"Not bad. I still can't completely suppress the rise in body temperature, but at least I can slow it down. I won't end up like Alkan, needing cold water every few minutes."
After carefully sensing the changes in his body, Kael felt genuinely satisfied. Alkan had to drink water constantly.
Kael, on the other hand, only needed to cool himself down three or four times a day. As long as he brought his temperature back to normal in one go, he was fine.
By Kael's estimate, Alkan hadn't mastered qi at all. Without it, he probably needed to drink water more than ten times a day, and in huge amounts each time.
No wonder he always carried so much water with him.
Having gained a new ability, Kael was itching to test it out. Just like when he first obtained the Soul-Calming Ougi—unfortunately, he hadn't had Shu-Han aged dough at the time, so its effects had been limited.
Now, though, he wanted to experiment with Explosive Flame.
He wasn't worried about people finding out. He had already shown so many special abilities that one more wouldn't make a difference. At this point, he was fearless.
Back when he relied only on his Divine Senses and enhanced physical body, Kael was already no longer afraid of most modern weapons. Now that he had Explosive Flame, his confidence skyrocketed.
Of course, he wasn't reckless. As long as he had the ability to protect himself, that was enough.
He was already acknowledged as the number one prodigy of the culinary world, someone who had shattered countless records. Even if something outrageous came to light again, it wouldn't be a problem.
He didn't plan to go anywhere, either. He would stay right here and wait to draw new character and faction inheritances. As long as he stayed put, there was no real danger.
That said, testing Explosive Flame obviously couldn't be done inside the cooking building or the Polar Star Dormitory kitchens. Everything there was modern equipment—using Explosive Flame inside would burn who knew how much.
To be safe, Kael hauled a large pile of firewood out to an open area to test his ability.
There was nothing flammable nearby, so there was no risk of starting a wildfire.
His actions quickly drew attention. Even though not everyone was at Polar Star Dormitory right now, there were still plenty of people around.
"Kael, what are you doing? Planning a barbecue?"
Alice Nakiri asked curiously as she watched him carry firewood outside. Among the girls usually around Kael, Alice was the only one who wasn't constantly running around.
Erina Nakiri was busy working in the director's office. Megumi Tadokoro was traveling around the world using her Elite Ten privileges, which was great for her growth.
So at Kael's side right now were only Alice, along with Sarge and Bunnyhair, who had just finished class.
Alice now specialized in Chinese cuisine. In the world of Food Wars, the most authoritative figure in Chinese cooking was undoubtedly Kael.
There was no need for her to run around elsewhere. Staying at Polar Star Dormitory and asking Kael whenever she had questions was more than enough. Most of the time, she didn't even need to ask—just watching him was enough.
After all, Alice's eyesight was now far beyond that of ordinary people.
"Pretty much. Though if it were just barbecue, it wouldn't be this special," Kael said with a smile.
After setting up the firewood, he ran a steel rod straight through an enormous pork leg.
Explosive Flame actually came with a matching secret technique: Heavenly Malevolent Flame Wheel. That technique also existed in the Third Region. It was something Alkan had developed himself and later recorded in the Dark Cooking Society's secret manuals.
It wasn't that Alkan was generous—no one else could use it anyway.
The technique required Explosive Flame as a prerequisite. Without hesitation, Alkan had handed it over.
Kael had already noticed the technique back when he was in the Third Region. But as he'd thought then, it was even more useless than the Arhat Tiger Claw.
At least the Arhat Tiger Claw had some practical value. Flame Wheel, on the other hand, was completely worthless to ordinary chefs.
Without Explosive Flame, using that technique would only result in food that was either half-raw or completely burnt. There were no exceptions.
The technique demanded an extremely intense flame. Just getting close to such a fire would already be dangerous, let alone cooking with it.
Only someone with Explosive Flame could stand directly in the center of the blaze, completely immune to heat and burning.
Kael hadn't learned Heavenly Malevolent Flame Wheel, and he didn't have the proper chains to use it anyway. So he could only rely on Explosive Flame itself to roast the meat.
The pork leg had already been scored and coated with a large amount of specially prepared marinade. This marinade didn't need time—it spread rapidly under high heat.
Once the marinade was applied, Kael mounted the pork leg onto the steel rod. The rod itself was leftover construction material from when Polar Star Dormitory had been renovated earlier.
Since it might be useful for future construction or repairs, the materials had been kept.
With the pork leg ready, Kael stepped up to the pile of firewood. He'd prepared a huge amount—enough to fuel a massive bonfire party.
To light it, he didn't use any tools. Instead, he picked up a single log and activated Explosive Flame within his body.
In the next instant, his body temperature shot up. Scalding steam erupted from his hand, and the log ignited in the blink of an eye.
He tossed the burning wood into the pile.
Normally, it would take time for the flames to spread. But Kael had Explosive Flame.
While he couldn't create fire out of nothing—he still needed a medium—he could control existing flames.
With a single thought, the fire spread explosively.
What should have taken minutes to ignite instantly turned into a sea of fire.
"Kael, back up! That fire is way too intense!"
The earlier spectacle was astonishing, but now no one had time to dwell on it. The heat wave alone forced everyone to retreat.
"Don't worry. I've awakened a new special ability. Fire can't hurt me anymore."
As he spoke, Kael raised his hand. Flames immediately coiled around his arm like living snakes, yet his skin showed no change at all.
"A special ability? Another one? And it lets him control fire and be immune to it?!"
Everyone was stunned.
They'd already wondered how Kael had ignited the wood earlier, but the sheer scale of the fire had distracted them. Now, seeing him demonstrate it directly, they finally realized how terrifying this new ability was.
A power that controlled flames—something that had never appeared in the culinary world before.
Kael now stood completely surrounded by roaring fire, yet he looked utterly unaffected, as if the flames didn't exist at all.
Under his control, the steel rod and pork leg spun steadily within the inferno, cooking at astonishing speed.
"So this is Explosive Flame. Before, I'd never dare cook meat like this over open fire—and the speed is insane."
Watching the pork leg roast under his command, Kael himself was amazed.
He had always been able to shorten cooking time through technique, but heating was the hardest part to speed up.
Now it was different.
With Explosive Flame, he could drastically reduce heating time.
What took others minutes or even tens of minutes, Kael could finish in seconds.
Dishes that required hours—or even days—of simmering could be shortened by dozens of times.
That was the true terror of Explosive Flame.
The pork leg in his hands was the perfect example.
Normally, roasting a whole pork leg took anywhere from one and a half to four hours. Kael? He finished it in just a few minutes.
The intense heat allowed his special marinade to spread instantly throughout the meat. It was ready to eat immediately—no dipping sauce needed.
When he was done, Kael lifted the pork leg and walked straight out of the flames.
The fire was still raging behind him. He tried to extinguish it, but for now, his control wasn't refined enough to fully put it out. He could only weaken it slightly.
Explosive Flame primarily worked by releasing superheated steam, controlling flames, and massively amplifying fire.
That was how he'd created such a terrifying blaze using nothing but firewood. Under normal circumstances, burning wood alone could never achieve this effect.
Kael knew he needed to master qi as soon as possible. Not only to fully suppress Explosive Flame, but also to gain perfect control over fire.
But that was a problem for the future.
Qi was incredibly difficult to master. Even after grasping a weakened version, Kael had tried to reach full qi multiple times and failed every time.
The difficulty was simply too high.
That level was reserved for Dragon Chefs or even Supreme Dragon Chefs. To reach it, Kael first had to become a Dragon Chef himself.
That would take time.
Becoming a Lin Chef within a year was already exceptional. Not everyone was Liu Maoxing, that absolute monster.
To be honest, Liu Maoxing's talent was the fusion of his own ability and Kaiyu's. If it were just Kaiyu alone, there was no way he could reach Lin Chef level in a single year.
Kael had only done it with the help of cheats. That alone showed just how absurd Liu Maoxing's talent really was.
Ignoring the firewood pile—once it burned out, the flames would die naturally—Kael carried the roasted pork leg over. There was nothing nearby to catch fire, so it wouldn't spread to the kitchens.
"That was only a few minutes… It's already done? Can you really eat it?"
Yuki Yoshino stared wide-eyed. She couldn't wrap her head around it. A pork leg that normally took hours to roast had been finished in minutes.
She wanted to doubt it, but the aroma and appearance told her otherwise. It was clearly cooked.
Roasted in such fierce flames, yet not a trace of charring on the surface—and fully cooked. It was practically a miracle.
Interest in Kael's ability was quickly replaced by something else entirely.
Kael was already slicing the pork leg with the Seven-Star Knives. The moment the blade cut in, an irresistible aroma burst into the air.
With roasted meat, much of the fragrance is sealed inside. So when Kael cut it open, the scent exploded outward.
The crispy exterior, tender interior, and the way juices burst out with a light press—
At that moment, no one cared about special abilities anymore. Their eyes were fixed on the pork.
Kael sliced the meat quickly, and everyone rushed to taste it.
The moment it entered their mouths, their eyes widened.
It was roasted meat, yet not dry at all. With a single bite, rich juices burst forth, unbelievably tender. They never imagined pork could have the texture of a top-grade steak.
Combined with Kael's secret marinade, the flavor spread from their taste buds through their entire bodies. It felt like drowning in a sea of barbecue.
The extreme deliciousness made everyone unconsciously close their eyes.
When the aftertaste finally faded, they snapped back to reality—and immediately stared at the remaining meat with burning eyes.
"If you want more, just eat," Kael said with a laugh.
There was no need for formalities between them.
At his words, everyone stopped holding back and began eating like there was no tomorrow.
Ordinary barbecue got boring quickly, but Kael's was different.
Lin Chef–level skill, secret marinade, and Explosive Flame cooking combined into something you could eat endlessly without feeling sick of it.
They ate until their bellies were completely round.
Even then, there was still plenty left.
Kael kept some aside for Erina Nakiri and Arato Hisako. The rest, he finished himself.
The best part, without question, was the pork trotters. Compared to lean meat, Kael preferred those the most.
That was why he had deliberately saved them when slicing.