And soon enough, many truly knew what scarcity meant. 

”No!… I don’t see any more Tilapias. Hey! Catfish!… Catfish… Though the taste is similar to Tilapia, there’s a distinct difference that wouldn’t go well with the dish I had in mind. Dammit! It looks like ill have to change things up!”

”Purple Salmon! I got Salmon! Oh, baby, I can just kiss you now!.. Lucky me!”

”A Green Perch! I actually caught a Perch fish!”

”Silver Bass fish… Carp fish… I caught these 2 at once!”

”Oh no! The pond is all out of fish! But at least half of us here haven’t gotten any fish yet! Then what do we do?… Meat!… They seem to have meat in the public deep freezer at the side!”

”Dammit! Meat is almost out too! What do I do if my dish lacks either meat or fish?… Can I make tunings instead? In that case, what dish would compliment my dumplings? Ahhhh~… This is the 4th time I’ve had to change my dish idea!”

”Terrible! All the fresh tomatoes have been picked out clean. And now, there’s only the bruised and low-quality ones here!”

”Carrots! The limited rainbow carrots have all been plucked out too! Even the orange carrots are gone!”

”Oh, my ancestors! This is a complete disaster! The Golden lettuce is no more. In that case, I have to change my dish again. Wait! I think I spotted orange cabbages over there!”

”Ahhhh~… I accidentally dropped one of my eggs! Dammit! Each of us is only given a maximum of 9 eggs on each workstation. I planned to use 4 and keep the rest just in case I messed up my dish and had to create new ones again. The time limit is 5 hours. With one egg down, I have to make sure I don’t overcook, burn or destroy my dish, lest I waste all my eggs!”

(`*^*)

.

Sweat already trickled down their backs; many began fighting for resources like crazed people. 

The Purple Sea Bream. 

That was the fish Mildred had secured for herself and Okaru. 

They had to put their hands in the water and catch these fish for themselves with care. 

And while she dealt with the fish, Okaru had been on her way to the meat refrigerators. 

At that point, it was a ‘grab-what-you-can’ situation. Because in no less than a few minutes, the entire fridge was empty.

And in the end, over 200 people didn’t get meat. 

One should recall that they started the exams with 800 people. And about 70 or so were sent out right from the start. 

The competition as it stood was fierce. 

They git their fish and meat before grabbing, dividing themselves up to grab as many tomatoes, bell peppers, and other greens they could get. 

But that wasn’t all.

Take a look at the fruits around, as well as the milk, butter, and other items in the fridge.

One shouldn’t forget that at this very moment, though they were in an exam, the examiners were their customers. 

Though they didn’t say they should make a full course meal, Mildred wondered if doing this would increase their chances of passing the exam.

All examiners should have a scoreboard that maybe checks taste, compatibility, and whatnot. So would points be located for those who also gave full course meals? 

Appetizers, desserts, and the meal itself… This was what she understood was a full course meal from all her reading up before coming to Baymard. 

If she decided to bake a cupcake, should she decorate it with fruits? 

Of course Mildred preferred to make the fruits into smoothies or some juice. 

At the same time, she might have to choose any of the beverages in the public fridges. 

However, a wrong pairing with her dish could ruin the entire taste of it all. 

Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. 

Everyone began working knives on their chopping boards with little no noise. 

The entire scene felt as heavy as a battlefield, with many swinging their swords and commanding their troops like true army generals.

And eight above the examiner stand, several people watched the scene with disguised excitement in their eyes. 

.

”Waw! Big Brother Landon, is this how fierce your exams here are?” 

Astar was so amazed. 

He had never seen anything like this. 

Just look at how fast their hands were moving? 

Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap.~

They were slicing their onions, carrots, and all the rest like machines. 

Sure. At least half of those here showed lesser skills than the other half examinees.

But though less skilled, the battle atmosphere made them work very diligently, properly working their magic across their workstations.

And the more Astar watched, the more hungry and excited he was. 

Hahahhahaha~

Not only will he get to eat his fill, but he also felt like he was in some show, especially after listening to the comments from the other examiners and guests around him. 

Honestly, he never knew chefs had to put so much thought into creating a fish.

”Over there, examinee 12, he’s left his fish too long on one side. When doing fish, it’s important to floor it constantly, not overlooking its exterior.”

”Number 24 doesn’t realize that he already has his batch of diced onions. Pity… I reckon he’ll still serve them thinking they’re alright.”

Eh? 

Blink. Blink. 

Astar felt like he was in another world. 

At present, he could only see what the first 30 examinees were doing. 

The examination site was huge, with countless rows and columns. 

If they wanted, they could also stroll around to look at other examinees. 

Of course, there were still invigilators stationed across the scene watching and taking note of everything. 

And when necessary, they would say their famous words. 

”Contestant overburnt all his tomatoes. Disqualified!”

Tomatoes were the main ingredient for the dish. 

So if one flamed, burnt, or overcooked them without leaving spare tomatoes for another try, then too bad. They would get automatically disqualified.

As it stood now, even the bad quality tomatoes and the newly sprouting ones have all been plucked out. 

So what more could these people do?

”Disqualified!”

”Disqualified!”

”Disqualified!”

The words fell like thunder, making many shiver uncontrollably. 

As for Mildred, things were getting more and more heated up!

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