Two days later, Kael arrived at the local WGO branch. His goal was simple—take the Star Rating Assessment.
When he'd first discovered this world had an official chef ranking system, he'd already taken the One-Star Chef exam. That level was basically a work license—something any competent cook could pass with ease. Even back then, with no training, he'd cleared it easily.
This time, he planned to take both the Two-Star and Three-Star exams back-to-back. Each level's assessment was scheduled at different times, making it possible to attempt multiple in one day.
Kael had to admit, the WGO was surprisingly considerate. Most people didn't bother taking multiple tests in a row, but the option existed for maniacs like him.
He hadn't taken the Two-Star exam earlier because he simply wasn't ready—after all, it had only been two days since he'd arrived in this world. But now, after a month of intense training, he was more than qualified for Three-Star.
The assessments each had a theme, but the WGO kept things broad—usually centered around a specific ingredient rather than a particular cuisine. After all, every chef specialized in something different, and forcing everyone to cook the same style would make no sense.
The Two-Star test went flawlessly. Kael was the first to finish, submit, and pass—so fast that both the other candidates and the examiners stared at him in disbelief.
They couldn't help it—his Five Divine Senses made his precision inhuman, and he deliberately chose a dish that could be completed quickly without sacrificing quality. Naturally, that made him the first to finish.
Once the Two-Star certification was done, he moved on to the Three-Star Chef exam site. There were still quite a few people waiting, but compared to the Two-Star group, the numbers were much smaller.
That was normal—the higher the rank, the fewer the chefs. Some regions went months without a single Six-Star candidate showing up.
As Kael scanned the room, his gaze caught on a few familiar figures.
A girl with blue hair tied in braids, her gentle face practically announcing to the world, "I'm easy to bully." Despite that timid aura, her looks and figure were both undeniably attractive.
There was no mistaking her—Megumi Tadokoro.
Standing beside her were two guys: one with black hair, the other blond. Both broad-shouldered and rough-looking, with the kind of "we're delinquents, don't mess with us" expressions that completely clashed with Megumi's soft demeanor.
Judging from their appearance and attitude, Kael immediately recognized them—Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato, the two least impressive members of the Polar Star Dormitory.
Compared to the rest of Polar Star's residents, those two were pretty bottom-tier. They barely showed up in the original story, mostly serving as background characters, and their cooking skills lagged behind everyone else's by a solid margin.
Aside from those three, Kael didn't spot anyone else he knew.
There were other young candidates around Megumi's age, but none of the key story figures were present.
From what Kael knew, most Totsuki students fell between One- and Two-Star levels, with a few elites reaching Three-Star.
One-Star chefs were basically the untalented ones who got into the academy through sheer luck and usually flunked out during the first assessment.
Three-Star chefs, though, were the true standouts—just below the Elite Ten. As for the Ten themselves, even the weakest of them was at least Four-Star level.
Given that, most of the main characters had already passed their Three-Star assessments by this point. Megumi's presence here could only mean one thing—she'd probably failed before.
Her nervousness was a well-known problem. Honestly, that was her biggest flaw. With her raw talent, she should've been second only to Satoshi Isshiki and Soma Yukihira among the Polar Star students.
But her anxiety dragged her down. She was so easily flustered that she'd become one of the lowest-ranked students in her entire year. Kael remembered that before she even got into the dorm, she'd spent ages practicing just to barely qualify.
In truth, getting into Polar Star wasn't even that hard—anyone with above-average skill could make it. If Aoki and Sato were proof, that bar clearly wasn't too high.
They were near the bottom of the dorm's rankings, but still solidly middle-tier compared to the rest of the academy.
For Megumi—a top ten-level talent—to struggle that much just to get in, her nerves had to be crippling.
By now, her cooking skills were easily Three-Star level, maybe even on the higher end. The only reason she was still taking the same exam had to be her anxiety.
Kael's guess was confirmed soon after.
He didn't even have to move closer—his Divine Hearing picked up every word of their conversation.
"Come on, Megumi, don't get nervous this time, okay? It's your fourth Three-Star attempt already," Daigo sighed.
"Yeah," Shoji added. "Aoki and I are only here for our second try, and that's just 'cause we were barely under the mark. You should've passed ages ago."
They were right. Both of them were still working up to the standard, but Megumi had already surpassed it ages ago. The only thing stopping her was, well... herself.
She managed a shaky nod. "I—I know..."
Even so, her expression and trembling hands made it painfully obvious—she was still terrified.
Watching her, Kael couldn't help but think that if he hadn't seen the original story, he might've mistaken her for someone with actual social anxiety.
But that wasn't the case. After all, a true introvert wouldn't have been able to perform the anglerfish-cutting demonstration in front of a crowd of strangers.
No, her problem was environmental.
The real issue was Totsuki itself.
That academy was hell for anyone without a privileged background. If she hadn't moved into the Polar Star Dormitory, she'd probably have been bullied nonstop.
Totsuki students didn't just bully openly—they also schemed behind people's backs. Just look at what happened to Soma Yukihira during his first class evaluation.
Sure, his big mouth had provoked some of it, but the sabotage he faced said everything about the school's toxic culture.
For someone like Megumi—kind, pure, and self-effacing—Totsuki was a nightmare. The only way to survive there was to retreat, to compromise, to smile and apologize even when it wasn't your fault.
And over time, that constant retreating had shaped her into the timid girl standing before him now.