Food Wars: Taste Reversal

30 minutes later.

"The new household scarlet sand, 200 serving reached."

Hearing this prompt, Dojima Gin was completely numb.

How many people are there?

He couldn't count them, but it was conceivable that the number of students who passed this time was definitely more than half of those who took the test.

In previous years, this was a normal figure.

But when all of this data is consumed by one person, it is anything but normal.

Is that kid's stomach a black hole or something?

For the first time in his life, Dojima Gin felt fear of a person—not because he had never seen the world, but because he had never seen someone as strong as Shiraki.

Even if one person's booth could serve all the guests at the venue, could one person's stomach handle the breakfast for the entire venue?!

"Chief Dojima, this is the list of those who qualified this time."

Beside him, the staff in charge of assessment statistics handed over a table, and Dojima Gin reluctantly took it, roughly glancing over the contents.

The names of the students he had followed before were all on this list.

Others he hadn't heard of were there as well, and the dishes listed beside them met the requirements for creativity.

Total number of qualified people: 618!

[P.s. this is the no. of people passing in all 3 venue ]

What kind of concept is this?

In just the venue A, He ate from 192 stalls, in half an hour.

Is this guy even human?

That's 36,480 servings!

Even the craziest competitive eaters would kneel before such a record.

There's no way to win!

Originally, Dojima Gin thought that at most half of the students would qualify this time. But now, only about 308 students had been eliminated. While the numbers matched their expectations, the process was far too… "unusual."

He had thought Shiraki might eat a few extra portions of food. But the reality had hit him hard.

And Shiraki didn't just eat indiscriminately—he was selective about the dishes. He didn't touch a single dish that was obviously below par.

Dojima Gin, who had been pondering whether to invalidate this assessment, looked at the list again. After a while, he decided to approve the promotions based on it.

Though this decision solved a big problem, the shock in his heart lingered.

Just seeing the sheer number of names on the promotion list—and knowing they were all "eaten" by Shiraki alone—made Dojima Gin's scalp tingle.

Taking a deep breath, Dojima Gin picked up the microphone and cleared his throat.

"Students who have completed the assessment, please note: the next session will begin in 4 hours. Until then, you may take a break. Please gather in the banquet hall after 4 hours."

As soon as Dojima Gin's announcement ended, the students—already mentally exhausted—wailed. Many of them had stayed up all night and had thought passing was hopeless. Shiraki's intervention saved most of them, but now they only had four hours of rest... barely enough for three hours of sleep!

Immediately, the students rushed out of the venues. Complaining could wait; they needed to rest if they wanted any chance of surviving the afternoon assessment.

---

"Shiraki-san, thank you so much this time!"

"We'll see you in the afternoon!"

"Transfer student, next time I'll invite you to my family's restaurant!"

Unlike before, many students—some of whom Shiraki didn't even know—greeted him warmly before leaving. Previously, many had been prejudiced against him. But after witnessing his gluttonous prowess, they couldn't help but feel gratitude.

At this moment, a notification from the system echoed in Shiraki's mind:

[Hidden mission completed: Compete for Supremacy. Mission Rating: S Grade. Reward: 19,000 points.]

Shiraki's total points officially exceeded the 20,000 mark. It seemed he could now choose the cooking skills that suited him best.

---

Back at Polar Star Dorm group, everyone was too exhausted to socialize. They greeted each other briefly before collapsing onto their beds to rest for the next assessment.

Time quickly passed, and 4 PM arrived.

Many students, now sporting dark circles and low energy, staggered into the banquet hall. If Dojima Gin introduced any more tormenting tasks, their bodies might not hold up.

"The guidebook doesn't mention anything about today's assessment itinerary... This feels familiar," Yoshino Yuki remarked, flipping through the blank guidebook.

She recalled the previous day's sudden summoning and sleepless night. Would tonight be a repeat?

Shiraki, noticing everyone's growing anxiety, waved his hands to dismiss their fears.

"The residential training has ended."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"But the head chef of Dojima summoned us here. Doesn't that mean there's still some kind of assessment?" Sato asked weakly.

"The last part of the residential training is a 'surprise' for the students who passed the hellish test this morning," Shiraki explained, pointing to Dojima Gin, who was stepping onto the stage.

---

Dojima Gin stood before the disheveled students, who now looked like collapsed wrecks.

"First of all, congratulations to everyone for passing all the assessments so far!" he announced.

"So far, a total of 362 students have left the program, leaving 618. This may seem cruel, but it is a reflection of the culinary profession.

"To survive as a chef, you must be prepared to face unexpected challenges.

"To survive as a chef is to wander alone in a windswept wilderness.

"But… never forget that in the wilderness, there are others from Totsuki who have walked the same path."

"I sincerely hope for your success… and the prosperity of your culinary journeys!"

Dojima Gin smiled warmly.

"And now, let's move to the final part of the assessment. Congratulations to the 618 students here for passing all the topics of residential training!"

"The last part is... a banquet! Enjoy this celebration of your achievements!"

---

As the banquet began, exhausted students were rejuvenated by the sight of the graduates serving delicious dishes.

Shiraki, however, gazed at Dojima Gin on the stage, reflecting on his words:

"Is the man wandering alone in the windswept wilderness, Yukihira?"

Was Dojima Gin referring to the Totsuki students—or his old friend, Joichiro Saiba?

A man who wandered the wilderness, only to be consumed by the desert.