SWNOVELXO Chapter 56: Calories, My Arch-Nemesis
Chapter 56: Calories, My Arch-Nemesis
“Sorry for the wait. Here’s the spiciest special Mapo Ramen you ordered.”
It wasn’t until the manager served the ramen that Aierjisi fully realized just how much her ignorance could harm others. You might wonder why…
“Manager, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”
“What do you mean, customer?”
“Let me double-check, this is the special Mapo Ramen, right? Why is there only Mapo Tofu and no ramen?!”
Aierjisi pointed at the bowl filled with Mapo Tofu, clearly not seeing any ramen in sight. Was this really ramen? It was just a heap of Mapo Tofu! The aroma wafting from it made Aierjisi’s tongue quiver in fear. Her instincts told her that if she gulped down a whole bowl of that Mapo Tofu, she might not die but she’d surely lose half her life!
“The ramen is merely a garnish; it sinks in the sea of Mapo. The floating Mapo Tofu is the essence of our restaurant.”
The manager continued to wash his dishes, explaining to Aierjisi.
“Aisi-sensei, can you use magic to neutralize the flavor of this special Mapo Ramen? Aisi-sensei? Aisi-sensei!”
Aierjisi quietly turned to Aisi for help, hoping he’d use his culinary skills to change the flavor of this ramen, but to her despair, Aisi had already lost consciousness, his face buried in the bowl like the other six.
Oh no, bad news bears! Today, I’m probably out of luck.
“What’s wrong, girl? You’re the one who asked for the spiciest special Mapo Ramen, right? Why aren’t you eating?”
Noticing Aierjisi hadn’t started, the manager’s gaze sharpened. The restaurant had one strict rule: no wasting food. If customers couldn’t finish their Mapo Ramen, he would personally tie them to a chair and force-feed them to ensure they consumed enough calories.
“Eat, I’m not afraid of you!”
Aierjisi steeled herself, channeling the determination she had while gaming all night, and began to shovel the special Mapo Ramen into her mouth.
Yikes! So spicy! What’s up with this manager? This Mapo Tofu is way too intense; I can’t handle it, I’m losing consciousness! No, I refuse! I’m the chosen protagonist! How can I fall here over some Mapo Tofu?!
With each mouthful of Mapo Tofu she swallowed, more blood vessels seemed to appear in Aierjisi’s eyes until…
“Aier? Aier?”
Looking at Aierjisi’s bowl which was somehow empty yet still munching away, Yake tried to call her, but Little Princess seemed to not hear him and kept eating.
Exactly, she had completely lost consciousness while maintaining that action.
“I didn’t expect that she could finish my spiciest special Mapo Ramen while unconscious. This girl is no ordinary person. She will surely achieve great things in the future.”
The manager retrieved the bowl and chopsticks from Aierjisi’s hands, then turned his attention to Yake who hadn’t touched his food yet.
“What about you? Faced with this bowl of Mapo Ramen, do you have the resolve to fight to the death like this girl?”
“I don’t think I can reach her level. But still, I can’t back down here. Yake, it’s time to charge in!”
Yake furrowed his brow, broke his chopsticks, and began to eat.
Slurp!
Like the others, merely tasting the first bite caused Yake to lose consciousness, his face diving into the sea of Mapo.
“Is this all you’re capable of? What a pity.”
Watching the two collapse and Aierjisi still munching on air, the manager turned back to clean the kitchen.
One hour later…
“Ugh… I’m never coming back to this place again.”
Aierjisi clutched her stomach, her face a portrait of pain. Aisi and Yake looked just as bad. Little Princess had managed to eat all the ramen and avoid being force-fed by the manager, but Aisi and Yake were on the receiving end of his “thoughtful service.”
“Enjoyable, right, guests? You’ve already consumed a day’s worth of calories. Especially you, young lady, you’ve taken in a week’s worth!”
These were the words the manager said to them before they left the restaurant.
Unbeknownst to them, this Mapo Ramen was just the first level of their torment; now it was torturing them within their stomachs. Digesting the Mapo Tofu was causing them considerable agony. Aierjisi even felt like she might develop a stomach ulcer from it.
But truth be told, while digesting all that Mapo Tofu was indeed painful, Aierjisi was amazed to find that it provided her with a significant boost to her magic power, rivaling that of a whole high-grade meat.
“Your words, Princess, I must wholeheartedly agree. I, too, will not return to this establishment. To torture customers with food, I cannot condone such chefs.”
Aisi, while being Aierjisi’s magic teacher, also doubled as the meat factory manager, not without reason. His slicing magic was the strongest in the Blood Clan. There once existed a kind of creature superior to magical beasts called super beasts. Aisi had single-handedly hunted them to extinction due to their juicy, tender meat. Naturally, due to Aisi’s actions, the entire Blood Clan’s meat market had plummeted.
“I agree. This Mapo Ramen is just too tormenting, ugh!”
Before Yake could finish his sentence, he knelt and violently vomited up the tiny bit of Mapo Tofu he had just eaten. Unlike Aierjisi and Aisi, he was just an ordinary pureblood human, clearly unable to handle the pressure on his stomach, resulting in him having to release it all.
“Sorry for dragging you into this suffering, especially you, Yake. My bad!”
Aierjisi apologetically walked over to Yake, patting his back, and then pulled some water from a nearby pond to wash away the mess he left on the ground.
“I can’t take it anymore. I need to lie down and rest for a bit.”
“Hang on a little longer. Once we get back to the inn, you can sleep comfortably on a bed. Don’t fall asleep here! Just hold on a second, God of Darkness Gunara, ooh-la-la, Dark Magic Whirlwind!”
Aierjisi recited her spell, conjuring a small whirlwind that lifted Yake and carried him back to the inn.