Morpheus had to admit, he was intrigued by Erina Nakiri.
The Erina standing before him, brimming with confidence, was different from the one he knew from the manga.
In Shokugeki no Soma, Erina was undeniably proud, her haughty demeanor a mask to hide her inner fragility.
She was like a hedgehog, prickly to protect herself.
When faced with danger, especially anything tied to her father, she'd crumble, trembling and vulnerable.
Her father had left an indelible shadow of trauma from her childhood.
But this Erina, while still proud, exuded a confidence that wasn't in the original story.
It was a genuine, radiant confidence, emanating from within.
Not the fragile facade of the manga.
Morpheus was curious—what had this Erina experienced in this crossover world to transform into someone even more dazzling than her manga counterpart?
This world was indeed fascinating.
Seeing Morpheus's defiance, Erina's eyes flashed with impatience. She stepped forward, lowering her stance.
"I gave you a chance. If you won't take it, don't blame me for what happens next."
With that, she shot forward like an arrow, her delicate fist swinging with such force that it shattered the air, sending a shockwave like a tsunami toward Morpheus.
Morpheus's eyes widened in disbelief.
This was a chef?
With that strength and speed, he'd believe she was a martial artist.
Had this crossover world's Erina not only mastered cooking but also trained in combat?
With a thought, Morpheus unleashed his Light Dimension power, flowing like mercury, instantly sealing the surrounding space.
Erina froze mid-air, unable to move.
"???"
Hisako, witnessing this, gasped in horror. "Miss!"
Erina struggled, but the space around her was locked tight, as if welded shut.
No matter how she tried, she couldn't budge.
Morpheus reached out to touch Erina's arm. Hisako, seeing this, gritted her teeth and charged at him.
"Don't touch her!"
But her strength and speed were nowhere near Erina's—she was just an ordinary human.
With a wave of his hand, Morpheus pinned her in place.
He grabbed Erina's arm and examined her closely.
His inspection revealed something bizarre.
Erina's body contained neither mana nor yokai energy, nor any other strange power.
Yet her cells were extraordinarily vibrant.
Each cell held dozens, even hundreds, of times the energy of a normal human's.
And they were unnaturally active.
This wasn't normal.
Ordinary human cells—calories—didn't hold such power, nor were they so lively.
This was beyond human limits.
Had Erina undergone some kind of genetic modification to gain such strength?
But it didn't seem like it.
Morpheus could tell her body was entirely natural, untouched by surgery or alteration.
If she'd been modified, he'd have noticed.
Then, he sensed something else—something hidden deep within her.
It was so well-concealed that even he nearly overlooked it.
Driven by curiosity, Morpheus sent a thread of Light Dimension power into Erina's body, quickly locating the hidden entity.
It was a strange lifeform.
It resembled a demon but wasn't a traditional one.
It lay dormant within Erina, extremely weak, not yet awakened.
What was this?
Morpheus's eyes flickered as he sent a wisp of Light Dimension power into the entity.
The strange demon seemed uninterested in his power, and the light caused it no harm.
But in that moment, Morpheus gleaned a fragment of information from it.
This entity was called Black Slime—an Appetite Demon.
Suddenly, everything clicked.
No wonder Erina was so much stronger than her manga counterpart. No wonder her cells were dozens, even hundreds, of times more powerful than a normal human's.
She had become a Gourmet Hunter and awakened Gourmet Cells.
Gourmet Cells were from the world of Toriko.
Those familiar with Toriko knew what Gourmet Cells were.
They were miraculous cells that emerged in the Gourmet Universe.
Discovered by the Nitro, a highly intelligent species capable of manipulating Gourmet Cells to terraform planets, these cells were sent to Earth via meteorites in ancient times.
Under their influence over billions of years, Earth's size grew over 600 times, becoming a Gourmet Planet teeming with delicious, powerful lifeforms.
Later, humans emerged. The Gourmet God, Acacia, while pursuing culinary perfection, discovered the Phantom Jellyfish in the deep sea.
Its cells were far more active than those of other fish, regenerating limbs after being eaten and making the animals that consumed it tastier.
Thus, Acacia realized life could evolve through these cells.
When implanted in humans, Gourmet Cells activated their cells, allowing humans to evolve by consuming gourmet foods, gaining strength far beyond normal limits—capable of world-shattering feats.
So, this chaotic crossover world had also merged with Toriko?
It didn't seem like it.
Morpheus hadn't seen any trace of the IGO, the International Gourmet Organization, in this world.
Yet, Erina undeniably harbored an Appetite Demon. How could that be explained?
Curious, Morpheus looked up at Erina, still frozen in her attack pose.
"I'm curious, Miss Erina Nakiri. How did you awaken your Gourmet Cells?"
"?!"
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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