Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Festival of Receiving Flesh
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The spoon smoothly sliced through the soft, flour-made skin.
Inside, the meat filling spat out its juices in response.
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'Delicious.'
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This dish was called yosipara.
It was similar to Italian ravioli, originally made about the size of two finger joints and eaten with a spoon, but the portions in front of me were lavishly sized, each as big as my palm.
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"Ugh... urk— I can't... anymore..."
"Aaaah!!!! Kion's out! He couldn't even finish half of the 2kg stage-three steak and retires!!"
"Kion put up a good fight, but after stages one and two, 2kg of steak proved too much."
"But the lead group is still powering through stage four's giant yosipara without a hitch!"
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Unlike the calm, bespectacled man explaining things, the rabbit beastkin girl was hopping around excitedly, shouting at the top of her lungs.
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'As expected of the Festival of Receiving Flesh. In eating contests, quantity usually trumps quality, but the food here is top-notch.'
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It had little to do with our church, but it lived up to its reputation as the world's greatest festival.
Perhaps because it incorporated elements of the Bounty Festival, the care put into the cooking was exceptional.
Entry fee was only 50 copper, but what I'd eaten up to stage three was worth at least 3 silver already.
Great value as a meal, too.
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"Ugh... ugh..."
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Thud-!
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"Aaah!! Warrior Korbol, one of the dark horses, fails to conquer stage four's giant yosipara and retiiiiireeeees!!!"
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The barbarian-warrior type next to me had stuffed food into his mouth forcefully, only to face-plant into his soup bowl and pass out.
Staff members rushed over, supported him, and dragged him backstage.
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Clink-
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The plate holding the yosipara was now empty.
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"No wayyyyyy!!!! The second to reach stage five is none other than a sliiiiim human girrrrrl!!! And with a serene expression, she pushes aside the giant yosipara plate and reaches for the fairy cloud cake!!!!"
"Yes, she's maintaining an incredibly steady pace, just like at the start. I can't fathom how that slender frame holds so much food."
"Her boobs and butt, maybe!!!!!"
"You. That's sexual harassment."
"Oops!"
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Wahahaha!!
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Laughter erupted from the audience even at that corny skit.
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Nom. Nom.
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Ignoring the chatter from the stands, I methodically dismantled the cake.
I cut the fluffy, hugely puffed cake with a wooden fork and brought it to my mouth.
It was as soft and sweet as its cloud-like appearance suggested.
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'Back in the day, I wasn't into sweets this tooth-rottingly sugary.'
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This body savored flavors incomparably better than my previous life.
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"With that demure face, look at her devour it all!!!! She'd eat the whole house, pillars and all, if she were your wife!!!! Terrifyingggg!!!"
"No... more..."
"Aaaah!!! And another one retires in the midst of it all!!!"
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The few still hanging on reached their limit at stage five and dropped out one by one.
All except me... and one other.
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Thud-!
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"That tiny body sure packs away a lot."
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As I finished the cake on my plate and wiped my mouth with a napkin, a massive shadow fell over me, and someone sat in the seat beside mine.
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"Not as much as you."
"Gyahahaha! A warrior must eat as much as he trains to build his body—nothing unusual. But you're no warrior, are you!"
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The giant man laughed boisterously, his mouth splitting wide.
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"I know you."
"Fancy that. I know you too."
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How could I not?
Anyone living in this dungeon city would.
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"Thousand Armies! Thousand Armies!"
"Tigran!!! Look over here!"
"Champion of the Great War God!"
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The four great powers of Dungeon City.
Crawler Guild, City Council, Pantheon, and the Three Great Clans.
Among them, from the Pantheon, he was one of the two greatest pillars: the champion of the Church of the Goddess of War and Victory.
The pride of the Zverev family, the beastkin royals.
Thousand Armies Tigran.
The man called the strongest crawler alongside the Brain Emperor in this generation.
He'd led the holy knights of the Church of the Goddess of War and Victory—mobilized for the Festival of Receiving Flesh—down to floor 56, returning just two days ago.
Honestly, he was too big a deal to show up at a minor event like this.
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"Been down below too long. I was starving for outside food."
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So he says.
Like Miella, his feline vertical slit pupils glanced sideways at me sharply.
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"The rookie that old raccoon-eyed geezer has his eye on."
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Tigran waved to the cheering crowd while keeping his mouth aimed my way.
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"Amusing. A common-looking prim girl on the outside, but reeking of the muck-wrestling fighter's stench within."
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Propping my chin, I shrugged in response.
I didn't care for lofty, philosophical chit-chat.
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More importantly...
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'How does the prize money work?'
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25 silver for the eating contest winner.
A hefty sum for a one-off event prize.
I'd gotten a cheap meal out of it and figured I'd snag the prize too...
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'If two people last to the end, do they split it?'
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As if answering my inner question, the rabbit beastkin commentator shouted.
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"Down to two standing...! But nooooooo!!!! You don't want a lame draw like burnt firewood without a proper winner, do yooooouuuu!!!"
"NOoooo!!!!"
"Grahhh!!! How cruel these people are!!! Not satisfied without blood!!! But as entertainers, we can't deny that lustaahhh!!!"
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The rabbit beastkin snapped her fingers twice.
Two carts rolled onto the stage.
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"From here on, just eating a lot won't cut it...! Ahead lies the path of carnage, where only the strong survive...!"
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Two cloches-covered plates.
The rabbit beastkin stood between the carts, hooking her fingers on the cloche handles.
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"Slender girl versus Thousand Armies, beauty versus beast! The dish crowning this clash of the century iiiiiiis!!"
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She flung them high into the air in one go.
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"Death Pepper Nyoki from Dragon's Goblet, but with triple the spicy hell pepper nyokiiiiiii!!!"
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On the carts, plates revealed bubbling soup like hellish lava, with ominous black nyoki floating like half-melted basalt.
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"A horrific sight straight out of hell in the mortal realm!!!! What say you!! Warriors!!! Now's the time to tuck tail and flee!"
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At the rabbit beastkin's taunt, Tigran and I locked eyes as if by agreement.
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"Giving up?"
"Not a chance."
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Pleased with my answer, Tigran grinned ferociously.
We faced the plates now before us, gripping spoons like drawing blades before a duel.
Then, dipping spoons into plates, we met eyes one last time.
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Fwoosh-!
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That was the signal. Our final battle began.
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Gyahahahaha!!!"
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A boisterous laugh beyond measure.
All eyes in the audience turned to the source: Thousand Armies Tigran.
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"Gyahahahaha!!!!"
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Even under everyone's gaze, Tigran's hearty laughter continued for a moment.
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"Gyahaha..."
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The laughter cut off abruptly midway.
The crowd, who had been tearing up with laughter moments ago, held their breath and watched.
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Clink-
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"Haa..."
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A small sigh.
At the same time, a red line trickled from Tigran's mouth.
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"...Defeat... it's been a while."
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Thud-!
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"No wayyyy!!!! The last one standing at hell's end is not Thousand Armies!!!! It's a mere sliiiim giiiirl Arjeeeeen!!!!"
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Tigran toppled backward in his chair, eyes bulging in disbelief at his defeat.
But the sauce dribbling messily from his mouth and his utter stillness showed he was out cold.
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"A bit stimulating, sure."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
-But you won!
Having left only a bit of sauce and wiped my mouth clean, the Goddess—for some reason—was beaming with joy.
But unlike the Goddess's delight...
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Woooooo—!
Uwaaaaaah—!
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"Ah! Don't throw toward the stage, folks! Eek—! Hey! I said no throwing!"
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The stage was descending into chaos.
Some young audience members, unable to believe their idol Thousand Armies had fallen, burst into tears. Others, knowing my notoriety, jeered.
I slipped backstage a bit and quietly grabbed a flustered staff member.
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"Where do I claim the prize?"
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Not that it mattered much to me.
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
-Thinking about flattening that snooty goddess's nose makes me feel so refreshed!!!
"Is that so?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
-This Goddess has never liked women whose heads are filled only with thoughts of battle since ancient times!!
"I see."
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The Goddess didn't seem on good terms with the Goddess of War and Victory.
Considering the weight class difference between our side and theirs, there was no point picking a fight.
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
-If this Goddess were like in the old days—!
I nodded along to her bluster—like some construction-site uncle bragging about past beefs with top megachurch gods that ranked in the top three for popularity—tucked the pouch of silver prize money into my bosom, and strolled the streets.
I was done gorging.
Even I couldn't fit more after that eating contest haul.
To aid digestion, I wandered, taking in the festival sights.
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'Where's Lord Tigran!? The parade's soon!'
'They say he lost to some woman at the event venue and passed out?'
'What? Don't spout nonsense—search properly for where Lord Tigran might be!'
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Amid the festival clamor, I caught those whispers and looked up: night was falling.
Priest-like folk parted the crowds along the streets, and people lined the roadside, faces brimming with anticipation, waiting for something approaching from afar.
And soon after...
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Bang-! Bang-!
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Fireworks burst in the sky.
At the street's end...
The festival's highlight, the parade, began.