Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

Thump... thump... thump...

Kenji lay flat on the ice, pressing his ear to the surface. He tapped it gently, and a very faint, hollow echo returned.

There was a whole other world down there. His intuition told him the fragrance was seeping up from below.

"Atashino, hold on tight."

"Shatter!"

Kenji drove a fist into the ice. He had to control his strength; otherwise, a single punch could have blown the entirety of Ice Hell apart.

As he suspected, it was hollow underneath. A brilliant, crystalline blue light burst forth. The aroma was now much clearer, making Kenji swallow hard. He immediately wrapped an arm around Atashino's slender waist and descended into the deep cavern.

"It's so beautiful," Atashino gasped as they descended. This place was even more magnificent than the Gourmet Show Window. Crystalline blue icicles glittered like a forest of quartz, creating a truly dreamlike scene.

"Is that... blue-glowing red amber?"

At the very bottom of the ice cavern was a pool-sized crystal, red like amber but radiating a brilliant, sapphire-blue light. A unique, wondrous fragrance filled the air, and Atashino could now smell it clearly. Her Gourmet Cells were cheering.

"This isn't amber. It's more like a solidified liquid," Kenji said, narrowing his eyes. Could it be the blood of some creature?

"Let's check it first."

Kenji tried to use his IGO ingredient scanner, but as expected, the results were just garbled text. Not only was the Capture Level unreadable, but it didn't even have a name.

Interesting. An unknown ingredient.

Atashino took out a knife and plunged it into the substance with ease. It wasn't hard like amber but soft like tofu or aspic.

"Is this edible?" Atashino asked. Eating an ingredient she had never seen before could be risky.

"As the old saying goes, there's only one way to find out if food is poisonous: eat it and see."

Kenji grabbed a piece of the red, gel-like ingredient. The patterns on its surface reminded him of the giant egg they had just found; they had to be related.

"Itadakimasu."

The moment it entered his mouth, the gel dissolved into an incredibly rich, mellow broth that filled his senses. It slid down his throat and into his stomach, circulating through his organs before flowing through his entire body with his blood.

His muscles began to tremble rhythmically. Every single one of his cells was transforming, becoming more vibrant, more youthful. It was a cleansing from the inside out, leaving him feeling unbelievably refreshed.

"Delicious," Kenji breathed. "It's even richer than the semi-finished Century Soup my master made. Aged over countless eons, nature has condensed its own flavor into this. A truly wild and exquisite taste."

"Kenji, your face?"

Atashino's surprised voice broke Kenji out of his reverie. He subconsciously pulled out a mirror. The face looking back at him had skin as smooth and supple as a teenager's.

"What the hell? I got younger?" Kenji's eyes went wide.

His Gourmet Cells had evolved, and at the same time, he had been rejuvenated. He was already in the prime of his life, so the effects weren't overly dramatic. But what if someone older tried it? They would probably experience a true return to their youth.

Atashino took a bite herself. She felt her own cells evolving, her strength increasing. The most noticeable change, however, was her skin, which became so tender it felt like you could squeeze water from it. The effects of this ingredient were truly magical.

"Atashino, do you think it's possible... that this 'Fountain of Youth' soup is related to the egg we found?" Kenji theorized.

"It's certainly very likely," Atashino agreed with a nod. "But we'll have to identify the creature in the egg before we can confirm the origin of this ingredient."

"Then for now, let's call it the 'Fountain of Youth Soup.' Once we confirm its name, I'll add it to my Full Course as my soup dish."

This ingredient was too interesting to pass up. Its flavor had an unparalleled impact, a wild and mellow texture that was simply divine. The moment he drank it, Kenji felt as if he had been transported back to a primeval era, a raw, ancient presence washing over him in a way no other food ever had.

Kenji carefully packed all of the blood-red amber into his personal space.

Summing up the trip's haul: he'd found a wild giant egg and discovered a delicious and fascinating soup. This journey was well worth it. It was time to leave Ice Hell.

[Star Forger]: "Daigo, how did you handle If?"

[Crash-Test Pilot]: "After I transformed into Tiga, I used my Ultra-Psychokinesis to lift If and the chunk of ground it was on and send it away."

If you can't fight it, you just carefully send it packing. No one made any hostile moves, so If didn't even feel a tremor during the process.

[Crash-Test Pilot]: "At the edge of our solar system, there was a spatial rift. If probably drifted through it from there. I sent it back into the rift."

Kenji stroked his chin thoughtfully. It seemed that rift connected to Ultraman Max's world; If's appearance was likely an accident. But why did a rift suddenly appear? Did something create it? There were many potential culprits. For Daigo's world, this might not be the end of If's story.

[Star Forger]: "Daigo, so you can better handle little monsters in the future, I'll set aside some time to give you some special training."

Time to start the Ultra-Jeep!

[Crash-Test Pilot]: "Okay! I'll be in your care then, Kenji. Thank you."

Daigo genuinely thought it was a normal training offer and was feeling quite grateful.

Kenji felt a little embarrassed. Daigo really was an honest guy. On a related note, the final episode of Ultraman featured a scene of them filming the show's combat. Did Daigo's world have a TV show about Ultraman Leo? If it did, and if Daigo had seen it, this was going to be even more fun.

[Lady Justice]: "This is terrible! I accidentally made a Fatui Harbinger spit up blood!"

[Star Forger]: "Was it 'The Knave'? Was she following you?"

This Furina was not the Furina of old. As an Emanator of an Aeon of Preservation, it would be a cosmic joke if she couldn't sense a mere Harbinger tailing her. Qlipoth himself would have to admit he'd misjudged her. Arlecchino was just unlucky, operating on outdated intelligence. Furina probably gave her an instinctive slap without putting any real power into it. Otherwise, the Fatui would be holding a half-day memorial service right now.

[Miss Pink Elf♪]: "Is she okay♪?"

[Lady Justice]: "She coughed up a lot of blood and passed out! Am I going to be put on trial for this?"

This should count as self-defense, right?

Arlecchino is probably thinking: So what if you're strong? You'll still have to beg me not to die!

[Star Forger]: "Were there any witnesses? There's plenty of ocean in Fontaine. You could just stuff the Harbinger in a sack, tie a rock to it, and toss her in the sea."

[God's Tongue]: "That sounds highly illegal."

[Star Forger]: "Don't the Yakuza in Japan like to give people concrete shoes and sink them in Tokyo Bay?"

[God's Tongue]: "Ah... well..."

Erina couldn't refute that. While you didn't see it openly, who could say for sure it didn't happen behind closed doors?

[Lady Justice]: "That's definitely not happening! But it should be fine now. The Harbinger woke up and said she just tripped and fell."

Smart move, Arlecchino, Kenji thought. You know how to read the room.

[Star Forger]: "Anyone want to come over for a spa day to relax?"

He and Atashino were currently in the Land of Healing, which had some excellent facilities for relaxation.

[Miss Pink Elf♪]: "I want to relax! Can I bring a friend♪?"

[Star Forger]: "You can, but since she's not a group member, she won't get the energy supply that lets you use your powers in other worlds."

[Miss Pink Elf♪]: "That's fine! We're just going to relax, not to fight♪"