I Became a Food Developer in Another World

Episode 50

“This bracelet is the

“It helps maintain a constant body temperature. Not only does it protect you from illness, but it also allows you to breathe underwater for a long time.”

Ayla gave a confident smile that seemed to say, “What do you think? Isn’t it tempting?”

“It definitely is tempting.”

The ability to breathe underwater was impressive, but personally, I was more drawn to the temperature control magic it possessed. Maintaining a constant body temperature meant comfort throughout the seasons.

However, what caught my eye more than the Tears of the Sea God bracelet was the necklace Ayla was wearing. Adorned with gold and featuring a large ruby, it looked incredibly precious at first glance.

Noticing my gaze, Ayla quickly covered the necklace with her hand.

“This one is off-limits.”

“It’s a family heirloom,”

she said, hiding the necklace.

“Too bad.”

I decided to be satisfied with the bracelet. It was undoubtedly a high-priced magical item.

Of course, Ayla wouldn’t just display such an expensive magical item for no reason.

“You must have something you want from me, right, Ayla?”

“That’s right.”

Ayla nodded.

“If I win, I want to know the recipe for the Zero Drink.”

What Ayla wanted was the recipe for aspartame. Aspartame wasn’t just a sweetener for snacks; it could also be applied to potions.

Ayla had come to target my best weapon.

But I didn’t feel surprised or inclined to refuse the challenge.

“Basically, this is a battle that’s already decided.”

In my previous life, there were constant experiments by people trying to overcome sleep. Naturally, various results came from that.

Energy drinks, coffee beverages, and various stimulants exist to combat sleep.

On the other hand, this world was still in its infancy regarding sleep suppression.

Even though it was a world with magic, ‘sleep’ remained an incomprehensible domain.

“It’s not easy to control sleep with magic. Putting someone to sleep is one thing, but…

Using magic on sleep was unpredictable in its effectiveness and often led to side effects.

The consensus among the inhabitants of this world was that sleep must be overcome with’mental strength.’

As a result, the duration of stimulants in this world rarely exceeds 2 to 3 hours.

“Honestly, at this point, it should be considered a functional drink rather than a potion.”

Even that was something only a magician who had researched the topic could understand; the ‘secret recipe’ was not known to everyone.

Ayla seemed confident that she knew that secret.

She looked as if the recipe for aspartame was already in her hands.

“Surely you’re not going to back down, are you?”

She even playfully provoked me.

Seeing her confidence made me smile, but I wouldn’t let her off easy.

“Let’s do it. I accept the bet.”

There was no reason to refuse when she was offering to donate a magical item.

“This is an invitation to enter the Blue Tower.”

Ayla pulled a blue envelope from the lining of her robe and handed it to me.

It was an invitation to the Blue Tower, sealed with red wax bearing the emblem of the Sea Dragon.

“By the way, where is Aria?”

As Ayla looked around, seemingly searching for someone, she casually asked.

“Aria is on the lower floor. Should I call her?”

“Oh, no. I was just curious, so you don’t have to call her.”

Ayla waved her hands in a fluster. However, despite her words, her expression showed a deep sense of regret.

As if Aria was part of the reason for her visit today. But…

“Aria can come with you when you visit the Blue Tower.”

“Are you talking about Aria?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

I was the one making the bet, so why was she suggesting bringing Aria along?

At that moment, Ayla added a reason without me asking.

“Aria is excellent at potion-making, right? I’ll allow her to accompany you.”

“It’s not a big problem without Aria.”

The ‘coffee milk’ I was planning to make didn’t actually require much skill in its production.

Having Aria would make it easier to find the secondary ingredients, but it wouldn’t be a major issue with just an alchemist.

“There are coffee beans in this world too.”

Due to its unique bitterness, coffee hadn’t yet gained popularity as a beverage.

Thus, there was no need for Aria to accompany me all the way to the Blue Tower.

In response to my rebuttal, Ayla seemed confused.

“Anyway, please bring her along.”

“Excuse me?”

Ayla couldn’t articulate a clear reason but insisted I bring her.

“If you want to see your sister, I can call her right now.”

“It’s not that, so I’ll be going now!”

Ayla hurriedly donned her robe and dashed out of the magic tower.

Tap tap tap tap.

“What a strange person.”

If she wanted to see her sister, she should just say so.

She seemed like someone who liked her sibling but was clumsy at expressing it.

Anyway.

“Shall I make it right away?”

The devil’s coffee milk.

‘Snoopy.’

*

Coffee Milk ‘Snoopy.’

Also known as the devil’s milk.

Snoopy was a milk that drew tremendous attention from the start of its release.

Despite being just milk, the amount of caffeine it contained was extraordinary.

Compared to the hottest energy drink at the time, Hot Nine, it had a caffeine content that was four times higher, and it even surpassed the strongest energy drink in Korea, Beast, by more than double.

At first, no one realized it was just milk, but a blogger discovered the insane caffeine content of Snoopy and compared it to other energy drinks, which made Snoopy famous.

With its low price and outrageous caffeine content, Snoopy quickly became a must-have stimulant for students during exam periods.

Packing the caffeine equivalent of five cups of coffee into one serving, Snoopy turned people into zombies who couldn’t sleep even if they wanted to.

There were even stories that Snoopy would come to hit you with donuts every time you tried to fall asleep.

“If energy drinks were this strong, they would have been banned.”

But Snoopy was not an energy drink; it was ‘milk.’

With the image of healthy ‘milk’ consumed during growth and the cute beagle puppy ‘Snoopy’ drawn on the packaging, the manufacturer successfully created a favorable image, making Snoopy milk that was hard to find.

Although it eventually became a legendary beverage due to the manufacturer’s negligence leading to its discontinuation…

“It’s perfect for a potion that prevents sleep.”

The sleep-suppressing potion was more of a functional drink made from natural ingredients.

It would be practically impossible for any potion to surpass Snoopy.

In an empire that enjoyed ‘black tea,’ coffee from other regions was not mainstream.

“By the way, why is there a dog drawn on it?”

“Because it’s Snoopy.”

“Huh?”

“Just because.”

I drew a beagle puppy and inscribed a short but powerful phrase below it.

“I won’t break. Never!”

*

The Blue Tower, the first tower of the Twelve Towers, was a place where fierce competition ranked the achievements of research and academics.

As such, many spent sleepless nights, and their greatest enemy was ‘sleep.’

For the wizards of the Blue Tower, who felt that even 24 hours in a day was insufficient, the time spent sleeping was precious.

The contest for the ‘Potion that Prevents Sleep’ was held for those wizards.

The main focus of this contest was to create a potion that balanced taste and effectiveness at an affordable price.

“There are a lot of strange things.”

An older wizard shook his head with a displeased expression.

“It’s been ages since Groot was known to be ineffective. Tsk.”

He was Lawin, the elder of the Blue Tower and the judge for this contest.

Even though it was late in the evening, he hadn’t finished his work and was inspecting potions sent from various regions of the empire.

“Mandrake doesn’t put you to sleep. It just screams and squawks.”

However, it was not easy for Lawin to find a potion that satisfied him.

This was partly because there were still many unknowns regarding ‘sleep,’ leading to most potions being subpar.

“There’s not a single decent one.”

Lawin had thrown away a bundle of potions without even tasting them.

Rising from his seat, Lawin opened a nearby magical cabinet.

Inside were delicate entries that could spoil easily. But…

As Lawin scanned the cabinet, his gaze suddenly stopped at a particular spot.

“…Milk?”

Unlike the other potions, there was unique ‘milk’ placed there.

[Snoopy Coffee Milk]

“Wow, I can’t believe it. I’m seeing everything now.”

Milk in a potion contest?

He was astonished, but he couldn’t just throw the milk away.

The picture of the puppy on the milk and the phrase written below piqued Lawin’s curiosity.