A Judge in Disguise

It was only natural for the attendant to be completely flabbergasted. They were currently on their way to the King, where the chefs' painstakingly prepared dishes awaited judging, yet this noble was insisting on stuffing his face with street food. But Tae-hyun didn't stop.

He moved with blinding speed, his eyes instantly locking onto the absolute best dishes! The attendant, running ahead, kept casting bewildered glances back. How is he snatching and eating things so quickly while on the move? The surrounding players stared at Tae-hyun in sheer disbelief. This wasn't just a matter of high Agility. His physical movements weren't actually that fast, yet he possessed a monstrous ability to anticipate which dish someone else was reaching for and intercept it via the shortest possible path. It was like a magic trick.

"Wh-who the hell is that guy?"

"Ah, that was a good meal."

Ignoring the utterly baffled attendant, Tae-hyun adjusted his collar. The clothes, befitting a nobleman, felt quite fancy.

"Baron Terand, it has been a while."

"...?"

As they reached the square at the end of the main avenue, a portly noble approached and spoke to Tae-hyun.

"I knew you would show up today. There's no way the man known as the 'Jeweled Tongue of the Erangs Kingdom' would miss this."

"Oh... uh... right! Good to see you too, buddy!"

"???"

The noble looked thoroughly taken aback by Tae-hyun's casual response.

"What is this? What are you playing at? Do you think talking like that makes you look superior?"

"No, I was just saying hello..."

"Enough! Impudent fool! Prepare yourself, for today I shall prove before His Majesty who the true gourmet is!"

They must have had a history of bad blood; despite Tae-hyun's attempt at a friendly greeting, the noble huffed and stormed off in a rage.

But even if the chefs are competing, how do the gourmets compete?

Tae-hyun tilted his head. The chefs just had to cook and have their food judged, but there didn't seem to be any clear way to determine who among the audience was the "true gourmet." However, he was about to find out.

"His Majesty the King!"

The nobles seated in the square quickly rose and bowed their heads. At the top of the distant, grand staircase, a stout, dignified man waved his hand.

"Today... to this... wonderful gathering... those who have come..."

"...Why does he talk so slow?"

"You insolent wretch! Baron Terand! Are you suggesting His Majesty's speech is boring?!"

The portly noble sitting next to Tae-hyun whispered fiercely, clearly eager to settle his earlier grudge. But the noble had just dug his own grave. A muddy, underhanded verbal brawl was Tae-hyun's absolute specialty!

"What? You find His Majesty's speech boring? Come now, isn't that going a bit too far, even for you?"

"?!"

"???"

Instantly, every eye in the vicinity locked onto them! The noble who had whispered to Tae-hyun panicked, shaking his head frantically.

"I-I never said such a thing!"

Tae-hyun drove the nail into the coffin, adopting an incredibly apologetic tone.

"I am so sorry. I shouldn't have spoken so loudly and put you on the spot..."

"N-no, that's not... You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bastard, Baron Terand! How dare you slander me!"

Trying to engage in a battle of wits against Tae-hyun, who possessed the Advanced Rhetoric skill, was the height of stupidity. Up on the staircase, the King of Erance chuckled softly.

"It seems my words were indeed a bit tedious."

"N-no, Your Majesty! Not at all!"

The rival noble turned pale, waving his hands in a frenzy. But Tae-hyun wasn't finished. He bowed deeply and deferentially.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty! It was my own thoughtlessness in speaking so loudly that disrupted the solemn atmosphere of this gathering!"

"Think nothing of it, Baron Terand. It can indeed be tedious. I shall endeavor to speak a bit faster. And I shall remember your noble heart, trying to shield your fellow aristocrat from embarrassment."

"Grrr...!"

The portly noble glared at him with murderous intent. Tae-hyun, however, merely cleaned his ear with a pinky, looking completely unbothered.

"Baron Terand, I will never forgive you for this!"

"Huh? You'll never forgive His Majesty the King?"

"N-no! When did I say that?!"

The portly noble shut his mouth instantly. He realized that if he kept talking to this man, he would suffer irreversible, catastrophic damage.

After the brief commotion subsided and the King's agonizingly slow speech finally concluded, the main event was announced.

"The reason I have summoned you all here today is to test the chefs I have gathered."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The prosperous Erangs Kingdom was hosting a massive festival, inviting chefs from all over. The current King of Erance was particularly obsessed with fine dining. He intended to put the chefs he had gathered to the test.

...Isn't that medal just garbage?

A "handcrafted" medal from a king who wasn't even a blacksmith. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't sound like a good reward. Of course, Tae-hyun kept these thoughts strictly to himself. In any case, he understood the gist of the quest. All he had to do was eat the food prepared by the King's chefs and correctly identify the best one. It was an incredibly easy quest for Tae-hyun.

Wait... maybe not.

On second thought, any chef capable of making it to this stage would naturally have high-level cooking skills. Intermediate would be the bare minimum, and Advanced was highly likely. If so, the actual difference between their dishes would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come down to the quality of the ingredients or minor additional skills. Which meant...

This isn't just about the food; it's about reading the King's mood!

Tae-hyun realized the true nature of the quest. It was less about culinary expertise and more about sucking up to the monarch. Since the King would ultimately judge the dishes, praising the food the King personally favored was the surefire way to get a high score.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

To the beat of a drum, the chefs began marching out from behind the scenes. Though they all looked completely different, their faces were universally tight with tension.

Wait, except for two of them, are they all players?

Tae-hyun was momentarily surprised but kept his face perfectly neutral. Come to think of it, it wasn't strange for players to be here. For chef players, entering the palace and becoming a royal chef was an unparalleled opportunity. While other players had to run around doing random quests just to scrape together Contribution Points, a royal chef could accumulate them with ease. There were many ways to grow strong in Pan-On.

"...!"

As the chefs drew closer, Tae-hyun began to recognize their faces. To his surprise, they were people he had encountered before.

"Paz, I'm surprised you made it this far. I thought you'd have been eliminated by now."

"Hmph. I won't fall for the underhanded tricks of a scoundrel like you ever again."

Paz. He was one of the most famous chef players in Pan-On, backed by a contract with a major guild. He was also a renowned real-life chef, which had made him a hot topic online. He was one of the strongest contenders to win this competition, and the other players were already eyeing him with intense wariness.

"Underhanded? If you can't even handle that level of competition, you don't deserve to be here. Isn't that right?"

"I have nothing more to say to you, Chao."

Indeed, one of the players Tae-hyun recognized was Chao, the guildmaster of the Restaurant Guild. Their ill-fated relationship had begun when Chao tried to monopolize all the cooking ingredients in a city, and they had crossed paths again at Edaor's arena. Chao's guild had tried to sell poisoned food, only to be utterly ruined by Tae-hyun's counterattack!

Whoops.

Tae-hyun winced slightly. Chao was undoubtedly grinding his teeth, desperate for revenge against him. The Restaurant Guild was one of the groups that had joined the grand alliance of large guilds, shouting, "Let's pool our resources and kill Kim Tae-hyun!" Of course, Chao didn't recognize Tae-hyun's face. No one else did either. Frankly, it was impossible. Who on earth would expect that one of the gourmet NPCs had been kidnapped, tied up in a closet, and replaced by a player?

Hell, even I didn't expect to end up doing this! Tae-hyun thought as he scanned the chef players. There was Paz and Chao, glaring at each other with burning determination, along with several other chef players. And finally...

"Heh. You can't help but worry, can you? After all, one of us is going to win this."

"...No, that's not true."

"What are you talking about? Everyone else here is just a nobody."

The other chef players bristled at Chao's arrogant remark. Granted, they were indeed outclassed by Chao and Paz in terms of skills, reputation, and backing. Still, making it this far was proof of their formidable talent. No one liked being dismissed so easily. But Paz shook his head and pointed a finger.

"I saw that chef player in a previous quest, and her skills are incredible. You shouldn't let your guard down so easily."

"What? Some random nobody like her...?"

"Keep underestimating her if you want. I've said my piece."

And the person Paz was pointing at... was Ju Hyeon-yeong.

...Why are you here again?

Come to think of it, Ju Hyeon-yeong had mentioned something the last time they met. She had said she was working on a quest to become the royal chef of the Erangs Kingdom. He never imagined their paths would cross like this!

What should I do...

While Tae-hyun racked his brain, the other chef players turned their attention to Ju Hyeon-yeong. They had assumed Chao and Paz were their only real threats, but now a dark horse had suddenly emerged. Unlike Chao, Paz was not a man to use dirty tricks or make empty boasts. If Paz was praising her, Ju Hyeon-yeong's skills were practically guaranteed.

Who is she?

Anyone know her? I've never seen her before.

Me neither. Looks like she doesn't even have a guild.

Normally, being the center of such intense scrutiny would make anyone nervous or intimidated, but Ju Hyeon-yeong didn't flinch. She simply stared straight ahead with an unwavering, upright gaze. Truly, she was the person Tae-hyun had once described as "dazzling!" She was the epitome of an iron fist in a velvet glove.

"...!"

Ju Hyeon-yeong's eyes trembled slightly. Out of nowhere, a whisper from Tae-hyun had reached her ears.

Ju Hyeon-yeong, who rarely let her emotions show, couldn't help but look utterly dumbfounded. Her gaze, of course, was directed straight at Tae-hyun!

Tae-hyun had fleeced the man for so much, yet he couldn't even remember his name! If Chao had heard this, he would have burst into a stream of curses.

Tae-hyun's current seat was that of a judge! This alone was an immense advantage. Tae-hyun couldn't fathom anyone turning down such an offer. By his standards, exploiting this was just common sense! But Ju Hyeon-yeong was different.

Ah... I forgot what kind of person she is. Only then did Tae-hyun remember Ju Hyeon-yeong's stubborn, upright personality.