Chapter Thirteen: The Power of the Fried Egg (Part Two)

“Would you like to try mine?” Feng Xue once again offered the fried egg to Erina Nakiri, presenting the same sphere-sized, plump egg as before.

“No matter how round it is, a fried egg is still a fried egg. Judging by its size, it must contain water. Something like this is bound to taste terrible…”

“Just try it!” Feng Xue smiled at Erina.

“Hmph, I—”

“Try it!” Feng Xue kept smiling, and somehow Erina felt as if his gaze could absorb her. Strangely compelled, she took the plate, forgoing chopsticks and simply grabbed the fried egg with her hand, taking a bite.

“Hot, hot, hot!” Erina instantly covered her mouth, but she didn’t drop the egg—instead, she took another bite. “It’s been over half an hour, so why is it still so warm? And how can this broth taste so fresh? You only added salt, didn’t you? And this jelly-like texture, and the flavor of the yolk—I must have eaten a fake egg! You must have cheated!”

Despite her protest, Erina did not stop eating. She kept biting into the egg, and to her, this was no longer just an egg, but a delicacy crafted from broth and gelatin, each bite offering a new surprise—as if she’d received a beloved toy in childhood, always discovering new ways to play.

“A good cook needs only a pinch of salt. Don’t you know that, with the right temperature and the right amount of salt, you can make a delicious clear broth?” (This is true; many kitchen legends attest to it, and the author once, by chance, mixed light salt water in summer and created an exceptional taste. Though it never happened again, it proves its authenticity.) “And here lies the source of umami—the presence of protein!” Feng Xue appeared indifferent, though inside he was delighted beyond measure.

The power of the Gourmet’s Creed granted Feng Xue a strange sense, as if he could hear the whispers of ingredients. He called it “food sense.” Thanks to this ability, he could perfectly remove the fugu-whale’s poison sac, and similarly, he used it to precisely balance the ratios of salt, water, and temperature. With the control of Ripple Qi, he succeeded in making this bouncy, ball-like fried egg.

Yet even so, Feng Xue felt it wasn’t enough, for he lacked the ability to fundamentally alter the nature of ingredients with energy.

“If I ever get the chance, I must visit ‘The God of Cookery’!” Feng Xue thought silently. Of course, learning the technique of making steamed buns with Tai Chi force from Kung Fu Soccer’s Ah Mei would be a fine alternative.

Upon hearing this, Soma Yukihira turned his gaze to the other three fried eggs. “Is it really that extraordinary? May I try one?”

“Of course. I prepared one for you, too. I want to taste your egg rice as well!” Feng Xue picked up a plate and handed it to Soma, then glanced at Hisako Arato. “Little secretary, this one’s for you!”

“Who are you calling a little secretary! Besides, you two are still under review!” Hisako Arato complained as the pair began sampling each other’s food with blatant disregard for the judges.

“With faces like that, there’s no reason not to try. Eating is more important, so come, let’s feast!” Though spoken in Japanese, perhaps only Hisako—descended from a family of traditional medicine—could understand the last phrase.

“You!” Hisako glared at Feng Xue, but was interrupted by Soma’s astonished cry.

Turning to look, she saw that Soma had split the fried egg in two. Inside the plump egg were tiny cavities, each filled with clear broth, while the yolk remained thick and semi-solid, slowly oozing from the cut.

Even so, Feng Xue still received a “not qualified” evaluation.

He had anticipated this outcome, which was why he made four fried eggs.

Sure enough, that afternoon, Feng Xue received an acceptance letter from Totsuki Academy at his hotel.

The Demon King of Cuisine was indeed worthy of the title; after sampling the fried egg, it was no surprise the letter was sent. Feng Xue thought as much, though his expression soured, for the taste of Soma Yukihira’s egg rice still lingered in his mouth.

The world of Gourmet Hunter champions ingredients. No matter how refined his techniques, Feng Xue could not surpass the inherent limits of the ingredients themselves, for the culinary arts of that world were developed to bring out the ultimate flavor of each ingredient. Those chefs are the type whose dishes improve in direct proportion to the quality of their materials, and only the top hundred ranked chefs in the Epic of Billion Birds could possibly break that rule.

But Soma Yukihira was different. His cooking possessed a power that transcended the ingredients themselves, a force named—imagination.

At this moment, Soma was far below his prowess during actual field training, and even less than during the dormitory training period. Yet even so, his skill left Feng Xue powerless, not to mention the other two terrifying contenders of the Autumn Selection!

This gave Feng Xue a clearer understanding of the difficulty of conquering the task “Ascending Between the Moon and Heaven.”

But it was already too late, for the acquisition of Crimson Luck must occur on the first day of entering the story world. Any later, and one’s identity would be registered in the Akasha Records of the semi-dimension, granting formal status within the world and forfeiting eligibility to inherit Crimson Luck. In other words, Feng Xue had missed the chance by not eliminating Soma on the first day.

All he could do now was hone his culinary skills. After all, Food Wars is essentially Soma Yukihira’s academy life, lasting at most three years. Even if he failed to reach the summit of “Between the Moon and Heaven,” he’d simply spend an extra two years learning to cook—nothing to worry about.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Ninety-nine percent of you exist solely as sacrifices to forge the one percent!”

“Last year, there were eight hundred and twelve first-year students. Of those, only seventy-six advanced to the second year. The incapable and the ordinary are mercilessly discarded. Out of nearly a thousand first-years, only a hundred remain at promotion, and those who graduate successfully can be counted on one hand. You may become one of those elite, those few chefs among the masses!”

“Study well!”

“I am finished!”

Though Feng Xue had heard this speech once in the original story, experiencing it in person felt utterly different. Even though he had no ambition to reach the pinnacle of the culinary world, nor any intention of graduating from Totsuki, he was still moved by the atmosphere. Truly, the Demon King of Cuisine deserved the title. It was just a pity Feng Xue simply wished to quietly learn some recipes.

Despite his intentions, the next announcement ensured Feng Xue could not remain inconspicuous—

“Finally, let me introduce the two new transfer students joining us from today.”

With these words, nearly every student turned their eyes to the stage.

While everyone knew the academy had transfer exams, passing them was far harder than advancing from the middle to the high division. Over the years, the total number of transfer students hadn’t reached double digits.

Hearing the host’s words, Feng Xue stood up reluctantly, stretching and saying to Soma, “Who wants to speak first? Ah, never mind, you go ahead.”

Feng Xue thought that by speaking first, he might avoid being caught up in Soma’s provocations, but then realized that the first speaker would attract more attention, so he yielded the initiative.

“Then I won’t hold back.” Soma, hearing Feng Xue, showed no sign of restraint and strode forward.

Facing the gaze of a thousand students, Soma grinned sheepishly. Urged by the charming hostess, Riko Kawashima, he declared with confidence, “I’ll keep it brief—just a couple of words. My name is Soma Yukihira. Honestly, this academy is nothing but a stepping stone for me. I didn’t expect to get in, but I’m not going to lose to a bunch of people who’ve never faced real customers. As for what I want to say, basically, since I’m here, I’ll surpass everyone. The next three years—please take care of me!”

His introduction was so brazen that it infuriated every student present. Those who entered Totsuki were all elites, and none of them were magnanimous enough to ignore Soma’s provocation without retaliating.

“Kill you, transfer student!” The enraged students hurled whatever they could toward Soma on the stage.

“Such audacious words. If I were a true transmigrator—one who crossed over and didn’t return—I might do the same.” Watching the chaos, Feng Xue’s expression betrayed amusement.

Thanks to Soma, Feng Xue, as a fellow transfer student, was subjected to the blazing stares of a thousand classmates—yes, murderous glares. Though he had anticipated this, Feng Xue still felt uneasy. Fortunately, the Gourmet’s Creed could calm his mind, preventing him from embarrassing himself despite his lack of real battle experience.

“I’d rather call myself a gourmet or a hunter than a chef. I’m here only so the occasional rare ingredient I acquire doesn’t go to waste. So if you want taste tests, I’m happy to oblige, but as for food wars—please don’t bother me. That’s all.”

His speech was much milder than Soma’s, but the students showed him no kindness, only contempt. This was the stronghold of culinary talent, and someone who wouldn’t even dare participate in food wars wasn’t worth their attention. Such a person, they figured, would be expelled within days.

But that was exactly what Feng Xue wanted—no attention was best.