Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 1912: Unpopular tournaments (3)

I attended the other competitions by myself.

Bringing a retinue was unnecessary, as the specific talents I was scouting for weren't the type I could simply delegate to others.

These individuals possessed abilities better suited for backline support rather than fighting on the frontlines.

Exactly how that would function was a matter I still needed to investigate thoroughly.

After all, their contributions differed significantly from the standard hero units.

"This is amazing!"

"I never would have imagined using a filling like this!"

"The sauce alone completely transforms the flavor profile of the entire dish!"

Given these exclamations, the nature of this particular tournament was obvious.

While it wasn't exactly unpopular, it didn't command the same level of fame as the martial arts tournament or several other events. Under different circumstances, its popularity would likely have been much higher.

However, in the current era, people simply couldn't afford to focus much on the culinary arts.

The continent was gripped by a period of total chaos, with the forces of Destruction wreaking havoc everywhere. Consequently, public attention was fixed on the warriors capable of repelling those dark forces.

Yet, I had come to observe this contest specifically to conduct a certain experiment.

To that end, I went behind the scenes and made some adjustments to the tournament setup.

"Your Majesty, are you certain this is wise?" The backstage staff didn't dare block my path, but their faces were clearly etched with skepticism regarding my actions.

I didn't blame them; had I been in their position, I would have harbored the same doubts.

Nevertheless, this test was of vital importance.

Once I finished implementing my modifications, I waited for the subsequent round to commence.

"What an incredible fire!" the chefs exclaimed the moment they ignited their magic stoves.

We had supplied them with top-tier equipment, making these magic stoves standard for every participant.

The twist was that the nature of the flames produced by these stoves had been altered.

This was the result of my secret intervention, where I injected divine energy flames into the magic stones powering the devices.

Any other person would have likely overloaded the stones and destroyed the stoves in the process, but I was an exception. Thanks to my own divine energy, the flames from the relic were as obedient as a kitten.

Injecting them into the magic stoves was an effortless task.

The chefs were now forced to contend with these divine energy flames.

The majority of them seemed lost, unsure of how to handle heat that was far more intense than anything they had ever encountered. Many were afraid to even stand near their stations, fearing they might be scorched.

However, a select few actually moved closer to the intense heat.

They stared at the flames as if they had discovered something fascinating.

It was as if they viewed the fire itself as a brand-new ingredient to be mastered.

Those were the individuals who caught my eye.

I knew immediately that these were the people I had been searching for.

After a moment of observation, they grabbed their ingredients and utensils, thrusting them into the blaze. They showed zero hesitation in cooking with this strange, powerful fire they had never seen before.

Despite the flame being vastly superior to their usual heat sources, they understood precisely how to manage it and how long to subject their cookware to the intensity.

Even with such an unfamiliar element, they didn't allow a single scrap of food to burn.

Seeing this, the other cooks were inspired to try their hand at using the mysterious flames.

Unfortunately, they lacked the same innate talent.

A few managed to prevent their dishes from charring immediately, but the rest were helpless, unable to grasp the timing required for divine energy flames.

By the time they tried to adjust, their meals had already been reduced to ash.

They could only stare in a state of shock as their hard work vanished into smoke.

They stood there in dismay, looking at the cinders of what were supposed to be their entries.

In the end, no one paid them any mind—including myself—since they had failed. I did, however, take note of those who hadn't failed instantly, as they clearly possessed a baseline level of skill.

They had shown an ability to adapt to the divine energy flames, even if they hadn't mastered them.

With proper training, they would surely be useful in the future.

Whether they became line chefs or specialized in cooking with divine energy, they had potential.

Naturally, the crowd's attention was fixed on those who had successfully harnessed the divine fire.

When the round concluded, they presented their dishes without a hint of doubt.

They had total confidence in their creations, and for good reason.

"It’s actually glowing..."

The spectators could only murmur in awe as the dishes were brought forward.

The meals were ordinary in appearance, yet they were enveloped in a soft, white radiance.

It appeared as though the flames had imbued the food with some sort of magical effect.

As for me, I could clearly perceive that it was divine energy itself clinging to the food.