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Chapter 562
🕑 Added 2025-05-21 15:05:02 +0000 UTCChapter 562
At this moment, someone in the crowd who knew the situation began to explain the white-haired girl’s identity.
“That’s Alice, a student from the junior division of the Moon Institute.”
“No, she’s already graduated from the junior division. She should be a first-year in the high school division now. Back when she was in the junior division, Alice's performance was already far ahead of everyone else.”
“Could it be...”
The person paused mid-sentence, a realization suddenly surfacing.
“Could it be what?”
“Could it be that Alice, having just advanced to the high school division, challenged one of the Elite Ten and became a new member—so that’s why she’s standing there now?”
The Elite Ten could be replaced. Besides the formal Elite Ten Challenge Tournament, there were other ways to earn the right to challenge a current member, though such challenges were never this public, and were usually conducted internally within the Moon Institute.
Alice stepped into the last open spot among the Elite Ten. Not only did the spectators outside fix their eyes on her, but even the other members of the Elite Ten all turned their attention toward her.
While Ron was observing Alice, she happened to look in his direction as well. Their gazes met. Ron lightly nodded his chin. Alice, startled, instinctively returned the gesture but quickly blushed and turned her head away.
Ron found it even more peculiar.
The vast plaza’s platform was located toward the north, and the spectator seats surrounded it in a fan-like formation. There were some seats in the stands, though not many, as most of the viewing happened via large suspended screens. The World Zone even had live broadcasts.
This setup resembled the Heaven’s Arena in some ways, but with one major difference: videos of high-level battles in Heaven’s Arena were usually paywalled, whereas the Elite Ten Challenge Tournament here was entirely free to watch—anyone within Gourmet Paradise could view it, although they were strictly forbidden from distributing the footage.
No idea how they enforced that rule though, and Ron didn't care to find out anyway.
Several more figures stepped onto the platform. This time, they weren’t students but judges. Unlike transfer exams, the judges here were all professionals—either top chefs or elite gourmets. Five in total, which ensured that the verdict could not end in a tie and would always yield a clear winner.
Soon, the screens displayed the names and information of several members of the Elite Ten.
“Alice. Elite Ten, Rank 10. First year, high school division.”
Ron instinctively glanced toward where Mike and Tatsumi were seated. Among their peers, Mike and Tatsumi were already considered outstanding—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to pass the transfer exam and stand out from the masses, proving their talent. But Alice was simply beyond the norm. She had just entered the high school division and had already secured a spot among the Elite Ten.
All other Elite Ten members were either second- or third-years, with only three being second-years. The remaining six were all in their final year.
“That really is Alice!”
“Amazing. To become one of the Elite Ten in just her first year—this must be unprecedented in the Moon Institute’s history.”
Tatsumi looked at Alice, his confidence visibly shaken, a sense of inferiority washing over him. What he had been striving for was merely the identity of a student in the high school division, while she was already among the Elite Ten.
Mike clenched his fists.
“If she can do it, then I can too!”
“I’ll become one of the Elite Ten sooner or later.”
Though they were struck by the same reality, their reactions were different.
Ron, however, was unfazed. He had seen far too much of this sort of thing. People simply weren’t born equal. Some were born in Rome in its prime; others were born when it fell—there was no comparison to be made. It was just like in the Hunter Exam. Pokkle had to work desperately just to barely pass and become a licensed Hunter. But for Hisoka, Illumi, and Ron, the exam was little more than a formality. Hisoka and Illumi were older than Pokkle, but Ron was actually younger and had already surpassed him.
“Alice is probably connected to Senior Linne. She might be Linne’s junior.”
A teacher walked to the center of the platform, holding a microphone.
“Now, I officially declare the Elite Ten Challenge Tournament open!”
“Students with the qualifications to challenge, please submit your applications.”
“The order of battle will be determined by the order of applications!”
“Begin!”
With that announcement, the students below erupted. Everyone wanted a shot—even if they knew they might not win, even if they knew there was a huge skill gap between themselves and the Elite Ten, they still wanted to try.
How could anyone truly know the gap between them if they didn’t try at least once?
And more than that, it was a rare opportunity. In the midst of intense competition, people were more likely to break through their limits. This mindset was similar to fighters in Heaven’s Arena—some preferred to seek their inspiration in the midst of battle.
A large number of applications quickly gathered in the teacher’s hands. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the challenges were directed at Alice, the newest member of the Elite Ten.
“Alice is indeed a genius, no doubt about that, but she only just graduated from the junior division. The other members of the Elite Ten are geniuses too—and they’ve had one or two more years to grow.”
“This stage of development is when skills improve the fastest. Challenging Alice gives the best chance of winning.”
“Come on, I’m a third-year high school student. I can’t possibly lose to a first-year, can I?”
Compared to Nen users, in the high school division of the Moon Institute, time played a far more significant role in a chef’s growth, which was why they thought this way.
In the face of this situation, Alice showed no signs of panic. On the contrary, the corners of her mouth curved into a slight smile. Her culinary ability couldn’t yet be assessed directly, but when it came to Nen, Ron could already sense the differences in aura among the Elite Ten.
The eighth and ninth members seemed to have no exposure to Nen yet, but from the seventh member upward, all of them were Nen users. Especially the top two—their Nen levels were already quite high for their age, having reached B-rank.
But Alice was even stronger than that. She had already surpassed the B-rank boundary and was on the same level as Ron himself..... this world did not lack people with talent it seemed.
A challenger walked onto the stage, approaching the cooking station adjacent to Alice. Alice took out her chef’s uniform. Seeing her dressed like that, Ron couldn’t help but pause. Because in that outfit, Alice looked so much like another Alice—Nakiri Alice from the world of Shokugeki no Soma. Not just similar, but practically identical.
