Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 616 - 615: Each’s Trump Card (Part 1)

Chapter 616: Chapter 615: Each’s Trump Card (Part 1)

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh—"

At the Hokkaido Shrine Pavilion, after more than ten days, passionate cheers resounded once again.

One by one, the competing teams took the stage, with cheers like waves, overlapping one after another, an atmosphere of tension and suffocation that could only be truly appreciated by those present.

In the camera’s view, the public’s familiar chefs stood in front of their cooking stations as directed by the staff.

In the audience seats.

Jintan Shun grinned, "Is this the first time Lin Chef has made an appearance on live camera?"

Tulip replied, "Openness is the trend, and Lin Chefs will inevitably gradually shed their mysterious aura. In a few more years, they will become Dragon Chefs. Compared to before the fantasy invasion, the numbers of Lin and Dragon Chefs have multiplied several times over."

"Do you have any sources on the panel of judges?" Jintan Shun asked.

Tulip shook her head.

Suddenly, their casual conversation came to an abrupt end.

The camera focused on the hallway, where five cloaked figures of mystery stepped out. Kogawa Shinyiro, microphone in hand, announced beside the empty judges’ seats, "Thank you for waiting, everyone! I am personally hosting the competition today, and the time is now 9:45 AM. So, for our first agenda, please welcome our five judges!"

Instantly, applause roared like the tide.

Whispers intermingled with the applause.

"Who is that?"

"So mysterious!"

"For a competition of this scale and grade, the judges are definitely no less than Lin level... and might even be Dragon Chefs!"

As this statement was made, a globally known chain restaurant operator was so excited he couldn’t stay still.

Dragon Chefs, huh?

Not just in the venue, everyone had this question.

At Shu Restaurant, the old master Xia Qing stroked his chin, watching with interest as the hooded figures in the camera walked forward and took their seats in the judges’ area, "Times are changing, concepts are becoming more open, and they are trying to get some TV exposure too, huh? Ha ha!"

"Please allow me to briefly introduce our five judges!"

Kogawa Shinyiro’s resonant voice filled the venue, "First, our Chief Judge, Mr. Nuliang—"

Whoosh!

The central figure in the cloak unveiled his hood, and a cascade of silver hair poured out. He nodded toward the camera, smiling in his eyes, "Hello everyone, I am Mr. Nuliang, not a chef, but a connoisseur who prides himself on having tasted all the delicacies of the world."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the 58 cooking stations in the venue, and after a pause, he added, "The theme for the first round is ’alcohol’! I hope you can satisfy me with either alcohol or a dish made with alcohol."

He showed a slight snarl of his teeth.

"By the way, don’t try to fool us, otherwise... zero points and out of the competition!" Nuliang’s eyes conveyed a stern warning.

Kogawa Shinyiro went on to introduce the other four judges.

A red-haired handsome man waved to the camera and said, "My name is... uh..."

He scratched his head as if troubled by his own name, then suddenly, the red-haired man slammed his gourd on the table and snarled at the camera, "Just call me—Yoshitsune!"

The third was another male, the only one among them not wearing a hood. Half his face was hidden under a monk’s straw hat, holding a shiny golden staff; to the camera, he simply chanted a Buddhist invocation.

The remaining two judges were women.

One woman lifted her hood to reveal jet black hair, a lady of high birth. She spoke softly to the camera, her voice ethereal like mist, "Pleased to meet you!"

The fifth was enigmatic, offering only a brief phrase:

"Satisfy us!"

Her voice was slightly cold.

Regardless of the scene’s response, Kogawa Shinyiro glanced at his watch and declared, "The competition begins!"

"The cooking segment is limited to 2 hours! Please use your time wisely!"

Clang!

The bell sounded, and the venue became a hive of activity as teams of staff brought in the tools and ingredients the chefs needed.

Xia Yu fixed his gaze on the judges’ seats.

"What’s up?"

Zhu Qing called to him, waving a hand in front of his eyes, "Don’t lose your soul at such a crucial moment, huh!"

"Let’s get started!" Xia Yu withdrew his gaze.

It took him about ten minutes to gather all the ingredients.

"Sake, rock sugar, fruit!"

The ingredients were few—it was like brewing sake, which only required rice, water, and koji, but there was a great deal of knowledge involved. Only the utmost precision could bring the "Rainbow Sake" to a high level of completion.

"Yu, look—"

In the middle of preparation, Zhu Qing patted his shoulder.

Rumble rumble.

At that moment, a series of muffled sounds resonated throughout the venue as several ingredient carts were pushed by staff to the cooking stations. One particularly large cart attracted the most attention.

Boom! Boom!

It was, in fact, a cage holding a ferocious beast.

In the shiny steel cage, a winged creature resembling a winged dragon roared and continuously slammed against the bars. Even over this short distance of transportation, the cage seemed to have slightly deformed from the impact. Not only were the staff pushing the cart trembling with fear, faces filled with dread, but the audience also seemed to be struck by a cold wind, their gazes locked onto the beast in the cage with frightened fascination.

"Can we really eat something like this?!" a businessman wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Hey, hey, hey, even if it is edible, with such a ferocious creature, how are we supposed to slaughter it?" someone else shouted.

"Hmm?!"

Several chefs with keen senses, however, sniffed the air, their expressions subtly changing.

A difficult-to-describe scent of alcohol wafted through the air, emanating from the slowly-moving cage!

"Could it be..."

Dojima Yin frowned deeply, while Saito Chiyokuro crossed his arms and squinted his eyes.

"The ’Wine God Dragon’!"

Thump!

Jintan Shun blurted out, watching the cage arrive at cooking station number 9. The camera focused on it, revealing Lei Zhe waving away the staff members, who were already drenched in cold sweat, to stand close to the cage.

"Damn!" Jintan Shun’s face went through a range of expressions, but then he chuckled softly, "I didn’t expect Lei Zhe to bring out his trump card in the first match! Hahaha, the ’Wine God Dragon’—although it’s just a young dragon, it’s incredibly precious. I’m sure Lei Zhe’s research base doesn’t have a second one!"

Tulip also showed a greedy glint in his eyes.

"The ’Wine God Dragon,’ considered the highest tier species in the paradise of alcohol, its meat contains alcohol and is famous for its rich brandy flavor. Its body is full of alcoholic components, indeed very suitable for this round’s theme..."

"The key is its hunting level—37!"

Zhu Qing and Tulip, one outside and one inside the competition, converged in their opinions remarkably.

"Craziness!"

Zhu Qing murmured, "Even Lin Chef would find it extremely challenging to handle an ingredient like the ’Wine God Dragon’!"

Xia Yu was equally astonished.

From the information available to him, many Dragon Chefs had struggled with the ’River Puffer Whale,’ let alone the ’Wine God Dragon,’ which was nearly 10 hunting levels higher. Even if the dragon before them was still young and its hunting level far lower than an adult’s, the slightest mishap could lead to disaster.

How was he supposed to slaughter it?

Xia Yu furrowed his brows.

Suddenly, the venue fell silent as if it were a vacuum, suffocating.

A slim woman emerged from behind Lei Zhe. She was Lei Zhe’s elite partner and was dressed and carried herself like a female ninja, holding an anesthesia repeater gun. She aimed it at the roaring winged dragon inside the cage and pressed the trigger with a steely expression. A faint hiss sounded as the bright red syringe pierced the dragon’s hide, with the liquid inside appearing to be sucked out, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Rumble..."

Merely a few seconds later, the furious beast that was roaring a moment ago collapsed with a thud.

"Anesthesia gun!"

Among the audience arose a swell of skeptical voices: "When did anesthesia guns become so effective on fantasy species?"

"Idiot! Look at the needle!"

"That’s definitely a new product from the Gourmet Society’s research faction!"

Bickering ensued.

At that point, the audience and chefs began to carefully observe the female chef at Lei Zhe’s side who was slender and unobtrusive.

"Has this person not appeared in the first stage?" Xia Yu’s heartbeat quickened.