I'm the King Of Technology

--Silence--

Shortly after the examiner taste-tested and scribbled down some more, she called several others to come for a taste test.

You look at me; I look at you.

The examiners nodded to one another, still saying nothing to the people who cooked the dishes.

Hello?

Can you tell us what the hell is going on here?

Scattered across the now empty site, Mildred noticed that there were 15 of them left standing, some confused, others just calm, while some panicking.

The space had occupied 800 people.

A few were far ahead, others closer to her and some far behind.

And amongst them, the remaining examinees, no one knew why they were ignored.

(-_-)

[Examinees! Congratulations on making it this far. You are left standing because the examiners and investors have all tasted your dishes and agree that you are the Top 15 examinees for this test!]

Boom!

A wonderful explosion erupted in their brains.

Top 15?

Okaru felt the nonexistent wind almost blow her body away.

"T-t-top 15? Mildred, did he just say we are in the Top 15? 15! 15! 15! I... Top 15. You, me... I..."

Okaru was stammering and waving her hand around in shock.

She almost had a heart attack from the examiner's words.

But more than anything else, she knew that she wouldn't have gotten this far without Mildred's help and advice during the exams.

.

[You're all in the Top 15. And to rank yourselves, our extended examiners will taste each dish, giving your ranks and scores! The top 5 examinees will get exempted from tomorrow's test. While the rest of you will get 40 bonus points towards tomorrow's exams... But bear in mind that there is still a 3rd exam in the end. And how you do will also affect your overall entrance score!]

What?

The examinees couldn't believe their ears.

This was just too good of a reward. Who wouldn't want this?

Wonderful!

One of the examinees let out a sly smile. He was confident that his dosh should land him with the dishes he made.

His goal was to be the top examinee.

And once he established a footing in the academy, he hoped to challenge not just the top Chef Generals but also the Top 10 Seats!

Yes!

It's said that the 10 seats were the cooking gods in the academy. And the prestige given to them wasn't small

Their radiance and power in the academy were enough to show how strong that title was.

But with privilege comes hard work. These top dogs weren't lazy, taking in various intern jobs across the entire Continent during holidays.

And some even planned to open restaurants with a few of the dishes they developed.

To become one of the 10 seats was something he and many others dreamt of!

.

Reaching the top 15, many felt that they had what it takes to become a cooking God or goddess in the future.

But the road won't be easy, especially when every entrance examination birthed Top examinees all the time.

And there were also those already in the academy who had been working their butts off, also challenging these 10 seats, as well as the 10 generals behind them.

F***!

Even winning a general felt like a fantasy dream to those in the academy. That was how strong these gifted ones were.

But who knows... Maybe amongst them, one would shine to the top!

But before that, they had to determine their ranks for today's test.

There were 5 main examiners they had to please to determine their ranks.

Landon, Astar, and 3 others were seated on the podium.

Thus, with the many trays and serving bowls at their disposal, they quickly went to work.

Mildred evenly distributed her dishes between all 6 trays.

And one by one, the examinees were called out until it was her turn.

Swish!

The invigilators assisted her in taking all trays to the front, placing them before the Main examiners.

.

Oh?

Landon raised his brow, looking at the simple yet clean display.

The bowls she chose were pure white, making the food pop out even more.

Additionally, her decorative choice with her food was also quite good.

Already, many had written a score, evaluating what they saw.

If they stepped into her restaurant and saw this, would they be looking forward to eating it?

Yes, they would!

The noodles were neat and evenly cut with a shine to them.

They lay on the plate in a flower-shaped pattern.

And above them was the red and vibrant sauce that seemed to be calling on them.

It resembled an erupted volcano, giving their hearts a rush of adrenaline just from looking at it.

But wait... was that black ginger she formed shredded above the sauce?

It all looked like rock formations alongside a hilly volcano.

And that smell... So fragrant.

Grrrr~

The examiners all felt their bellies grumble.

The smell alone was just too enticing.

If not for Landon's earlier words, Astar would've wanted to give his fiance a 10/10 without even tasting it.

But he knew that he had to be fair to everyone else.

Hey... He was biased. But not blind. His mouth would do the judging.

One of the examiners stared at Mildred in scrutiny.

"Examiner 387. I see you made a simple dish of spaghetti and sauce, alongside what seemed to be proper sauce and grated cheese in these separate bowls?"

Mildred nodded. "Yes, Chef Belinda."

Hmmm...

Belinda nodded, feeling that the dish might not be as simple as it looked for it to be in the top 15.

"And what theme were you going for?"

"Youth!... The youth of a climber."

Hmmm...

The examiners nodded, finally deciding to take a bit.

With their forks, they rolled the noodles, gathering a bit of sauce along the way.

.

Boom!

Their eyes widened.

"What is this? Fish? Yes! Finely cut pieces of fish were hidden in the sauce like a gift waiting to be unwrapped." One of the examiners said, closing his eyes to enjoy the taste.

"The savoriness and crisp of the fish's outer skin, as well as its moist and tender insides, simmers with the sauce to produce an explosive taste that bombards one's mouth the moment they take it in."

"There are also mushrooms in there." Another said. "The hidden mushroom pieces are cooked just right, giving a tender yet rich taste."

At this moment, everyone felt like they were young and vibrant rock climbers, heading to the very top of this tomato sauce mountain.

Slurp. Slurp. Slurp. Slurp!

No one could stop eating. It was as though they were possessed.

Mildred smiled. "With the power and the cheese, the effect is even powerful."

"Delicious!"

Astar did as she instructed, almost eating his plate clean.

Even more surprising was that the tea she made for them complimented this dish.

It somehow created a cooling effect on their mouths.

Astar was confused. Hot food, hot tea... Where does the cooling effect come from? Could it be something in the good that does this?

Desserts and even the appetizers they were supposed to eat at the start were now devoured by them.

The portions given to them were small so that the examiners would have enough room in their bellies to taste every examinee's dish.

In the end, Mildred firmly cemented her spot as in the top 5.

Yes! She was 3rd, while Okaru was ranked 9th.

Mildred felt like she had just run a marathon.

Phew.

Today's test was officially over!