LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 953
<953 – Monster Forest's Best Monster Cuisine Contest (6)>
Jonnas felt a twinge of sadness as he watched the lady grow.
Just like how children grow and drift away from their parents, the lady was also gradually distancing herself from Jonnas.
“Sweet enough to make honey drip from the eyes.”
“Can you tell?”
“Quite a lot.”
Oknodie watched with wide eyes as the teaching assistant and the boy monster participant created chaos in the spectator stands.
Jonnas thought it was indeed a bit foolish to be filming this as material for the lady’s growth diary.
That’s also why the Destroyer’s admonitions didn’t feel so bad.
“Well, there was that guy who didn’t flinch in front of the former hero’s companions back in his professor days.”
“My resolve is the same as it is now.”
“Then why are you just watching from afar?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Even though you left the academy, the spies from the Thief Guild you planted in school still provide information. I’m aware of the movements of your Foundation Faction professors.”
Hearing Jonnas’s actions through reports raised strong doubts in the Destroyer.
“The man who was so stubborn that he wouldn’t retreat even in front of a hero has disappeared. How many times have you actually talked to Oknodie away from lectures?”
“That is…”
“You hesitated.”
Jonnas’s grim face twisted even more.
He felt as though the Destroyer had struck a nerve.
“People lie to themselves, but you’re not a bad person. You’re someone who can’t turn a blind eye to their own lies.”
“A year ago and now, you’ve put me in a difficult position again. What do you intend by this?”
“What’s the reason for just sacrificing yourself for Oknodie’s safe life? Oknodie prefers staying by your side over such a lifestyle.”
The Destroyer’s questions were valid.
Oknodie, who had waited anxiously for Jonnas since the parent-teacher conference time.
Having made many friends and forming various relationships now, she was more hungrier than ever for the genuine human connection.
If food fighters equated relationships between people to food, Oknodie would crumble the competition with her spirit alone.
Jonnas wasn’t blind to this either.
In fact, he understood it better than anyone else.
He was well aware of how enormous the unwavering love and support Oknodie showed him was, and how he should be deeply grateful for it.
“I…”
A cloud of worry came over Jonnas’s eyes.
“I… am not certain.”
“Certain about what?”
“My way of teaching the lady and the method of the ‘Chairman’ or, in the lady’s terms, the ‘Foundation Papa.’ I can’t be sure which is better.”
The Foundation Papa of Oknodie.
The Director of the Foundation, the First Wahyhiemhai.
Though he was already dead, he caused Jonnas considerable anxiety.
“Is there really anything to learn from such a guy?”
“The Chairman once said, many relationships lead to many losses, and the lady will realize the transience of friendship and return to my side. In truth, the lady has suffered deep heartbreak from many relationships.”
“Do you believe that’s correct?”
“Not necessarily. But I regret it. Seeing the lady get hurt by the relationships that didn’t repay her faith as much as she cherished them. That carelessness of mine now feels like an irresponsible act, a ‘mistake’ that only causes the lady more pain.”
“Then are you planning to scrutinize Oknodie’s ‘friends’? To see what thoughts they harbor, what purposes they serve, and how loyal they are?”
“…That’s part of the issue, isn’t it? If the lady seeks ‘subordinates’ or ‘maids,’ she can already find plenty of them in the [Organization that Plays with Oknodie].”
The Destroyer didn’t berate him for that flawed reasoning or dismiss Jonnas’s worries as futile and pointless.
“Wavering and brooding is a privilege reserved for those with opportunities. Above all, Oknodie and you still have time. Time to lean on each other. Don’t waste that time.”
This was the most sincere advice born from his guilt at not being able to help the childhood friend who once depended on him.
How meaningful the remaining time would be depended on Jonnas.
He bowed his head to thank the Destroyer for his advice.
Meanwhile, the contest venue was a continuous chaos.
The one who quit being the announcer had become a participant.
Oknodie was at a loss.
And Jonnas himself, armed with filming tools.
‘What a fool I am.’
To suppress external threats for the lady’s safety.
To capture photos for her future memories.
While actually decreasing the time spent with the lady.
He also wanted to do more with Oknodie.
To look after her and prepare for the far future.
But would Oknodie truly not feel lonely even with him around?
Jonnas resolved to be more honest with his feelings toward the lady.
“I will take responsibility for the lady’s contest.”
Jonnas was the first to volunteer among the professors scrambling to take on the role of the announcer.
The professors clamored, insisting they would also do it, while the Destroyer smirked.
‘It was about time.’
Oknodie glanced at the professors, aware of their deference to her, especially to Professor Bronze, who was treated like a mentor, and even to himself, who was long retired.
But if Oknodie needed someone important, it would still only be Jonnas.
Oknodie watched the professors, but not Jonnas.
The one committing the offense.
That would be everyone else except Jonnas.
They were already deciding whom to choose and worrying about the next step.
Just as Jonnas regarded Oknodie as his priority, Oknodie regarded Jonnas in the same way.
Jonnas felt a bit more at ease.
“Of course~ Jonnas, please take the announcer role!”
Jonnas smiled in satisfaction.
The Destroyer watched the rewarded courage warmly.
Of course, the professors who weren’t chosen cast disdainful looks at Jonnas and Oknodie.
“Don’t get smug just because you became the announcer.”
“Not gonna forfeit? Aig. Tsk, tsk. Kids these days just don’t understand elders, do they?”
“The main building is disappointed in you all.”
Oknodie giggled at the professors’ jeering.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to play together, as I have little memory of playing with Jonnas before. I never got to experience the joy of playing while training at the Foundation.”
The professors, who had previously hurled scornful glares at Jonnas, suddenly stopped.
The tales entwining Oknodie and the Foundation were almost forbidden tales.
How could one bring up something that might remind an abused child of their painful past?
“How much training did you undergo at the Foundation?”
“Almost continuously since gaining consciousness?”
“!!”
To Oknodie, who had a life of barely two years, her memory of training before entering school was all she had, yet to the listeners, it sounded like a lifetime of torment under the guise of training until she was 9 or 10.
“Did you just train that child?”
“…If I didn’t train her, she would die. I’d choose to train her again even if I had to revert to who I was back then rather than lose her to a moment of sympathy.”
If anything, if they trained harder, it wouldn’t lessen the training.
That was because the types of incidents and dangers Oknodie was involved in were incredibly high.
“I hate to interrupt the good mood, but when will the match resume?”
The only opponent of Oknodie, who had become the announcer, asked.
“What? Right now…”
As Jonnas was about to announce the progression, he stumbled.
“Oh dear.”
A problem arose in the contest.
After making a batch of large-sized raw beef, all the chefs who had stubbornly pressed on suddenly collapsed.
The reckless monster delivery ignored Michael’s safety protocols and emitted poison that could obliterate the chefs.
“Is our contest going to fail?”
“…No. There are certainly people capable of being chefs here, aren’t there?”
The professors, half annoyed and half curious, climbed onto the kitchen counter.
“It’s great to raise and butcher little chicklings, but once in a while, it might be fun to raise them directly and serve up some goodies. If they’re talented enough, we can afford to invest a little.”
“Those little ones are so skinny I worried what they’re feasting on; I’d say it’s time for a feast. Let’s serve a hefty dish of monster meat that’ll boost their immune functions, which kids these days tend to dislike.”
“I’ll recreate the flavors I’ve tasted from foods around the world and create an exquisite dish.”
Jonnas, having taken on the role of the announcer, had the professors turn into grotesque chefs!
The teaching assistant, who thought they could endure the foul tastes in hopes of dealing with stomachs until now, was seriously taken aback.
“No, why does the toxicity of the food keep increasing the more we prepare it? Empire cuisine should reduce toxicity!”
“It’s important to keep the juices from leaking out. Maintaining the food’s essence is key to avoiding disasters. It’s all about preserving the toxicity that seeps into the forks and knives.”
“No matter how you put it, isn’t that excessive!”
“There’s no reason for those weak chefs or participants who should be keeping their health alive to continue cooking; it’s pointless now that they’re all dead.”
The teaching assistant’s fatal misjudgment.
It was great that Oknodie had reached a level that seemed easy to handle.
But did he think only he knew that?
The professors were aware too.
In fact, it was those professors who were cooking.
With the rise in combat power, the risk factors of cuisine multiplied. It essentially established a formula of increasing culinary danger with growing combat power.
“Ugh?!”
With each bite the assistant forced into his mouth, his face twisted more.
This was food imbued with the harrowing wailing of monsters that could corrupt and taint even the soul.
Just as physical penetration damage ignored physical defense, the professors’ dishes gnawed at the essence of the teaching assistant’s soul.
[Spirit Column]
Similar to how the young monster had expelled its toxins for self-defense, the assistant split his soul to create a spirit column.
No matter how much he created, it was never enough.
There was no respite for the two in the finals as the next dish kept coming out immediately after finishing the last.
“But even if the food fighter title goes to the last person standing, who gets to take the title of the grotesque cuisine champion?”
The Destroyer’s innocent inquiry triggered a fierce competitive spirit among the professors.
There was no way they could create cuisine that ranked lower than whatever that kid made.
They had to score better than that kid.
What other way was there to achieve a higher ranking and score in this contest?
Visible and tangible changes.
Only the lethality of the cuisine remained!
The teaching assistant’s spirit column dwindled to the point where it could no longer be split.
Even with extensive rest to recover, it was a damage that would take dozens of years to heal.
“Enough is enough. I forfeit.”
“Not living up to your name as Buzhaar’s assistant. Put a little more effort in. I have high expectations for you.”
“Haha. I’m sorry for not meeting your expectations…”
The teaching assistant’s expression froze as he feigned humility.
Professor Bronze made it clear.
That he was Buzhaar’s assistant.
“Did you know?”
Professor Bronze pushed his monocle up with a finger, smirking.
The Numberz mage tool that forcibly reveals hidden identities had been worn by Professor Bronze all along.
Professor Bronze had known everything from the start and played dumb.
“To truly contribute to your disciple’s growth, they need to eat something stronger than this. I don’t want to waste the trouble of throwing you into Buzhaar’s research dimension to supercharge you with the strength of other monsters.”
He planned to offer a far more malicious upgrade to Alex’s act of betrayal by pilfering from an external research dimension!
Even realizing he was being played by the professors, the teaching assistant, terrified of the future that awaited him if he resisted, had to swallow the food until his spirit column broke, and his skills declined.
“Ugh, I’m full.”
“The lady seems satisfied with the meal. We’ll conclude the contest here.”
Thanks to Jonnas’s biased judgment, Oknodie naturally became the winner.
The reward was essentially everything that Buzhaar’s assistant forfeited, including the priceless potential lost after absorbing the dimensional essence of five captains.