Once all the ingredients were prepped, Kael mixed everything into the dough itself. To everyone watching, his pizza looked painfully simple—plain, even.
Nothing about it seemed special at all.
But Kael had packed a ridiculous number of ingredients into that dough. Every last bit was hidden inside the crust.
This time, he was making a complete Poison Cuisine dish. Compared to the mild versions he'd made before, this one was far more intense. Of course, Kael didn't make anything harmful to the body—just… dishes that were a little overwhelming.
And the stronger the effect, the better the result.
Since no one could figure out what on earth his pizza was supposed to be, they all shifted their attention to Alice Nakiri.
Her lamb chops stood in stark contrast to Kael's crude-looking pizza. Beautiful plating, perfectly balanced sides—nutritional harmony in every color.
The difference was like a plain cement room versus a luxury suite. Naturally, the comparison only made everyone even more curious about whatever Kael was plotting.
No one thought for even one moment that Kael made the pizza look like this because he didn't understand pizza. He wasn't an idiot.
Even if he'd never touched pizza before last week, the moment he chose it as his dish, he would've looked up everything there was to know. With even the most basic research, no normal pizza would look like this.
So the only explanation left was that he made it look simple on purpose.
Time passed. Alice finished first—Kael still needed his dough to rest. Even with his Divine Senses speeding up the process, it couldn't be rushed completely.
Naturally, Alice's dish was met with high praise. She was a Four-Star Chef, after all.
The Shokugeki had a two-hour limit, but Kael didn't need all that. Once his dough was ready, he brought out two pizzas—one red, one blue.
"Red and blue? Did you spread fruit jam on these? So… fruit pizzas? And why make two?"
The judges blinked at the bright red and blue toppings. They were easy enough to identify—cherry–peach jam on one, blueberry jam on the other. Aside from the jam, there was only a thin layer of cheese. The whole thing looked bizarre.
"It's not a fruit pizza. I only used jam for a specific effect. As for why there are two… you'll see."
Kael shook his head. The jam was more than decoration, but it wouldn't change the flavor of the dish—just assist it.
He sliced the pizzas and handed out pieces. Only then did everyone notice the fillings hidden inside the crust.
"So that's why nothing's on top. Everything's stuffed inside."
No one questioned it any longer—they simply took a bite.
The moment the pizza hit their tongues, the judges froze. The texture was incredible, but the flavor… it was indescribable. Completely unfamiliar and yet shockingly delicious—like some kind of secret, forbidden sauce.
Their eyes lit up. A few seconds later, every last crumb was gone.
But the real reaction came after they finished.
Senzaemon Nakiri, Inui Hinako, and Gin Dojima suddenly flushed bright red—steam even started rising off their bodies. It was the sort of thing you'd only see in freezing winter after someone sprinted several kilometers.
But right now the air was cool, not icy.
Meanwhile, the other two judges—Mizuhara Fuyumi and Kikuchi Sonoka wasn't alone—both wrapped their arms around themselves, trembling as if trapped in a snowstorm. Their teeth chattered nonstop.
Five judges. Three burning up like boiling lobsters. Two shaking like frostbitten penguins.
"What is happening!? Why did the judges suddenly become like this!?"
Those who didn't know were stunned. Those who did know already guessed the truth.
"He used Poison Cuisine again… and this one's way stronger than anything he made before."
The Polar Star Dormitory students exchanged wary looks. They were used to dishes that made you sweat—like the green onion mutton soup they once endured—but this was another level entirely. Senzaemon looked like he'd been steamed alive.
The two shivering judges didn't look any better—their skin was almost ghost-white.
"What did you put in there, kid? Why are they turning into this?"
Senzaemon had eaten Kael's Poison Cuisine before, but he had never experienced anything like this. Were things getting out of hand?
"This is normal," Kael said casually. "Red slices cause extreme heat, blue slices cause extreme cold. You all ate red or blue depending on the cut you took. Now you just need to eat the opposite color. They'll neutralize each other."
Only now did everyone understand why he made two pizzas.
So three slices of red, three slices of blue… completely intentional.
With no reason to doubt him, Senzaemon immediately took a blue slice. The others grabbed their pieces without hesitation—anything to escape their current misery.
After swallowing the opposite color, the five judges rapidly returned to normal.
"Finally… I thought I was going to freeze to death!"
Mizuhara Fuyumi let out a shaky breath. Warmth returned to her body—almost like sinking into a hot spring. Every cell felt relieved. Her skin even looked noticeably better.
"Inui, your dark circles are gone. And your skin looks amazing."
Fuyumi's voice was flat as always, but her shock was real. She could clearly see that Inui Hinako's usual faint eye bags had completely vanished.
Not only that—her own body felt rejuvenated, like she had just woken from the perfect night of sleep.
"My muscle soreness is gone too…" Gin Dojima flexed his arms, amazed.
He'd trained too hard the previous night, leaving him stiff and sore this morning. And now he felt completely refreshed, overflowing with strength.
One by one, the judges realized the same thing—better skin, clearer minds, revitalized bodies.
"This is the effect of your dish? How is this even possible?"
Senzaemon stared at Kael in disbelief.
"And your Cooking Heart… if I'm not mistaken, it's at the same level as mine now." Gin Dojima's voice wavered.
The idea sounded absurd even to him. Kael was a teenager. Gin was nearly forty. Kael was from the 92nd generation. Gin was from the 69th.
For them to stand at the same level—unthinkable.
"What? Kael already has the Cooking Heart of an Eight-Star Chef?"
Inui Hinako stared blankly. She herself had only just reached Seven Stars after months of effort.
She hadn't even noticed Kael's Cooking Heart earlier—she'd been too busy nearly overheating to death.
"It really is Eight-Star level. My judgment won't be wrong." Senzaemon confirmed it, still stunned.
"Eight… Eight Stars!? The Director and Dojima-senpai wouldn't joke about something like this!"
Kuga stared, unable to believe his ears.
"They wouldn't. If they both say it, it's true."
Rindo exhaled slowly. As impossible as it sounded, there was no point doubting.
"Eight Stars… even Totsuki's strongest graduates only reached Seven. And he's in his first year. At this rate… is he going to hit Nine Stars before the year ends?"
Eishi Tsukasa felt a crushing sense of inadequacy. How could anyone compare themselves to a monster like this?
But the gap was so impossibly large that frustration didn't even have time to settle. When someone was that far ahead, the competitive urge simply died.
Like a random person looking at the world's richest man—sure, they might envy it, but they'd never seriously think, yeah, I'll catch up to him someday.
"The real thing… is even more ridiculous than I guessed."
Alice Nakiri clenched her fist. She had predicted Six Stars—maybe Seven at best. But Kael had jumped straight to Eight.
"Megumi, pinch me. I think I'm hallucinating." Yuki Yoshino stared at Megumi Tadokoro, glassy-eyed.
"I…"
Megumi could barely form a word. Her mind had completely crashed.
"This is ridiculous… how is anyone supposed to deal with someone like this?" Soma Yukihira finally hit the wall.
He'd always believed he could chase Kael no matter what—but now? This was like two gamers starting at the same time, yet while he was grinding his way toward level 10, Kael had already hit level 80 and returned to the beginner village wearing full legendary gear.
Even Soma couldn't handle that level of despair.