Suddenly, an intense growling sound came to disturb Josh's search! All the passersby turned around warily with one even summoning a battle-axe and taking a fighting stance.
That is when a small alert sound was heard with a U-bot coming out from who knows where. "Warning, fighting intent detected! Warning! Please cease! The Black Squad has already been notified!"
"Wait no! I didn't mean anything by that! There was a menacing sound!" The man dropped his axe instantly without even trying to contest it. He looked pleadingly at the robot. Even when it gave him a ticket for public disturbance, he didn't contest it one bit.
What was that sound that had sent the entire street in a small frenzy? The rumbling of Josh's stomach. For some reason he was famished.
That is when the man noticed him, coming closer. "You! I swear that stomach of yours sounds more menacing than half the beasts in the Tower! How starved are you?!"
"Very, I've been training hard the last few days. On that note, I really need to get going."
"Wait! Are you going to the G district to eat? Yes? Follow me! I know the perfect place for your current situation!"
Josh simply followed the man while examining him. He was dressed casually in sportswear; he was muscular and had a dragon tattoo that seemed to be going from his neck to his back. He had many scars too.
Then man guided Josh to shop with a statue of a menacing yet goofy-looking serpent, maw opened wide seemingly trying to devour anyone coming into the place. <Gluttonous Scaly> was the sign by the door.
"This place is the best in the city when it comes to satiating one's hunger! There has never been anyone going hungry here." He proudly bragged.
The interior was more spacious than it first seemed on the outside. There were only a few tables set up. Before long, someone with possibly the ugliest employee shirt of all time came to attend to them. There were two options available, either to participate or to watch with both having fees.
"He's going to be a contestant today! Oh also, place my bets on him!" He gave an encouraging glance to Josh before explaining further. "Welcome to the most exclusive eating competition there is! Here legends are made!"
"Exclusive? We just went through the front door…"
"For sure! But that's only because I have a membership identity on my UW! Otherwise, we would have been blocked by countless powerful Climbers already! They would have come from everywhere and beaten our ass!"
Looking around there were no bodyguards to even be seen…So much for that threat. Well, if anything this was a sort of exclusive since it required a UW in the first place.
"So how does it work here exactly?"
"Well, you see these tables in the middle? You want to go sit at one. Then when there are enough contestants, 20 total, it will begin. Alright, good luck."
Josh made his way toward a corner table. Next to him was a fat man sitting. His chair was clearly having issues supporting his weight. He looked at Josh with a big smile. "Hey there, it is your first time here right?"
"Yes, that obvious?" What gave him away this time around? Josh was confident he hadn't shown any expression of surprise and that the man hadn't heard their conversation either.
"You can call me Fat Tony, you may not know me yet, but you will. I'm always here haha. People always tell me I am the unofficial mascot of this place. I made a deal with the owner here. I always eat for free. In exchange, I make this place livelier and usher in the newcomers. Good deal ain't it?"
"Tell me, Tony, when can we eat? Let's just say I've been fighting for a while and I'm all out of fuel."
"Fat Tony!", he corrected him. "Hard to say, right now there are 10 of us. There is Big Joe, Slim Joe, NomNomGeddon, Hungry Man, ThisIsMyCheatDayDontJudgeMe, One Bite Man, Big Mama, and Dylan. Fuck Dylan, that guy is the worst!"
"So, what's up with all the nicknames? Also why the hate toward…"
"Toward Dylan? Everyone hates him. He's the kind of prick to just come here to show off and ridicule us. The participation costs 50 Credits yet he always eats a single bite, says how horrible it tastes then proceeds to mock us while streaming. Apparently, he tried joining <Impish> but even these prank-loving maniacs know to stay away from that asshole!"
Drama could always be found it seems. Even a regular eating contest had some.
"Oh yeah, you didn't pick a nickname yet? Let's get that fixed! Let me see your UW, you'll want to add this place's membership app." He directed Josh. Surprisingly, the app was relatively hidden on the web.
"Now, you want to pick something either very silly or very epic. This will boost your gains. There is betting going on in the background. You want people to bet on you! You'll receive a very small percentage of the benefits." He continued.
"Wait, so how does this work exactly? Are contestants aiming for the win or for popularity?"
"Both really, for direct money you need to be in the top 5 at least, but still many people here get contracts to appear in events for food producers. They know we'll put anything in our mouths and praise it to the moon shamelessly."
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This was getting so complicated. Josh simply wanted to eat. But he was already here so he may as well try.
Thus he simply keyed in as a nickname <The First Coming of Gluttony>. Josh couldn't help but chuckle knowing he'd probably be one of the first to drop but would have one of the most powerful sounding nicknames in the group.
That is when a commotion started. From the entrance came thundering cheers. This was puzzling, it almost seemed as if an idol was passing through. Actually, no. This was definitely one. A cute and small lady was making her way through. On her way, she was waving and sometimes doing a small pose before resuming her pace.
"Oh damn! Never mind newcomer. This contest is starting right the fuck now! Whenever she joins every other spot gets filled instantly. Hell whenever she is there, management even increases the price from 50 Credits to 200 for joining yet all the spots get taken instantly. At the end of every competition, there is a picture with all contestants. That's why people are so excited!" Tony exclaimed.
"So, she's popular?"
"Wait?! You don't know who that is?! She's the Devouring Princess! You know the one with that weirdly powerful Gourmet class! She's a bigshot ranker from Eclipse! She used to be a singer idol before this! Well, she still performs from time to time just less."
"Anyway, I'm glad. As long as I get to eat." Josh replied uninterested. All his starving self could think about was food. Tony gave him an impressed glance seeing his dedication to this competition.
Before long a referee explained the rules. Every dish given would be random but they would be as filling as the others. Every time they finished a dish, they could signal an employee to bring them another one. Anyone wasting food would be instantly disqualified. Order it, eat it was their motto.
Thus it started. A big steak was Josh's first item. As soon as he took a bite he couldn't help but rejoice. He finally had a respite from the incessant hunger he had been feeling. But an instant later the feeling came back stronger. Josh simply kept eating.
He had used a lot of energy to block onslaught after onslaught of deadly clay projectiles against the boss, having to slash thousands in the process. The fat was melting in his mouth. The subtle spices used added an incredible flavor. The juice every time he bit into it… was amazing!
Before he even noticed he had already finished his first dish. Without waiting he ordered another one. He did not care one bit about the other contestants but still noticed that many were already surrendering. All the ones joining because of the Idol were done after the first round and they looked full too haha.
The second thing to come was fried chicken. Very crispy yet tender inside. He gnashed on the bones until each had been cleaned entirely. Then came the third one, the fourth, the fifth…. Josh didn't stop eating.
He just kept enjoying the moment. One simple enough. One where there was no trouble whatsoever. No fighting to be done. No one to annoy him either. It was only him and that simple act of life, one as eternal as the world itself: To eat. Josh somehow lost track of time and dishes. He entered a peculiar mental state where the world stopped existing for him.
It was only when he heard Fat Tony's voice that he came back to his sense.
"Y-you! You are a monster! Way to go, brother! This is the birth of a Legend! <First Coming of Gluttony>, is it? After you, there is no way there could be a second one! There wouldn't be any Food left Haha!"
What? What did he mean? Slowly turning his head over he could see a cute and small lady looking at him with bulging eyes. Yet in these green eyes of hers, he could see the will not to be undone. She was still eating, forcing herself. Still, she soon reached her limit.
One dish was enough to feed a ranker. Most had given up after the first one. Some had managed to reach 3. Very few had almost reached 10. That Devouring Princess had reached 20, then there was Josh. He had somehow eaten 50 of them. Pretty much Josh had almost eaten as much as all the others combined.
The spectators were all speechless, well except one guy. One that had a dragon tattoo. One that was in the process of yelling: "I'm so goddamn rich HAHAHAHAHA!" The only one that had betted on the Newcomer. All the others were too busy paying attention to the celebrity to even notice his existence.
That is when said celebrity elegantly rose up from her seat. Then started a conversation worthy of a true chuuni.
"Pretty good First Coming of Gluttony! But know this, you may have defeated the mighty Devouring Princess but know that she will not take this lying down! Still, I congratulate you on this victory, until I get my revenge! Let this handshake be a promise of rivalry between us from now on!"
She extended her dainty hand along with the cheers of the crowd. Josh mechanically went in for the handshake, but he didn't care at all about this place, about her, or even about the people watching.
No, Josh was busy watching a little something called a Status Screen. A floating panel only he could see. There was something amazing that had just popped on it. There was a new skill to be exact.
-U (F) Gluttony Bloodline: Endless Stomach
Josh couldn't help but break into the most brilliant smile. It just so happened that while looking at his screen he happened to be gazing straight into the girl's eyes. Of course, he didn't notice.
Josh suddenly felt the lady worm her hand away, her face all red, and then she bolted away as if running from him. Oh well...
That is when Josh's UW started Beeping. Dale was messaging him, he needed to meet him ASAP.
"Well, I'll be going guys, take care" Josh disregarded everything that was happening and simply rushed out.
He could sense that Dale's message was serious.