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This time, Yuuki had remained in the Mobile Kitchen for a staggering 100 million years. It was a terrifyingly long stretch of time, but for Yuuki himself, it barely registered. Perhaps it was because his power had already reached a certain echelon of existence.
Or perhaps, due to the fundamental shift in his being, the very concept of time had lost all meaning. Still, even with the vast difference in the flow of time, a hundred million years in the Mobile Kitchen meant that a significant period had passed in the outside world.
Fortunately, everyone else had gradually adapted to the reality of the Toriko world. Their own perception of time had long since diverged from what it once was.
They had noticed, however, that Yuuki's seclusion was lasting an exceptionally long time. Because of this, they chose not to leave, waiting patiently by his side for the moment he would awaken.
After a hundred million years, Yuuki had finally enhanced and fully integrated the divinity within him. In that instant, his very existence ascended—he had reached a higher dimension.
From the perspective of the others, Yuuki's presence simply vanished.
His aura, his physical form—gone. In truth, he hadn't moved an inch, but his state of being had changed so fundamentally.
He had transcended, reaching the level of a Gourmet God. As such, the others could no longer perceive his existence.
One could still sense the presence of a Godly Ingredient if they were powerful enough—but a being who had become a Gourmet God was another matter entirely.
However, Yuuki didn't linger in that higher state for long. He chose to descend, lowering his dimensional state to reappear before them once more.
——————
Seeing him suddenly materialize, a collective sigh of relief filled the air. They immediately began asking him what had happened.
When they learned that he had truly reached the level of a Gourmet God, a stunned silence fell over the group. They knew this had always been his goal, but for him to actually achieve it... it was a reality that was difficult to process.
Of course, that shock was quickly replaced by a profound sense of pride. This was their Yuuki, after all. For the man they loved to reach such an unbelievable height—it was something worth celebrating.
Just as they were about to pepper him with questions about what it meant to be a Gourmet God, Yuuki sensed a number of colossal figures appearing in the surrounding space.
There was no doubt about it—they were the other Gourmet Gods.
The moment he ascended, they had sensed his birth. The arrival of a new member of their kind was an occasion for a warm welcome.
These beings possessed their own intelligence, but it was different from that of humans. The Gourmet Gods were all equals in power and had always coexisted in peace. They were genuinely delighted by the emergence of a new kinsman.
"I'm not entirely sure of the specifics myself—I only just became one. And it seems the others have arrived. I'm going to go speak with them for a moment."
After letting everyone know, Yuuki ascended once more into the higher dimension.
His body began to expand at an astronomical rate, growing until he was the same colossal size as the other Gourmet Gods.
"I knew you would succeed! Congratulations on reaching this level. You are the first being born of this world to ever achieve such a state!"
The Gourmet God who had previously met and helped Yuuki spoke with genuine joy. When they first found him, the divinity within Yuuki had been faint, almost insignificant.
They had only felt that he might have the potential to reach their level, and so they had offered their aid.
They never imagined he would actually succeed—and in such an unbelievably short amount of time. To the Gourmet Gods, a hundred million years was but the blink of an eye; time was meaningless to them.
But the time Yuuki had taken was so short that it was, even to them, utterly astonishing.
"Welcome, kinsman. Would you care to join us in our home?" another Gourmet God invited.
Yuuki nodded.
He was quite curious about where the Gourmet Gods resided. He recalled from the original story that their home was called the Farthest Land.
Under their guidance, Yuuki left the Red Universe behind.
But they didn't travel to any of the other universes. Instead, they moved towards the central point between them all.
Yuuki recognized this place—it was the epicenter of the Gourmet Big Bang.
It was that cataclysmic explosion of flavor that had given birth to the five-colored universes.
This region—the heart of the Gourmet Big Bang—was inaccessible to all other forms of life. Yuuki had noticed it during his previous travels between universes, but the area was so hazardous that any attempt to approach would result in complete annihilation.
He knew then that he wasn't strong enough to enter. But now, as a Gourmet God existing in a higher dimension—it was no longer a problem.
——————
Following the other gods into the region, Yuuki saw it—a colossal island floating in a sea of pure white, shielded by a protective dome.
The island itself was unique. At its center grew a massive tree, something akin, Yuuki guessed, to a World Tree.
Stepping onto the island, Yuuki took in his surroundings. While the place was teeming with life, there was something missing. It felt fundamentally different from the world he knew.
But this was a higher dimension, after all. No matter how strange it seemed, it wasn't surprising. He had never set foot in such a place before.
The other Gourmet Gods began to explain.
This was their birthplace and their home. However, there were no Godly Ingredients here—those were kept exclusively in their Spatial Storerooms.
Everything here operated on principles different from the universes below. But for the Gourmet Gods, who had been born here, it was perfectly normal.
As a welcoming gift, they transferred all of their knowledge about the cosmos to him and presented him with a selection of Godly Ingredients.
These were not the mere fragments he had encountered before, but complete, perfect specimens.
For this, Yuuki was genuinely grateful.
After a short while, he decided to leave. Though he was now a Gourmet God, this was not the place he wanted to stay.
The other Gods didn't try to stop him.
The choice of where to go was his alone. Their joy came from having a new kinsman—they would never demand that he remain by their side.
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