The Demon’s Menu

Chapter 728 -1 Welcome Aboard!

The bright warmth of the morning sun dimmed as Jason stepped forward into the gloom.

The sense of warmth vanished without a trace.

The sudden disappearance even brought about a chill.

Before Jason’s eyes, the table remained, the utensils remained.

The high-backed chairs were still just as uncomfortable.

The feeling of restraint made even the most comfortable chairs unbearable.

...

Whoosh!

[The purity of clear soup is not the simplicity of the ingredients, but the sublimation of their essence.]

[It is rich and delicious.]

[Destined to be unforgettable.]

(Note: I hope you truly tasted its sublimation!)

Just like the maxims after ‘dinner’ before, this time was no exception.

"Essence’s sublimation?”

Jason furrowed his brows.

At that moment, he thought of many things—John’s trio, poor Edward, the shadowy puppet master Findelter, Cortana, the old general, the old instructor, and more, including the exceptionally talented Bolun and Kemi.

Eventually, these figures all slowly dissipated.

No!

Not dissipated, but overshadowed by the brilliance of another figure.

‘Witch’!

Jason’s memories of the ‘Witch’ were indeed fresh.

After all, not just anyone commits suicide in front of him.

"Ordinary people’s sublimation is… mental illness?”

The answer involuntarily surfaced in Jason’s mind when he thought of the ‘Witch’.

Then, Jason quickly shook his head.

No.

Impossible.

He was overthinking it.

"The sublimation of an ordinary person should be a more beautiful existence.”

"Just like having vinegar with dumplings.”

"Or chili with tripe.”

Jason firmed up his own thoughts.

And the text on the notebook continued to appear—

[Main task: Perfect!]

[Hunting performance: Excellent!]

[Cooking performance: Mediocre!]

[Combat performance: Excellent!]

[Search performance: Mediocre!]

[Overall evaluation: Almost excellent!]

(Note: Do you need a soup spoon?)

…

Looking at the ‘almost excellent’ overall evaluation, Jason was not surprised.

In the previous replica world, he had hardly left ‘Cherry City,’ and his exploration of ‘Cherry City’ was almost superficial, with some hidden places he never delved into, so his search was naturally mediocre.

As for ‘cooking performance’?

Emmmm…

It’s really hard to say.

He also hoped to learn some culinary skills.

But it was difficult.

More difficult than he had imagined.

In the replica world, there were too many things to consider and deal with.

So much so that there was no opportunity or time to learn cooking.

Or rather, he simply couldn’t afford to ‘give up short-term gains’ for a ‘long-term perspective.’

Jason was not unaware of the importance of ‘long-term’ development.

It’s just that he was still living on the ‘edge of survival.’

Talking to someone starving, barely scraping by about ‘ideals, the future’?

It’s a bit difficult, really.

Simply put, he was still too weak.

Weak to the point of being unworthy.

Sigh!

Jason sighed silently in his heart.

He, too, wanted to eat carefully cooked food!

Nobody loved the taste of food more than him.

But reality didn’t allow it.

Unable to help himself, Jason sighed again.

Then, he looked at the glowing notebook.

Like the previous ‘Esophagus Enhancement,’ an iron, bronze bi-colored card appeared.

The front of the card showed a nose, with the nostrils depicted in the form of air currents.

[Smell Enhancement: Food and flavor are intrinsically one, and your sense of smell has been enhanced. It not only allows you to smell food from a greater distance but also to finely distinguish the differences between them.]

…

The words before his eyes flickered.

As before, [Smell Enhancement] appeared next to [Esophagus Enhancement], [Tooth Enhancement], [Taste Enhancement], [Poison Resistance Enhancement], [Stomach Enhancement], [Mouth Enhancement], under the Talent [Predator], marked with ‘Passive.’

Jason’s nose twitched.

It felt itchy.

Then, a burst of scents flooded into his nostrils.

There was the fragrance of soil, the distinct smell of wooden furniture in a humid environment, and the scent of metal utensils, fabric, and more.

However, very quickly,

All these scents were masked by the rich scent of beef.

A palm-sized white ceramic bowl appeared before Jason.

The bowl contained a clear, amber-like broth.

The feeling of restraint on his body almost completely vanished at that moment.

Jason picked up the bowl, unable to resist taking a deep breath.

The steamy aroma went straight to his brain.

He felt as if all his pores had opened up.

"Huh?”

"No spoon?”

When Jason was about to drink the soup, he realized that only a bowl of soup had appeared and there was no spoon.

Upon this, Jason instinctively looked at the previous note: Do you need a soup spoon?

After a slight hesitation, Jason tentatively spoke.

"I need a soup spoon.”

He said so.

And then…

Nothing happened.

The white ceramic bowl remained as it was.

The soup was still the delicious broth.

There was no appearance of a soup spoon.

Jason paused for about two seconds, then finally shrugged.

"I was overthinking.”

He thought to himself and lifted the soup bowl, drinking it down in one gulp.

The salty and savory taste filled his mouth.

As the flavor of the broth spread, Jason’s eyes lit up involuntarily.

For the soup contained not only the richness of beef but also the unique taste of a mixture of offal, and even… bone marrow!