Setsuna was speechless when he saw the four massive red meat mountains that the Four Beasts turned into after they died.
Before, they were disgusting, murky green monsters that immediately brought up thoughts of pollution and lethal poison. Yet, after death, they suddenly transformed into vibrant red mountains of meat that clearly looked like top-tier ingredients. Did this just confirm that this was, indeed, the Gourmet World?
Meanwhile, the detoxifying medicinal cuisine, prepared by all the chefs working together, was delivered to the poisoned population.
Because the poison experts on the live broadcast taught a special massage technique that delayed the poison's onset to three hours, and the final investigation showed that only 500 million of the 30 billion people were actually poisoned, things were looking up.
Even so, to prepare 500 million servings of anti-venom cuisine within three hours, factoring in the time needed to mobilize chefs, teach the detox recipes, transport ingredients, and distribute the medicine, no amount of chefs could have possibly done it.
Yet, driven by rallying cries like, "If I can't even save humanity, what kind of chef am I?" the chefs miraculously completed the task.
In particular, Komatsu managed to simplify the detox recipe—which even the Gourmet King couldn't simplify—to its absolute essence in just five minutes, leaving the King utterly baffled.
"Mmm, this stuff tastes great," Zebura grunted, immediately sitting down next to the meat mountain and chowing down the moment the battle ended.
"Idiot! Top-tier ingredients should be cooked by a top-tier chef. You're wasting it by eating it like that!" Sani loudly scolded him.
"Wasting what? There's so much meat, we can't possibly eat it all," Zebura waved him off.
Setsuna also took a piece of the meat and ate it raw. The moment it hit his tongue, the most intense, ultimate sweetness bloomed. It was cool, smooth, and melted instantly. First came the delicate richness of the meat, followed by the mellow, fatty aroma, like swallowing a piece of the starry sky.
"Delicious!" Setsuna felt his vocabulary was insufficient. At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel: life was too good for powerhouses in the Gourmet World. Their bodies evolved simply by enjoying delicious food.
This made Setsuna look forward even more to the upcoming feast. Top-tier ingredients paired with top-tier cooking—just the thought of it sent his Gourmet Cells into a frenzy.
Chefs were undoubtedly the most respected and most chosen profession in the Gourmet World. Naturally, the culinary skill of the top chefs, those who stood out among so many, was terrifyingly strong.
Setsuno, the second-ranked chef, created the Shining Rice Bowl using the Four Beasts' meat. The Curry King, ranked fourth, unveiled a curry dish. Chef Sumire, ranked tenth, made a hamburger set...
"Ah, the Rice Bowl is truly the crystallization of human civilization. It's not an exaggeration to call it 'The Path of Simplicity,'" Setsuna sampled many top chefs' creations, all of them exquisitely delicious. But it was only Granny Setsuno's Shining Rice Bowl that made him feel as if his soul was truly ascending.
The essence of gourmet food is sharing. While he didn't know how the chefs pulled it off, the Four Beasts' meat was prepared into enough dishes for 30 billion people to share.
Setsuna wandered among the various stalls, feasting for a full day and night until the gluttonous battle finally ended.
Without taking a break, Setsuna quickly sought out Coco.
"Coco!" Setsuna greeted him with familiar warmth. "Could you teach me how to improve my resistance to poison?"
Coco had heard from Toriko about Setsuna saving him, and Setsuna had just helped them defeat the Four Beasts, so he was very grateful. Naturally, he wouldn't refuse Setsuna's request.
Moreover, boosting toxin resistance was right up his alley of expertise.
"To improve your toxin resistance, I can think of about four methods right now."
"Four methods!" Setsuna exclaimed, impressed. He really was a professional.
"First, Gourmet Cell evolution. By consuming high-level ingredients, you stimulate the Gourmet Cells' activity. The evolution of Gourmet Cells is a comprehensive physical enhancement, which naturally includes resistance to toxins."
Setsuna nodded. He had achieved one Gourmet Cell evolution after feasting on the Four Beasts' meat, leading to an all-around enhancement of his bodily functions.
Of course, because it was his first evolution, the magnitude of the increase wasn't particularly huge.
"Second, Toxin Adaptability Training. You start by ingesting small doses of toxins and gradually increase the concentration. This helps your Gourmet Cells build immunity to various poisons."
Setsuna looked thoughtful. This was likely similar to the principle behind vaccines. "What about the third method?"
"Third, Environmental Adaptability Evolution. For example, training naked in the Poison Rain Forest to allow the skin's stratum corneum to develop anti-toxin properties, or performing breath-holding exercises in the Toxic Tide Sea to boost blood detoxification efficiency."
"Fourth, you could implant an anti-toxin machine module or undergo hormone injections, but I personally don't recommend those. The side effects are too severe."
Setsuna pondered for a moment before saying, "If I want to do Toxin Adaptability Training, do you have any recommendations?"
Coco replied, "I recommend the Puffer Whale's poison sac and the Ghost Light Fruit. The former is a neurotoxin, which trains resistance to nerve poisons. The latter is a caustic toxin, which strengthens mucous membrane tolerance. Before starting the training, you must prepare antidote ingredients beforehand, such as Detox Dandelion or the Venom Lizard Dragon's liver."
---
Two weeks later, at a peculiar-smelling, highly toxic restaurant.
"This poison is a little weak. Tell the chef to add more arsenic."
"Oh? Then why don't you try this? It's brewed for 81 days using seven highly toxic species: the Zombie Taipan Snake, Puffer Whale, Devil Python, Waggling Bee, Eight-Headed Viper Scorpion, Desert Shark, and Escargot Snail. It's colorless, odorless, kills without a trace—a treasure of the poison world, and it tastes quite good."
"Ooh, that might be a bit too intense. I better take an antidote quickly."
Setsuna and Coco were exchanging "poison knowledge," which left Setsuna greatly impressed. Only in the Gourmet World would there be a specialty restaurant for people with a poison-loving pica, though enjoying poison was still considered an oddity, even among pica eaters.
"Next is the Toxic Jellyfish Bath. Immersing yourself in this pool of venom allows the toxins to enter your body through your pores, and as a bonus, it cleans out internal pathogens," Coco said, guiding Setsuna to the restaurant's matching hot spring.
Before the two could step in, a figure jumped down, splashing a large amount of water like a deep-sea bomb.
"Haha! I finally found you... Ahh... Argh..."
The figure was laughing, but the enraged Toxic Jellyfish released a massive dose of venom, causing the newcomer's body to immediately start convulsing.
"Pops," Coco sighed, rubbing his forehead. He didn't even attempt to help, instead just jumping into the water.
Setsuna chuckled and followed him into the pool.
"Hmph, no fun," Seeing that neither of them paid him any mind, the newcomer stopped his poor acting and said with feigned sadness, "Kids aren't fun anymore when they grow up. I still remember when you cried because you thought your venom had killed me when you were little. That was hilarious."
Coco shot back, annoyed, "I didn't find that funny at all, Pops. Can't you act with the dignity expected of the IGO President?"
"Haha! I'm pretty dignified in front of strangers!" The yellow-haired old man laughed heartily.
Coco gave a helpless wry smile and introduced him to Setsuna, "This is my master, Ichiryu, the President of the IGO."
"Should I call you Master-Uncle?" Setsuna asked, smiling, while examining the man who was once the strongest in the world.
In this era where every powerhouse was enjoying the benefits brought by Gourmet Cell evolution, Ichiryu chose to go against the current.
To achieve his dream of ensuring everyone in the world could eat their fill, he spent his entire life searching for ingredients that yielded the maximum output. He himself, far from enjoying gourmet food, had not eaten a single satisfying meal in over 500 years, and his Gourmet Cells had degenerated to the point of near atrophy.
Despite this, he still possessed terrifying, world-destroying strength.