Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

"Kenji, will this path take us to the Gourmet Showcase?" Atashino asked.

The group was currently walking on an ice shelf at the edge of Ice Hell, a route different from the traditional one. Most people were braving the fierce blizzards up above, while down here, it was calm. Although the temperature was still -50°C, there was no wind.

Kenji explained with a smile, "It will. The Gourmet Showcase is a giant icicle with countless ingredients frozen inside. The Century Soup forms at the bottom of it."

"Besides the path up there, this path also leads directly to the location of the Century Soup, and we don't have to face the blizzard." Since he knew about this path, there was no need to take the harder one.

He had to admit, Zongeh's Gourmet Luck was truly overpowered. Even Komatsu hadn't found this relatively easy passage, but he had.

ROAR!

An Ice Panther with a Capture Level of 17 appeared, looking at the group as if they were its dessert.

"Ah, it's an Ice Panther! What's it doing here?" Tina shrieked.

"An Ice Panther, huh? Then let's match you with an opponent of equal strength."

"I choose you, Lotta!"

Kenji smiled faintly and teleported Lotta to their location.

"AWOO—"

The cold of Ice Hell had no effect on Lotta. In fact, it was as comfortable as a blast of air conditioning, and she couldn't help but let out a joyful howl. It was like a husky returning to the snow.

Lotta looked down at the Ice Panther. Little brother, do you have any last words?

"Whimper..."

The Ice Panther whimpered and lowered its proud head, choosing to submit.

In terms of both level and bloodline, it was no match for her. They were both mammalian beasts, but the Battle Wolf stood at the pinnacle. This was like being matched against an ancestor or a big boss.

Equal strength, my foot!

You lied to me!

It looked as pitiful as a little kitten.

"Lotta, have you gotten a little taller?" Tina asked, trying to size her up. It felt like it was more difficult to see the top of Lotta's head now.

Lotta glanced at Tina. The human who rode me before.

The Ice Panther lay there docilely, trying to reduce its presence. Kenji and the others ignored it and found a cave on a lower platform that led deeper.

Atashino was a little surprised. She hadn't expected there to be such a passage. Few people probably knew about it; after all, the commonly accepted path was up above, braving the freezing winds.

Elsewhere.

Toriko and the others were walking on an unsheltered snowfield. The howling wind, mixed with ice and snow, was brutal, like blades scraping against their skin.

"Mr. Toriko... where are Mr. Kenji and the others?"

Komatsu was on Toriko's back. Toriko's sturdy body shielded him from a lot of the wind and snow, but even so, the low temperature of Ice Hell was taking its toll on him.

"I don't know. They probably took another path. Komatsu, stay awake. Don't fall asleep," Toriko instructed, his face covered in frost, his breath turning to white mist. He now understood what Setsuno had meant by "extreme cold." Was this it? Then let the storm rage!

"I know..."

Komatsu's voice was weak. The period when the Century Soup appeared was when the climate of Ice Hell was at its most cruel.

Behind them, people were falling behind one by one, becoming ice sculptures in the snowy landscape. The people in front had no time to worry about them; they could barely take care of themselves.

"Ah, this path is so peaceful."

Zongeh really deserves a thumbs-up. His Gourmet Luck is invincible. Especially in the final great battle, he still managed to make an appearance, and not in some a remote, corner of the map, either. At that point, it was a battle of gods. He could even withstand a hug from the Monkey King Bambina. Truly ridiculous. His constitution is a mystery.

"There are Ice-Pomegranate Puddings (Level 4) here. Do you want some?" Kenji asked. The shell was a light-pink ice, and instead of seeded pomegranate pulp, the inside was filled with pomegranate-flavored pudding pearls, saving you the trouble of spitting out seeds. The taste was good, cool and refreshing, a perfect snack for the road.

"By the way, Herta, do you have an eating function?"

"I do not require the energy from food to support my daily operations."

Herta shook her head. Even if there was no Imaginary energy here, she could use solar energy, and the energy stored in her core could last for a long time.

Kenji scratched his head. A puppet without Great Herta controlling it... it felt a little too stiff. But unfortunately, Great Herta couldn't connect here.

This path was the safest. They hadn't seen a single beast so far.

"Teppei, you're here fast."

In a giant block of ice was a frozen, massive beast, like a hydra. It had many heads with gaping, bloody maws.

Teppei was no longer wearing the black warming-up bodysuit, but a dark-green one. The mask on his face was off, revealing a green pompadour, a hairstyle of the strong. A scar ran through the right side of his face, but he was still very handsome.

Sealed in the ice was the ruler of Ice Hell, the Hellboros, with a Capture Level of seventy-two. Its ferocious nature was a product of evolution for the sake of eating. A hundred years ago, it had been Knocked and sealed by Jiro. The Boros in the ice now was not at its peak; much of its essence had been drained over the century. Its meat was said to be extremely foul, with no culinary value.

"Oh my, it's Kenji and Miss Atashino. I'm surprised to see you here. It must be the guidance of Gourmet Luck.

The path up there has frozen many Gourmet Hunters to death. They're all just standing there like ice sculptures. It's a bit pitiful to see.

You guys must have found a much easier path. Have you been here before? If you find a path like this somewhere else next time, remember to take me with you.

If I had known, I would have gone with you. I wouldn't have had to face the blizzard outside, and the bugs that were following me, and I wouldn't have gotten lost so easily.

Although the wind and snow outside weren't a big deal, being a little warmer is always nice, and I could have come earlier to unseal the creature my grandpa Knocked.

And then..."

With his mask off, Teppei became a motormouth, his words spewing out like a machine gun on full auto. The others didn't even have a chance to get a word in.

"Shut up!"

Atashino interrupted him, speechless. Master Jiro's descendant... how can he be such a talker? Who did he inherit it from?

If he keeps talking, he's just going to be padding the word count.

"Alright, it's better to be a man of few words," Teppei said with an embarrassed laugh. I can't help myself.

He can really talk.

This was the common thought of Kenji and the others. Don't you get thirsty after talking so much?

Kenji remembered clearly that Teppei's talkativeness was so extreme that even a Startle-Apple had been scared of him.

"So, this is one of the reasons you came here?" Atashino asked, looking at the frozen Hellboros. It wouldn't be a problem to defeat it, but a reptile-like beast with so many nerve clusters wasn't easy to perform Knocking on. As expected of the great Master Jiro.

"Yes. Grandpa's Knocking is really strong. It's been a hundred years, and it still hasn't been released," Teppei said with admiration.

Teppei touched the ice. In another hundred years, it would probably be completely drained of its essence.

"The appetite of the Hellboros is astonishing. It's said that it can eat everything. If it were to be released, wouldn't the ecosystem of Ice Hell be affected?" Kenji asked. With a Capture Level of 72, the Hellboros had almost no enemies in Ice Hell.

"The Boros was originally part of the Ice Hell ecosystem. And after a hundred years of development, there might be creatures here that can compete with it now," Teppei said with a shrug.

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We cross the 1350 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter

Next goal 1500 power stone, good luck guys.

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