Getting Stronger by Eating Feels Weir-
So here I am taking part in an eating contest for a frying pan but I'm having a bit of remorse now.
I mean, other participants are obviously built for this, unlike me.
Among all the extra-sized contestants that would put that pig noble to shame, I'm the only standard-sized one.
I mean you know, eating contestants in Japan look normal outwardly yet they can gorge down kilograms of food. Where'd they put all that food in their body anyway.
There's 10 contestants including me. I'm contestant number 10 being the last who entered.
Some of them have Cooking Skill too, wonder if they're pinning for the prize or just here for the food.
This has drawn quite a crowd. Guess even this little festival is a rare form of amusement here.
"Ouu, lad ain't ya a lanky one! Eat meat, meat!"
"You been eating at all? Well take it easy now! I'mma be the victor anyway!"
"Ah? See this belly of mine, I dare you say that again? Quit daydreaming will ya!"
...What's with all these high tension folks.
Just as I was thinking of withdrawing, the food were getting carried to the venue, too late to turn back. It'd be rude to the people who cooked this food, like telling them it tastes bad.
Can't be helped, I'm gonna give it my best shot for the sake of frying pan. Let's just focus on eating.
"Aaand! This eating contest will now start! The rule is quite simple, the winner is the one who eats the most in one hour time! Those who cheat will be disqualified right away! Eat at it fair and square! Who do you think will be victorious among these!? Now then, ready~~~~~ GO!!"
The MC seems highly strung too.
Well I guess that's better than sounding timid.
Now then, the food is a fish dish huh. I can feel my appetite rising just from looking at its white meat smeared in basil-like sauce. Umu, it's good. I want the recipe.
Other contestants are wolfing down the food without caring to relish on the taste. What a waste.
"Contestant #1, so quick! He emptied the first plate in five seconds flat!"
Bite before you swallow guys. It's gonna be bad for your stomach you know?
We have an hour ahead of us, even taking a minute per plate will get you 60 plates by the end. No way you can fit all that, might as well enjoy the food.
Ah, but what did they say about chewing your food again, it stimulates appetite center and gives a sense of fullness or something? ...Well whatever. Let's just go at my pace, who cares about the rest. I wanna win but not so much I'd sacrifice tasting the food.
"#10 is going completely at his pace! Other contestants are about to finish their second plate!"
Oh shut up, let me eat in peace.
Ah, the second plate has some delicious looking boiled prawns.
"Aw man, figured #10 gonna be slow."
"Well, guy can't possibly go up against all those big fellas. Gotta admire his guts stepping up against those at least."
"Do your best, #10! Watch yourself, don't eat too much now!"
Thanks for the cheering. But please spare me, it's embarrassing.
After a while, right as I was working on my fifth plate, I could feel something filling my body.
...Here it comes. It's here, it's here! ...No no, let's stop speaking like I'm on a drug.
Menu, display my SP Status.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Kajikawa Hikaru
Lv22
SP (Stamina): 2/102
Sure enough, my SP has recovered.
Can't believe I had to eat so much before I got my SP. Forget about four people meals, it definitely requires way more.
As I ate, I tried to control my stamina and as expected, no this was the easiest and the smoothest it had been to control compared to mana and life force.
Direct Stamina Control sure is mouthful though. Stamina is akin to energy, let's call it Energy Control instead... Simple yeah.
I image the energy on the muscles in my arms before I tried lifting up a fork, it felt paper light. Well, a fork is nothing heavy in the first place so it's hard to tell though.
Focusing energy on my eyes let me see far away, focusing on ears--
"WHOAAAA!! NUMBER 3 DOOOOOOWN!!!"
Aaaaaagh!!! Ababababa...!! My hearing got strengthened far more than I thought, assaulting my ears with a super loud voice...! Ah, the ringing in my ears...
U-umu. Looks like Energy Control strengthens my bodily functions, or rather, my attributes.
Gotta be careful with its usage or it's gonna incur heavy damage like it just did... My poor ears.
Wait, wasn't #3 one of those people who was boasting in the beginning. Gave up already? Ah, he's suffering from Excessive Full Stomach as his State. I'm begging you, please don't throw up here.
For now let's stop checking Energy Control. It feels like cheating if I use SP here. Too late for that seeing as I have an External Status and all though.
"O-oy, that #10 is still keeping up with his pace?"
"He seemed the slowest at first, but guy's the fastest now the other contestants fell behind..."
"Monster, got a monster 'ere..."
I kept eating for tens of minutes.
I've cleaned up more than 30 plates already. The heck, how much can my stomach take anyway. Where'd the law of conversation of mass go?
I'm not actually full and it's about to burst out or anything right? That'd be scary.
"W-who the heck're ya...? Uppu..."
"Where'd all that food go in that lanky body...!"
"N-number 10 is still going at it! While other warriors are reaching their limit, he just keeps chowing down on his plates without a pause!! What's going on with this man's stomach!?"
They're all seemingly taken aback by me, if only I knew the answer myself.
Well, my SP is about to hit max point though, I could go for two, three more plates at best.
Other contestants seemed to finish at around 20 plates. Dang you guys ate a lot too.
The portion wasn't too much at first but it got gradually added with every new plate, the latter half was quite stuffy.
Like this super sized hamburger, there's no way anybody could finish it up in five seconds. The people behind this program is pretty nasty.
Pipi---!!
A whistle signaling the end resounded just as I finished the hamburger. Thanks for the feast.
"And the winner iiiiiiis~~!! Clear as day, it's number 10's victory!! That bottomless swamp of a stomach! Winning by a landslide!! Seriously though, are you all right? Aren't your stomach about to pop open? Want us get the doctor over?"
Quit sounding so worried by the end.
But yeah, it is inexplicable how my stomach isn't bulging at all after eating that much. Maybe all that food got stored in another subspace like Item Screen or something. That's scary.
"The prize for our winner is a frying pan processed with a non-stick adaman coating!! Give him a round of applause!!"
Adaman? Like adamantite or adamantium? Wait is that even something you use on a frying pan?
I'll take it so long as it's really non stick tho'.
"I-It's my lose... Goff..."
"Fu, fufufu... To think an unexpected rival, showed up, uppu...!"
Don't force yourself to speak. Go to the toilet first if you wanna vomit.
I received the prize and left the stall at once.
The crowd opened a path for me, like they were afraid of me. I'm not gonna eat you guys...
"G-good work out there... Kajikawa-san, what's your stomach made of?"
"...Did you use, Menu?"
"Nope. I ate all the food brought out. Wasn't desperate enough to cheat."
"R-really..."
The two seem taken aback too. Well I guess I never ate that much in front of them...
"Welp got my hands on this frying pan, so now let's go buy ingredients for dinner."
"You're still gonna eat more!? Something's definitely not right with you!"
"Hikaru, you can skip dinner tonight, okay...?"
Nope, dinner isn't gonna be for quite some time anyway. Don't look at me that way please.
Learning Energy Control by filling my Stamina was a good haul.
Feel like lots of things would have been easier had I learned energy control earlier, but well no point dwelling on the past, I'd rather focus trying it out for the future.
And now, wonder what to eat for dinner tonight. Think I'll go for a lightweight one after that big feast.