After Toriko and Starjun acknowledged each other as brothers, Ichiryu also handed out some of the other ingredients he'd obtained from Kael.
Everyone had already built a solid foundation, so now he could finally let them push their strength further without holding back.
"I didn't expect this kind of boost just from eating those ingredients," Toriko said, flexing his arms in disbelief. "Both my arms and even my tongue evolved. My Gourmet Cells activated multiple times in one go. At this rate, entering the Gourmet World won't be a problem at all."
After the enhancement, Toriko had a brand-new understanding of his own power.
That said… he didn't dare get cocky anymore.
The last time he let it get to his head, reality crushed him so hard it left him staring into absolute despair. If he could improve this much from eating those ingredients, then what about everyone else who ate them too?
No way he was making that mistake again.
"That's exactly why I gave you those three ingredients," Ichiryu replied calmly. "You're about to enter the Gourmet World. And all three were prepared by Chef Kael. If nothing goes wrong, he should already be working on the fourth one by now."
His tone grew more serious.
"Once you step into the Gourmet World, be extremely careful. From that point on, no one will be able to help you."
Even if Toriko and Starjun were the children of his teacher and master's wife, Ichiryu couldn't guard them forever. He still had his own responsibilities.
He needed to strengthen the members of the 0th Biotope next. And he couldn't abandon the Human World either. Even with Mansam around, things wouldn't stay stable for long without him.
This time, Midora hadn't unleashed Meteor Spice. The Human World hadn't been devastated. Nations hadn't collapsed. And because of that, IGO couldn't step in and take control.
In the original timeline, Midora's near-apocalyptic destruction had caused massive losses—but it also freed IGO from the restraints of its member nations, allowing it to rise as the uncontested dominant force in the Human World.
Of course, total dominance never ends well. Without external enemies, internal decay becomes the greatest threat.
But that was a problem for the distant future.
For now, although IGO hadn't gained absolute control, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With power balanced between different sides, everyone had to hold back a little. There would be constant small frictions—but the overall direction wouldn't spiral out of control.
After finishing his instructions, Ichiryu left.
The space between the two brothers belonged to them now.
He still had to reinforce the other Four Heavenly Kings and the members of the 0th Biotope.
—
Meanwhile, in the Gourmet World—
Kael had been preparing to capture the fourth ingredient when something unexpected happened.
One of his inheritances was complete.
The Character Inheritance was already nearing its end. After all, everything Toriko had mastered, Kael had basically mastered as well—if not to an even higher degree in terms of technique.
Only a tiny fragment remained before completion.
Kael had originally assumed that Character Inheritance would finish first.
But to his surprise, Faction Inheritance completed ahead of schedule.
For Kael, that was fantastic news.
Midora's hellish training had been brutal beyond words. Now that it was finally over, it felt like a mountain had been lifted off his shoulders.
And the reward?
It was incredible.
He obtained Midora's copy ability.
Midora possessed an absurdly powerful copying skill. No matter what move his opponent used—if he liked it, he could replicate it. Not just techniques, either. He could even copy Food Luck.
Midora himself didn't possess Food Luck.
But that didn't stop him from taking it from others.
The first time he copied Food Luck was when he faced Joie. Because he wanted that power, he observed with extreme focus—so focused that Joie seized the opportunity to seal him inside the Golden Can.
But Midora at that time was already overwhelmingly strong.
The Golden Can, no matter how much Blue Nitro bragged about it, was only around Seven-Beast level in terms of durability.
Midora had already consumed two ingredients back then. His combat power was monstrous. Even sealed inside the Golden Can, he shattered his way out. And when he emerged, he happened to encounter Brunch and consumed four more ingredients.
As for the Golden Can…
Only Blue Nitro truly believed in its absolute effectiveness.
Their own strength couldn't rise any further. When your ceiling is low, so is your perspective. To them, the Golden Can could solve anything.
But this world was far too vast.
Forget the universe—there were already beings on Earth that a mere Golden Can couldn't contain.
After copying Food Luck, Midora played a crucial role in the final battle. Later, when Earth itself fell into crisis, he copied Zonge's Food Luck and unleashed Gourmet Spice to restore the planet.
That alone proved how terrifying his ability was.
Food Luck was essentially a special rule of the world, deeply connected to the true Gourmet God. Yet Midora could still replicate it.
Which meant the Gourmet Demon inside him was anything but ordinary.
Though it had only appeared a handful of times, its power was undeniable.
Kael even suspected that Midora's Gourmet Demon might not have originated from this world at all.
Now, Kael could also copy other people's abilities.
Not just techniques—but special abilities as well.
At his current level, he could even replicate the sensory techniques of other Heavenly Kings.
It was ridiculously overpowered.
The system truly delivered.
Kael was more than satisfied.
With Faction Inheritance complete, he temporarily halted his hunt for the next ingredient and focused entirely on finishing Toriko's Character Inheritance.
That last fragment was within reach.
Aside from cell level differences, Kael already matched—or even surpassed—Toriko in nearly every aspect. Only a tiny gap remained.
Once he closed it, Character Inheritance would be complete.
So his focus shifted from ingredients back to the Inheritance System itself.
No matter what, the system was his foundation. Everything he'd achieved so far stemmed from it.
As for ingredients?
There was still time before the Gourmet Eclipse. He had already captured three. Four remained.
No need to rush.
And so, Kael began grinding away at the final stage of his system inheritance.
The world continued to turn.
There was still quite some time before the Gourmet Eclipse.
Not just Kael—even Toriko and the others had plenty of time left to prepare.