"You guys sit here for a bit. I'll help out in the kitchen."
...
There was a round table in the middle of the small restaurant, surrounded by several benches. The shelves nearby were stocked with various ingredients and tools. The entire place wasn't very large—just enough space for three or four groups of guests at once. The partitions made by simple folding screens gave it a cozy but efficient layout.
Kaizen guessed that was all the room they had, which made sense. After all, there were only two chefs—Menchi and Buhara—and even the waitstaff were just the two of them rotating duties.
The decor wasn't flashy, but it had a comforting, rustic charm. What truly made the restaurant stand out, though, was the chefs' skill.
Still, that didn't mean the other aspects could be neglected.
Tessia examined the layout with curiosity, while Sally wandered over to read something posted on the wall.
Shizuku spaced out for a moment, then pulled out her notebook, occasionally glancing between its pages and Kaizen.
Kaizen sat quietly, observing the crystal ball in front of him.
Ever since arriving at Gourmet Paradise, his "Observer's Will" had been slowly absorbing the unique traits of the island. Now that he was fully inside, the absorption rate had increased significantly.
"Three percent already," he muttered.
"At this pace, it might reach one hundred percent in about a month. I wonder what kind of beast will manifest…"
He had a few theories.
This place was clearly a haven for gourmets, so it would likely follow food-related logic.
"But it probably won't be Toriko," Kaizen said to himself. "I've already used that setting once. Based on how this ability works, a world's full traits can't be drawn from the same source twice."
That meant the most likely influences would come from the first three.
...
Just then, the sounds of cooking died down, and Menchi and Buhara stepped out of the kitchen.
Buhara carried a tray so massive it was nearly the size of the table itself.
"Dinner's ready!" he announced cheerfully, placing the tray down.
Everyone gathered around the table. Buhara lifted the cover.
A rich array of colorful, steaming dishes filled the space before them.
Menchi gestured politely. "These are some of our signature dishes. Please, give them a try."
She pointed to the first plate.
"This one's Porcupine and Wild Boar—Kaizen, you should remember this. Back during the Hunter Exam, there were candidates who ran into these ingredients... and let's be honest, they didn't know what they were doing."
Kaizen nodded. Of course he remembered the Hognose pigs. Not only did he remember them—he had actually raised a batch inside the Sumas space.
"This one's a Chocolate Cicada," Menchi continued. "It secretes chocolate and stores it in its body. Just remove the excess parts, and it's ready to eat—very sweet and rich."
She moved on. "Here we have Centipede. Looks terrifying, but the taste is better than most fish or shrimp."
"And this—Snake Frog. Half snake, half frog. Firm meat, very satisfying."
As Menchi introduced each dish, Kaizen's gaze lingered on the strange but appetizing plates in front of him. A deep sense of familiarity stirred in his chest.
These ingredients... they felt very similar to the ones from the world of Toriko.
He was surprised—but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Both this world and that one were filled with extraordinary power. Naturally, their ingredients would be just as extraordinary.
"How is it?" Menchi asked, watching their reactions.
Kaizen smiled. "Delicious. Easily the best meal I've had since coming to this world."
And he wasn't exaggerating.
He'd eaten dishes at the Zoldyck estate, at underworld gatherings, in Heavens Arena, and even during training at the Dragon Dojo in the Fiora Kingdom...
But none of them could compare to this in terms of pure flavor.
The reason was clear—Menchi and Buhara were true professionals. Gourmet Hunters. Chefs specialized in the extraordinary.
Kaizen could feel the food resonating within his body. His "Gourmet Cells" stirred with excitement, triggering a subtle but unmistakable physical boost—stronger than anything he'd experienced before.
And now, he was genuinely looking forward to exploring the rest of Gourmet Paradise.
"How much stronger can I get by eating all the dishes here?" he wondered.
"And what kind of improvements can I gain if I feed these meals to the beasts I've created with aura?"
Humans, by nature, weren't high on the evolutionary ladder. Their life energy was limited.
Even someone like Netero, brilliant and powerful as he was, had been overwhelmed by the Chimera Ant King.
It wasn't that the King trained harder.
He was just born on a different level entirely.
But Kaizen, with the help of his Gourmet Cells, had a unique edge. His body could evolve in three layers—through traits gained in the Hunter Exam, through the world-building logic of Gourmet Captivity, and through constant intake of rare and powerful food.
Where would that lead him?
How far could this path take him?
"Tasty," Tessia said, nodding in approval.
Menchi and Buhara smiled warmly. For a chef, there was nothing more rewarding than having their food genuinely appreciated.
...
"Oh right," Menchi added, "let me give you a brief rundown of Gourmet Paradise."
"You probably heard some things on the cruise ship over here, right?"
Kaizen nodded. "There were some tour groups on the deck. The guides mentioned the island was divided into four zones."
"Right," Menchi confirmed. "World Zone, Academy Zone, Graduation Zone, and Mystery Zone. That's the general layout."
"We're currently in the Graduation Zone. Only chefs with serious skills are allowed to open restaurants here—most of them can handle rare, even supernatural, ingredients."
"Opening hours vary, and some places take reservations."
"My advice?" She tapped the table. "Start with the World Zone. If you start from the top, you might get spoiled. The simpler stuff won't impress you anymore."
"Some places in the World Zone don't even taste much different from regular food."
"Heaven Arena has restaurants on par with that level," Buhara added.
Menchi continued,
"But the Moon Court's a good place. The students there are full of energy and ambition. Oh, and there's a big event coming up."
"It's called the Top Ten Challenge!"
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)