"Even Soma's crushed by this? Man… I don't even know what to say anymore."
Zenji Marui looked at Kael on stage and shook his head. In truth, he was fine—he'd never considered Kael someone he could realistically chase.
Soma Yukihira, however, had always carried that dream. He genuinely wanted to catch up to Kael, maybe even surpass him someday. But now? That goal wasn't just far away—it was a bottomless chasm.
Everyone present—students, instructors, judges—could only view Kael as a monster among monsters. Otherwise, how could someone his age already stand as an Eight-Star Chef?
Watching their reactions, Kael felt a strange mix of amusement and resignation. It wasn't like he'd climbed this far through effort alone… he did have the Inheritance System backing him.
Honestly, he even felt his progress was a bit slow. Compared to Liu Maoxing—that guy levels up like a rocket. Compared to him, Kael felt practically normal.
The protagonist really didn't play fair.
"Ahem. Time to announce the results. The winner is Kael."
With Senzaemon Nakiri's declaration, the match officially ended. No one was surprised—everyone had seen this coming from the beginning.
Now that they knew Kael was an Eight-Star Chef, it would've been bizarre not to expect this outcome. A match between an Eight-Star Chef and a Four-Star Chef had no suspense whatsoever.
After their match, Megumi Tadokoro and Zenji Marui's battle began. Naturally, Megumi won. A Three-Star versus a Four-Star—unless she made a major mistake, Marui had no chance.
The final round was set for ten days later. As in the original Autumn Elections, Isshiki Satoshi smashed open a massive block of ice, revealing the theme ingredient—pacific saury.
For Kael, ingredients were all the same. As long as it was food, it would shine in his hands.
Once the theme and schedule were announced, everyone dispersed. Kael and the others returned to the Polar Star Dormitory.
"Kael, can you make that pizza for us too?"
Everyone stared at him with eager curiosity. Sure, the five judges had suffered horribly at first… but the aftermath was incredible. You could practically see how refreshed and revitalized they were.
If even they praised it afterward, then the initial suffering must have been worth it.
As for what Kael put inside, no one asked. Secret recipes were sacred—ask the wrong chef the wrong question, and you might get punched.
In truth, Kael had used a mix of highly "energetic" ingredients—heat-generating, anaerobic, and generally incompatible with each other.
Strictly speaking, many of them should never be combined. But Kael wasn't "many people." With the inheritance from Kaiyu, he had ways to fuse them safely.
Fusing them produced toxins—that was why the judges reacted like that. But once red and blue balanced each other, the poison flipped into a powerful restorative effect.
Still, achieving that effect required Kael to pay a price.
"No problem. I'll make one for you all when we get back."
Kael agreed easily. If they insisted on suffering, he wasn't going to stop them. Yes, the dish had incredible restorative effects—but everyone here was healthy. They didn't need it.
But if they wanted the experience, Kael was happy to let them try.
He already knew firsthand how unpleasant it was. The heat felt like being roasted alive; the cold felt like being thrown into a frozen abyss—two extremes tearing the body apart.
While Kael and the others returned to the dorm, news of his Eight-Star level spread through the culinary world at terrifying speed.
It flooded school forums, then larger platforms, then cooking communities nationwide. Students passed the news to their families. And this was Totsuki—an elite academy filled with children of powerful families. Their networks spread information like wildfire.
The entire culinary world was stunned.
Kael's name had already circulated widely—first for possessing Divine Hearing comparable to the God's Tongue, then for being a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Five-Star Chef.
The hype had barely cooled when a new "world announcement" dropped—far bigger than before.
"This is insane—completely insane. A fifteen-year-old is already Eight-Star? Are you kidding me?"
"Exactly! I admit he's impressive: Five-Star at his age, supernatural senses… but Eight-Star? Isn't that a bit much?"
"What do you know? The ones who made that assessment were Gin Dojima and Senzaemon Nakiri. One's an Eight-Star Chef, the other a veteran Nine-Star. You think they'd risk their reputations by lying?"
Across the international culinary community, shockwaves erupted.
Two camps emerged instantly:
The skeptics, They claimed it was impossible—no teenager could reach Eight-Star unless their father was also Eight-Star.
The believers, They argued that Dojima and Senzaemon had said it themselves. Those two would never misjudge—or lie.
Naturally, the believers had the stronger case.
The skeptics had nothing but assumptions; the believers had testimony from two of the culinary world's highest authorities.
"It hasn't even been that long, and this kid has shaken the industry again. But Eight-Star already… that growth rate is unbelievable."
Mana Nakiri read the newly forwarded report, her eyes widening. She had once been considered a prodigy herself, yet even she had not reached Eight-Star this quickly.
"Could this be misinformation?" Anne asked.
With the internet exaggerating everything these days, sensational rumors were common.
"That's easy to confirm. I'll ask my father."
Mana dialed Senzaemon immediately. Even she needed verification—even though she hoped the news was true. The stronger Kael was, the brighter her hopes became.
"I know what you want to ask. It's true. That boy's cooking level has already reached Eight-Star. Gin and I wouldn't misjudge something like this."
Senzaemon's answer was firm. He understood exactly why his daughter called.
"Great. That's fantastic!"
Mana's face split into a joyous grin, unable to contain her excitement.
Hearing her reaction, Senzaemon also smiled. He knew very well why she was so happy—and he felt the same.
"It's actually real!"
Anne's jaw dropped. Even with confirmation, the truth felt absurd. Kael, a teenager, had shattered everyone's worldview.
"Father, I'll leave things to you for now. Same deal as always—support him in whatever he needs. Also… how is Erina doing?"
Mana asked carefully. She had asked Senzaemon before to help nudge Erina and Kael closer, and she no longer cared about Kael's close relationships with Megumi or Alice.
First, Kael wasn't officially with any of them yet, so Erina still had a chance.
Second, Mana had seen many powerful families with multiple marriages behind closed doors. As long as it wasn't public, no one interfered.
Under normal circumstances, someone of Mana's status wouldn't entertain such thoughts—but the God's Tongue was a curse.
And Kael… Kael was different. His future potential was beyond imagination. She herself was already one of the strongest in the culinary world—but Kael was on track to surpass the ceiling entirely.
If Kael broke through that ceiling, he would become a pioneer—a creator of a new era. Someone like that would naturally become the highest authority in the entire culinary world.
That kind of man possessed everything.
So Mana's thoughts were not unfounded—though she would never force her daughter.
This was also why Erina still wasn't living in the Polar Star Dormitory. If Mana or Senzaemon wanted to force it, Erina would already be there.
Senzaemon wanted to match them, yes—but only if it was Erina's choice.
"Kael is being watched closely. As for Erina… she's conflicted. Very conflicted."
Senzaemon sighed. Erina wanted to move forward—but maintaining her ice-queen façade was exhausting.
And that was Mana's fault. If Mana or Azami had protected Erina properly, she wouldn't have grown warped like this.
"Yes… I'll invite Kael to the WGO headquarters for the Eight-Star Assessment after the Autumn Elections. It'll calm the culinary world. If he accepts, Erina will come too."
Mana had made her decision. If she could ease Erina's burden even a little, she would no longer delay meeting her daughter.
"Finally ready to see her? Understood. I'll arrange it." Senzaemon nodded.
"One more thing. The news is bigger than before. At this point, Kael will definitely attract the attention of the Midnight Chefs."
Mana's expression turned serious.
Normally, the Midnight Chefs avoided Japan because of the Nakiri family and Senzaemon's presence. But this time was different.
Kael's fame alone was enough to lure them.
Midnight Chefs were reckless, ruthless, and obsessed with reputation. Now that Kael had shaken the world again, many would see him as the perfect stepping stone.
Defeat him, and their names would echo across the culinary world.
Fame. Influence. Power.
Everything the Midnight Chefs desired.