatched palate.
"As for its place of origin… I'm afraid I cannot reveal the exact location."
For one who'd lived centuries, that said enough. Setsuno only smiled and asked no more.
With the national treasure herself acknowledging Shun's dish, the result was never in doubt.
Shun crushed the audition with overwhelming momentum. The unique ingredient, the masterful handling, and that mysterious spice's perfect balance made him the tournament's hottest dark horse overnight. His name and face flashed across the Gourmet Metropolis—and far beyond.
In Round Two, he kept the pressure on.
The theme was "Gifts of the Earth"—use at least three soil-born ingredients.
While others scrambled for rare roots, mushrooms, and grains, Shun stunned the field again by presenting the Magma Earth Yam—Capture Level 25—grown only in active volcanic zones, fattened on geotherm and minerals. His other two ingredients were equally unusual.
They cost him a serious chunk of points, but for the title and his system quest, he didn't hesitate.
First time handling them or not, with advanced Shokugi it was no challenge.
He guided the earth-deep, mellow force to fuse with the tiger's surging vitality and created "Earthfire-Seared Tiger Steak."
On the tongue, it made you taste both the earth's steadiness and a volcano's eruptive passion—distinct layers, seamless harmony. The judges sang its praises. Shun advanced to the final with ease.
The last round pitted him against the tournament's strongest rival: a chef ranked No. 96 on the World Chefs List.
Anyone in the world's top hundred was a six-star or higher—no need to explain their skill.
This chef, Glenos, specialized in a rare field—molecular gastronomy.
His station looked like a compact lab: centrifuge, vacuum still, liquid-nitrogen dewar—everything gleaming. The scene was more scientific experiment than kitchen.
The final theme: "The Pinnacle of Umami."
Glenos chose roe from the Abyssal Aurora Fin (Capture Level 30).
Using spherification, he wrapped cod roe emulsion within a gossamer algal membrane, creating faux "aurora" caviar. It burst on contact, detonating pure umami.
Then he low-temp cooked the fattest cod belly and dressed it with a transparent sauce distilled from concentrated seafood essences.
His cuisine was technology's maximal, precise magnification of umami—undeniably stunning.
Facing that power and theme, Shun chose to return to the heart of things.
He selected the most essential part of the Crimson Dire Tiger—its heart, lauded as the "Burning Gem." And once again, he paired it with Ice-Crystal Mint-Orchid.
No fireworks. No gimmicks.
With Shokugi, he sensed and guided the heart's near-explosive life-fire, then used the mint-orchid's powder to temper and balance it.
His knife-work was absolute: slices thin as cicada wings, nearly transparent—every slice a distilled joy.
He blanched them for exactly three seconds in a clear broth extracted from tiger bone, Magma Earth Yam, and a whisper of mint-orchid—then lifted them out at once.
Yes—the final dish was nothing more and nothing less than a clear broth with a few slices of tiger-heart sashimi.
He named it: "Ice and Fire of the Earth."
When the judges tasted it, what they experienced diverged completely from Glenos's fireworks.
Glenos's dish was technology's explosion of umami.
Shun's dish was life's resonance.
The heart slices didn't explode—they warmed you, like early spring sunlight settling into the chest.
The mint-orchid's cool, ethereal perfume played like a soft melody, soothing the spirit.
Two currents—opposed in nature—met and rose together into something wordlessly greater.
And the broth—pure essence—transported them to the Sea of Trees' depths, where primal life hums in the dark and ancient roots.
Flavor that reached into the soul.
In the end, the judges agreed: Glenos's molecular cuisine was superb, but Shun's dish not only shocked the palate—it bestowed an unparalleled sense of comfort and life-nurturing vigor. His technique and ingredient-wisdom had stepped beyond technique alone.
The dark horse soared. Shun defeated the world No. 96 and claimed the championship.
At the instant of victory, the system's chime rang through his mind—
…
(End of Chapter)
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