The sun rose over Renga Town with all the grace of a drunk chicken—wobbling, flaring, and accompanied by the sound of an explosion somewhere in the eastern district.
Kazuki yawned, stretched, and fell off the bed.
Smile bounced off his pillow, landed on Kazuki's chest with a squish, and made a pleased gurgle.
"Another beautiful day to accidentally ruin local property," Kazuki muttered, crawling upright. "Let's make it worse."
Later, at the Guild Hall
"—and THAT'S why I will NOT enter another baking event hosted by sentient mushrooms," Aurelis declared, slamming a stack of burnt pastries on the table.
Kazuki peeked at them.
They twitched.
"Aw, but this one looks happy to see me!" Kazuki said, poking the jiggly scone.
"IT'S BLINKING AT YOU."
Gendo, who was chewing on what might've once been a croissant, waved vaguely from his hammock. "Listen. There's a new dungeon open. Right under the old bakery ruins. They turned it into a culinary challenge. The 'Belly of the Behemuffin.'"
Kazuki blinked. "That's not a dungeon. That's a pun."
Gendo grinned. "Exactly! It's a trap-filled, ingredient-based survival maze. Anyone who survives three courses gets a rare Artifact. Plus a divine recipe or something."
Kazuki's eyes sparkled. "Did you say artifact?"
Smile bounced twice in agreement.
Skye snarled—either hungry or offended.
Raigen flew in through the window and declared, "A true battlefield requires fire, flour, and finesse!"
Aurelis massaged her temples. "Why are you all like this?"
"Don't worry," Kazuki said. "We're just entering for fun!"
The Belly of the Behemuffin – Dungeon Entrance
The dungeon looked… delicious.
The gates were made of caramelized steel. The torches flickered with molten butterscotch. A sentient cupcake with a mustache greeted them.
"Challengerssssss," it hissed politely. "You musssst bake your worth. Or be devoured by the Dough of Despair."
Aurelis stared. "Why is everything talking?"
Kazuki elbowed her. "Because magic, silly!"
The cupcake presented a golden whisk. "You will be judged in three stages: Ingredient Hunt, Baking Battle, and Divine Presentation."
Smile bounced forward with enthusiasm.
Challenge One: The Ingredient Hunt.
Kazuki dashed into the first room, where enchanted vegetables grew like jungle plants.
A turnip roared and charged him.
"Why is it so aggressive!?"
Skye lunged at a floating onion that was casting invisibility on itself.
Raigen started frying a mana-egg midair, yelling, "We dine in chaos!"
Aurelis, more methodical, summoned Hinari to incinerate a mob of fire-resistant potatoes.
They gathered:
Dreamflour (only grows in lucid nightmares)
Singing sugar (whistles when stirred)
Basilisk eggs (still hatching)
Celestial butter (floats)
Smile… ate half of it.
Challenge Two: The Baking Battle.
Kazuki slammed everything into a single bowl and began stirring. His strategy?
"Add all the weirdest stuff and let fate season it."
Raigen summoned a thunderstorm to cook soufflés in midair.
Aurelis followed every precise instruction, crafting a majestic phoenix fruit tart.
Meanwhile, Kazuki's batter… began glowing.
Smile had hopped in and started spinning like a whisk.
"Oh no," Aurelis whispered.
"Oh yes," Kazuki whispered louder.
The oven door opened by itself.
A beam of light fired into the ceiling.
Something ancient stirred.
Final Challenge: Divine Presentation.
All dishes were placed on an altar of enchanted slate.
The judging spirit appeared—a semi-transparent goddess with forks for fingers and an apron woven from starlight.
She tasted Aurelis's tart. Nodded in approval.
Tasted Raigen's thunder soufflé. Applauded.
Tasted Kazuki's glowing… slimecake.
Paused.
Giggled.
"This… is the most unstable, dangerously delicious, law-breaking dessert I've tasted since mana was invented."
"Uh," Kazuki said, sweating. "Do I… win?"
The spirit nodded. "You do not win."
Kazuki drooped.
She continued: "You break the rules. Therefore… I shall break mine."
She touched the slimecake.
It sang.
Light shot into the ceiling. Smile jiggled, absorbing the glow.
A single word echoed through the dungeon:
"Blessed."
Back Outside
They emerged blinking in the sunlight. Kazuki held a spoon of his still-glowing dessert.
"I don't know what happened," he said.
Aurelis looked shaken. "You might have received a divine blessing from the Patron of Culinary Mana."
Raigen squawked. "What's next? A sugar war?!"
Smile hiccuped, now leaving sparkles wherever it bounced.
"Oh great," Aurelis muttered. "Now the slime's flavored."
Gendo met them at the gates, looking confused. "Wait, you actually survived?"
Kazuki nodded. "Yeah! And I think I invented godcake."