Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 83

“Now, let’s welcome our first contestant—Kevin! Wait… His chosen ingredient is… instant noodles? Truly a Kevin move.”

Elysia pulled out a remote from who-knows-where and pressed a button. Instantly, the wall transformed into a projector screen, playing a pre-recorded video.

In the footage, Kevin walked alone through a raging blizzard, gripping the “Judgment of Shamash” in his hand. Hanging from the tip of the divine weapon was a pot of water and… a pack of instant noodles. If only he had a suitable hat, this short animation could’ve been titled “Kevin the Instructor in a Snowstorm at the Mountain Temple.”

Accompanying the video was a dramatic narration:

“Kevin—a master of instant noodles with 50,000 years of experience. A single bowl from him can shake the heavens. He roams the world of Honkai, conquering stomachs with nothing but a pack of noodles and a pot of water.”

“Harnessing the power of ice and fire, he crafts the perfect bowl. Ice preserves freshness, while fire cooks the noodles to a springy, chewy perfection. Thus, he is known as—the Ice-Fire Culinary Sorcerer. Cool!”

Suddenly, the animated Kevin looked up, his gaze profound and resolute: “No matter the cost… I will satisfy my diners!”

“Huh?!”

Enoxia and Sirin, who had been sipping water, managed to hold it together at first—but by the end, they spat it out in unison.

Since the animation had been outsourced by Enoxia to Enoxia’s clone (who then delegated it to another clone), she hadn’t known the final product. She’d just let her clones handle the details.

As for Kevin himself? He stood frozen in place, utterly petrified. He’d only agreed to participate because Elysia had insisted—but he never expected this level of embarrassment right out the gate.

“Hmm~ Kevin standing there motionless is even cuter than I imagined! Come on, Kevin, you could stand to show a little more expression in daily life too, you know?”

Vill-V eyed Elysia warily.

“Elysia… Please tell me not every contestant has to go through… this.”

“Don’t worry, Vill-V! Since we knew Kevin would pick instant noodles, we had plenty of time to prepare. As for the others… Well, nothing’s ready yet. Hey, why don’t you ask The Scholar to whip something up on the spot for them?”

Vill-V shook her head. Among all her personas, only The Conductor held authority over the others—aside from the original Vill-V, of course.

Bella glanced at Sirin, and seeing no reaction, she immediately shook her head like a rattle drum. Unless Sirin ordered it, she refused to subject herself to such public humiliation.

“Aww, still shy, huh? Well, no need to force it—Bella’s already adorable enough just standing there!”

Once the screen reverted to a normal wall, Kevin finally snapped out of his daze and began cooking. He poured water into a pot, then transformed the Judgment of Shamash back into its gun form to heat the bottom.

To this day, humanity remains unaware of all the possible uses of the Judgment of Shamash.

Once the water was hot enough, he tore open the instant noodle pack and dropped in the noodles. Sirin, ever the blunt critic, remarked:

“What a weird way to cook noodles. Won’t they turn out mushy?”

Enoxia, however, smiled knowingly. Using her authority, she’d already detected something unusual—under the Judgment of Shamash’s heat, the thermal energy in the water was rapidly penetrating the noodles, making the noodles themselves the hottest part, as if they were generating heat.

The unique heating method of the Judgment of Shamash… was truly terrifying!

Finally, the moment of truth arrived. Kevin added the seasoning packet—yet unlike normal instant noodles, the broth remained crystal clear, with no visible particles.

“Enoxia, what’s going on here?”

After scanning the data, Enoxia replied, “It’s the ice. Kevin used ultra-low temperatures to pulverize the seasoning particles into a near-invisible powder, making them dissolve completely.”

Soon, Kevin served two bowls of steaming noodles to the judges. The rich aroma made it hard to believe this was just instant ramen.

Though freshly boiled, the temperature was nothing to a Herrscher—Enoxia and Sirin picked up their chopsticks and fork, slurping up the noodles in unison.

“This taste…”

Enoxia’s memories told her this was just instant noodles, yet the flavor surpassed even the ¥30-40 ramen from fancy restaurants.

“No hard bits at all—just silky-smooth noodles with the perfect chew, paired with a rich, savory broth. Absolutely flawless!”

Now she understood why no one in Anti-Entropy ever complained during team ramen nights.

Sirin didn’t comment, but in the time it took Elysia to speak, she’d already polished off half her bowl and downed a third of the broth. Actions spoke louder than words.

“Looks like Kevin’s cooking has won over both judges! Now, let’s welcome our next contestant—Oh? While Kevin was cooking, Vill-V has already finished!”

Under everyone’s gaze, Vill-V lifted the lids off several trays in sequence.

“Making guests wait too long is bad hospitality. Behold—”

• Appetizer: Borscht.

• Main Course: Beef Stew.

• Dessert: Strawberry Cake.

Enoxia stared at the beautifully decorated cake and had a sudden realization.

“So that’s why she needed fresh cream earlier—it was for the cake! But…”

While normal kitchens had baking tools, Vill-V’s workspace was filled with bizarre, high-efficiency gadgets of her own invention.

Aside from the cake, the other two dishes were classic Siberian fare. Though Enoxia had been “born” in Siberia, her culinary tastes were inherited from a certain Shenzhou native, so she hesitated briefly before trying the borscht.

In the end, trusting Vill-V’s skills, she took a small spoonful.

Sweet yet tangy, fragrant yet refreshing—it instantly conquered her taste buds. Even without checking her cognitive data, she knew Vill-V’s recipe ratios put all cookbooks to shame.

Glancing over, she saw that while she’d been savoring the borscht, Sirin had already devoured most of the beef stew.

The beef was tender, the tendons soft—not a single tough bite in the entire dish.

After finishing all three courses, Enoxia—despite being in a virtual space—felt as if she’d been replenished with energy.

The aroma soon drew in unexpected guests.

“Oh? Kosma, Griseo! Vill-V predicted you’d arrive right about now. Too bad you missed Kevin’s grand introduction!”

“And look who’s here—Mobius! Drawn in by the smell of Vill-V’s cooking? Come, come! She made extra cake.”

“I-I wasn’t! I just heard a Herrscher and a Judgement-class Honkai Beast were here… for research purposes!”

Despite her protests, Mobius moved faster than Griseo, snatching the freshly made beef stew and retreating to a corner to devour it. After wolfing it down, she tried to act nonchalant—only for everyone to notice the crumbs still on her lips as she reached for cake.

When Elysia and Enoxia (both of them) locked eyes with her, covering their mouths in eerily synchronized giggles, Mobius turned away in embarrassment, wiping her mouth in a flash—her cheeks faintly red.