"P-poison… Poison Cuisine?"
Megumi Tadokoro's mother asked, utterly confused.
Megumi patiently explained everything, giving reassurance after reassurance. In the end, her mother finally accepted it.
After all, if even Totsuki's Director dared to eat it, then it clearly wasn't dangerous.
By then, the enormous Monkfish had already been brought over. The guests at Ryokan stared in surprise. They had wanted to see Hanging-cut Monkfish performance before, only to be told that the performer had gone off to study at Totsuki.
If they wanted to see it, they'd have to wait for a holiday.
And now—out of nowhere—it was happening right in front of them.
"What clean technique," Sarge commented calmly. "Every cut is perfectly placed. You can tell it's the result of years of practice."
In her eyes, the technique was still a bit rough—but the girl performing it was only sixteen. And yet she was already a genuine Four-Star Chef.
At this rate, by the time Megumi reached their age, she would definitely surpass them.
At first, Sarge and Bunnyhair had only followed Kael out of convenience. They didn't dislike the Polar Star Dormitory residents, but they hadn't paid them much attention either.
That changed after learning about their talent.
They were shocked.
There were quite a few people in Polar Star whose talent rivaled their own—and that was without relying on any Special Abilities. It was hard to imagine so many monsters gathered in a single dormitory.
Amid the chatter, Megumi finished her Monkfish carving. She had been shy at first, but once she entered her zone, the surroundings faded away completely.
That was just how Megumi was—pure-minded, easily immersed. It was also why her growth was so fast.
After Megumi finished, it was Kael's turn.
He carried the Seven-Star Knives with him at all times. He pulled out the largest one, and under everyone's stunned gazes, dismantled an entire giant Monkfish in the blink of an eye.
Compared to breaking down a cow, processing a Monkfish was much easier—its size alone made the difference, not to mention internal structure.
Back then, Kael's physical strength hadn't been enough, so using the Fierce Bull Azure Dragon Slash had taken several seconds.
Now?
True instant dissection.
This was the power of qi. The enhancement pushed Kael's physical abilities to a level where such secret techniques were effortless.
"Even though I've seen it before," someone muttered, "it's still shocking. You can't even see the blade move—just a flash, and it's done."
The Polar Star residents exclaimed nonstop. For the others—people who had never seen this before—the impact was even greater.
The staff and guests of Ryokan stared with their eyes wide open.
"Is this an illusion? A magic trick? Am I still asleep?"
No one could accept it. The visual shock—and the blow to their worldview—was simply too much.
Seeing their reactions, the Polar Star group just smiled and left. They had no intention of explaining anything. These weren't close acquaintances, after all.
Judging by their expressions, those people probably wouldn't be sleeping much that night.
Megumi's mother later found her again. She was far too curious not to ask.
Megumi tried to explain—but honestly, she didn't really understand the principles herself. She could only repeat Kael's old explanation.
Her mother ended up even more confused.
That night was quiet, but inside Ryokan, many people lay awake with questions swirling in their heads.
Kael and the others, however, didn't care in the slightest.
Early the next morning, everyone headed straight to the harbor.
The luxury yacht prepared by Sarge and Bunnyhair was already waiting.
A yacht like that appearing here naturally drew countless glances. This port usually only saw fishing boats—something so extravagant was impossible to ignore.
"So gorgeous…" Yuki Yoshino said dreamily. "Not just the outside—even the interior is incredible. I never thought I'd get to board a yacht like this."
She felt absurdly happy.
Born into an ordinary family, she couldn't help yearning for this kind of luxury. Not because she was materialistic—just curious.
"Hey, there's a ton of fishing gear here," Soma Yukihira said excitedly. "Are we going fishing?"
Even though no one here was a hardcore angler, everyone was interested—including Kael.
"We've already scouted several fishing spots nearby," Sarge said. "We'll take everyone there."
Originally, they had also planned to sunbathe—but with Kael and other guys on board, they decided against it.
This trip was focused entirely on deep-sea fishing.
They had thoroughly researched the area. Even some extremely hidden fishing spots—known only to a handful of people—had been uncovered thanks to their money and connections.
Soon, the yacht set sail.
After more than an hour, they arrived at the first fishing spot.
"I've decided!" Soma shouted, raising his rod. "Today I'm catching a monster—over a thousand pounds!"
"A hundred pounds would already be impossible," everyone said, shaking their heads.
There were plenty of big fish in the sea, sure—but landing one required strength, technique, and luck. If the fish didn't bite, nothing else mattered.
Soma wasn't a total beginner, but he was still a novice.
Even if a big fish bit, a beginner would almost certainly lose it without help.
Soon, everyone crowded the railing, fully transformed into fishing maniacs—including Kael.
The difference was that Kael was completely unfair.
With Divine Sight, he could see depths others couldn't. With Divine Touch, he could precisely place the bait right next to large fish.
On top of that, his bait was custom-made.
With so many advantages stacked together, there was no way he wasn't catching something big.
Just as he expected, he quickly locked onto his target—a massive Monkfish. This spot was specifically for Monkfish fishing.
He sent the bait straight to its mouth.
The fish bit instantly.
Feeling the pull, Kael calmly began reeling it in. He had almost no fishing experience, no learned techniques—but Divine Touch gave him perfect feedback on the fish's movements.
What others needed years of practice to learn meant nothing to him.
He even used the special force application of the White Luo Serpent Coil. Under that power, the Monkfish's struggle was meaningless.
What normally required hours of exhausting combat took Kael less than twenty minutes.
Soon, the fish lost all strength.
With one sharp motion, Kael flicked his rod—and the massive Monkfish was hurled straight onto the deck.
A nearly two-meter-long giant lay there, motionless.
Everyone froze.
Before they could fully react, Kael stopped them from approaching.
Even exhausted, a Monkfish's tail slap could be deadly. More importantly, Monkfish meat degraded quickly if not processed immediately.
He waved everyone back and, in the blink of an eye, used his Seven-Star Knives to dismantle the Monkfish.
"Kael, why'd you cut it up right away?" Yuki asked.
"What else would I do?" Kael replied, puzzled. "If you're going to eat it, you eat it at peak quality."
"That's not what I meant!" Yuki said. "You're supposed to bleed it, freeze it, and then carry it around town to show off!"
Now Kael understood.
As a hunter, Yuki loved showing off her catch. For anglers, landing a fish like this meant parading it around until nightfall.
"If you want," Kael said with a grin, "I'll catch you one later so you can show it off all you want."
"Really?!" Yuki's eyes sparkled. "Yes!"
She immediately ran back to her rod.
An hour later, Soma was locked in a brutal struggle.
"Why is this thing so strong?!" he yelled. "Kael made it look easy, but this has been going forever!"
He had hooked a massive fish too—but after over half an hour, it still wouldn't come up.
For a beginner, he was already doing amazingly well. Most people would've lost it by now.
Kael glanced over. Soma's fish was only slightly smaller than his own. Landing it would normally take several hours.
"Let me handle it," Kael said. "If this keeps going, it'll probably break free."
Soma didn't hesitate. His arms were already burning.
Fishing a big fish was like a tug-of-war—brutal and exhausting. His line was already out far enough that continuing meant risking a snapped line or even losing the rod entirely.
Kael took over.
With effortless movements, he drained the fish's stamina, looking completely relaxed—nothing like Soma's red-faced struggle.
Minutes later, another massive fish was flung onto the deck.
Two monsters landed.
The sight electrified everyone.
One by one, they stared at the sea with renewed determination, eyes blazing.
Skunked?
With Kael around, that was simply impossible.