Carnival Chef (2)
"I don't want to die, you fucking... Door... Somebody open the door!!"
Kim Gwang-jin pounded on the restaurant door. He was a college student—or more accurately, on leave from school. He wasn't particularly healthy. He caught colds often and slept more than most people. Social life was tough for him, but his parents and the old fogeys around him always said it was just a lack of grit. Gwang-jin always shrank back, and eventually, he started fearing the real world. But he couldn't live like this forever. Still, even finding a part-time job terrified him. Money was always needed, though. That's how he'd ended up discovering this "seminar" after looking for gigs...
"I don't want to die... I don't want to die...!"
He'd gotten dragged into this mess. He wasn't the only one hammering at the door like he meant to break it down. The other customers pulled in here like him were all trying to escape.
"Get us out of here!"
"Please, spare me... I have a baby at home, a baby...!"
"Take the money, just please! Spare our lives at least..."
-Boom!
A massive roar cut through their cries. The monster had slammed down its enormous cleaver.
"Eek..."
Gwang-jin swallowed a pathetic squeak. Everyone reacted the same. Overwhelming terror, like their hearts had just dropped dead.
We're gonna die... That thing's gonna kill us all now...
That's what he thought, but the monster fiddled with a recorder near the stove instead.
"No need to worry! We never use customers as ingredients!"
"Of course, if any customer volunteers to be an ingredient, we'd welcome it anytime! Though we've never met a single human who's wanted to before."
"Of course, if you harm other customers, that's a different story!"
"As I said before, I only serve food to customers!"
The monster "spoke." Or rather, it just played a pre-recorded audio file. But no matter how long they waited, it didn't approach to kill Gwang-jin. Its casual gesture made him wonder.
Is it... really not gonna kill us...?
It could've killed them anytime if it wanted. The monster still wouldn't leave the kitchen. Sure, it was a monster, so Gwang-jin couldn't fully let his guard down. But for now, things seemed okay, and he and the others blinked in confusion.
"We'll guide you back to your seats. Please sit down."
Suddenly, waiters and waitresses appeared beside Gwang-jin. They looked human. But something was off. Way off. Dead eyes, pallid skin... like walking corpses.
"This way."
"Wh-what are you...?"
"Waitresses working here."
"Working in a place like this...?"
"Yes."
The waitress nodded and tugged Gwang-jin along. She had a drowsy vibe. Maybe the black mask made her seem that way. Her attitude was half-assed, like everything was a boring hassle. It wasn't just her—the other waitstaff gave off the same vibe.
"Wait just a sec... I don't wanna die..."
"The head chef doesn't kill people carelessly. We called you here solely for food reviews, so relax."
"For food reviews...?"
"The head chef strives endlessly to make delicious dishes. But..."
She whispered in his ear.
"Don't eat the head chef's food. It's irreversible."
"What...?"
Leaving those cryptic words, the waitress forced Gwang-jin back into his seat and retreated with the others. Gazing at the waitstaff in the corner, Gwang-jin thought:
...They're probably monsters too. That vibe... not quite human.
"Now, let's begin cooking!"
The chef monster played the recorder again. Then it really started cooking. It sliced murderer meat, grilled it, deep-fried organs, stir-fried eyeballs.
"Urk... bleeech..."
Gwang-jin fought nausea. Looking around, he wasn't alone. Some were already puking; waiters approached them. There was even a little girl clutching her mouth, face pale, trying not to hurl.
They even dragged a kid like that here...?
Sky-blue hair like mixed heavens and ice, red eyes... Foreigner? She looked so young she was way outside Gwang-jin's strike zone, but undeniably a cutie. She held her mouth, pale-faced, yet watched the monster's cooking with wide eyes, not screaming once. Come to think of it, while everyone pounded the door, she'd stayed seated alone...
Too scared to move, legs gone weak? Poor thing.
Gwang-jin thought. Soon, the monster served the food. A lump of tangled flesh and guts on the plate. Scorched outside, but red veins writhed in the cracks like they breathed. Swollen blisters dotted the surface; some burst, oozing sticky fluid. Beside it, a fancy cocktail glass with clear liquid rippling, tiny round eyeballs floating on top. They rotated subtly as the glass shook, pupils seemingly scanning the diners one by one.
"Anyone want to try first? If you taste and review, we'll pay you handsomely."
Of course, no one volunteered. Gwang-jin didn't want to either. Who'd eat that vomit-inducing slop? But he tentatively raised his hand.
"Y-you really pay, right?"
The monster nodded. Gwang-jin wanted the money. And for this nightmare to end quick. The monster wouldn't let them leave without eating that freakish food...
...Can't even handle normal society anyway. Might as well step up here—maybe salvage my worthless life a bit.
A twinge of heroism pushed him. The black-masked waitress brought the plate and glass. Tense, Gwang-jin cut a bite-sized piece.
Don't swallow. Just taste and spit...
He popped it in his mouth.
...Huh? Tastier than expected...
Funky smell. Fishy and acrid mixed. But intentional. Kinda addictive as you chew?
What? Not that bad after all?
660,000 won for this? Sweet deal. Gwang-jin ate, finishing the plate before he knew it. Cocktail next? He reached—but the monster approached, setting down a water glass.
"Customer, rinse your mouth with water before tasting? For an accurate review."
"Uh, sure..."
Gwang-jin flinched at the hulking mass, but less scared now. Seemed less dangerous than it looked... And the food was good, making it feel almost friendly. He sipped the water as suggested.
...Water always this bland?
Water's water, right? He took another sip. This was water? How had he lived drinking this tasteless crap? And he'd have to keep doing it?
His hand hesitated over the cocktail. Finish it, leave the shop... then back to that bland slop forever?
"Told you not to eat it."
The waitress muttered under her breath, unheard by others.
"L-let me work here... Please... No pay needed! Just let me eat this shop's food every day... That's all!!"
The first guy to eat was yelling that. The monster gestured casually to the waiters, who dragged him off and dressed him in waiter uniform.
"What the...?"
"That gross food's that good...?"
"Gotta eat it to leave anyway, right?"
One by one, curiosity won; they "tasted."
"Hey, it's good?"
"...Not bad."
"What even was the crap I ate before...?"
"Glad you liked it!"
"Any customers who want to become ingredients?"
"Can't eat this if you're dead."
"More! Hurry...!"
"Me too! Hire me! Just feed me this food!!"
"No volunteers this time either."
"Don't worry. We have plenty of ingredients stocked!"
I watched the people gradually lose their minds, biding my time.
...Yup, turned out like this.
The Carnival Chef is a Rank 3 threat monster. In the monster game, threats range from 0 to 6—smack in the middle.
Rank 0: Harmless. Rank 1: Scar. Rank 2: Defect. Rank 3: Death to individuals. Rank 4: Group annihilation. Rank 5: City devastation. Rank 6: National crisis.
Ranks are set by damage scope and scale. But the Carnival Chef doesn't just kill outright. It's Rank 3 because it inflicts equivalent harm.
#CARNIVAL CHEF
All cultists who contacted this entity are missing. No contact possible.
#CARNIVAL CHEF
Test subjects who tasted this entity's cooking universally described it as "a flavor from another dimension, impossible in daily life." Post-consumption, all other food tasted bland and dry.
They say jujubes kill cola sweetness. That's the Carnival Chef. Community guesses its motifs: The Horrible Napoletan and rumors of addictive human flesh.
Once you taste its food, normal dishes lose all flavor. You can't leave the shop, become a waiter/waitress voluntarily. Until death.
...Better to die.
Among the game's bad ends, death's one of the better ones. This world has fates worse than dying.
...Not that I'll accept death.
No way I'd eat the food.
"Customer, care for a tasting review?"
Finally, the monster approached me. Everyone else had eaten; I was last. Waitstaff busy welcoming "new colleagues," so it served me itself.
"Eat up."
Before me: wriggling black soup. Eyeball cocktail. Hulking monster right there.
I exhaled, shoved my chair aside, and punched the monster.
Thwack!
Flesh-smacking impact from my knuckles. Hand hurt. Like punching a wall. But waitstaff ignored us—this was my shot, with the chef right up close.
"Huff...! Huff...! D-die...!!"
Thud! Thud! Thwack...!
I pummeled it. To survive, turn it into a cute girl...!
"I'm gonna live... I'll survive no matter what...!"
I hammered away with my "cute girl punches." Then a system message appeared.
Applying Cute Girl Mod to target.
Applying... (1%)
Please wait a moment.
"...1 percent?"
I stared at the message, fist freezing mid-air. Right... Last time with the King of Flies, it took time too.
I looked back. Still no cute girl—just the hulking monster.
"F-fu..."
I'm screwed...