They didn't have to wait long as the host served them their appetizer after bringing in a pitcher full of the blood lemonade drink. He placed a battered and then fried food in front of them that took the shape of a flower. After which, he then explained the dish to them.

"Oh no, not an onion," Aleister said in a dry tone. "Truly, the most horrific of all monsters."

"I didn't say they were all created from monsters," Kyoko said, shoulders shrugged. "That would ruin the uniqueness and speciality of the main dish, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose so." Of course, this didn't stop Aleister from enjoying the food in front of him, and it especially pleased Myra. The fried pieces delivered a delightful crunch as the juices released a satisfying sweetness mixed in with the savouriness he expected from an onion. He almost missed Syn scolding him about not sticking to his non-existent diet. Almost. Luckily, he didn't need to lose anymore weight, and instead, needed to put on more muscle mass. This didn't particularly help him, but all the exercise he did negated most of the negative effects he received.

Not long after, the host once again entered the room and presented them their main dish for the night. Erdhai Steak with a white cheese and yogurt sauce.

"Erdhai?" Aleister asked, a name he vaguely recognized, but otherwise had no other knowledge in.

"You might have heard of their more used name, earth sharks," Myra said, cheeks puffed.

Indeed, he had read about them before. They were, well, sharks that roamed the land. Quite self explanatory, but they had several differences. One, they had a much sturdier body, covered in layers of dense natural plates along with four legs. They could move each leg to align with their body, which, along with the shape of their heads, giant fin on their back, and broad toothy maw, gave them their semblance to sharks.

In front of him, the steak looked exactly as he expected on to look, only it was several times thicker and wider than expected. Kyoko and Luo Yun already started to consume the beast, and even Myra began to pick at it slowly, leaving Aleister the last one who hadn't tried it yet. He decided not to wait any longer and cut off a piece.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

As it entered his mouth, the meat felt as if it would melt his mouth. The heat from it was unbearable. Saliva overproduced as he swallowed the piece instantly. He grabbed the piece of lime from his drink and stuck it between his teeth. Sucking on it like a baby. For some reason, he could hear Syn's uncontrollable laughter.

"What's wrong?" Myra asked.

Aleister held the piece of lime in his hand before he blurted, "I think I got the wrong order. This is not consumable." Just talking made him feel short of breath.

Kyoko grinned, exposing her white teeth. "Can't handle a bit of heat?"

"Oh, was this supposed to be spicy?" Luo Yun said, teasing Aleister as he wiped his face with a towel.

Aleister rolled his eyes in annoyance, still sucking on the lime. Being part demon, both Kyoko and Myra obtained different tastes than others. The same applied to Luo Yun. Unfortunately, this was not a boon he also received. Although, he could argue that this wasn't a benefit at all, but at this current moment he couldn't do that.

Since the dish wasn't what he expected, he came up with a new plan. Aleister cut up the pieces into multiple different cubes and then shoved as many of them as he could into his mouth. This worked, but not the way wanted it too. Instead, his taste grew almost numb, which was not what he wanted. However, this did allow him to taste the cool cheese and yogurt sauce and notice that the meat did carry some smoky undertones.

While he tried his best to not die, the host came entered one last time and provided them their dessert—Amber pudding. It seemed innocuous at first, but the host soon explained how it was created from the titular Amber Mucks. They were an ooze or slime type creature found under the earth, making tonight's food theme quite apparent, although a stark contrast to the environment the illusory magic put them in.

Besides being found underneath the earth, they also held multiple special properties to them, as Myra explained once again. What exactly those special abilities were mysteriously absent from her explanation. At least it gave Aleister the general idea behind them and how complex the process in cooking them was. A couple of minor mistakes, and they might fall ill or even die, but that hadn't happened so far in their entire history.

In his transparent bowl, the chefs topped the pudding with a healthy blob of cream and brown sauce. Although still hesitant from the gained knowledge and experience with the prior dish, Aleister still took a healthy bite. Once again, the dish surprised him, but this time, his experience was pleasant.

The soft texture along with the cream combined with each other and tasted of butterscotch. The saltiness from the caramel only accentuated the flavour profile. This brought an end to their night.

He enjoyed all the food, even if he felt his life slip out of his hands multiple times and didn't feel deserving of being able to indulge in such an extravagant meal completely out of his class. After their meal was over, Myra and him split off from the group and walked back to the manor.