**********
—Two Weeks Later—
Blue Grill Entrance,
At this moment, Lev and his companions could be found standing outside the entrance of Blue Grill, preparing to depart from this civilization after spending more than a year in the city.
During their stay, they had formed friendly relationships with many of the people living in this place. What had initially been a temporary stop on their journey had gradually become a place filled with familiar faces and fond memories. However, nothing in this world lasted forever. Sooner or later, every farewell had to come, and today was the day they would part ways.
"Lev, after witnessing your fight against the Whale King, Moon, I finally understand why you so bluntly rejected my offer before. With that kind of strength, you hardly need anyone to look after you." Ichiryu smiled as he looked at Lev.
"However, I've established an organization back in the Human World. This time, I'd like to invite you to join it. I hope you won't turn me down."
Ichiryu had witnessed Lev's battle against Moon two weeks earlier. Although their exchange had been relatively brief, it had been more than enough for him to recognize that Lev possessed the strength necessary to survive in the dangerous Gourmet World.
In fact, the encounter had only deepened his curiosity about Lev's true identity. The more he witnessed the young man's extraordinary abilities, the more he began to believe that Lev might genuinely be from another world, just as he had claimed.
"An organization, huh? Sure, I can do that," Lev replied casually, accepting the offer while wondering what kind of organization Ichiryu had established.
"Hahahaha! I'll take your word for it, then." Ichiryu laughed upon hearing Lev's answer. "Anyway, I don't intend to accompany you on your journey to the other continents. I've decided to return to the Human World and wait for you there instead."
"Well, I can't say for certain how long it'll take us to visit the Human World, but I can assure you that we'll get there eventually," Lev replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Ichiryu simply smiled back.
With that matter settled, Lev and the others continued chatting with Ichiryu and the people who had gathered to see them off. Among those present were the Five 10-Shell Chefs and Jiji, the Gold Chef, all of whom had grown particularly fond of Lev during his stay.
Although they were reluctant to see him leave, they understood that someone like Lev wasn't the type to remain in one place for too long. He was a man who constantly sought new challenges and adventures, and there was little they could do to persuade him otherwise.
"Take care, everyone! We'll come back to visit from time to time, so don't miss us too much!" Lev called out cheerfully.
With that, he finally bid farewell to everyone before departing alongside Alpha and the others.
"See you again!!" the crowd shouted in response, waving as Lev and his companions disappeared from Blue Grill.
For a while, everyone remained at the entrance, watching the place where their figures had vanished. Only after they were certain that Lev and his companions were gone did the crowd begin to disperse.
"Everyone, I believe it's about time for me to leave as well," Ichiryu suddenly announced.
He had also decided to return to the Human World, where numerous matters still required his attention.
"You're leaving already?" Asarudy asked, turning toward him in surprise.
The other members of the Five 10-Shell Chefs also looked at Ichiryu in disbelief. They had already come to terms with Lev's departure, but they hadn't expected Ichiryu to leave so soon afterward.
"Yes. It was nice seeing all of you again. I know my stay here was rather short, but that's just how things are sometimes. I'll come to visit again whenever I have the time," Ichiryu replied with a smile.
After saying his farewells, he called out a Camping Monster and promptly departed to the Human World.
"Tsk! He didn't even ask whether I wanted to come along!" Jiji grumbled, watching Ichiryu leave.
As it turned out, Jiji had also wanted to accompany him. Unfortunately, Ichiryu had departed so quickly that Jiji hadn't even gotten the chance to voice his intentions.
Left behind, he could only watch the departing figure with a disgruntled expression.
"Looks like it's back to being just us again," Condor Window remarked before turning around. "Well, we'd better keep training. The next time Lev visits, let's give him a surprise!"
Having said that, Condor Window began walking back into the city, unwilling to waste any more time.
Hearing his words, Asarudy and the other members of the Five 10-Shell Chefs exchanged glances before following suit. After tasting Lev's extraordinary cooking, they had gained new insights into their craft. Now, they wanted to take advantage of that newfound understanding, return to their work, and put what they had learned into practice.
Before long, the remaining residents who had gathered to bid farewell also returned to the city and resumed their usual routines.
Although Lev had departed, the Infinity Castle Restaurant he had established was still operating. His clones remained behind to manage the establishment, allowing the residents of Blue Grill to continue visiting and enjoying his cooking.
And so, life in Blue Grill gradually returned to normal.
Yet, despite the familiar bustle of the city, things could never be quite the same as before. Lev's presence had left its mark everywhere, from the restaurant he had built to the memories he had created with the people who had come to know him.
Even after his departure, his influence would continue to linger throughout Blue Grill.
*****
Meanwhile, Lev and his companions had already reached the ocean's surface. They could now be seen standing atop an enormous shadow soldier whose appearance closely resembled that of the Whale King, Moon.
This was hardly surprising, considering the connection between the two. Just like Indra and Ishana, this shadow soldier shared the same bloodline as Moon. After naming him Varuna, Lev had added another powerful subordinate to his growing army.
"Master, can you tell us what awaits us in Area 5?" Shion suddenly asked, looking at Lev with curiosity.
Having already experienced several different ecosystems throughout their journey in the Gourmet World, she was eager to discover what the next continent had in store for them.
"Area 5, huh? Well, it's the third-largest continent on the planet. Deep within it lies one of the Gourmet World's greatest treasures—the Food Region Forest," Lev explained with a smile.
Like Shion, he was also looking forward to exploring their next destination.
"We'll probably get to eat all kinds of meat there. I can't wait," Lev muttered, already imagining the ingredients they might encounter.
After spending so much time exploring Area 6 and sampling its abundant seafood, he was ready for something different. Fortunately, Area 5 seemed like the perfect place to satisfy his appetite for new culinary experiences.
"What about the members of the Eight Kings ruling that continent? How does its strength compare to the ones we've encountered so far?" Shion asked, her curiosity growing.
"The ruler of Area 5 is the Deer King. Unlike the other Eight Kings, he doesn't have a particular nickname. He's known by that title because he's the strongest creature among the Sky Deer," Lev explained, recalling the information he knew about the legendary beast.
"Well, there's no need to worry too much. From what I've heard, the Deer King is said to have the calmest and gentlest personality among the Eight Kings."
Hearing this, Shion and the others listened attentively, eager to learn more about the creature they might encounter during their upcoming adventure.
"We still have a long way to go, so I'll tell you everything I know about Area 5 along the way," Lev continued, glancing at each of his companions in turn.
Of course, he wasn't pretending to know everything about the continent. He would simply share the general information he had gathered, giving his companions a better understanding of what awaited them.
With that, Lev and the others settled comfortably atop Varuna as their journey continued. The enormous shadow soldier moved across the endless ocean, carrying them toward their next destination in the vast and mysterious Gourmet World.
**********
—Twenty Years Later—
Area 1,
Time flowed like a river, and twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Throughout those two decades, Lev and his companions had traveled across the vast expanse of the Gourmet World, experiencing countless unforgettable adventures along the way. They had shared both triumphs and hardships, facing one challenge after another while creating memories that would remain with them for a lifetime.
Now, after such a long journey, they had finally arrived at the last continent Lev intended to visit in the Gourmet World.
Area 1.
One of the eight major regions of the Gourmet World, Area 1 was home to CENTER, Acacia's legendary hors d'oeuvre. It was also the domain of Dragon King Derous, one of the Eight Kings.
Located northeast of the Human World, the continent was completely surrounded by Area 2. Of all eight regions, it possessed the smallest singular landmass, with Area 3 ranking second in that regard.
At this very moment, Lev could be found sitting on a rock somewhere in Area 1, quietly examining his status.
After twenty years of traveling through the Gourmet World, he had finally decided to check his progress.
Throughout the entire journey, he hadn't looked at his status even once. Rather than constantly monitoring his growth or obsessing over the numbers displayed by his System, he had chosen to enjoy the adventure itself. He wanted to experience the Gourmet World to its fullest, challenge powerful creatures, discover extraordinary ingredients, and see just how far he could go without being distracted by his own progress.
Now, however, curiosity had finally gotten the better of him.
As he examined his status, Lev couldn't help but smile wryly.
He had expected to grow stronger over the past twenty years, but he hadn't imagined that his strength would have reached such an astonishing level.
In fact, his base form had already surpassed the level of the Eight Kings.
He had first reached this milestone back when they arrived in Area 3. From that point onward, their journey had become considerably smoother. Although the Gourmet World remained filled with dangerous creatures and countless unknowns, the gap between Lev's strength and that of most beings they encountered had grown increasingly apparent.
And now, twenty years later, he had finally arrived at the last continent on his list.
The question was no longer whether he could survive the challenges awaiting him in Area 1.
Rather, it was just how much stronger he had become—and what new discoveries this final destination had in store for him.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Status]
[Name: Lev Hendrix]
[Age: Ageless]
[Class: Shadow Monarch]
[Gourmet Power: 110 (Progress: 67 %)]
[Spirit Power: 150 (Max) (Restricted)]
[Race: Human]
[Bloodline: Saiyan Bloodline]
[Title: True God's Successor, Harem God]
[Primordial Mana: ∞]
[Title Traits:]
[True God's Successor: True God's Blood, True God's Body, True God's Eye, True God's Talent, True God's Cheat]
[Harem God: Harem Sense, Harem Cultivation]
[Bloodline Traits:]
[Saiyan Bloodline: Saiyan Physiology, Zenkai, Saiyan Combat Instinct]
[Skills:]
[Lifestyle Skill/s: Cooking (Tier 9: Level 3), Multilingual (Tier 6: Level 43), (etc.]
[Combat Skill/s: Boxing (Tier 4: Level 78), Swordsmanship (Tier 3: Level 68), Marksmanship (Tier 3: Level 86), etc.]
[Supernatural Skill/s: Immortality, Skill Share, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Supreme King Haki, Ki Blast, Instant Transmission, Telekinesis, Creation of All Things, Vital Energy Manipulation, Technique Mimicry, Fundamental Force Manipulation, (Others: Restricted]
[Class Skills: Shadow Extraction, Shadow Preservation, Shadow Exchange, Monarch's Domain]
[Bloodline Skills: Great Ape Transformation, Saiyan Transformation]
[Gourmet Skills: Appetite Energy Manipulation, Chopsticks, etc.]
[Spirit Skills: (Restricted)]
[Spirit Rings: (Restricted)]
[Soul Bones: (Restricted)]
[Inventory: Infinity, Random Summoning Card x 145, World Ticket x 19, Universe Identity Token, Dragon Armorsuits, Random Weapon Cards x 2, Random Item Cards x 2, Item Enhancement Cards x 2, Random Class Card, etc.]
[Special Function: Auxiliary Sign-In System]
[Harem Members: Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu, Bibi Dong, Gu Yuena, Bo Saixi, Ning Rongrong, Qian Renxue, Sheng Ming]
[Children: Sherry Hendrix, Axel Hendrix, Kellan Hendrix]
[Summons: Restricted Summons (Expand)]
[Store]
[Conquered Worlds: Douluo Dalu]
[True God Coins: 87,533,912,864]
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I never imagined I'd eat this much over the years," Lev remarked as he looked at his status.
Looking back, he couldn't help but feel that the past twenty years had been quite an adventure. From exploring the countless regions of the Gourmet World to challenging powerful creatures and discovering all sorts of rare ingredients, the journey had been well worth it.
Of course, it hadn't been a boring journey in the slightest, especially since he had been accompanied by several beautiful women throughout his travels. Over the years, they had shared their fair share of sweet and intimate moments, providing him with plenty of pleasant memories amid the countless adventures and challenges they had faced together.
"Well, I suppose it's time to take a break in the Human World," Lev muttered, finally deciding that it was time to rest, even if only for a little while.
Besides, he was curious about what the Human World had to offer. Although the Gourmet World was filled with extraordinary ingredients and dangerous creatures, the Human World had its own share of beautiful scenery and interesting places worth exploring.
More importantly, it was the place where the story of this world had begun.
Having spent the past twenty years wandering through the Gourmet World, Lev felt that it was finally time to visit the place where everything had started.
Before long, he closed his system panel and shifted his attention toward a particular direction.
There, a strange-looking dragon of truly colossal proportions could be seen fighting against five individuals. Its enormous body was exceptionally muscular, and its sheer size was almost obscene. Befitting its monolithic stature, its claws were large enough to topple mountains and grasp them with ease. Its skin was light brown, while the underside of its body was noticeably lighter in color.
This creature was none other than Dragon King Derous, one of the Eight Kings.
As for the five individuals currently fighting against him, they were none other than Alpha, Tomoe, Shion, Ghislaine, and Shizuku.
After twenty years of eating extraordinary ingredients and engaging in countless battles throughout the Gourmet World, all five women had grown tremendously stronger. Their current abilities had reached the point where they could spar with members of the Eight Kings without being immediately overwhelmed.
Of course, there was still a considerable difference between being able to fight against one of the Eight Kings and actually defeating one.
Nevertheless, their progress was undeniable.
"Nakime, it's time for us to return to the Human World. How are things on your end?" Lev suddenly asked, his gaze remaining fixed on the battle unfolding in the distance.
Not far from him, Nakime sat quietly while playing her biwa.
After twenty years of consuming the extraordinary ingredients found throughout the Gourmet World, her former weakness to sunlight had long since disappeared. The changes brought about by the ingredients had caused her cells to undergo a profound transformation, allowing her to overcome a limitation that had once been an inherent weakness.
Her appearance had also changed considerably. She had regained the appearance she possessed before becoming a demon, returning to her original human form.
"I'm ready whenever you are, Master," Nakime replied confidently, her fingers continuing to move gracefully across the strings of her biwa.
"Good."
Having received her answer, Lev said nothing more. He simply continued watching the battle in the distance, while Nakime remained beside him, playing her biwa as she observed the same spectacle.
With their preparations complete, it was only a matter of time before Lev and his companions departed for the Human World.