"A potent tonic, but no Gourmet Cell boost." Zed frowned, observing his swollen muscles—a mere caloric surge, not cellular growth. He'd need mountains of Puffer Whale meat to elevate his Gourmet Cell Level.
Then he sensed it, a shift in Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato's auras. Gourmet Cells awakening.
The system's amplified odds had borne fruit: both women now harbored Gourmet Cells, their potential skyrocketing. Unlike combatants like Zed or Toriko, who tempered power with gruelling foundations, chefs in this world thrived on synergy. Partners, not warriors, their cells prioritized refinement over raw force.
"Dual awakenings? Puffer Whale must resonate with their cells," Chef Sumire noted, studying the duo.
Female Gourmet Cell awakenings diverged from males. No bulging muscles here—Erina and Hisako's skin glowed poreless, their figures honed to athletic elegance. Strength surged subtly, aesthetics prioritized—a quirk of the cells' "humane" design.
Chef Sumire misjudged their awakening, assuming innate Gourmet Cells lay dormant—a rare but plausible occurrence. Few survived such awakenings unscathed; Erina and Hisako's seamless transition spoke to monstrous Food Luck.
As their Gourmet Cells flared, spectral Gourmet Demons materialized above them—one gold, one pink, mirroring their hair. Spiked and genderless, the demons radiated faint pressure, harmless to all but the untrained.
The System had scrubbed these demons' autonomy, rendering them docile as Zed's Leader Slime. Mastery would come later—for now, the duo couldn't even access their Mind Spaces, where the demons resided.
"How does it feel?" Zed asked.
"Strong enough to wrestle a bull," Erina Nakiri grinned.
"Unstoppable," Hisako Arato added.
Zed scanned their Gourmet Cell Levels: 3. They were modest yet transformative. Unlike him, whose combat-honed foundation let him punch above his weight, they'd need training to harness even this.
"Level 3 at awakening? Your Gourmet Demons must be formidable," Chef Sumire remarked. Like Gourmet Cells, demons varied in potency.