Wyn pops out of a portal from a wall, but it opens at such a great height that he crashes face-first into the ground. After a few minutes of screaming his pain away, he looks around for Yu. He spots a corner of the floor to his left, with other souls emerging from their portals, and then turns right to see Yu lying face down on the ground a few meters away. Wyn quickly makes his way over to Yu.

“Are you still alive?” Wyn asks.

“Argh! It’s so painful. I can’t move. Give me a minute,” Yu mumbles, his face still pressed into the ground.

Patience doesn’t sit well with Wyn when he’s nervous or excited. He rolls Yu over and starts poking him on the arm and belly a few times.

“Fineeee,” Yu eventually concedes.

At this point, the wounds on Yu’s face have completely healed. Looking ahead, directly opposite the wall, they see a long black metal fence. The fence turns at a corner and stretches straight from a single fence. The bars are thick and topped with spikes. In front of the fence stand demon cats, spread out along it, two every few kilometers or so.

From a distance, the cats look human-sized. However, as Wyn and Yu approach, they see that the demons are about the size of teenagers, although their heads are proportionate to their bodies. The cats are the same species and color as CATOTO, but they differ in one key way: their heads are not oversized. One demon is slightly taller than the other – though both are notably stocky. Another unusual feature is that the demons are dressed in chef uniforms, complete with chef hats. They are armed with black metal spatulas that are longer than their heights. Despite Wyn and Yu standing right before them, the demons remain silent. Though at their current distance, what lies beyond the fence is invisible.

“Uhm…we are the black wristbands. How can we go in?” Wyn asks.

“Pfft. First of all, no demons here call them wristbands – just bands. Secondly…,” one of the demons starts to explain in an adolescent voice before Yu interrupts.

“But CATOTO called these ‘wristbands’,” Yu argues.

“Secondly, to get in, just say so. Make it a command”

“Why WOULD CATOTO call these ‘wristbands’?” Yu demands he gets an answer.

“CATOTO is good at his job with the introductions and all, but he is not very smart,” the same demon replies.

“Fine, get us in. Me and him here.” Yu points at himself and then Wyn, giving a command.

“Wait wait!” Wyn tries to stop Yu’s command with his own.

The two demons crouch down, spatulas in their mouths, and signal for Wyn and Yu to climb onto their backs. They only take one command at a time, so if the first task isn’t complete, the later command will be ignored. Wyn carefully hops on, while Yu excitedly jumps onto his demon.

“ARGH! Be gentle!” the other demon complains, his voice muffled and also teenage-sounding.

“Oops! Sorry,” Yu apologizes.

The demons leap high, making it to the other side of the fence and dropping the men off, before jumping back to their starting point.

“Wait! What if we want to get out?” Wyn asks from the other side of the fence.

“Demand us and we will get you out,” a demon replies.

“Why are they all orange tabbies?” Wyn wonders aloud, glancing at Yu, who seems distracted by something else.

“Turn around! Look!” Yu says, trying to pivot Wyn around.

“Woah,” Wyn exclaims.

Before them stretches a massive white area filled with both souls and demons. A remarkably enormous wooden table snakes its way through the room. Wooden bar stools line both sides of the table, with seats even on the curves. Above the table is a large ceiling that makes the room feel shorter than level zero, though it is still high enough to accommodate taller souls. What appear to be circular light fixtures align perfectly with the seats underneath.

The area is so large and busy that Wyn and Yu can’t focus on any one thing for long. The noise of utensils clinking against plates fills the air. Demon cats of various breeds and sizes, though all quite chunky, navigate the aisles between the seats to maintain order. As Wyn and Yu approach the table, the aroma of a variety of dishes begins to waft toward them, making their stomachs growl.

“Where are you from?” Yu asks Wyn.

“Originally Tideland, now Hell,” Wyn responds playfully, using this as a way to gauge Yu's reaction.

“Oh cool! The Tideland part, I mean. Never been there but heard a lot about the food. What dishes should I try?”

“You can try ‘ka na moo krob’; it’s my favorite dish.”

“What’s that? I don’t think I’ll remember the name.”

“Just try anything you find interesting.”

“You know where I’m from?”

“Yes. Based on your last name, you’re from the land of hentai.”

“YES!” Yu exclaims with a big smile. “So, what’s your favorite Japp ‘pan’?”

“Errr, if it’s ‘pan’ as in dish, then sashimi!”

Wyn and Yu find two empty seats next to each other on the side of the enormous wooden table. Wyn plans to sit down and observe other souls for instructions, but as soon as they settle in, the fixtures in the ceiling open up. Strange contraptions slowly descend from each. Startled, Wyn quickly scans his surroundings to see what others are doing, while Yu is captivated by the device.

Before Wyn can make sense of it, the device awkwardly snaps onto his forehead. He has to turn his head straight for the device to fit properly. The grip tightens, and Wyn momentarily blacks out. When he comes to, he’s in a virtual reality. The room is white, and a large flat screen is directly in front of him. He quickly realizes that this place allows souls to place orders through a virtual interface.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

There seems to be nothing else here but him sitting on a white stool at a white one-person table. The screen displays a cuisine selection menu organized by country. At the top of the screen is a search box. Wyn touches the box and uses a voice command to interact with the system.

“Pad kra prao with omelet.”

After placing his initial order, Wyn realizes he can add more dishes. He decides to order a total of four items: pad kra prao, ka na moo krob, som tam with sticky rice, and grilled pork neck. Though he knows the first two dishes don’t typically pair well with the last two, he’s too hungry to care. He selects a spoon and fork for utensils and confirms his order. Suddenly, he blacks out again.

When he regains consciousness, he sees that the dishes and utensils are already in front of him. A metal strap across his thighs catches his attention, indicating that he’s allowed to go anywhere soon. He turns to Yu, who still has the device on his head. Wyn takes this opportunity to examine the device more closely. It’s egg-shaped with wires ending in plastic suctions that attach to Yu’s head from the front and back. The suctions extend slightly above Yu’s eyebrows, and a similar metal strap is over Yu’s thighs.

Since Yu seems to be taking his time, Wyn starts eating. As he feasts, he observes the other souls around him. Some are enjoying their meals, while others are still getting adjusted to their devices. He then notices an obese soul with the same looking device that resizes to fit properly. His gaze shifts to a lean soul with a large belly who gets out of his seat, talks briefly to a demon, and then both of them take off somewhere. Despite not being visibly evident, demons’ legs are immensely strong. Wyn gulps at the sheer strength of the demons as he’s fearful for Yu’s safety.

Wyn’s attention returns to Yu, whose device is lifting. As it lifts, a portal appears on the table in front of him. Through the portal, one dish, one drink, a spoon, and chopsticks emerge. The portal looks similar to the larger ones Wyn has seen before but is much smaller.

Yu regains consciousness and asks in confusion, “What just happened?”

“What took you so long?” Wyn asks.

“I freaked out, like, screamed-my-head-off freak out. I also had trouble navigating the system.”

“You’re a new gen. You should be more acclimated to technology than me.”

In front of Yu is a dish called laab dib, a spicy raw minced pork salad, typically served with sticky rice, which Yu didn’t order. The drink is coconut juice, which doesn’t pair well with the dish either. The chopsticks are what catches Wyn’s attention most.

“You know we don’t use chopsticks for this.”

“Oh? You should’ve told me that before!”

“But you…,” Wyn pauses, realizing it’s his fault. “Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“Why did you order this dish anyway?” Wyn asks.

“It looked like sashimi,” Yu explains, which makes Wyn facepalm.

As Wyn predicted, Yu finds the dish unbearable. The spices and flavors are overwhelming for him. Wyn feels sympathy, knowing he’d never order the dish himself. Unbeknownst to both, they missed the small button below the last picture of any dish, which would’ve provided a detailed description – something they’ll never ever notice.

Yu tries to call down the device to change the dish, but it remains unmoving until a chubby male soul sitting next to Yu speaks up.

“You have to finish all the plates you ordered. Only then can you use the egghead again,” explains the gray-banded soul, whose belly is growing visibly.

“Could you tell us more about how all of this works, like the thigh strap, demon riding, and so on?” Wyn asks.

With a smile, the soul explains: Once the plates are empty, the device comes back down. The strap retracts and this is the only chance to leave the table. While a soul is ordering more food within the device, a portal sucks all the empty plates away. In the order room, the soul must order at least one item before checking out. As for riding a demon, this is the only transportation mode here. To get to another region or section of the level, give a command to a demon, stating clearly the region of destination.

“If you can’t remember all this, just ask the demons around here. Don’t forget to be specific,” the soul continues. “Oh! And under the table, if you touch it, you’ll feel that it curves right underneath your belly. If your belly touches that curve, you’d better stop eating. Fight your hunger and deflate, or you’ll go kaboom!”

“Don’t be greedy. The more you eat without breaks, the worse your hunger will get. There’s no time limit, so you can take your time.”

Wyn and Yu thank the soul, appreciating the crucial information. They slow down their eating and discuss their approach to the level.

“So, how long are we going to stay in this region?” Wyn asks.

“Hmmm. How about we try out all the dishes we’ve dreamt of trying?” Yu suggests.

“Sounds good. Also, I want to see what Gluttony looks like.”

“Oh yeah. Let’s make sure we get to see him before we leave the level.”

The two say aloud what other dishes they have in mind. As they consume more to satisfy their hunger, their bellies start to bloat from overeating. Wyn is on his eleventh dish, while Yu is working on his thirteenth. After finishing his last plate, Wyn struggles to get off the stool, and Yu, a bit later, falls off his seat and rolls on the ground. A black bombay demon cat halts Yu’s roll with a single foot. As Yu gets up, he and Wyn examine each other’s expanded bellies. They want to wait until their stomachs shrink, but their hunger continues to call out for more. Then Wyn comes up with a theory.

“What if we go outside the fence?” Wyn suggests.

“What do we gain from that?” Yu questions.

“Not sure, but remember how we couldn’t see what’s inside from the outside? What if we get outside?”

“How do we get there? We can’t run right now,” Yu points out.

Wyn winks and heads over to the two nearest demons. He commands them to transport him and Yu outside the fence. Wyn mounts a siamese, and Yu follows on a sphynx.

“Ewww, ewww, ewww,” Yu complains as they ride.

Minutes later, they reach the fence, where the same two demons are stationed. Wyn commands them to take them out of the area. The demons comply immediately. As they’re lifted into the air, the bloated bellies begin to shrink. When they land, their stomachs are back to normal.

“Let me lick your brain!” Yu says.

“So, we can cheat the system, it seems,” Wyn concludes, using his arm to keep Yu from getting too close.

“How is this allowed?” Wyn asks the demons.

The demons don’t respond, only shrug in response to Wyn’s question.

“Why are you upset? It’s a good thing! We can keep doing this,” Yu says.

“I know, but I don’t want to get into trouble. Do we get any trouble for doing this?” Wyn asks the demons again.

“No. As far as we know. You are not the first to do it,” a demon replies.

Wyn feels reassured by the answer.

“Why are you sniffing yourself?” Yu asks.

“I don’t smell food on my clothes. Good!”

With their newfound knowledge, they decide to explore a new region. They head toward the wall, choosing the North Americaneon section of the level.

Two portals appear in front of them, but before they step through, Yu asks, “What if I enter your portal?”

“Valid question. Wanna try?” Wyn responds.

Yu steps into Wyn’s portal, and a loud “BEEP” echoes from Yu’s band. Nearby souls look at them curiously, and the two demons rush over at lightning speed. One of the demons pulls Yu away from Wyn’s portal, without saying a word. The “BEEP” stops abruptly.

“What happened?” Wyn asks.

“You cannot enter someone else’s portal,” a demon explains, then turns and follows the other demon.

“And what if someone else is completely inside my portal, what would happen?” Wyn yells after them.

“The demons on the other level will send them back here,” the same demon answers.

With this information in mind, Wyn and Yu continue their food adventure on the first level, now exploring the North Americaneon region.