"Your second disciple didn't come this time?"
Granny Ayame couldn't help asking. She hadn't expected Setsuno—who hadn't taken apprentices in hundreds of years—to suddenly take on two. Yet this time, only one had shown up. The other was nowhere to be seen.
"Nono's busy," Setsuno said with a smile. "Besides training with me, she's already managing the business under my name. Everything I have will be hers eventually, so she doesn't have time to run around with us."
"All of it goes to the first disciple, huh? Then…"
Ayame paused, surprised, and glanced at Kael. She had never taken disciples herself, but even she understood the problem of unfairness. If everything went to the first, what about the second? She had seen plenty of cases where that kind of imbalance drove a wedge between master and disciple.
"You mean Kael?" Setsuno shook her head. "He doesn't need any of that. His cooking skills and strength are already outstanding. He's destined to venture into the Gourmet World sooner or later. Compared to that, what exists in the Human World might as well not exist for him."
Kael wasn't just a chef—he was also a powerful Gourmet Hunter. That alone gave him an advantage others didn't have. He didn't need to look for partners or backing. He could survive in the Gourmet World on his own.
Nono was different. She had some ability, but chefs were generally weaker than Gourmet Hunters. In the original story, even someone like Yuda, the Medicinal Cuisine King, was completely outclassed by the Four Heavenly Kings during the Cooking Festival.
Setsuno herself was strong, but compared to Master Jiro, the gap was enormous. Ayame was the same. She could survive here, but in the Gourmet World, she wouldn't last long.
Back then, she had relied on Grim's protection while venturing out. Unfortunately, people were never as simple as they seemed. Once Grim no longer needed her, he abandoned her without hesitation.
"So he's not just a chef, but also a Gourmet Hunter?"
Ayame immediately understood. Setsuno nodded.
As a master, she didn't technically owe her disciples anything—but looking after them was only natural. Still, Kael had no interest in wealth or power. By his own words, if he wanted those things, he could build an even stronger organization himself once he matured.
But Kael was more like Master Jiro—a lone wolf. He had no intention of forming any kind of organization.
That, too, was something Setsuno liked to see. In the end, the world was ruled by strength. Without it power, money and authority were nothing more than paper walls—fragile and meaningless.
"Kael, I'll call you that," Ayame said seriously. "Collecting ingredients here isn't a problem. Setsuno already explained your strength—you won't be in danger. But there are two things you must not touch."
"First, that object over there. It's a sealing device. I don't know what's sealed inside, but it's definitely something dangerous. Don't interfere with it."
"Second, the Corona Sunflowers. They grow on a massive altar. That altar provides energy to maintain the seal. Taking a few plants is fine, but absolutely do not harvest them in large quantities."
Ayame's expression was grave. She knew perfectly well that Kael was stronger than her. If he wanted to act recklessly, she couldn't stop him. Still, since he was Setsuno's disciple, she trusted he wouldn't do anything foolish—and felt it was better to be clear.
"Don't worry," Kael said, nodding. "My master already warned me before we came."
He knew his limits. He wasn't a match for the Wolf Fire Dragon yet, and even if he defeated it, he wouldn't dare eat it casually. There was no reason to rush.
With that in mind, Kael decided to focus on other ingredients first.
After bidding farewell to Setsuno and Ayame, he vanished on the spot.
Setsuno could clearly see how Kael left, but Ayame couldn't see a thing. To her, it was as if Kael had simply disappeared into thin air.
"These youngsters are terrifying," Ayame said with a sigh. "Worthy of being your disciple. That level of strength is no joke."
"His talent as a Gourmet Hunter is incredible," Setsuno said proudly. "Even Jiro praises him highly. He's said Kael might even surpass us someday."
That wasn't an exaggeration. After returning from training with Jiro, Kael's monstrous talent had left even Jiro stunned. In Setsuno's opinion, Kael's potential as a chef might surpass even Frohze's. As for combat talent, Jiro believed it rivaled—if not exceeded—Acacia's.
If Kael grew smoothly, it would be like Acacia and Frohze fused into one being… possibly even stronger. The thought alone was frightening.
The timing, however, was cruel. If Kael had been born a hundred years earlier, he would have had plenty of time to mature. Now, the Gourmet Eclipse was drawing closer. The Eight Kings ingredients were a shortcut, but the danger of competing for them was extreme. No matter how great Kael's talent was, it meant nothing if he died before he could eat them.
"Even Master Jiro says that?" Ayame murmured, completely at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Kael had already begun gathering ingredients.
The quality here was astonishing. He had already captured Jewel Meat and BB Corn before, but the difference was enormous.
On the Regal Plateau, Regal Mammoths were constantly watched by both the Gourmet Corp and IGO. Once the Jewel Meat was nearly ripe, the two sides would clash over it. But here, in the old First Biotope, no one paid attention. Ayame couldn't harvest Jewel Meat herself, and over time, it accumulated inside the mammoths.
Not only was the quantity greater—the quality had improved as well. After comparing them, Kael could clearly tell how vast the difference was.
BB Corn was the same. Outside, it absorbed nutrients from the Forest of the Fifth Mountain. Here, it drew nourishment directly from the island's land—land that had been modified by the Nitro. It was almost on par with Gourmet World soil. As a result, the BB Corn here was noticeably larger.
That was the nature of plant ingredients. The environment determined both their value and the difficulty of harvesting them.
After collecting these, Kael finally headed toward the most important ingredient—the altar.
Numerous Corona Sunflowers grew there. In the original story, after Toriko ate one, the change was dramatic. Even his body showed traits of a Gourmet Demon.
Kael's Gourmet Cells—and the demon within him—were the same type as Toriko's. If the Corona Sunflower had such an effect on Toriko, it should work the same for him.
He uprooted a single sunflower. Eating it was unusual—you had to twist and compress it completely to extract the single drop of essence inside.
That one drop contained all the solar essence the sunflower had absorbed since birth.
Without hesitation, Kael swallowed it.
Before he could even taste it, his Gourmet Cells went berserk.
This time, it wasn't muscle swelling. The power of the Gourmet Demon surged through him directly. His cells activated at an absurd level—so much so that part of the Gourmet Demon manifested physically.
Kael's appearance became slightly ominous, golden light radiating from his body, as if the sun itself had descended to the ground.
His aura exploded outward, instantly enveloping the entire enclosed area.
"What a terrifying presence… It feels familiar. Is that Kael?"
Ayame froze, sensing it.
"It is," Setsuno said. "That aura's filled with sunlight. He must have eaten a Corona Sunflower. Let's go check."
Even she was surprised. Corona Sunflowers were good ingredients, but this reaction was beyond expectation. Clearly, both Kael's Gourmet Cells and his Gourmet Demon adored it.
When a Gourmet Demon was deeply satisfied, the resulting cell activation was terrifying. This one surpassed all his previous awakenings.
The two quickly arrived at the altar—and saw Kael glowing like the sun.
As Kael focused on the changes in his strength, he faintly heard a voice. It was vague, distant, guiding him toward the location of the seal.
He was considering whether to investigate when Setsuno and Ayame arrived.
"So even part of your Gourmet Demon manifested," Setsuno said with a smile. "Looks like both your cells and your demon really love the Corona Sunflower. No wonder you went out of your way to find it."
"My cell level should be over a hundred now," Kael said. "The gains were massive. But there's something else…"
He told them about the voice he had heard.
"That should be the voice of an ingredient," Setsuno said after thinking for a moment. "I've heard it before. And if it's guiding you closer, it's probably not what's sealed. Otherwise, it would be trying to get you to break the seal, not just approach it."
Ayame nodded in agreement. After discussing it, they decided to take a look. A chef hearing the voice of ingredients meant recognition—something there was calling out to Kael.
They soon arrived near the seal.
"There's nothing here," Ayame said, puzzled. "Kael, try listening again."
Kael nodded. As he focused, the voice returned.
This time, all three of them saw it.
The ingredient emitting the voice glowed faintly with golden light. At the center stood a strangely shaped plant.
"An Air Tree?" Setsuno said in disbelief. "These must have been brought here from the Eighth Continent by sea beasts and took root. But why would an Air Tree make a sound? This shouldn't even count as an ingredient, should it?"
She was completely confused.
On the Eighth Continent, Air Trees existed to produce vast amounts of air for the Horse King. Many giant horses there fed on air—it was a vital 'ingredient' to them.
But for humans, it was different. Getting too close to an Air Tree could be disastrous. When Toriko first entered the Gourmet World, he had suffered because of one.
Now, the ingredient calling out to Kael was an Air Tree—something neither Setsuno nor Ayame had ever expected.