The Demon’s Menu

A moment ago, the sea breeze brushed his face.

The next, he was engulfed by grayness.

It was a fog-like grayness swirling around Jason, and even with his perception at four times that of an average person, he still couldn’t see clearly what lay beyond that grayness.

All Jason could see was the simple, round table in front of him, the dark tablecloth, and the silver cutlery.

He was still bound to the high-backed chair.

Exactly the same as before.

But with his previous experience, Jason’s gaze directly went to the black notebook beside the cutlery.

Immediately, the black notebook opened.

[The ropes loosened from the neck.]

[Joy appeared once again.]

(Note: Time-saving cooking methods, extremely suitable for appetizers)

…

The text didn’t pause and continued to appear along Jason’s line of sight.

[Main Mission: (Exceeded Completion)!]

[Hunting Performance: Excellent!]

[Cooking Performance: Mediocre!]

[Combat Performance: Excellent!]

[Search Performance: Mediocre!]

[Overall Evaluation: Excellent!]

(Note: Are you ready to enjoy the appetizer?)

…

The next moment, an even more intense glow emerged from the notebook.

An enhancement card floated out of the notebook.

Like the previous cards, all black with a metallic sheen.

The front of this card featured an image of ‘stomach and intestines.’

Then, text appeared.

[Stomach and Intestines Enhancement: Your digestive organs have been strengthened, allowing you to break down and absorb food more quickly and effectively. You can now eat more and more quickly.] Ř𝓪

…

Like the previous [Tooth Enhancement][Taste Enhancement][Poison Resistance Enhancement], the [Stomach and Intestines Enhancement] also appeared under the Talent [Predator] and was labeled as ‘passive.’

However, Jason didn’t pay much attention to these.

His gaze was still fixed on the notebook.

Above it, the glow continued to flicker.

When the glow reached its peak, the silver platter also began to flicker with light.

The two mirrored each other.

Then, they vanished together.

The notebook returned to its original look.

But in the platter, a crab meat salad appeared.

The tender red crabmeat, sliced cherry tomatoes, green chicory, golden corn kernels, and pieces of cucumber, all topped with a creamy white salad dressing, looked very tempting.

The aroma was mouth-watering!

Jason flared his nostrils.

He could confirm.

This was real.

Scents don’t lie.

Then, Jason discovered he could move his hands.

Subconsciously, he picked up the cutlery and launched a fierce attack on the crab meat salad.

Deliciously sweet.

And filled with freshness.

The tenderness of the crab meat made everything exceptionally excellent.

When Jason came back to his senses, the crab meat salad on the platter had already been completely devoured.

Before his eyes, unexpected text appeared—

[Tasted ‘Excellent’ level ‘Crab Meat Salad’!]

[Physical Strength, Spirit, Injuries fully recovered!]

[Attribute Points +0.2]

…

“Excellent? The same level as the final overall evaluation?”

“Are the two related?”

Jason speculated, and then his gaze shifted to [Attribute Points: 0.2].

[Please choose to increase any one of Strength, Agility, Constitution, Spirit, Perception by 0.2 points or any two by 0.1 points!]

…

As Jason’s gaze locked onto [Attribute Points], the corresponding prompt appeared.

This was the first time he had seen attribute points that could be distributed freely.

“Food can actually directly increase attribute points?”

Jason looked at the scene with delight.

Without a doubt, this was good news for him.

It made his choices more abundant.

However, Jason did not rush to add points.

Having some ideas in mind, Jason decided to calm down and think carefully before deciding on the points to add.

Then, he leaned back, ready to return to 19 Ter Street.

But unlike last time’s direct return to 26 Nightless City, Ter Street 19, this time seemed to grant Jason some rest after eating, thanks to the black notebook.

Not much, only about ten seconds.

Moreover, during these ten seconds, Jason’s hands were bound again, reverting to the state where he could only move his index fingers.

When the time passed.

Click!

The black notebook closed automatically.

The sensation of dizziness returned.

Everything in front of him became blurry, and when his vision cleared again, Jason found himself back in 19 Ter Street.

Even his previous posture was maintained exactly as before.

It was still but a moment.

But his experiences spanned weeks.

Whew!

Jason took a deep breath.

He was adjusting his emotions.

Experiences were not so easily forgotten.

Moreover, they had shared life and death together.

The faces of Dennise, Gerard, Peters, Little Reed, and others flashed through Jason’s mind, and then, he subconsciously flipped open the black notebook.

The world of ‘Dining Etiquette’ could be returned to.

Naturally, the ‘Appetizer’ world should also be returnable.

Indeed, just as Jason had anticipated.

The ‘Appetizer’ world could be revisited.

But the cost of returning was beyond Jason’s expectation.

[Even the most delicious dish, once repeated, can make one feel tired.]

[But if you’re willing to spend more satiety points, you can still taste it.]

[Yes/No Spend 50 satiety points to return?]

…

“50 points!”

Jason gasped.

“Returning to the world of ‘Dining Etiquette’ only requires 5 points, but going back to the ‘Appetizer world’ needs 50 points?”

“Does it increase by 10 times with each return?”

“Or is it different because eating the food grants free attribute points?”

“Or maybe there’s another reason.”

Jason pondered.

But pondering without any clues was destined to be fruitless.

After a few seconds, Jason shook his head, temporarily suppressing the thoughts in his mind.

Then, he flipped the notebook back to the first page.

His gaze rested on the word ‘Return.’

With his current 67 satiety points and 4 points of Excitement of Feast, returning to Lorde was truly effortless.

But Jason had never thought to return immediately.

Because he had no confidence in dealing with that ‘Bizarre.’

“I must accumulate more satiety points, increase my strength with Excitement of Feast.”

“The enhancement of Protection Against Evil is necessary.”

“Then there’s… I need to maximize my ‘undying trait.’

“I die too easily now.”

“I need to make myself ‘tougher.’

“So…”

“Physique!”

“And the secret techniques related to physique!”

Jason seriously thought about his own strengths.

Then, he immediately added 0.2 points to his physique.

Instantly, a warm current flowed from his stomach to his heart, and then into his bones and muscles.

This process, similar to synchronizing knowledge and skills, was completed in a few breaths; Jason could clearly feel his body becoming more robust.

After adjusting for a bit, Jason picked up the black notebook again.

He looked at the second page, ‘Appetizer’: Crispy Fried Meat Rolls.

Jason didn’t want to stay a moment longer in this place, under the gaze of countless eyes.