"Brunch, you've been to the Human World before, right? You should know him. After all, this kid ranks pretty high on your Human World chef leaderboard."
The Daruma Hermit said with a smile. Brunch was one of the finest chefs in the Bewitching Food World.
"I've heard of Chef Brunch."
Kael nodded. Of course he knew him. Brunch's skills were probably still at the Ten-Star level, not quite at the First Stage yet—but his ranking near the top of the leaderboard definitely carried weight.
As they spoke, everyone entered the restaurant. Inside, a tengu-like figure was directing the servers as dishes were brought out.
Brunch had already finished cooking; now he was just overseeing the service.
When Kael saw the dishes, he was surprised.
They were completely different from what Toriko and the others had seen in the canon when they first arrived in the Bewitching Food World. The cuisine here usually matched the village's style—food that looked like only yokai would eat. Back then, Sunny had nearly broken down at the sight of it.
"Since you're from the Human World, Brunch considered the difference in taste between your people and ours. So he prepared dishes that look closer to what humans are used to."
The Daruma Hermit gestured at the table.
Hearing that, Kael turned to Brunch and gave a small bow. Whatever the reason, they'd gone to the trouble of preparing this for him. A thank-you was only proper.
"No need to be so formal," Brunch replied, clearly in a better mood. "A chef who ranks ahead of me—and at your age? Of course I'm curious."
He'd been intrigued from the start. The news had come straight from the IGO: Kael's cooking had already surpassed his.
The IGO didn't lie. The Bewitching Food World dealt with them often enough to know that.
Brunch had been stunned when he first heard it. He'd visited the Human World before. Among the younger generation, he hadn't found anyone who could truly rival him. And now, this sudden disciple of Setsuno had not only appeared out of nowhere—but surpassed him?
Still, Brunch wasn't the type to resent talent.
He could be temperamental, even harsh toward those he disliked. But when he acknowledged someone, he treated them well—no matter how weak they were.
Kael had made a good first impression. And now, seeing that he wasn't arrogant despite surpassing him, Brunch found himself liking him even more. He couldn't stand chefs who strutted around just because they had skill.
Once seated, everyone began eating. Brunch joined them at the table.
Before long, every dish had been wiped clean. Though not as skilled as Kael, Brunch's cooking was undeniably excellent.
"Thank you all for the hospitality," Kael said. "I brought some dishes from the Human World that you might find interesting. And I also obtained a rather special ingredient from the Golden Marsh."
"From the Golden Marsh?" the Daruma Hermit frowned. "There are valuable ingredients there?"
He'd been there in his youth. As far as he knew, there wasn't anything particularly remarkable.
"I didn't find anything last time," Brunch said, turning toward Mappy. "You know anything?"
Mappy shook his head. "When I went to pick up Mr. Kael, he wasn't on Uto Island. By the time I met him in the Heavy Rain Zone, he'd already crossed the Golden Marsh on his own."
Everyone turned to Kael.
Compared to the Gourmet World, ingredients from the Human World weren't especially exciting. But something from the Golden Marsh? That was different.
"I didn't collect anything from the surface," Kael said calmly. "I went beneath the swamp—into the labyrinth. I found something there."
Silence fell instantly.
"The… the swamp beneath?" Mappy stammered. "You mean that massive labyrinth? You went inside and came back alive? That's impossible!"
Since Mappy was born, the Golden Marsh labyrinth had been a forbidden zone.
In the past, the ancestors of the Bewitching Food World had sent explorers down there out of curiosity. Many never returned—not even members of the Three Sous Chefs. After enough losses, entry into the labyrinth was strictly forbidden.
Sure, in the original story Toriko and the others made it out. But they had both strength and Komatsu's overwhelming Food Luck. Zebra's echolocation map had also covered much of the labyrinth, enough to guide them to the exit.
Kael had relied mostly on instinct—and his own powerful Food Luck.
But those were not replicable advantages.
Aside from Kael and Komatsu—maybe Zonge, and later Toriko after merging with Starjun's Food Luck—no one else possessed that kind of overwhelming fortune. And Zebra's ability was even rarer.
The final method? Overwhelming force. Just blast through the labyrinth walls and carve your way out. The stronger you were, the less the maze mattered.
Horse King Heracles was proof of that. Steel Clouds that no one else could disperse? One sneeze from him, and they were gone.
But the residents of the Bewitching Food World had none of those advantages. For them, entering the labyrinth meant certain death.
"I do have a way out," Kael said lightly. "My Food Luck is strong. I didn't even have to think too hard. I just followed my instincts and found my way."
They fell silent again.
Food Luck… it was intangible, uncontrollable. Some figures in their history had possessed it—chefs who narrowly escaped disaster again and again, or captured rare ingredients with uncanny ease.
But you couldn't replicate it.
"And this," Kael continued, producing a shell, "is what I found in the labyrinth. It's called Ogre Shell. A rare ingredient from ancient times—also known as the memory of the primordial ocean."
The moment Ogre Shell appeared, everyone felt it.
An ancient, weathered aura clung to it.
"Something from ancient times?" Brunch narrowed his eyes. "Can it even be eaten? And it's so small. If we divide it up, we'd barely get a bite each."
"Ogre Shell may look small," Kael said with a faint smile, "but inside it contains a vast space."
He inserted a toothpick and gently pulled.
A strip of meat came out.
Then more.
And more.
Different colors, different qualities—layers of ingredients the shell had absorbed and preserved over ages.
Brunch's eyes widened. "How can it hold so much?!"
"I've heard of something similar," the Daruma Hermit said slowly. "In Area 6's Blue Grill, there's a creature called Sarcophagus Crab. It stores ancient ingredients inside its shell."
Kael nodded. He remembered that from the story. When the The Ten Shell Masters faced off against Human World chefs, the Sarcophagus Crab had appeared. It contained ingredients linked to Food Spirits—items not meant to be casually consumed.
"Forget the crab," Brunch cut in, practically vibrating with excitement. "Look at the quality of this meat! Leave the cooking to me!"
"Hold on," Kael said with a grin. "I've got one more thing."
He took out another container.
Century Soup.
Even in the Gourmet World, that was a rare delicacy.
"That's… the aurora?" Brunch murmured. "I've heard of Century Soup from the Human World. It appears once every hundred years. And Setsuno has been trying to recreate it."
"That's right," Kael said. "But the Gourmet Display Window in Ice Hell has reached its limit. There won't be another natural Century Soup."
He explained briefly—how he and Setsuno had each recreated different versions. Three versions now existed: the natural one, Setsuno's version, and his own. A fourth was currently being developed by a chef named Komatsu.
Why only three?
Everyone understood the implication.
Other chefs had tasted it. And yet only Setsuno and Kael had succeeded in recreating it.
What did that say about Kael's skill?
The looks directed at him shifted again.
At his invitation, everyone tasted the soup.
The effect was immediate.
Their Gourmet Cells began to activate.
Most of the residents of the Bewitching Food World bore traits of Gourmet Demons. Naturally, they had Gourmet Cells within them.
Century Soup was powerful enough to stir even Midora's Gourmet Cells.
For the people here?
Activation was inevitable.