"Bonsoir, mon ami," Levi said with a smile, though it wasn’t evening yet. “What brings you to my humble abode?”

  "The problem has been solved,” the man said, taking off his hat as he approached the window behind Levi. “Hasn’t it?”

  “Oui.”

  The man tsked. “It seems our earlier assessment was right. It shouldn’t have happened again so soon.”

  Both of them knew what he was referring to—the bigger elephant in the room.

  Levi sighed softly, leaning back on his chair, and tucked a lock of his blonde hair behind his ear with relaxed expression. The line of his shoulders, however, betrayed his tension.

  The man took the ensuing silence as a sign to continue. “There’s something else. Reports indicate unusual activity in the South China Sea. A typhoon is forming.”

  “Not uncommon,” Levi said, frowning slightly, drumming his claws against the desk. “But I suppose you wouldn’t be telling me if it were as ordinary as it seems.”

  “Do I look like someone with that much time?” the man snorted. “According to the data, it could reach Category 4—and if it moves toward the shores… And that’s not the only issue. The Yellowstone Supervolcano—”

  “Quoi?!”

  “The activity is slightly higher. Not something to worry about today, but if the situation worsens—well, I don’t need to explain the consequences, do I?”

  Levi's eyes sharpened, the gold overpowering the green in them. “We still have time to mitigate this before the worst happens. Our people are already stretched thin. They’re doing everything they can to soften the impact.”

  The man turned sharply, his tone turning sharp. “Then perhaps it’s time to consider another option.” He looked Levi dead in the eye. “We both know what needs to be done.”

  But the answer was immediate and vehement. “Non. That is not an option. Not truly. Les conséquences…” He trailed off, shaking his head firmly.

  “But if we don’t act now,” the man shot back, his voice rising slightly, “everything will go the same way as previous times. Worse, even. The company’s current power isn’t sufficient anymore. Even if we send every one of the Agents, every one of the Specialists, we’ll never get the number of points we need.”

  Levi didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stood and went to the window, standing next to the man.

  “I understand what you’re saying. But I still believe there’s more we can do than give up.”

  “Gi—give up?” The man spluttered. “Are you serious?! If we force a Reset—”

  “We would be giving them free rein. Do you think that’s a choice we should make? For the world?”

  “We’re only buying time right now! Sending people to their deaths for a lost cause! Do you feel noble—?” The man’s anger flared, and his eyes shone red. Then, through clenched teeth, he said, “It’s clear you’ve made up your mind. I won’t waste my time any longer.” Putting his hat back on, he turned and strode toward the door.

  As the man reached for the handle, Levi spoke again, his voice softer now. “You won’t stay to see Mel, Nas?”

  He snorted derisively, not bothering to look back. “No. She’s worse than you, anyway.” With that, he stepped out, leaving Levi alone in the office.

  “Hélas,” Levi sighed, returning to his seat and leaning back. “What a shame…”

  “...Michael?”

  Dressed in his familiar leather jacket, Luca’s supervisor stood inside the capsule room, leaning against the wall.

  “You seem to be in a hurry,” the man said, his voice casual. “So I’ll keep this short. How confident are you in completing this mission?”

  Luca walked toward him, confused. “High, I guess. I’ve taken precautions with the available information. Thanks for that, by the way. But… why? Is something wrong?”

  Michael smirked, though it didn’t seem friendly. “Something wrong, you ask? Well, I suppose nothing could be worse than not being able to come back, right?”

  “What?” Luca frowned. “But didn’t they fix the security mechanism last night? I got the message.”

  “Yes, they did. But someone forgot to include a small detail in the report I sent you,” Michael said, his voice sharp with anger. “Something small but not quite unimportant.”

  Luca resisted the urge to point out that it clearly wasn’t unimportant if Michael was here discussing it. Instead, he waited.

  “If you die inside this Mystery, you won’t die,” the man said slowly. “You’ll lose your soul.”

  “My soul?” Luca repeated. Was this Mystery one of those? “What does that mean?”

  “Forget a quick or peaceful death. You’ll be assimilated—losing all control over yourself—forced to repeat the cycle like the other inhabitants.”

  Luca frowned. Then they knew that it wasn't a one-star world. Or were their classification guidelines still without update? “That’s… a bit extreme for an one-star world, isn’t it?”

  Michael only snorted. “Will you still go?”

  “…Yes. I’ve no interest in failing, anyway.”

  The man stared at him, the weight of his gaze almost oppressive. Then he sighed. “Alright. Go on. But I want a report the moment you step out. Understood?”

  Luca smiled. “Of course. I promise you’ll have it.”

  “It’s already 10 AM. Don’t waste any more time.” With those words, Michael left without looking back, leaving Luca alone.

  As Luca slipped into the capsule, he recalled the man’s words from less than three days prior—something about a ‘hands-off’ approach. His mouth twitched.

  Darkness soon consumed all his senses.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The stench that greeted him as he stirred was almost enough to push him back into unconsciousness.

  It clung to his throat, threatening with bringing tears to his eyes. Clearing his throat, Luca blinked to push aside the blurriness that covered his vision. He found himself in a cavernous hall, crackling flames enveloping the walls as it part of the scene. Smoke rose on swirls, leaving around a strong smell of... lemon?

  His poor nose finally had a slight respite. Lemon was better than rotten eggs.

  His main task was as he expected, so there was no reason to be surprised. For a moment, he almost expected a second message to pop up –lbut it was like he had expected. There was no Junky Box this time.

  This was a simple one-star Mystery after all.

  As he glanced ahead, his eyes widened briefly before narrowing to their usual state. He wasn’t alone. Just a few steps away, demons of all shapes and sizes gathered around a floating platform. There was a small, brightly colored imp perched atop the head of a towering four-armed giant, a lithe, winged figure, and another whose impressive pair of curling horns gleamed wickedly in the warm light. Scales appeared to be the dominant trait here –like having a skin of one of the colors of the rainbow.

  But there was no reason to be afraid. They were a lot of humanoide demons there.

  Looking down at himself, he noticed that his body was the same as he was used to — but the clothing... A blue top, black shorts, and a pair of black boots. Should he be happy that he had managed to ditch that khaki mess?

  “Aspirants!” A shrilling voice bounced off the walls. “Aspirants!”

  A cacophony of voices and sounds celebrated the calling while a message flickered on Luca’s vision.

  There was no more time to lose after a thunderous gong echoed through the place. The silence that fell was no doubt enviable by any teacher or even a judge.

  Luca walked to the gathering, standing at the end of the group. They were restricted by a small flame line that surrounded the edges of the stone floor, while a pool of bubbling lava filled the remaining space of the 'cavern'. Only a couple of inches above it, a black platform floated – half of it occupied by two rows of ten sectors with what looked like kitchens, while the remaining half was obscured by a fire curtain.

  Looking further up, Luca noticed that where the roof should have been, there was – a massive eye? A shiver ran down his spine as a transparent layer swept across it, reminding him of a depredator. A giant, crocodrile-like depredator. The focus of it seemed to be on the platform, so he returned his gaze to it. At the same time, he saw small eyes floating around and wondered why he hadn’t noticed them before.

  As the silence stretched for seconds, and tension seemed to be pooling, a deafening gong echoed through the entire place. The ground beneath his feet trembled, and dust fell from the walls, as if the entire structure was shaking. From the far end of the platform, a curtain of fire erupted, and then parted, revealing three figures.

  The judges.

  The one in the middle strode forward first, his ram-like horns almost double the size of his head, as dark as the floor. It contrasted with the crimson fur that spread across his body, shielded only by a black leather suit. He wore no shoes, exposing dark red hooves, while his tail—sharp as a blade—swished impatiently behind him. His face was shadowed by a strip of darkness, but what was visible was quite surprising. His face looked like the one of a man no older than Luca's himself; one that could easily belong in fashion magazines.

  The next one was different yet similar at the same time. She had golden scales that shone like molten metal – a play of silver and copper that seemed to draw patterns on her body, at least where it wasn’t covered by a short black dress. Her wings had no feathers but more scales of a deep, dark coppery hue, and she did wear shoes –a pair of long, black combat boots.

  Her face was human-like, but while the first one gave him the impression of a younger-looking man, she looked like a middle-age woman. A glacial one. It was quite a contrast with the last one, whose smile spread across his face, taking up half of it.

  The third one was a cross between a bear and a macho man, built like a bear –a giant, brown-orange-yellow bear dressed in a pair of ripped shorts and nothing more. Showing off? Well. He was the one who looked less like a human... and more like someone who could wrestle some of the 'attractions' from his first mission and win.

  Reading about them had been a thing. Looking at them right now, at the scene of them ascending a dais made of carved rock that had emerged from the lava, thrones of obsidian and gemstones and puffy cushions was another. A cascade of black fire fell from above-'tears' from the giant eye-and created a massive banner that emblazoned the words: Agni Kitchen: Hell’s Hottest Competition.”

  As the judges sat, rows of stone seats came out of the walls, packed for demons that erupted into cheers –or at least, Luca supposed that were the roars, screeches, and hisses. Some threw ‘confetti’ into the air, only that this exploded into a rain of sparkles. A few of unlucky spectator sitting rows beyond them were caught into the ‘celebration’ –and burst into flames themselves, their ashes scattering below, straight into the lava.

  The small eyes that Luca had seen simply floating around sprouted clusters of writhing tentacles, which they used to latch onto some of the demons in the audience, provoking muffled screams. One of them seemed to reach the judges’ zone by accident and was promptly picked up by the bear-like one, who threw it into his mouth, munching on it as if it were a snack. He didn’t even close his mouth – much to the chagrin of his fellow judge, who was splashed with saliva.

  Fire burned over the head of the 'victim,' but this seemed to be an outlet for the rage written on his face.

  Out of thin air, a shadowy figure –a literal shadow that resembled a lost cousin of Slender Man– appeared in the middle of the lower section of the platform, next to the kitchens.

  “Hello, hello, hello to all my dear friends, enemies, and lovers of Astarte!” Their voice bloomed into the air, making itself heard with unnatural ease above the rest of the noises. “We’re starting another devilish season of your favorite show – Agni Kitchen ! What terrifying dishes await us, and what terrible endings await our contestants?”

  As the audience – and the demons around Luca – burst into shrill cheers, the shadowy figure kept up their smooth talk. “Once again, we count on the masters of our program, our favorite chefs and peerless judges! Let’s give a warm welcome to Chef Tartarus–” The giant judge showed off his gaping maw of white, serrated teeth. “–Chef Harpira–” The only woman glanced at them, her silver eyes filled with lurking horrors. “–and Chef Tom!” At the sound of his name, everyone went wild – and his head erupted in flames.

  “I told you it’s Dominatom!”

  Luca didn’t know which was worse.

  As the shadowy figure tried to placate him and a blue imp hurried over with a bucket of water, Luca took advantage of the chaos to open his inventory. He found cover behind furry bodies and wings and picked up the Tears of Discernment. They were his ace to avoid the tragic end of becoming one with the lava. The tiny vial of 'tears' had to be applied directly and would begin to take effect from the first second after contact with his iris.

  But the time would come soon.

  “Now, before we start, let me refresh you all about the rewards! The reason behind these poor, desperate souls coming here to put their lives in the claws of our gracious judges–” The presenter returned to the fray once again, apparently having calmed down the furious demon. “The first-place winner will receive the Infernal Trophy–” With a waving gesture, the ‘empty’ half-space from where the judges had appeared was filled with smoke, before a giant lump of gold and rubies twisted into a form vaguely… phallic.

  Why?

  “–and, of course, don’t forget the internship under one of our chefs, Dominatom–” This time, there was no ‘mistake.’ “–and this little cup filled with the Fountain of Youth’s leftovers.”

  As the audience roared –no, it wasn’t figuratively— a new message popped up on Luca’s vision the moment he put his eyes on the last prize –a gold cup that could have been more grandiose if it did not look like a truck had driven over it. Two times.

  To think he was risking his soul over that.

  Leftovers.