Burn, Ramen, Burn!

The next instant,

“Gwohh—!?”

The sharp, pungent smell of chili peppers hit me so hard that I choked and sprayed noodles everywhere. Gah, it went back up into my nose too… the inside of my nose burns!

The other three stared at me in alarm as I coughed violently, my nose running.

I raised a hand to show them I was fine.

“I-I’m all right! It just… caught me by surprise…!”

Looking apologetic, Ren held out a glass of water.

“Sorry. I should’ve warned you not to slurp it too hard. Here, drink some water.”

“Ah, thank you… whew. All right, then. Let me try that again.”

After drinking some water and calming down, I stubbornly put another mouthful of noodles into my mouth.

This time I was prepared, so I managed not to choke.

But… u-ugh. It really was spicy!

Still, it was not so spicy that I couldn’t eat it… The first bite had only startled me because of the chili pepper aroma, but as I chewed the noodles, the flavor of the wheat softened the heat.

At this level, I should be able to manage somehow.

Seeing me continue slurping away at the noodles, the other three finally began eating as well.

Good grief, for a moment I wondered how this would turn out, but if this was all the heat amounted to… the heat… the h-heat… the… h-h-h… HOTTTTT!?

W-what is this!?

At first I thought I could handle it just fine, but the farther I ate, the hotter it became!

Sweat burst from my face, my lips tingled painfully, and the inside of my mouth hurt unbearably! It was as though a fire elemental were rampaging deep inside my throat!

…B-but… why?

Even though I was in enough pain to feel all that, my hand showed absolutely no sign of stopping. I simply kept eating this hellishly spicy ramen.

A thin film of oil coated the surface of the broth, and apparently this oil had been made by simmering chili peppers, because taking it straight into my mouth produced an agonizing level of heat. The broth beneath it was also brutally spicy. And yet, beneath that heat was a distinctive fermented-soybean-like flavor, profound richness, thickness, and mellow smoothness.

The noodles were medium-thick and straight, with a slightly firm bite. Whenever I lifted them from beneath the broth, they came heavily coated in the aforementioned chili oil, and every mouthful sent crackling sparks through my head.

Besides the bean sprouts, the toppings consisted of small pieces of pork, cabbage, and garlic chips. The pork itself carried a deep, aged-soybean savoriness, making a wonderful accent alongside the crisp bean sprouts and tender, wilted cabbage… The fried garlic also had an intense aroma and punch strong enough to stand up to the broth’s heat.

At first, the gentle sweetness of the cabbage and bean sprouts had served as a “saving hand” that canceled out some of the heat, but as I continued eating, they became completely drenched in the fiery oil, transforming into ultra-spicy bean sprouts and ultra-spicy cabbage.

Yes, there was no salvation left in this bowl… everything had fallen under the dominion of heat.

To bring every ingredient in the bowl under its command in such a short time and dye them all in spiciness—what overwhelming presence! The Empire of Extreme Heat was truly terrifying!

My tongue tingled numb as sweat dripped down in heavy drops!

The sheer heat made my body tremble, and my vision swam white before me!

Raging flames blazed inside my mouth, while my throat screamed with stabbing pain!

And yet this heat was addictive… My body kept demanding more, more… craving even greater stimulation, even greater heat!

Hot! …And yet I couldn’t stop!

Painful! …And yet I couldn’t stop!

Burning! …And yet I couldn’t stop!

The hotter, more painful, more burning, and more numbing it became, the better it feeeeeelt!!

I-I didn’t understand… Why was I enjoying this ordeal…? Why was I desperately shoveling such painfully spicy ramen into my mouth!?

Ahh, at last I pressed the bowl to my lips and began gulping down even that unhealthy-looking crimson broth… My reason screamed at me to stop, not to drink it, but once I started, there was no stopping. The thick, intensely rich savory heat scorched my throat with a tingling burn and sank deep into my stomach!!

This ramen was a “Ramen of Flame” that drove people mad!

With my head reeling from both confusion and heat, I eventually found myself dreaming that I had transformed into a fire dragon, soaring through the beautiful night sky while breathing flames… It was a feeling of intoxication, as though I had crossed beyond the very “peak” of spiciness a human could endure and finally transformed into an invincible being.

Awooooh! I was like a human fire dragon—!!