Food Wars: Fishing System #248+249: The System's True Purpose, A Journey to Another World, and the Cosmic Taipan

For a time, Yuuki remained at the facility, teaching the hand-picked IGO staff how to operate the new technology. Most of them lacked Gourmet Cells and weren't particularly strong, but they were brilliant when it came to science.

He only taught them the basics of observation—the Gourmet Satellite was packed with advanced systems that would take more than a day or two to master, and Yuuki couldn't stay to teach them everything.

He had already translated the Nitro language, and Ichiryu had brought in the Three Flavor Sages to take over the project. With that handled, Yuuki could finally focus on what mattered most: the gift from the Gourmet Gods and the System itself.

He was wary of being tricked by the Gourmet Gods. The odds were low, but you could never be too careful.

So, he decided against studying their gift in the world of Toriko. After showing the IGO team the basic functions of the Gourmet Satellite, he returned to Earth and then to the world of Food Wars.

There, he began the process of extracting the so-called "divinity" from his System using the method the Gourmet Gods had provided.

The moment he started, the System transformed. The entire pond began to boil, and a stream of information flooded into his mind.

Once the influx of data subsided, Yuuki finally understood. The Gourmet Gods' method had worked—it was like a key.

All this time, he had only been scratching the surface of the System's true potential. Its power was so immense that he hadn't been worthy of seeing its true face.

But now, the key had unlocked the door, revealing the System's real function.

From this point on, the fishing function was gone. He would never catch anything from the pond again. Instead, the water itself would become the very foundation of his strength.

Everything he had fished out before had been a manifestation of the pond's water, created for the sole purpose of strengthening and training him.

Now that he had reached a certain level of power, such gentle methods were no longer necessary.

His body could now withstand the direct impact of the pond's water.

The water would continuously enhance all of his abilities, transforming them into skills that would grow and evolve—not just grow, but grow at a rate magnified countless times over.

As for the "Divinity" the Gourmet Gods had mentioned—the System did indeed possess it. It was a pre-programmed function, a part of the System's true power that would only become accessible once he was ready.

The Gourmet Gods had only been able to sense it because the System had intentionally released a sliver of its aura for them to find.

The System's purpose was to help him grow stronger. It didn't force him down a specific path; it simply supported the path he chose, helping him advance further and further.

And the path he had chosen was the Way of Cooking. Among the three thousand great paths, none was inherently better or worse than another—each simply had its own unique characteristics.

The Way of Cooking was no different, and it was the path that suited him best. He would never abandon it for another just because he thought it was weak.

A path was never weak—only the person walking it. Strength always came from the individual, not the rules they followed.

The method the Gourmet Gods had provided was flawless, but he no longer needed it. The key had opened the door, and the door would now remain open forever. The key was obsolete.

He had now obtained divinity. As it grew stronger, he would become an existence like the Gourmet Gods themselves.

And as his divinity continued to grow, he was destined to surpass them. That was the advantage of being a cheater.

Of course, the System only provided the means to become stronger; it was up to him to do the work.

Yuuki was more than satisfied with this. It was a perfect arrangement.

When he finally mastered this path completely, the System would have fulfilled its purpose and would cease to exist.

By then, he would be powerful enough to create an identical system with a snap of his fingers.

"So that's what the System really is... This is a massive haul. The Way of Cooking... to think that becoming a God Chef is just the first step on the path."

Yuuki now had a crystal-clear understanding of his own situation. The Way of Cooking was an incredibly long road. After all this time, he had only just reached the entrance.

But that was exactly what excited him. He was eager to see just how far this path would take him.

Under the baptism of his newfound divinity, his power had surged once more.

If his previous power level had been in the hundreds of thousands, it was now in the millions. That was the terrifying power of divinity.

And it would only continue to grow as he absorbed more. It was even more monstrous than Gourmet Cells.

——————

Of course, divinity wasn't something every living being possessed. Yuuki only had it because he was a cheater.

In all the long history of the Toriko world, only the Gourmet Gods had ever possessed it.

Not even GOD, the strongest being born from the Earth, had true divinity. Though it was a divine beast, its divinity was a mere imitation, a cheap copy created by the planet.

That was why GOD, despite its divine status, was so weak.

On Earth, it had few rivals. But in the vastness of the universe, its power level was a joke.

As someone who possessed true divinity, Yuuki understood its immense power. He knew, with absolute certainty, that GOD's divinity was a fake.

Now that he understood the true nature of his System, he had also gained the ability to travel between worlds with others.

He gathered everyone and told them about the other world. His plan was to have them hone their skills in the world of Toriko.

Nearly everyone around him was a chef. They were the perfect candidates to walk the Way of Cooking.

Only one person could ever reach the peak of a path, but that didn't mean it was a dead end for everyone else.

Those who were suited for a path could still walk it; they just couldn't reach the absolute summit if someone else had already claimed it.

According to the information from the System, no one had yet reached the peak of the Way of Cooking. That was his goal.

But even if he couldn't reach the top, it didn't matter. He and the people around him no longer had to worry about things like lifespan.

There was no need to chase after such things with desperate obsession. He wanted to reach the summit, but he wasn't so fixated on it that it would become a crippling fixation.

He had always been a free-spirited person.

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"We can go to another world?"

Everyone was buzzing with excitement after hearing Yuuki's explanation. The strongest chefs in the world of Food Wars could only go so far. The chance to enter a world with Transcendent Chefs was an incredible opportunity.

"That's right. I can take you there now, but you need to be prepared."

Yuuki explained the background and situation of the Toriko world. He wasn't worried about their safety—even without him, they would be fine.

Every single one of them had Gourmet Cells. Even though they had only recently awakened them, their strength was terrifying—at least, from the perspective of the people in that world.

And Yuuki would be there, checking in on them from time to time.

He told them about the world and gave them time to get their affairs in order.

——————

After getting everyone settled, It was time to head to space.

With a Gourmet Cell level in the millions, he couldn't exactly run wild across the universe, but he could certainly protect himself.

He wasn't worried about his own safety. And this time, he planned to bring Nono with him. She was his partner, after all.

Now that he could transport people to other worlds, he could send her away at the first sign of danger. He no longer had to worry about the old problem—he could escape danger, but what about those with him?

That was why he had originally planned to go to space alone. But now, he could bring her without any issue.

He told Nono his plan. She was overjoyed at the thought of going with him, but she immediately asked if she would be a burden.

Only after he reassured her that she wouldn't slow him down did she agree to join him on his quest for more ingredients in the cosmos.

While Yuuki and Nono were getting ready, everyone else was also preparing for their own journeys. Ichiryu and Don Slime had already departed, planning to explore the nearby area first after scouting it with the Gourmet Satellite.

The Four Heavenly Kings, Jiro, and the others were all making their own preparations, all of them excited about the prospect of exploring space.

Even Granny Setsuno, rejuvenated and with a new outlook on life, was looking forward to the adventure.

Yuuki didn't need to prepare much. He had no need for supplies. Others had to use the Gourmet Satellite to plan safe routes with supply points, a difficult and time-consuming process.

Most of them were traveling in juvenile Giant Shells—there were very few Camping Monsters capable of interstellar travel.

The juvenile Giant Shells had limited storage, so they couldn't carry a lot of food. They had to rely on supply points.

And they all had backup plans. In space, one mistake could be your last.

——————

"Mr. Yuuki, are we really going to fight that thing?"

Aboard a juvenile Giant Shell, Yuuki and Nono had left Earth. But their first destination wasn't the deep cosmos—it was a threat much closer to home.

A colossal Cosmic Taipan lurked in the space near Earth. It was larger than the planet itself, with a capture level of 530,000.

Though it didn't attack Earth, it was a threat to anyone leaving the planet. But the main reason Yuuki was targeting it was simple—he was curious about how it tasted.

So, he planned to capture it first. With a power level in the millions, taking down a creature with a level of a few hundred thousand would be child's play.

Power levels in this world weren't linear. Certain thresholds brought about a qualitative change in power.

On Earth, a level of 5 was the first major milestone. Below that, numbers could still make a difference. Above it, they were mostly irrelevant.

The next major jump was at level 100. Below that, even a creature in the high 90s had limited destructive power. But once a creature crossed the 100-mark, like the Four-Beast's limbs, the change was terrifying.

The next leap was even greater—level 6,000, the realm of the Eight Kings, beings whose very will could alter the environment.

Then came the tens of thousands, where GOD resided. And now, Yuuki was in the millions, another massive milestone. With his current strength, crushing the Cosmic Taipan would be a walk in the park.

"Don't worry, I've got this."

Yuuki said with a smile, reassuring Nono. Seeing his confidence, and with the Blue Nitro's gourmet encyclopedia right beside them, she knew he wouldn't do anything reckless.

The Cosmic Taipan was terrifying, but she trusted him. If he had made this decision, he must be certain of the outcome.

And so, the two of them piloted the Giant Shell towards the coordinates the IGO had provided.

The IGO had classified the snake as a high-level threat. With such a high capture level and its proximity to Earth, it required constant monitoring and contingency planning.

So, when Yuuki announced his intention to capture it, the IGO staff were dumbfounded. They knew he was strong, but they also knew the snake's capture level.

Over 500,000...

The strongest creatures on Earth—the Eight Kings—didn't even come close.

But it was an order from Yuuki, who now held one of the highest levels of authority in the IGO, alongside President Mansam and former President Ichiryu.

His orders were to be followed without question.

Everyone on the Gourmet Satellite was watching him. They were eager to see what a battle between Yuuki and the Cosmic Taipan would look like.

As they watched, the juvenile Giant Shell approached the snake. The shell was so small, and Yuuki was concealing his aura so well, that the Taipan didn't even notice them.

For a creature larger than the Earth, they were like microbes. It would need special equipment to even see them.

"Looks like the big guy hasn't noticed us yet."

Yuuki said with a grin.

"I knew it was big, but seeing it up close... it's terrifying. A single one of its scales is so massive you can't even see the edges."

The sheer scale of the creature was a massive visual shock. Yuuki wasn't surprised. The thing was absurdly large.

"This is the perfect chance to test out a new move. Gourmet Divine Punishment!"

Yuuki's calories surged, and in the next instant, a massive golden hand materialized in the void of space.

It was a move Acacia had used in the original story, a hand of golden calories that had held the Earth between its fingers like a marble.

In the face of Gourmet Divine Punishment, a planet was nothing.

And Yuuki's version was far more terrifying than Acacia's.

The giant hand opened and—as if grabbing an eel—snatched the Cosmic Taipan from the void.

Caught in the massive grip, the snake sensed the danger and unleashed a powerful surge of energy. In the face of death, every creature would fight with all its might.

The ingredients of this world were willing to be eaten, but only if you had the strength to capture them.

And right now, the Cosmic Taipan was fighting for its life, struggling violently to escape the grip of the calorie hand.