Under Nakiri Erina's tense gaze,
Malrick was the first to lift his chopsticks. He picked up a slice of tuna, brought it to his mouth, and paused the moment it touched his tongue.
"This flavor…"
The tuna dissolved effortlessly.
Malrick stopped chewing.
The dish used numerous seasonings and supporting ingredients, yet none of them overwhelmed the fish itself. Instead, they reinforced one another, pushing the natural taste of the tuna to its absolute peak.
The balance was flawless. The juice, the texture, the elasticity of the flesh, everything was precise.
This level of control over seasoning and preparation was something Malrick had never encountered before.
"Excellent," he said calmly. "Truly excellent. Congratulations, Miss Nakiri. You are hired. If you are willing, you can leave with us."
"R really?" Nakiri Erina's eyes widened, joy flashing across her face.
Then she hesitated. "Um, may I ask what you mean by leaving with you? Where exactly would that be?"
"It's to…"
"Awwoo!"
A sudden whimper cut him off.
Altria, who had also been eating the tuna, suddenly curled up in her chair.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, her green eyes shimmering like rippling water as she squirmed uncontrollably. The white shirt tucked neatly into her high-waisted skirt pulled tight, the buttons straining as if they might pop loose at any moment.
"This taste… mmm… it feels like being brushed by countless feathers… ah, it's, it's…"
She twisted instinctively, her posture completely undone.
Eriyi froze in shock and quietly pushed her untouched tuna plate aside.
Malrick turned to Nakiri Erina and said calmly, "We are going somewhere that makes it very easy for your food to overwhelm people."
"That sounds good, wait, what do you mean overwhelm people?" Nakiri Erina snapped back, her cheeks flushed as she puffed up proudly. "A true chef would never do something so crude."
Despite her words, her expression betrayed her pride.
Altria's reaction was the greatest compliment her cooking could receive.
...
"Hey, hey, hey, that guy called Little Chef definitely put something weird in the food. It has to be something strange, absolutely," Nakiri Erina complained nonstop.
The world of the Little Chef.
After Liu Maoxing earned the title of Special Grade Chef and left Yangquan Restaurant, Malrick and his group intercepted him and his girlfriend, issuing a cooking challenge along with an invitation.
The ingredient was, once again, tuna.
Liu Maoxing prepared a stew.
The moment he lifted the lid, golden light surged upward, illuminating the surroundings.
Nakiri Erina immediately accused him of cheating.
Liu Maoxing's cooking did not rely on exaggerated reactions or overwhelming stimulation.
His dishes were pure, refined, and deeply satisfying.
After Nakiri Erina took a bite, she began muttering uncontrollably.
"It's like sailing across the sea, waves crashing against your face, fresh and invigorating…"
Altria, having learned from her earlier experience, tried to keep her head down.
But in the end, she still picked up her chopsticks.
Soon enough, she too began talking about sunlight, ocean winds, and rolling waves.
"Alright," Malrick said, clearly pleased. "Little Chef, you're hired."
Seeing Liu Maoxing hesitate, Malrick added, "Your girlfriend can come as well."
...
In addition to Nakiri Erina and Little Chef,
Malrick also visited the world of God Chef Little Fugui and brought both Little Fugui and his grandfather along.
Eventually, everyone returned to the Gourmet world.
The chefs began working together to prepare increasingly extreme ingredients.
For ordinary humans, processing massive or resilient ingredients would have been impossible.
Malrick simply upgraded all of them with Gourmet Cells.
After eating a full round of dishes themselves, their physical strength skyrocketed.
Little Fugui's grandfather, Grandpa Hong, after eating Nakiri Erina's food, underwent a dramatic transformation, bursting into a muscular physique as his clothes split apart.
…
"Dishes served."
Little Fugui assisted eagerly, announcing each dish as it was placed on the table.
"Appetizer, Ghost God's Entrails. Soup, Four-Finned Sailfish. Fish course, Puffer Whale Sashimi. Meat course, Drunken Ox…"
Eight dishes in total.
Even Altria was completely satisfied by the end of the meal.
Afterward, everyone rested or exercised quietly.
Except for Malrick.
The Gourmet energy within the food continued to strengthen them with every passing moment.
Days passed.
Malrick hunted increasingly powerful prey.
The quality of their meals rose steadily.
From low Capture Level Puffer Whales,
To Mammoths with a Capture Level of forty eight, creatures legally classified as extinction-level threats,
And finally, the Eight Beast Kings, each with Capture Levels exceeding six thousand, capable of destroying a Planet effortlessly.
After consuming the flesh of the Eight Kings,
Everyone reached Cosmic-Level strength.
Still, Malrick did not stop.
He bid farewell to the Eight Beast Kings and led the chefs into outer space.
Planet-sized Pufferfish, Gourmet Planets, GOD ingredients, endless delicacies appeared throughout the Universe.
At the journey's end, they encountered a Cosmic Taipan Snake.
Its Capture Level exceeded five hundred thirty thousand, its body stretching over eighty million kilometers.
Its strength brushed the threshold of true Cosmic existence.
Malrick initially fought it using only his Steel Body.
They battled evenly, tearing across the edge of the Universe, disturbing tens of thousands of superclusters.
In the end, Malrick released power beyond his physical form and manifested a thought-born Universe.
Only then did the Cosmic Taipan Snake willingly surrender part of its flesh.
The chefs prepared it.
Little Chef, acting as head chef, created one hundred and eight dishes inspired by a grand imperial feast.
When the meal began, every dish shone like a star.
Even Malrick's main body benefited immensely.
Altria and Eriyi underwent a complete life transformation.
"It was an incredible gourmet journey," Malrick said a few days later, "but it has reached its end."
He bid farewell to the chefs.
"I will send you back to your respective worlds. We will meet again."
Every world Malrick visited was destined to be merged into the Biochemical World in the future.
Their paths would cross again.
With their current strength, returning home would change everything.
Nakiri Erina would reign supreme in the culinary world.
Everyone had a future filled with possibility.
Malrick continued onward with Eriyi and Altria.
Eriyi had once purchased over a hundred trials.
So Malrick led them through more than a hundred worlds.
They clashed with powerful factions, saved doomed worlds, studied advanced cosmic systems, and witnessed apocalyptic beings.
Their final stop was the Miniature Garden of Problem Children Are From Another World.
There, Malrick observed an entirely new Cosmic structure and countless life forms.
Eriyi and Altria each left behind legends of their own.
After departing the Miniature Garden, Malrick sent them back to their respective worlds.
He alone returned to the Resident Evil Universe.
The fusion of the New World had already begun.
His main body had been delayed long enough.