Chapter 17: The Speed of World Rank Chef

"Hmm? You're not saving any?" Chef Sumire paused, knife hovering over the Rainbow Fruit. Rare ingredients like this were typically preserved—a single fruit could sustain a chef for months. 

"We're heading to the Beach Cave soon," Zed said. "Better to boost my Gourmet Cells now. Safety first." 

Chef Sumire nodded. The cave's depths were treacherous, even for a Saiseiya of Zed's skill. 

She began preparing the fruit herself—a rare honor. As the 10th-ranked chef, her culinary demonstrations were legendary. Students and faculty crowded the kitchen, straining to follow her slowed movements. At full speed, even Zed's enhanced senses would blur. 

World chefs operated on another level. During the Four Beasts Crisis, over five million chefs had crafted 200 million Simplified Medicinal Rice Cakes in two hours. Meanwhile, Grandma Setsuno and eight others—excluding Komatsu—produced 300 million. Without simplifications, those nine alone would've made 50 million. Chef Jin's hands, now deliberately sluggish, still diced the Rainbow Fruit into ethereal slices. 

As her blade parted the fruit's flesh, prismatic mist erupted, coalescing into a rainbow above the cutting board. 

"The juice evaporates on contact with air," Zed explained to Erina and Hisako. "One drop could flavor an Olympic pool." 

Zed briefly explained the Rainbow Fruit's properties. 

"One drop flavors a swimming pool?!" Erina recoiled. "How can we eat something so potent?!" 

"Relax," Zed said. "Your bodies absorb only what they can handle. Excess energy… exits naturally." 

In the Gourmet World, even mortals could consume Eight Kings' ingredients without harm—unused energy dissipated harmlessly. 

Chef Sumire transformed the fruit into desserts: puddings, cakes, tarts—each crowned with a miniature rainbow from evaporating juice. The kitchen shimmered like a dessert aurora. 

"Time to taste," Chef Sumire announced. 

Zed lifted a slice of cake, marveling at its weight. Rainbow Fruit's density rivaled gold—a testament to its concentrated essence. 

The first bite erupted with sweetness, morphing through seven distinct flavors before suffusing his entire body.