Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 521 - 520: I Surrender

Chapter 521: Chapter 520: I Surrender

"He’s gone in!"

French female judge Melissa exclaimed, mouth agape toward the camera.

The audience witnessed this, each with an odd expression on their face.

Previously, the camera had been fixed on the five judges, and the audience could be sure that Melissa hadn’t chewed. She’d just swallowed the roast... and then...

Did the meat just melt away?

"Melt in the mouth" is an exaggerated description, generally referring to the texture of the meat rather than it literally melting like snow on the tip of the tongue upon entering the mouth. That’s just unscientific.

But Fantasy Ingredients defy scientific explanation, not to mention the even more wondrous Forbidden Ingredients.

Sensing the chill in the atmosphere, Melissa thought the audience didn’t believe her. Huffing, she walked up to a nearby camera, opened her mouth even wider for the camera, her tongue all lit up, "Believe me, it really went in!"

This female celebrity was quite bold and open, so the live feed switched to a close-up of her mouth.

"Wow—"

A stir went through the crowd.

Because Melissa’s tongue seemed to be coated with colorful stardust powder, the brilliant specks and fluorescent dots shimmered against the pink background of her tongue.

The sight was stunning.

"What’s going on?"

Melissa turned around to see Mars and Chiyoda Aichi’s strange looks; she was unaware of her mouth’s transformation and muttered, furrowing her brows while rubbing her chest, "Strange, my body feels warm..."

Thud!

Her heart gave a violent thump.

A heatwave surged from her stomach in waves; the food that had voluntarily slid into her stomach was clearly undergoing some sort of transformation.

"What’s happening!"

The other four judges each had their reaction.

The French chief judge clutched his neck, with an unhealthy flush spreading across his cheeks, "Hmm..."

North American cowboy judge Noisy had no mind for folk songs, half of his face hidden in the shadow of his cowboy hat, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably, as if struggling with something.

"Colors..."

The Persian female judge untied her silk scarf, her long hair cascading down.

She too opened her mouth wide, ah.

But unlike Melissa, the Persian judge resisted the urge to swallow, her mouth brimming with watery saliva, the sticky egg liquid and another colorful meat juice entangling, the colorful patches increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye, flashing.

Her entire tongue was numb as if her acupoints had been sealed.

After a while, the dazed expressions eased a little and their taste buds gradually regained sensation. Unexpectedly, a faint bitter taste clung to their nerves like maggots on bones.

It was the taste of egg liquid.

And then, the umami flavor of the egg liquid exploded.

Boom.

After the big explosion, Melissa and the Persian female judge’s muddled minds suddenly became clear: the slight bitterness of the egg liquid, in such clarity, prevented them from completely losing themselves.

Gates of Extremes, heaven, none of it existed anymore.

If they had to describe it, it was similar to the sensory experience the Dragon Pot’s secret sauce had brought to the judges a few days prior: a sudden weightlessness, pushed by a raging tide to the edges of the universe.

However, this time the judges could ascend and descend; the peculiar taste of the egg liquid formed an unbreakable rope in the dark.

This rope was coiled around the judges’ waists like the safety cord in bungee jumping.

"Ah—"

Heavenward, earthward.

The rope tightened and then retracted as Melissa was catapulted into outer space, only to be yanked back like a meteor descending through the atmosphere... She let out a shriek of surprise and fear, covering her head with her hands, uncontrollably crouching on the stage, shivering.

Chiyoda Aichi was startled and stepped forward to help Melissa, only to find that another judge had started screaming nearby.

"Wow—"

"Thrilling!"

The North American Cowboy Judge Noisy suddenly let out a whistle, took off his hat, and stared excitedly at the ground; to him, the stage’s carpeted floor had transformed into the cloud-covered atmosphere, and he found himself plummeting from outer space, with the contours of the land quickly coming into focus.

The remaining three judges either leaned back uncontrollably or clutched their clothes tightly.

The Persian Female Judge, who was afraid of heights, simply flopped onto the floor with a thud.

For a moment.

As the egg mixture and the precious meat juice tightly intertwined, and the temperature in their stomachs returned to normal, the five judges gradually came to their senses.

Yet, for a long time, no one spoke. Each judge maintained their previous posture, either seated or standing, their faces filled with intense aftertaste.

"That..."

Chiyoda Aichi tentatively broke the silence on stage, asking, "Would you like to continue tasting, or do you wish to provide feedback now?"

"Eat!"

The French Chief Judge took a large step forward, standing in front of the cooking station. He reached for his plate with chopsticks, picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it into the egg mixture, and swallowed it, his face instantly glowing with satisfaction.

For a moment, the judges were preoccupied with eating.

Mars kept a stern face as he focused on that strange egg mixture. Taking advantage of the judges’ reflective moment, he grabbed a clean pair of chopsticks, dipped it into the egg mixture, and held it close to his eyes for observation, his pupils constricting slightly, "This is..."

The neglected egg mixture also contained a faint, elusive glimmer.

In hesitation, Mars bit his lip and, as if testing for poison, lightly licked a bit of the egg mixture off the chopsticks. But no sooner had his tongue retracted back into his mouth did his baby face turn ashen purple, and he hastily dropped the chopsticks and retreated several steps.

"Chef Mars!" Chiyoda Aichi was bewildered, unsure of what had happened.

"Don’t come near!"

Mars raised his hand, bowing his head slightly.

Xia Yu’s eyes sharpened.

Traces of cold air invisible to the naked eye were emanating from the Vice Principal of Orlando, and soon, fine icy particles began to form on Mars’s skin. From Xia Yu’s side perspective, he could see a layer of frost climbing over Mars’s eyebrows and facial features.

Seeing this, Xia Yu almost shouted out loud, Holy guacamole!

"Gourmet cells!"

"Ice?"

Recalling Mars’s two resonant Fantasy Ingredients—the pure white ’Rose Mushroom’ and the ’Golden Salmon Roe’ from the deep sea—Xia Yu immediately understood. Mars’s cellular ability was related to ice; no wonder he could so effortlessly handle the Flame Horse Meat, a clear attribute counter!

Beyond that, Xia Yu was convinced that Mars had other abilities he had yet to reveal.

For example... using gourmet cells to preserve food!

"Pah!"

Then, raising his hand in front of his mouth, Mars spat out the egg mixture, which solidified into tiny ice cubes in his palm. He casually crushed the ice cubes into powder and looked up, locking eyes with Xia Yu.

The cameras focused on the judges, but the exchange between Mars and Xia Yu was noticed only by a few observant individuals in the venue.

He moved his lips silently, sending a message in lip-read to Xia Yu:

"The second Forbidden Ingredient... You’ve won!"

"Pure luck!"

"Hey, pure luck?"

Mars shook his head, glanced at the bewildered Chiyoda Aichi, easily took the microphone from her hand, and addressed the packed arena with seriousness:

"I concede!"