Century Soup

The massive beast claw rose high, then slammed the lovely young girl before it flying, far off toward the forest beyond the valley.

"Lisanna!!!"

Elfman watched, his eyes filled with agony.

He charged madly into that forest, thorns and brambles carving wound after wound into his body along the way, but he felt nothing, only desperately searching for that small, delicate figure.

Not here... not here... still... not here!

He scoured the entire forest, even the ring of land outside it, but Elfman could not find his little sister.

A terrible thought crept into his mind.

His beloved sister had died a brutal death, leaving not even a corpse behind.

The sky darkened, and rain soon fell, drenching the despairing Elfman, who had collapsed to his knees, like a drowned rat.

He felt as though his heart was being torn apart.

"It's all my fault..."

"Because of my incompetence, Lisanna..."

A colossal demonic shadow, dozens of meters tall, suddenly loomed over Elfman. With each step its massive body took, the ground trembled.

Thump~ Thump~ Thump~

The dull footfalls seemed to land right on Elfman's heartbeat.

He looked up. It was a terrifying creature with two demon horns sprouting from its head.

Snow-white hair trailed from its crown all the way down to its calves, vicious fangs jutted from its lower jaw, muscles bulged across its entire frame, and a few drops of blood glistened at the tips of its right claw.

The Beast King.

Staring at that bone-chilling monster, Elfman felt no fear now. All he had left was rage!

Kill it, even if it meant dying together!

Charging recklessly, Elfman swung his fists.

But then, something strange happened.

The enormous "Beast King" shrank rapidly in Elfman's eyes, until it transformed into a familiar human figure—a terrified human named "Elfman."

He is me?!!

Then... who am I?

Elfman looked down at his own body. White hair fell from the back of his head to his waist, two massive demon horns jutted from his forehead, and his arms were covered in reddish fur.

The giant figure froze.

How could it be... the monster that killed Lisanna with its own hands... is me...

I'm the one who should die!

A gleaming claw pressed against his chin; one push and it would pierce his skull.

Below, the terrified expression on "Elfman's" face froze, and a faint, triumphant smirk curled upward.

That's right, just die.

Then let me inherit your body!

Just as the giant figure was about to end his own life, a voice rang out at the worst possible moment.

"Elfman, you should wake up now. Time to eat."

It was Big Sis!

The giant figure hesitated. If he died irresponsibly like this, what would happen to Mira-nee?

"Elfman-nii, get up already!"

Another familiar voice came from somewhere, but it made the giant figure's eyes well with tears. It was Lisanna's voice.

In a daze, the giant figure saw a scene.

A handsome white-haired youth, at the critical moment, had snatched Lisanna from the claws of "himself."

Then he took "himself" and, as easily as tossing a ball, disposed of "himself."

So that was it. Lisanna wasn't dead!

"You've been deceiving me, haven't you, Beast King!"

With Elfman's roar, his monstrous body vanished, leaving only a muscular human standing in place.

Across from him, the disguise of "Elfman" could no longer hold. It reverted to its demonic beast form, though not the giant beast it had been before.

This was Elfman's mental world. As his will grew clear, the Beast King's presence here became pathetically weak.

With a flying tackle, Elfman pinned the Beast King to the ground. He swung both fists like pistons, fists the size of cudgels driving the Beast King's head into the dirt.

Unable even to howl, the Beast King glared hatefully at the human straddling it. With the last shred of its consciousness, it tried to seal off the heart of this human who had taken its power.

"Elfman-nii, if you don't wake up soon, big sis is going to lose her temper. Stop sleeping!"

Lisanna's voice rang out again, but her cute tone made Elfman's body tremble—he only caught one meaning from those words: Mira was about to get angry.

Elfman's momentary daze made the Beast King think it had seized an opening, gathering all its power to strike at his brow.

Slap!

A single palm shattered the Beast King's sneak attack; in his own mental world, a clear-headed Elfman was invincible.

He said nothing, only grabbed the two demonic horns atop the Beast King's head, wrenched them with force, and, as the Beast King struggled, viciously stabbed those horns into its eyes.

Opening his eyes, Elfman suddenly sat up with a start, startling Lisanna.

"Elfman, you're finally awake."

Seeing the sweet smile on Lisanna's face, Elfman's tears surged forth, and he immediately pulled his sister into a deep embrace.

"Lisanna, you're okay, thank goodness, thank goodness..."

His words trailed off into sobs. Lisanna could feel her brother's emotions, so she hugged Elfman's sturdy frame tightly, comforting him.

Mira stood up at some point, placed a hand on her younger siblings' heads, and couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"It's alright, Elfman."

It was a touching scene, but Noah didn't pay much attention to the siblings' heartfelt moment.

[Otherworld commission completed]

[Reward: One pot of Century Soup]

[Commissioner's comment: This is the first time I've seen meat like this, but the butcher's handling of it was quite crude.]

In a flash of pure white magical light, a steaming earthenware pot materialized.

Noah caught the pot with his mind and dispelled the magic.

Feeling the warmth of the pot, it was as if it had just been taken off the stove.

Whether it was Noah submitting the Beast King's meat or receiving Toriko's reward, it was all done in an instant through the "Prayer" magic.

It was as if the barriers between worlds didn't exist.

This magic seemed a bit overpowered.

A scorched aroma wafted over with a sizzling sound. Noah glanced at the meat roasting over the fire, and his stomach chose that moment to growl.

The scent of the roast made the Mira family siblings stop crying. Mira looked at Noah, who was waving at her.

For now, let's eat first.

Lisanna saw Noah move the roast to one side of the campfire and set up the earthenware pot. "Huh? Noah, where did you get that pot?"

"Don't worry about magic stuff."

Noah waved dismissively and then asked, "Did you bring any bowls or ladles?"

Mira's expression turned awkward. She had brought her siblings on a mission, not a picnic—why would she have those household items?

This Mr. Noah seemed far too relaxed.

Though they had no bowls or spoons, making them on the spot was doable.

Mira glanced at Elfman, who caught on immediately and activated his Take Over magic, turning his arms into bestial claws of brute strength.

Picking a nearby tree at random, Elfman swung his claws, weaving a dense net in the air as wood chips rained down.

In less than three minutes, four wooden bowls and ladles were finished.

Respectfully handing a wooden bowl to Noah, Elfman showed his utmost gratitude—if not for this sudden man, he would have caused a tragedy he'd regret for life.

Noah nodded at Elfman. Regardless, he respected someone who charged forward for his family.

Turning around, he lifted the pot lid, eager to witness the delicacy of another world.

Clear, transparent.

It was like air soup; if not for the liquid bubbling inside from the heat, Noah would have thought the pot was empty.

But the beautiful rainbow aurora rising above the pot, along with the intoxicating aroma, all proved the chef's exceptional skill.

[Century Soup: A natural delicacy from the extreme cold, a miracle successfully recreated by a chef using relatively ordinary ingredients after it went extinct.]

[Effect: Upon first consumption, deeply repairs and purifies the consumer's body.]

[Side effect: The satisfaction of the flavor forces the consumer into an uncontrollable smile, lasting 30 to 60 minutes.]

Reading the "Prayer" magic's description of the Century Soup, Noah found it odd—a smile lasting an hour? Could that really count as a side effect...

One bowl of Century Soup each entered their mouths.

A rich, profound flavor spread through their mouths.

Calling the soup's taste merely "delicious" felt shallow, yet no word more fitting than "delicious" came to mind.

Lisanna and Elfman experienced an unparalleled satisfaction—the greatest they had ever felt in their lives.

Beyond the taste, Mira felt her injuries and lingering wounds rapidly healed by the Century Soup's effect.

It was as if she had been reborn.

Even Noah noticed subtle changes in his body—his magical power and blood flow became smoother, and his internal energy circulation grew more efficient.

It was a clarity from the inside out.

Without realizing it, all four of them, overwhelmed by the Century Soup's flavor, broke into expressions of sheer, exaggerated delight.