"I'll return these first and come back," Zed declared, clutching the letter. "Inform the Scorpion Demon Cattle Clan I'll spar with them regularly. Best to avoid… misunderstandings."
The First Generation Melk nodded, murmuring orders to a nearby Scorpion Demon Cattle. The beast's segmented tail rattled in acknowledgment, its carapace glinting like polished obsidian under the cave's faint bioluminescence. Years of coexistence had forged an uneasy truce between the smith and the clan—a necessity in the Heavy Hole's merciless depths.
Zed soared upward using his Spoon Flight, the reactive force warping gravity's grip. The air thrummed as he ascended, his muscles straining against the oppressive weight. Soon, clashing echoes reached him: Mirajane, locked in combat with a Balbamoth, while Tatsu loomed nearby, deterring the pack with his aura.
Though battered and bleeding, Mirajane dodged fatal strikes with aerial agility. "Mission's done. Returning!" Zed called, not slowing. Her focus never wavered, her fists meeting the beast's chitinous hide with crackling force.
Exiting the cave, Zed fanned the Spoons harder, hurtling toward Melk Mountain. Thirty kilometers vanished in moments, the jagged peak rising like a shattered tooth. Landing, he found Melk II gaping.
"Mr. Zed? Already back?!"
"I found the First Generation Melk." Zed handed her the letter and produced Melk Stardust. The golden crystals pulsed faintly, their facets refracting light into prismatic shards. "He sends these."
The smith's breath hitched. "This… this is the Melk Stardust! Master's last reserves were exhausted years ago…" Her fingers trembled, tracing the stones' edges.
"I'll return to the Heavy Hole," Zed said. "The knives are yours now."
"With Melk Stardust and The Ancient Derous Fossil, I'll forge masterpieces!" Determination hardened her voice as Zed departed, Spoons carving arcs through the sulfurous haze.
Back in the cave, Zed descended past Mirajane's ongoing battle, reaching the lower strata where Scorpion Demon Cattle lurked. The beast awaited, alerted by their elder—a hulking patriarch with a scarred carapace. The air here reeked of iron and ozone, each breath searing like liquid fire.
Forgoing his Gourmet Demon's power, Zed engaged them with raw strength. Fists clashed against armored limbs, each blow reverberating through the chamber. Gravity crushed his joints; sweat pooled beneath his boots, sizzling on superheated stone. The bulls attacked in relentless waves, their pincers shearing rock as Zed danced between them, adapting, enduring.
As weeks passed, Zed's mastery over his strength surged, his comprehension of Food Honor deepening with each clash. The Scorpion Demon Cattle noticed the shift—where he'd once struggled against two, he now dominated a dozen. Their carapaces splintered under his fists, the cave's oppressive gravity no longer a shackle but a whetstone.
By month's end, only the First Generation Melk's guardian Scorpion Demon Cattle remained unbeaten. Zed's Food Honor had ascended to Mastery Tier—a feat achieved solely by legends like Master Jiro. Even Erina Nakiri, now a Three-Star Chef at Nakaume Gourmet School, hadn't reached such heights.
"Your growth… unprecedented," the First Generation Melk mumbled.
Zed shrugged. "Teamwork helps." Mirajane's breakthroughs in gravity adaptation and combat, alongside Nakiri and Hisako's culinary ascension, had amplified his Gourmet Cells. The Rainbow Fruit's energy thrummed in his veins, its prismatic essence merging with his Leader Slime's adaptability.
With Food Honor mastered, the cave's 100x gravity felt weightless. "Time to move on." Zed offered the beast a mountain of Ruby Crab carcasses and Rock Condor meat. The bulls' eyes glinted hungrily—these delicacies, rare in their rocky domain, would fuel them for months.
Ascending to 5,000 meters, Zed found Mirajane battling five Balbamoth under 30x gravity. Sweat gleamed on her skin as she pivoted, fists crackling with nascent Food Honor. Tatsu hovered nearby, his presence deterring the pack.
"Your turn," Zed told Tatsu, nodding toward the depths. The beast thrilled eagerly before plunging downward.
Mirajane finished her bout, breathless. "You're done?"
"For now." Zed grinned. "Next, I'll guard you. And study Food Aura."
Food Aura—the art of expanding Gourmet Cells' caloric limits—required absolute cellular control. Master Jiro had likened it to "unlocking a dam," a temporary surge vital for battles. Though tedious, its power was undeniable.
"Eat, store, repeat," Zed muttered, recalling Yosaku's teachings. Even elites like Ichiryuu relied on it. He'd need it for the Food World's trials ahead.