The way Raize was eating just now was ferocious, and the fluctuations coming through the mental link from him were nothing but waves of insatiable hunger.
"Commander, are you very hungry right now?"
When Laffey asked with concern about his condition, Raize split a bit of his attention to look at her, swallowed a large mouthful of meat, downed a big cup of water, and then caught his breath.
"I'm fine. My body just needs some nutrition right now. Asia, could you please bring out the food stored in the pantry?"
After saying that, he patted Laffey's little head, handed her a large bottle of sweet cola, entrusted Asia with the task, and immediately resumed his ravenous feast.
Though Asia found it odd, she still went to do as he asked. Laffey stayed by Raize's side, holding the bottle of cola without taking a sip, simply watching him eat.
Sensing that Raize's condition was unusual, the Biblical loli God and Eu both moved from the living room to get a closer look.
Sei examined Raize carefully as he ate, an intrigued expression on her face. It was clear that Raize's body was in a stage of transformation that required massive energy—a good sign, really.
Eu also noticed Raize's state, and after a moment of observation, started assisting him by passing food.
The life force inside Raize was growing alarmingly strong, and the three girls nearby could all feel it.
Ten minutes passed, and Raize continued to eat like a man possessed. His stomach didn't even show the slightest movement, leaving everyone—except for Eu and Sei—gaping in disbelief.
He was eating an incredible amount. Asia could feel the sheer volume of nutrients being consumed.
Haruna, coming downstairs to take the bathroom, noticed Raize's abnormal state and moved closer in astonishment.
"Raize… what's happening to him?! His life force is almost overflowing!!"
Haruna stared in shock as Raize kept devouring food. The immense energy inside him was now visibly circulating just beneath his skin, terrifying in its intensity.
"He's undergoing an evolutionary transformation. He just needs nutrition and energy. The process isn't finished yet."
Sei kindly explained Raize's condition to Haruna, who couldn't help but marvel at the endless food disappearing into his stomach.
How much energy and nutrition had he already absorbed—and it still wasn't enough?
Haruna knew the miraculous effects of Raize's legendary ingredients. Even as a magical garment girl, every bite she had eaten had improved her physical capabilities and generated new magical power when she lacked it. Now, Raize's food, dense with energy, kept him eating endlessly.
Meanwhile, Nep, observing the scene inside Raize's body, didn't feel any concern. Instead, she watched with a sense of anticipation.
She had seen this kind of situation before, in a universe full of gourmet food: a special type of cell.
Gourmet Cells.
These were discovered by the Gourmet God, Acacia, inside a phantom jellyfish deep in the sea—a creature unlike ordinary fish, whose cells were extraordinarily active. When eaten, the jellyfish's body would regenerate, and the animal that consumed it would become more delicious. Acacia realized that life could evolve in this way.
With these special cells, human cells could be activated; consuming gourmet food could trigger evolution, granting abilities beyond ordinary human limits.
Raize had once eaten the phantom jellyfish ingredient but hadn't awakened any gourmet cells. The system had offered no explanation at the time, only promising that he would gain them eventually. Focused on acquiring power, Raize had put that aside and concentrated on mastering the Eightfold Thunder Annihilation and the games.
Nep knew there were three ways to obtain gourmet cells: innate possession, awakening via injection, and awakening through consumption.
Innate possession was self-explanatory—the chosen ones in the culinary world were born with it, typically the protagonists. Injection awakening carried a high mortality rate and offered cells with much lower potential than innate ones.
Consumption awakening, Raize's current situation, involved gradually absorbing the Gourmet jellyfish that Nep had secretly stored in his body. He had effectively been assimilating it since gaining the power of Kirby; now, external stimuli had triggered full awakening.
The power of consumption awakening was on par with innate gourmet cells, but it took much longer, was extremely difficult, and entirely unpredictable. Even consuming vast amounts of food might fail to trigger it, depending on fate. Some might eat ordinary food for ten years before a sudden awakening occurred.
Raize's cells were now responding to external stimuli—first the golden apple, now the black-light virus. His cells seemed alive, vibrating with every nutrient absorbed. Nothing was wasted; excess energy was stored in the nuclei.
As he consumed an enormous amount of energy, the cells, already quivering, began growing rapidly, filling the cytoplasm. Then, with a barely audible pop, countless microscopic nuclei burst open, new cells forming and dividing, absorbing nutrients and thriving.
Hundreds of trillions of cells in Raize's body detonated and divided continuously. His muscles, bones, organs, even brain stem and nerve cells were transforming, replaced by newly evolved cells.
Crack… crack… crack…
Raize's body creaked violently. Bones made popping sounds like popcorn as they divided, compressed, and grew, celebrating his rebirth.
Rip—!
Under the wide-eyed stares of the girls around him, Raize's upper body clothing had been completely torn apart by the dense muscles beneath. His muscles, alive in appearance, swelled and contracted rhythmically as if his body itself were a living heart, causing the girls nearby to flush in astonishment.
Asia, seeing Raize's powerful, almost Saiyan-like physique, blushed immediately. She covered her reddened cheeks and turned away.
The other girls, however, did not look away. They exchanged glances, silently acknowledging each other, and continued to observe Raize directly.
After a minute, Raize's body reached saturation, and the signals of fulfillment spread to every corner of his body.
In a daze, his consciousness seemed to drift into a universe sparkling with starlight. Strange objects floated all around him, and to his surprise, they were all food he had eaten before.
The most astonishing sight was a small, cute figure that appeared before him—a familiar, adorable presence.
It was a small, basketball-sized, pink, spherical creature with big, sparkling eyes that seemed to smile. Its tiny pink hands fluttered energetically. It was unmistakably Kirby.
"Boli boli boli~~~"
The Kirby in front of Raize called out joyfully, squinting its adorable eyes, one hand stuffing food into its mouth while the other offered some to Raize.
"...So my materialized appetite demon is you, Kirby?"
Raize's expression shifted slightly as he stared at the cute creature offering him food. He paused briefly, then crouched down, reaching out to gently pat Kirby's head while meeting those innocent, sparkling eyes.
He took the pastry Kirby offered, and as Kirby's inexplicably delighted gaze watched, he took a bite. Waves of vivid, culinary memories flooded his mind. Though these manifested foods were illusions, they contained the essence of Raize's recorded taste memories, allowing him to savor them perfectly.
Seeing Raize eat the food, the small pink sphere leapt into his arms and continued to eat happily. Raize watched the little creature enjoy the feast and reached for more floating food to feed Kirby.
"Phew—!"
But as Kirby gleefully ate, its mouth suddenly expanded dramatically, creating a black-hole-like suction in the mental space.
In an instant, all the floating food was sucked into Kirby's belly, and Raize was suddenly ejected from the space.
"Eat… delicious… more delicious…"
Before leaving, a small, innocent, and utterly cute voice reached him, and Raize returned fully to reality.