Kapitel 31: Contestant #1001

"And with that, let... eh?"

Jack whispered to his co-emcee and they held a short discussion. The crowd fell silent in confusion.

"Ahem!" Jack's co-emcee whose name was Uni Corn cleared his throat. While Jack's entire existence was a mystery from his glowing pumpkin head to his straw-stuffed scarecrow body, Uni Corn simply had a horse head with a horn but a very normal human body.

"Pardon the delay, we had a last minute registration. Without further ado, let's put our hands, fins and tails together to give this year's competitors a huge round of applause!"

Somewhere during the thunderous applause and chaos, a horn sounded to mark the official start of the competition.

***

-Round 3-

"Oh! Look at that! The ferocious Minotaur - Minx has just dropped out of the competition. Looks like the event organizers have increased the intensity of this year's competition. With only slightly over eight hundred participants, who will make it to the finals?"

***

-Round 15-

"What is this? A Jojobian Elephant Narwal Roast? Ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a treat this year! The rare once a millennium mystical beast from Jojobia was submitted to this year's committee early yesterday. Can you smell this? We've invited the best Jojobian Sea Barbarian Chefs to roast it to perfection just in time for the fifteenth round! This elephant narwal is big enough to feed an entire castle of demons, can our contestants finish it?"

From a far end of the stage, a competitor turned greened and threw up whatever he ate from the previous rounds.

"Contestant 488, disqualified!"

While many other contestants looked green, they persevered. By now, more than half the contestants have dropped out or were disqualified. Many forfeited and some had to be carried off the stage. Despite the chaos, Zero could only wonder about the reason behind their green complexions.

***

-Round 32-

"Amazing..." Uni Corn breathed. Jack held his breath. The little human that the goddesses registered was one of the semi-finalists. By now, only about a hundred competitors were left. Many looked like they wouldn't last the next five rounds. However, the boy called Zero was holding his own.

As the waiters served the poisonous snail eyes, the masters of ceremony watched on with growing respect.

***

-Round 43-

With the highest record going up to round forty-seven, there were surprisingly five contestants left.

"Jack, aren't this year's competitors amazing? We are nearing the highest record of round forty-seven with Sir Hollow Gram taking the championship two years ago. Back then I remembered only three participants left during this phase."

Jack nodded. "Yes. In fact, I think our audiences are interested to know who these contestants are. Shall we introduce them?"

Uni Corn grinned. "First up, everybody in the gourmet world knows his name. Contestant 886, the Silver Tongue of Gamamor - Jet Spin! His record for swallowing a meter long Poleskin Mouse whole is one of his best achievements."

Jet Spin was a snake-like hybrid creature. He had eyes like a snake, forked tongue, scaly green skin and a tail instead of legs. However, Jet had boneless tiny human hands and wore a tuxedo top, reflecting his gentlemanly personality. The look was completed with a neat bow and a green top hat. Zero found Jet fascinating because he was the only other contestant in the finals who never chewed food. The only difference was how Jet grew bigger with every new dish he swallowed but Zero remained the same tiny boy he was. It made people wonder who the last minute participant was and what his constitution was made of.

"Next up," Jack announced. "We have our only female finalist, Contestant 563, the lady known as Wormhole from planet Kyke! Let's give her a round of applause as she does her best to devour the stir-fried Cellophasaur's ribs without leaving any bone behind. Many may have heard of her and it isn't surprising as Ms Wormhole is one of the world's best-known barbecue meat gourmets."

Zero took a good look at the lady. He felt slightly bad that he couldn't immediately identify her as a female. In fact, he'd thought that she was a male from her bulky build. Perhaps not all females were delicately featured like Freya and Sedna. Granted, the goddesses looked slightly different from other females like Jen but they generally shared the same dainty structure.

"Also, don't forget contestant 222 from the nether dimension! We have the insatiable Hungry Ghost - Egui who was the runner-up for last year's competition!"

Egui was a very thin and translucent being who had the shape of a man. How he ate so much was beyond anyone's understanding. However, according to the legend, whenever an overly greedy human died, he is reincarnated into a hungry ghost. It was the punishment decided by the council of rebirth. The only way the guilty could be redeemed was to eat until he was satisfied and start giving to those less fortunate. So far, Egui has been eating but was never satisfied. It was as if he was looking for something in particular without much luck. Egui had joined last year and dropped out on the forty-fifth round as he was allergic to the Holy Cucumber Soup served.

"Let us not forget last year's champion and contestant 999 - Chow Chow Pow from Sumoria! This contestant needs no further introduction. You can tell from his build that he is an experienced food hunter, there is nothing he cannot digest!"

Zero glanced at Pow. He decided that the name did not match with the face. Chow Chow Pow was a very stern looking man who glared at the food served as if it was his mortal enemy. The way he ate reflected no enjoyment and his teeth chomped down like a predator severing the neck of its prey, effectively dealing the final blow without mercy. Zero shuddered as Pow tore through the gazelleberry pie with the dining knife he wielded like a katana.

"Last but not least," Jack grinned. "Our last minute contestant with a mysterious background. Introducing Contestant 1001, Zero! He might look tiny but who knows where he is putting all that food. All I can say is that this year's competition might be very interesting. In fact, we might be able to hit a new record for the Mega Gourmet with such terrifying competitors!"

This announcement had the crowd whispering. Normally, the competition accepted only a thousand contestants. Why would this newcomer be given such an exception?

Zero continued to spoon mouthfuls of gazelleberry pie, oblivious to the commotion below. His only thought at this point of time was how to utilise all the bonus effects he had. So far, he'd gotten the following:

Luck: +15 (+8 temporary for 3 months)

Strength: +56 (+116 temporary for next 2 weeks)

Poison Resistance: +8 (+12 temporary for next 3 weeks)

Calming: +12

Digestion: +44 (-122 temporary for next 2 days)

Constitution: +237 (- 122 temporary for next 2 days)

Energy: +6,488

**Author's Note: Dun dun dun! Did you notice the change in narration from first person to third? Good job! I want to gradually shift that focus because Zero's world is expanding. Please let me know your thoughts on this. It's been tough to keep to the new writing rules as this really isn't my style. Also, feel free to check out the character profile! I add to it with every chapter. This chapter, in particular, has too many new additions and I'm getting dizzy. With that, thank you for your support, see you tomorrow!**