Elysion Online ~The Dragonewt and The Summoner~

Chapter 45: Cause of Defeat and Chef

"Then, the winner of this cooking contest battle is..."

"Wait a minute! I'm not convinced!"

The blonde handsome man starts to make a fuss...hey, that's not a good look.

"I can't lose to this guy! You guys gave him the recipe and you gave him the rating on purpose!"

Aaah. Perfect claimer, but this statement is out. All the judges turn their eyes in anger.

"You're saying that we, who hold the title of five-star chefs, cheated on your food?"

"Uh...y, yes! My food is just too good"

"That's enough. Don't open your mouth any more"

One of the judges is so argumentative that he shuts him up. Then Chef Glass spoke up.

"If you're not convinced, let me explain. What do you think we valued about Takuto-kun?"

"Of course it was the food"

"Wrong"

Yes, it's all right.

"By the looks of it, you haven't even noticed that we've basically only eaten one bite of your food"

"Eh...speaking of which"

Yeah. They've basically only eaten one bite of his food since the first salad. The only exception is dessert.

"We are judges. We have to evaluate all the dishes fairly"

"We can't have full stomachs for that, so we basically take only one bite of every dish except the last"

"Takuto-kun, you have been aware of our situation from the beginning and have made dishes that are commensurate with it. You must have noticed, too, that the portions he served were small"

"What does it matter?"

"We're food lovers too. We don't like to leave food behind. That's why he adjusted the amount of food he served. Isn't that right?"

"Yes"

I think it's natural for cooks to feel sad when they see the leftover food.

"Th, That..."

We, as chefs, must not forget to be grateful to the people who produce the ingredients for our dishes. We have to be grateful for all the ingredients and for the customers who eat our food"

And then the old man, who had been keeping an eye on the fish dish as a follow-up to Chef Glass, said.

"The reason for your defeat is that you forgot to be grateful and to pay attention to the customers who eat your food"

"I am..."

"You are still young. Admit your mistakes and start over. The next time I eat your food, I expect it to be full of care and attention"

"...Yes"

As expected of a five-star chef, his words carry a different weight. Then Chef Glass declared.

"Since you seem to be convinced, let's end this cooking contest battle. The winner is the summoner, Takuto"

"Takuto-kun has scored a total of 100 points, so we all approve and present Takuto-kun with the title of 『Three Star Chef'』"

『You have earned the title 『Three-Star Chef』』

Eh!? A title!? And a three-star chef!? I'll check it.

Title 『Three-Star Chef』

Effect: Increases the effectiveness of cooking buffs.

A title earned by those recognized by a five-star chef.

Isn't it bad? There's something wrong with this, isn't it?

The current buff is small. I don't know how much of an increase it will be, but if it becomes a big one, how much of an increase will it be?

As I was checking my three-star chef title, the chefs on the panel of judges left their seats.

"Then, I guess we'll be going now"

"Ah, excuse me. Could you wait a moment?"

"? Yes, of course"

I returned to the kitchen and put the stew in the pot into a container. Then I present it to the judges.

"Here you go. You can take it home. Reheat it to make it even more delicious"

"That's...that's great. Thank you very much. It's delicious"

After being thanked by all the judges who received my stew, they left. Then Lily and the others come.

"""Food, I want some!"""

That's the first thing they say? Well, I was just looking at them. But the food and ingredients that me and the blonde handsome guy cooked are disappearing.

"""Aaah!"""

The voices of the three in sorrow echoed through the hall. Well, this is what happens, right? And then, inexorably, the info flows.

『You have completed the special quest 『Cooking Contest Battle』』

『You have won the special quest 『Cooking Contest Battle』. You will receive a 10pt skill bonus』

Eh? Isn't that a lot? With this, my remaining skill points are now 21 pts.

And as a matter of course, my cooking skill went up by 6 at once. My skill level has gone through the roof. Basically, for every dish I cooked, I gained one or two levels. I guess the ones with the most experience are meat and fish. Because I used good ingredients. The dessert was also rich, but the ingredients I used were not so subtle.

At any rate, I'm glad I won the event.

But on the way home, Lily had a question for me.

"Why is Takuto a three-star chef?"

"Yes, it could have been the highest rating"

"As far as I can see the judges, I think it would have been nice to be a five-star chef"

That's what it looked like to the three of them.

"I think it's fair and I have an idea why they stopped at three stars"

In fact, three stars is too high a rating. I think the reason I'm not a five-star chef is that all of my cooking is something I learned in the real world from different people.

In other words, it was obvious to the five-star chefs that I didn't come up with the dishes on my own. After all, if you want to call yourself the best chef, you must be able to make at least a hundred of your own original dishes.

"Well, maybe someday I'll get the chance to try"

That's what I'm saying and I'm burning with the will to fight for the day that will come.

Name Takuto Summoner Lv15

Vitality 24

Magic Power 54

Strength 17

Defense 10

Agility 15

Dexterity 32

Skills

Bare-handed Lv5

Kicking Lv6