[129] - First Meeting with Knocking Master Jiro, Learning Knocking? Journey to the Ice Hell!

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"You're a sharp young man," Setsuno said, a thoughtful smile playing on her lips.

"But not in a way that's off-putting. Since that's the case, you can stay here for a while. I'll have someone prepare everything you need."

She had taken a real liking to Yuuki, especially after witnessing his cooking. In her eyes, his culinary skills were already enough to rank him among the top ten Chefs in the world.

While Yuuki's cooking still couldn't compare to that of seasoned veterans like herself or Zaus, she knew they only had the advantage of age.

Given enough time, it wouldn't be a problem for Yuuki to surpass them.

As for the younger generation, Setsuno couldn't think of a single person who could hold a candle to him.

Yuuki was a Chef who was close to mastering Food Honor—and his Gourmet Cell level was nothing to scoff at. In every respect, he stood at the very pinnacle of his generation.

Even her own apprentice, Nono, was no match for him—a conclusion she'd reached after their match.

However, she also noticed a few gaps in his knowledge. With that in mind, Setsuno handed Yuuki a tablet.

"This contains the IGO's internal ingredient database. While your senses allow you to grasp an ingredient's properties quickly, you haven't had the chance to study them beforehand, have you? This kind of foundational knowledge is crucial for a Chef."

She had identified Yuuki's weakness.

What he needed now was to cram as much information about ingredients as possible. For both a Gourmet Hunter and a Chef, this knowledge was paramount.

Yuuki nodded, readily admitting it was exactly what he was missing.

Later, Setsuno had Nono help Yuuki get registered in the system, and a card was delivered along with his new identification.

It was a black card with an unlimited credit line, just like the one Toriko used.

With this, Yuuki wouldn't have to worry about money. Setsuno wasn't concerned about him spending recklessly, either.

With his level of strength, capturing high-level, rare ingredients was a simple task. For the truly powerful, money was just a number.

Yuuki's memory was photographic—he could remember anything he saw with perfect clarity. He spent a single night with the database and committed the entire thing to memory.

....

The next day, Setsuno called Yuuki over while she was instructing Nono. Yuuki knew exactly what she was doing—she intended to teach him as well.

He was genuinely grateful. He wasn't so arrogant as to think there was nothing left for a Gourmet National Treasure like Setsuno to teach him. She possessed countless skills, and he knew he could learn a great deal from her.

After the morning lesson, someone new joined them for lunch.

It was Knocking Master Jiro, just returned from the Gourmet World.

"S-Setsu... is that Knocking? No, there's no trace of it on you, and your aura... it's become so much more active. What the hell is going on??"

Jiro had just returned, planning to see Setsuno and grab a bite to eat. He never expected that the little old lady he'd left would have transformed back into the youthful woman from centuries ago.

He was an expert in Knocking, and he could tell in an instant that she hadn't used them. The weary, twilight aura that had clung to her was gone, replaced by a vibrant energy—the energy of youth.

"Surprising, isn't it, Jiro? It's all thanks to Yuuki. Let me introduce you. This is Yuuki. My transformation is his doing. Yuuki, this is Jiro. I'm sure you've heard of him!" Setsuno introduced them to each other.

"Of course. The reputation of Knocking Master Jiro precedes him." Yuuki nodded politely.

"It's because of him? What happened? Tell me everything."

Jiro sat down at the counter, and Setsuno recounted the whole story.

....

....

"The key to completing the Century Soup... and not only restoring youth but also extending life!"

The way Jiro looked at Yuuki completely changed.

Before, he had seen a stranger. Now, after hearing everything, his expression softened into one of profound friendliness.

It was simple—while Setsuno still had plenty of years left and wasn't in any immediate danger of passing away, her life did have a limit.

Jiro's Greatest fear was Setsuno dying before him, an inevitability he had long dreaded. He was now effectively a living Appetite Demon, with a nearly infinite lifespan—

—But Setsuno was still human. She couldn't replicate his experience of eating Nitro, as the risks were far too great.

If it were possible, Ichiryu would have done the same for the Four Heavenly Kings. The fact that he hadn't meant that what happened to Jiro was a fluke that couldn't be repeated.

Using that method to grant Setsuno an infinite lifespan was impossible.

As for eating the Acacia's Full Course Menu and having her consume an Appetite Demon—that was another option, one that would turn her into something like Joie.

Joie had taken over Froese's body, and for hundreds of years, aside from her own modifications, her physical age hadn't changed at all.

But acquiring all of Acacia's Full Course Menu was no easy task, and the time wasn't right yet. If a better method existed, Jiro certainly didn't want to pin all his hopes on Acacia's Full Course Menu.

Yuuki's appearance—and his ability to do all this without any side effects or cost—was the answer to Jiro's deepest prayers.

He was, of course, immensely grateful.

For Jiro, nothing was more important than Setsuno.

"A fine young man. Yuuki, was it? Are you interested in learning some Knocking techniques from me??"

Jiro asked. It was the only way he could think of to express his gratitude.

"OF COURSE! The Knocking Master's fame is legendary!"

Yuuki agreed on the spot. He'd have to be the world's biggest fool to refuse. He knew from the original story just how ridiculously powerful the Art of Knocking was.

Honestly, if Jiro hadn't left Acacia's mouth intact back then—and if he hadn't been worn down from his prior fight with the Blue Nitro—Acacia would have had a much harder time taking him down.

Just look at the feats of the three great powers of the Human World. Each one was more ridiculously powerful than the last.

Jiro alone had the strength to wipe out the entire Blue Nitro group.

President Ichiryu was the same, going toe-to-toe with Midora without even using the power of Don Slime.

Then there was Midora. After eating six of Acacia's Full Course Menu, he could still fight evenly with Acacia, who had a capture level of over 20,000—and Acacia wasn't holding back at that point...

Although he was still at a disadvantage, it was hard to imagine how strong the three of them would have become if they had all eaten the Acacia's Full Course Menu.

Acacia probably would have been left dumbfounded.

But alas... two of the three were taken off the board by the plot, and the last one never completed his menu, leaving him at a disadvantage.

Still, their power was undeniable!

Now, Jiro was offering to teach him Knocking. If Yuuki refused, he would be the stupidest person on the planet. Period.

....

"You're willing to teach him, Jiro? That's wonderful. The boy's Sense of Touch is similar to that kid from the Four Heavenly Kings, the one who plays with his hair. It's perfect for learning Knocking."

Setsuno nodded in approval. She had a basic understanding of Yuuki's abilities, including the fact that his hair had abilities similar to Sunny's.

In her view, it was as if he was born to use Knocking. His countless strands of hair were like an infinite supply of knocking needles, far more effective than any specially made tool.

"Right, Jiro, you should go back to your young form, too. After all, I'm not an old lady anymore!" Setsuno suddenly said.

Jiro nodded instantly. He had only maintained his old man appearance for her sake.

Now there was no need.

With a few quick taps on his body, Jiro's form seemed to inflate, transforming into the physique of a muscular, well-built man. His face, however, still looked middle-aged.

To return to his true youth, he would have to release all his seals.

"Now that's the handsome Jiro I know!" Setsuno immediately started fawning over him. Yuuki and Nono just stood there, speechless, forced to witness the public display of affection.

"This feels much more relaxed. Get me something to eat, Setsu. This is nostalgic... feels just like the old days. It's a shame that bastard isn't on the same path as us anymore—"

Jiro's voice was tinged with helplessness. Their big family back then had been wonderful, but then Froese died, Acacia disappeared, and Midora left.

A perfectly good home, shattered. And from what they had investigated over the years, the cause of it all wasn't Midora, but Acacia.

Midora had just been used as a scapegoat. He and Ichiryu didn't dare tell Midora the truth. In their eyes, Midora was still their youngest brother, and he shouldn't have to bear that burden.

Besides, Midora was the one who cared most about that family. If he found out the truth, who knew what would happen?

"Jiro, after you eat, I need you to take a trip to the Ice Hell for me. Take this soup and test it out. The animals in the Ice Hell..."

Setsuno laid out her theory. Yuuki was a little surprised but also deeply impressed. As expected of a centuries-old master Chef.

He had only told her that the Century Soup needed the original as a starter.

But it seemed Setsuno had figured out a similar method on her own.

"Use the blood of those animals for the test? Setsu, are you suspecting that some creature in the Ice Hell has been eating a lot of the Century Soup?" Jiro asked, immediately grasping her idea.

"Exactly. The Century Soup wasn't discovered that long ago. Before that, it appeared once a century. That soup wouldn't just vanish into thin air. Some animal must have eaten it."

"If a creature consumes a specific ingredient over a long period, it might retain the characteristics of that ingredient, and even pass them down to its offspring. It's not common in nature, but it does happen."

"Right now, my Century Soup is just missing a starter. There's a chance something like that exists in the Ice Hell. So, I need you to go for me, Jiro."

Setsuno nodded. She and Jiro had traveled all over the Human and Gourmet Worlds, and they had seen creatures that had absorbed the properties of certain ingredients from their diet.

These traits could even be passed down through generations. The most classic example was the Monkey Clan, though now only the king remained—

Once this Generation's king died, the PAIR would likely return.

It was originally the easiest of Acacia's Full Course Menu to capture, but after what the old Monkey King did, PAIR had become one of the most difficult.

....

"I'll go with you. I'm also very interested in the Ice Hell, and I can help with the cooking experiments!"

Yuuki spoke up. He wanted to go to the Ice Hell, mainly to see the Gourmet Show Window.

In his view, even though the Gourmet Show Window was nearly gone, it was still an excellent teacher. Since the Century Soup was naturally produced in that environment, there must be traces of it left.

So, Yuuki wanted to see if he could find any clues. If he discovered something, it would be a huge benefit for him.

Besides, the Ice Hell had other ingredients. He was also quite interested in its guardian, the Tundra Dragon.

In the original story, that dragon was killed by the Gourmet Corp sous Chef, Tommyrod. Since it was going to die anyway, there was no harm in him capturing it first.

As for whether he could beat it, Yuuki was quite confident in his own strength.

"In that case, you can go with Jiro. It's a perfect opportunity for him to teach you Knocking techniques—"

Setsuno nodded.

Knocking were incredibly useful for a Chef.

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