Daiki needed to integrate he's cooking way with the fished baits earned. With that thought in mind, Daiki chose to fuse the Principle of Food first. If his theory held, integrating Explosion Flame afterward might grant him control over its otherwise unstable nature. If successful, he wouldn't have to worry about temperature regulation—Shokunin mastery would handle it for him.
As the Principle of Food began integrating, a flood of knowledge surged into his mind. Countless techniques, philosophies, and paths for cultivating culinary intent appeared all at once, like stars lighting up a previously dark sky. And amidst them was a unique framework—Daiki's very own interpretation of food justice, tailored to his experiences and instincts.
In that moment, everything became clear.
He could feel his body—every tendon, every nerve ending, every heartbeat—synchronized with the rhythm of his knife. His senses sharpened, and so did his perception of flavor, temperature, texture, and balance.
"So this is what true cooking awareness feels like…"
Within seconds, Daiki identified flaws in the basic knife techniques he had practiced for years. With that clarity, he made precise, instinctive corrections, optimizing movements he hadn't realized were inefficient until now.
As his cooking foundation realigned with the Principle of Food, a soft chime echoed in his mind. He turned toward the fishing space.
A new bait had appeared.
It wasn't part of the daily system refresh. This was different—Growth Bait.
Daiki's eyes lit up.
He checked his status: no longer an intermediate chef—he had broken through to senior chef. In the realm of Tōtsuki, only the Elite Ten were recognized at that level. And he had reached it through sheer understanding of a higher culinary truth.
"All that from just the initial integration of the Principle of Food?!"
It was shocking at first, but on reflection, it made sense. Even in the high-stakes world of Toriko, Shokunin no Shokunin was considered a pinnacle ability. Here, in the comparatively grounded world of Food Wars!, it was nothing short of a miracle.
And this—this was just the beginning. As his understanding of food deepened and his skills refined, Daiki's progress would only accelerate.
Still, he didn't rush to use the Growth Bait just yet. First, he had to confirm something.
Daiki began fusing the Explosion Flame ability.
Instantly, he felt the surge. His body temperature rose rapidly, high-temperature steam pouring from his pores in waves. His skin flushed; the heat was real. But before it could grow dangerous—it stopped.
The steam vanished. His temperature leveled out. Calm returned.
"Just as I hoped."
The fusion with the Principle of Food had worked. He could now control the Explosion Flame without external cooling. That power—volatile and lethal in others—was now tamed within him, fully mastered.
He could guide the flow of heat through his limbs, control the pressure of steam through his breathing, and stoke inner fire with a single thought.
But not without limits.
Daiki noted, with mild regret, that while he could harness and withstand the Explosion Flame, he couldn't generate fire out of nothing. The ability couldn't produce flames spontaneously—it needed an existing heat source to work with.
Still, it was enough.
Control, immunity to fire damage, enhanced heat manipulation—these were more than sufficient in the world of gourmet battles.
With both legendary powers now fully integrated, Daiki turned his attention back to the fishing space.
The Growth Bait glowed faintly, a subtle golden hue pulsing at its center.
Unlike Super Bait, which could theoretically be stockpiled over time, Growth Bait was earned. It was a testament to personal evolution—a direct reward for leveling up as a chef.
As far as he could tell, the system recognized seven realms of chef progression in the Food Wars! universe. Since the system only activated after he'd already reached the mid-level chef stage, Daiki could expect at most five Growth Baits from this world's limits.
But Daiki knew one thing for certain:
"Tōtsuki is not my ceiling."
Not with this system. Not with this power. He would surpass the Elite Ten, rise beyond Tōtsuki Academy, and eventually outgrow the world of Shokugeki no Soma itself.
And with each breakthrough… another Growth Bait would await him.
Fewer in number, rarer than all the rest—but infinitely more valuable.