Chapter 3: Jewel Meat, The Transformation of Gourmet Cells
Ray continued deeper along the passage.
However, the inside of the Regal Mammoth was like a labyrinth. With intersecting branching paths, a single misstep could lead to getting lost.
Because of this, Ray used his chef's knife to carve marks into the fleshy walls every so often.
Fortunately, the food here was practically inexhaustible.
When hungry, he would slice a piece of meat from the wall, roast it over his alcohol stove, and sprinkle it with orange salt ground from the Salt Oranges to make a delicious feast.
When thirsty, he drank the water he had brought with him.
Just like that, Ray spent two whole days navigating the interior of the Regal Mammoth.
It wasn't entirely without danger. On the second day, Ray encountered a 'parasite' that was twenty meters long and a meter thick, resembling a prehistoric python.
Fortunately, the 'parasite' merely glanced at him before slithering away.
Thinking about it later, Ray figured it made sense. After all, his own flesh was nowhere near as delicious as the Regal Mammoth's.
But this also meant his previous assumption was wrong; danger still lurked within the Regal Mammoth.
On the morning of the third day, as Ray turned a corner, the passage ahead suddenly grew bright.
An incredibly rich aroma washed over him, so thick it felt almost tangible.
This scent was unlike anything he had ever encountered—noble, mellow, and fragrant... as if it had condensed the essence of every delicacy in the world.
It was enough to make the most premium perfumes pale in comparison.
Just one whiff made Ray feel as though his very soul was trembling, and the hunger in his stomach was instantly magnified countless times over.
"It's the Jewel Meat!"
Ray's eyes lit up astonishingly. He quickened his pace, breaking into a mad dash toward the light.
Passing through the final stretch of the narrow tunnel, a wide-open space appeared before him.
In the center of this space grew a massive, spherical chunk of meat over two meters tall.
The surface of the meat was covered in a faint halo, sparkling as if dusted with gold sand.
Meat juices slowly dripped from the chunk, each drop shimmering with a jewel-like luster, emitting a crisp sound as it hit the ground.
Ray's breathing grew heavy. His feet felt nailed to the floor, his eyes locked onto the Jewel Meat.
After a long moment, Ray tremblingly stepped forward, drew his chef's knife, and gently pressed it against the surface of the Jewel Meat.
The moment the blade pierced the skin of the meat, an even richer aroma erupted. Ray felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, as if he were intoxicated.
Cradling the small slice of Jewel Meat in his hands, the warm touch made Ray's heart feel like it was going to leap out of his chest.
The meat layers gleamed with an iridescent, mother-of-pearl luster, and the juices flowing between the muscle fibers looked like melted amber.
*Gulp...*
Swallowing hard, Ray couldn't hold back any longer. He opened his mouth and took a massive bite.
The instant his teeth sank into the Jewel Meat, Ray felt as if he had been sucked into a maelstrom of flavor.
The warm meat juices were the first to explode in his mouth, the taste so complex it defied description.
With a slight chew, he tasted the tender juiciness of tenderloin, which then melted into the sweet, marbled fat characteristic of sirloin.
Continuing to chew revealed the firm, bouncy texture of red shoulder meat, finishing with the long, lingering aftertaste unique to offal.
It also blended the savory aroma of pork, the richness of beef, the tenderness of lamb, and the umami of fish...
It seemed as though the best qualities of every meat in the world had converged into this single bite.
Thousands of flavors burst in his mouth. An indescribable sense of satisfaction surged through his entire body, causing every pore to relax and open up.
Ray was completely lost in the ultimate deliciousness of this Ancient Food Treasure.
"It's delicious... so delicious..."
Ray mumbled indistinctly, his mouth stuffed full of Jewel Meat.
Tears slipped uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes—not from sadness, but from extreme happiness and satisfaction.
Ray had never imagined that such delicious food could exist in the world.
In this moment, all his fear, exhaustion, and confusion vanished into thin air before a single bite of the Jewel Meat.
Intoxicated by the taste of the Jewel Meat, Ray's chewing frequency had long surpassed human limits.
His throat swallowed uncontrollably, and the chunk of Jewel Meat shrank at a visible rate.
What Ray didn't know was that an earth-shattering transformation was taking place inside his body.
An imperceptible golden light quietly appeared within him.
It was a bizarre golden cell, less than a micrometer in diameter, yet radiating intense energy fluctuations.
This golden cell was actually a highly active Gourmet Cell originating from the Jewel Meat.
As this Gourmet Cell appeared in Ray's body, it immediately displayed a terrifying aggressiveness.
Before it, Ray's original somatic cells were like frail ants facing a towering elephant, completely powerless to resist.
The Gourmet Cell trembled slightly, and the surrounding normal cells were drawn toward it as if pulled by a black hole, instantly broken down and devoured.
At the same time, the Jewel Meat Ray had swallowed was rapidly converted in his digestive system. A massive amount of energy, like surging magma, flooded toward this Gourmet Cell.
Nourished by the energy, the Gourmet Cell began to change drastically. Just three seconds later, it completed its first division.
One Gourmet Cell became two.
They then continued to greedily devour the surrounding normal cells and the energy provided by the Jewel Meat.
After the birth of the second Gourmet Cell, they began their second division with almost no pause, then a third, a fourth...
The Gourmet Cells divided faster and faster, spreading rapidly through Ray's body like a wildfire.
Wherever they went, normal cells were either assimilated or devoured.
Blood vessels were widened, bones were reshaped, and muscle fibers became denser and tougher under the weaving of the Gourmet Cells...
Ray's body temperature quietly rose, and sweat soaked through his clothes.
But immersed in the delicious flavor, Ray remained completely oblivious.
The intense hunger generated by the energy consumption drove Ray to swallow large mouthfuls of Jewel Meat, providing a steady stream of energy for the drastic changes within his body.
This was a silent evolution, as well as a life-and-death gamble.
Although Gourmet Cells were discovered by the Gourmet God Acacia in the Deep Sea Phantom Jellyfish...
...in reality, they had long since fully integrated into this world.
Gourmet Cells could propel a leap in the hierarchy of life, but they also possessed a demonic, greedy appetite.
Ray's original cells were far too weak to withstand the invasion of highly active Gourmet Cells.
Without enough energy to support them, these Gourmet Cells would quickly turn on him, completely devouring Ray's body until nothing remained.
Fortunately, the Jewel Meat before Ray was the most perfect source of energy.
Praised as an Ancient Food Treasure, the Jewel Meat not only combined the ultimate flavors of all meats but also contained massive amounts of energy, perfectly sustaining this perilous cellular replacement.
An unknown amount of time passed. When Ray finally felt full, he stopped chewing and let out a satisfied burp.
Inside his body, the Gourmet Cells had completed the transformation of his entire system.
They no longer divided madly but were distributed in an orderly manner in every corner of his body. Operating like precise gears, they stored the remaining energy, turning it into the foundational power to sustain his life activities.