The so-called scoring wasn't publicly revealed right away.
Instead, the results were sealed in a box to be tallied by the staff of the Moon Academy.
The temporary examiners had already left the high platform, leaving only a few dozen candidates gathered outside.
A teacher from the Moon Academy stepped forward.
The candidates instinctively tensed up.
The teacher glanced around at the group.
"I will now announce the results of the transfer test."
"A total of two candidates passed and have earned the right to enter Moon Academy as senior high school students."
The atmosphere grew taut.
Some candidates held their breath.
"First, Tatsumi!"
A young man let out a surprised gasp before jumping up, overjoyed.
"Second, Mike!"
This was a boy Kaizen had met before.
Unlike Tatsumi, Mike didn't leap with excitement. Instead, his eyes welled with tears.
It had been a long, hard road.
Failing to get into Moon Academy's junior division meant being left to fend for yourself on the outside.
Mike's mother worked as a cook. And while that wasn't a bad job, it was clear that education outside of Moon Academy was far from complete.
To make it as a chef without top-tier training was nearly impossible.
Kaizen watched silently, a hint of hesitation in his heart.
In this world, things had gone relatively smoothly for him.
He was born into the most renowned assassin family in the world—the Zoldycks.
And as a time traveler, his mental framework and ideas gave him a huge advantage.
At this age, he was already among the best A-rank aura users and was steadily climbing toward S-rank.
Even someone like Oster—who had already risen to become Minister of the Republic of Saherta was struggling to make that final leap into S-class.
...
"The transfer exam has concluded."
"Next up is this year's Top Ten Challenge!"
The teacher's voice echoed as several figures emerged from another direction, approaching the high platform.
Now, twenty stoves had been placed onstage.
The north side of the platform held the judges' seats.
The sides were reserved for the Top Ten Heroes.
The challenger stoves were clearly positioned at the lower end of the stage.
"The rules are simple," the teacher explained. "Anyone qualified to challenge may step onto the platform and choose one of the Top Ten to face."
"The dish is random."
"If you win, you take their place."
"If you lose, your qualification to challenge is revoked."
"Each challenger gets up to two attempts."
"Now—choose your opponent!"
This was essentially a gauntlet.
The Top Ten would remain in place, but anyone could challenge them. If you lost, you were out. If you won, you had to defend your new title immediately.
Holding your spot in the Top Ten required not only superior culinary skill—but stamina and mental toughness.
This competition wasn't about being good at one dish. The random nature of the challenge meant you had to be good at everything.
...
Ten individuals began walking onto the stage, one by one, taking their designated positions.
Kaizen wasn't from Gourmet Paradise and didn't have any personal feelings toward the Moon Court chefs—but others around him reacted strongly.
"Nine out of ten—that's Ricardo!"
"Only a second-year, and he's already made it into the Top Ten. Incredible. I heard he even owns several restaurants in the World Zone."
"If you eat at his places, you might actually taste Top Ten-level cuisine."
"They say he's the most down-to-earth of the bunch."
Ricardo was a boy with slicked-back hair and glasses. Despite the formal look, his aura was wild rather than refined.
"Eight out of ten—Arik!"
Also a second-year.
His spiky hair was half blond, half black, giving him a distinctive look. He seemed the same age as Ricardo but looked more youthful—more mischievous.
"Seventh—"
A blonde-haired young man exuding a gentle demeanor.
Although ranked just above the eighth and ninth, Kaizen could immediately sense that this one was on a different level.
There was a clear playful aura about him.
"Sixth—"
A girl with long hair tied into a ponytail, braided neatly behind her.
Her expression was unreadable, and her figure was unremarkable.
A typical stoic—expressionless and reserved.
"Fifth—"
A tall boy with closed eyes, holding a knife that looked more like a katana than a chef's blade.
Judging by his bearing, he'd be more at home in Heavens Arena than a kitchen.
The Moon Court within Gourmet Paradise attracted all kinds.
"Fourth—"
A girl with long, lavender hair.
Or rather, she looked like a girl.
Short—loli-like, really—and clutching a wombat in her arms.
Her appearance and her age didn't seem to match at all.
Still, she had her fans.
"Third—"
A solidly built boy, broader and more imposing than the fifth.
If the fifth was a samurai-type, the third was a bruiser—more of a fighter than a chef.
He radiated apathy toward everything.
Even the Top Ten Challenge itself.
"Second—"
A red-haired girl with a bombshell figure and an equally explosive aura.
Everything about her screamed power and presence.
The gap between her and the others was clear at a glance.
Among the Top Ten, you could see three distinct tiers:
— Eighth and ninth formed the lower tier.
— Seventh through third formed the mid-tier.
— First and second were clearly in a league of their own.
...
"Wait—what about tenth?"
"Yeah, weren't there supposed to be ten? Where's the last one?"
"I thought the tenth was Hardaway, a third-year. Isn't that right?"
"Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
Just then, someone slowly stepped onto the high platform.
Short, snow-white hair.
Their appearance drew everyone's attention instantly.
People fell silent as they saw the figure clearly.
"A girl…?"
"Is she one of the new Top Ten?"
"What's going on?"
Kaizen narrowed his eyes.
"...She looks a lot like Linne-sama did when she was younger."
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)