The explosion should have killed her.
Instead, it gave her the chance to cook for gods.
Marron Louvel's last memory of Earth was flames consuming The Gastronomic Masters kitchen, her perfectly plated duck breast disappearing into smoke and screams.
One moment she was about to save her family's failing diner with a competition win—the next, she was choking on ash and regret.
Well, this sucks. I'll never get to cook for anyone again.
Then—nothing.
+
She woke up tasting butter, cinnamon, and... grass?
The ground beneath her cheek was impossibly soft. Above, a candy-colored sky shimmered cream and coral. Wind carried scents that shouldn't exist together—marzipan, honey, liquid starlight.
I'm either dead or this is the weirdest food coma ever.
In the middle of the glittering meadow sat a food cart that looked like every chef's fever dream.
Comfort & Crunch – SSS-Grade Food for the Soul
Polished redwood. Phoenix-shaped fryer crackling with golden flames. Spice racks that sparkled like gemstones. Cast-iron tools humming with ancient magic.
After years of secondhand equipment, this is everything I've dreamed of.
She reached out—
FZZZT.
Reality glitched.
The cart collapsed into a broken mess. Rusted fryer. Patched canvas. One wheel snapped clean off.
God, even in a fantasy world I'm breaking equipment I can't afford.
DING!
A glowing screen materialized:
[Welcome, Marron Louvel!]
[You have activated the Legendary SSS-Grade Food Stall]
[Current Status: A Real Struggle]
[Daily Quest: Serve 1 Customer or face cart repossession]
A massive bear in an apron stood behind her, glasses perched on his snout, stirring something that smelled like heaven.
"You're late," he rumbled. "And you look confused. First time being isekai'd?"
A talking bear. Of course. Why not?
"I died and woke up in a cooking game run by a bear?!"
"You're not dead. You've been isekai'd—happens to folks with unfinished business. Usually involves feeding people and making the world brighter."
Her heart skipped. "You mean... I can still cook?"
"More than that. Here, your food actually heals people. Gives them hope, strength, reminds them what it feels like to be cared for."
Food that heals. Not just feeds—heals.
A desperate voice interrupted: "Food... please... anything..."
A dirt-caked adventurer stumbled into the clearing, eyes wild with hunger.
DING!
[Quest Activated: Serve 1 Hungry Soul]
[If you fail to serve someone within 24 hours or your cart will be repossessed]
Marron's pulse kicked into overdrive.
This is it. My second chance.
She grabbed a golden potato from the coldbox—heavier than earthly tubers, humming with stored sunlight. Her knife work was instinctive, each cut releasing shimmers of essence.
This time, I'm cooking with my whole heart.
+
"Mokko," she called to the bear, "any duck fat back here?"
"Bottom drawer. We render it ourselves. Still warm from this morning's batch."
Perfect.
The golden tubers hit the bubbling fat like old friends reuniting. As they fried, waves of comfort rolled through the air—thick enough to taste, warm enough to heal.
While they cooked, she crushed translucent berries between her fingers. Their juice sparkled like liquid nostalgia, fizzing with tiny stars when she mixed it with enchanted water.
On Earth, I cooked to survive. Here... here I can cook to save people.
Minutes later, she plated with competition-level precision.
"Duck fat fries and sparkling memory soda. Eat before you pass out."
The adventurer bit down.
The crunch echoed like a bell. His eyes widened as flavor became memory—not just taste, but vision. Tears spilled down his dirt-stained cheeks.
"By the goddess... I can see my grandmother's kitchen. The worn table, sunlight through her windows..." He clutched the soda like treasure. "How is this possible?"
DING!
[You have created: Mana-Refreshing Duck Fries & Memory Sparkle Soda][Stat Boost: +10 Energy | +5 Clarity | +3 Hope]
[Skill Unlocked: Flavor Resonance I]
[Stall Functionality +1 → Heat Retention Restored]
Marron watched color return to his hollow cheeks, his trembling hands steady.
I'm not just feeding him. I'm healing him. Through food.
DING!
More notifications cascaded:
[Quest Unlocked: Feed 100 Hungry Souls]
[WARNING: Culinary Signal Broadcasted]
[Entities with Detection Rank B+ have marked your presence]
[New Threat Level: NOTICED]
"What's 'Culinary Signal Broadcasted' mean?" she whispered.
Mokko stirred his broth harder and tasted his soup. "You've entered the game, chef. Powerful things hunt by taste and smell in these woods. But there's also beauty here—the chance to feed people who really need it."
Fight hunger with love. I can do that.
The adventurer curled up in the grass, cradling his drink. For the first time since the explosion, Marron felt alive.
Maybe I can remember what cooking actually means.
The explosion had stolen her earthly competition.
But it gave her something better—a world where every meal mattered, where food could build the community Mom always dreamed of.
Until—
Rustle.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Temperature dropped ten degrees.
A figure emerged from shadow—bone-white silk robes, face hidden, moving with predatory grace. The air hummed with barely contained hunger.
A forked tongue flicked out, tasting lingering aromas.
"I can smell determination seasoning your cooking," they purred, voice like silk drawn across a blade. "Much more intriguing than simple potatoes."
Their tongue tested the air again.
"Tell me, little chef... do you serve hope?"
Mokko raised his ladle like a weapon. "Careful, kid. That one's not normal."
Marron's hands trembled, but her voice stayed steady:
"I serve whatever people need. Food, comfort, a reason to keep going."
The robed figure stepped closer, and she caught a glimpse of something that definitely wasn't human beneath that hood.
Behind them, more shapes moved in the treeline. Watching. Waiting.
The sweet meadow air turned thick with anticipation. Whatever had been drawn by her cooking, it wasn't just one entity. Her first successful dish had announced her presence to things that hunted in packs.
Mokko's grip tightened on his ladle. "Kid... we might have a problem."
"If I cook for you," Marron said softly, "these things won't attack us, right?"
The figure's tongue flicked out once more.
"If what you cook is good, yes."
Time to learn what happens when a chef decides to fight monsters with love.