The next morning, the academy grounds were unusually noisy.
Groups of aspirants crowded around a large notice board near the center courtyard. The board was mounted on a tall black pillar, and several academy assistants had just finished pinning a long parchment to it.
The moment the parchment was posted, dozens of students rushed forward.
"What is it?"
"Is it the trial schedule?"
"No… it looks like rankings."
More students squeezed into the crowd.
"Move!"
"I can't see!"
"It's the aspirant ranking list!"
The news spread quickly.
Within minutes, nearly every student in the courtyard had gathered around the board.
The parchment listed names from top to bottom.
Strongest aspirants at the top. Weakest at the bottom.
Students began searching for their names.
"I'm number 47!"
"What?! I'm 112!"
A tall boy grinned proudly.
"Ha! Top twenty!"
Others looked disappointed.
"Three hundred… seriously?"
"I trained for years and I'm still that low?"
Meanwhile, Feyi approached quietly from behind the crowd.
His body still ached slightly from the beating he received the day before, but the healer's medicine had at least stopped the bleeding.
He squeezed through the crowd slowly.
Eventually he reached the board.
His eyes scanned the list.
The top names passed quickly.
Then the middle section.
Then the lower section.
Finally—
the very last line.
His eyes stopped.
There it was.
Rank: 1000
Title: Soul of Void
Name: Feyi
Clan: —
Aspect: —
Feyi stared silently.
The clan section was blank.
The aspect section was blank.
Then he remembered what happened yesterday.
He had only told the counselor his title before being thrown out.
He never got the chance to explain anything else.
Around him, whispers began forming.
Someone noticed his name.
A boy suddenly laughed.
"Hey! Look at this!"
Others leaned closer.
"What?"
The boy pointed to the last line.
"Soul of Void!"
Another student burst out laughing.
"Isn't that the idiot who said he was from the Voidless Clan yesterday?"
Several students immediately turned to look at Feyi.
"Wait… that's him?"
"Oh yeah, it's that guy."
More laughter spread.
A girl covered her mouth while giggling.
"Look at his clan section—it's blank!"
Another student mocked loudly.
"Maybe the Voidless Clan erased him from existence!"
More laughter.
Someone else added sarcastically,
"Maybe the Voidless Clan abandoned him for lying."
A tall boy shook his head dramatically.
"Imagine lying about belonging to the Voidless Clan just to look cool."
Another student smirked.
"That's like saying you're the heir of the gods."
Someone else laughed loudly.
"Next he'll say he's the king of the void."
A group of students began mocking him openly.
"Hey, Soul of Void!"
"Where's your legendary clan now?"
"Did they disappear into the void?"
Another boy joked loudly.
"Careful everyone! He might erase us with his imaginary void powers!"
The group burst into laughter again.
Feyi said nothing.
He simply turned away from the board and walked toward his classroom.
Behind him, the gossip continued.
"That guy is crazy."
"He really tried to claim the Voidless Clan."
"I heard the counselor slapped him so hard he flew out of the chair."
"I wish I saw that."
Someone laughed again.
"That was probably the funniest thing yesterday."
By the time Feyi entered the classroom, the gossip had already reached everyone.
The moment he stepped inside—
several students immediately began whispering.
"Oh look."
"The Void liar."
Another student chuckled.
"Careful, don't anger him. He might summon the void."
A girl rolled her eyes.
"What a clown."
Feyi quietly walked to his seat.
He ignored them.
A few minutes later, the instructor entered the classroom.
The room went silent.
The instructor looked around calmly.
Then his eyes stopped on Feyi.
His expression hardened slightly.
"You."
He pointed toward the door.
"Out."
The room instantly erupted with quiet laughter.
Feyi slowly stood.
He said nothing.
The instructor continued coldly.
"I do not tolerate liars in my class."
"Go to the cafeteria."
"You will report to the kitchen staff."
More laughter filled the room.
"Of course!"
"The liar becomes a cook!"
Someone whispered loudly.
"That's perfect."
Feyi walked out without arguing.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the academy cafeteria.
The kitchen was large and warm, filled with the smell of spices and cooked meat.
A middle-aged woman stood near a large wooden table preparing ingredients.
She had strong arms, tied hair, and sharp eyes that showed years of experience.
When she saw Feyi, she raised an eyebrow.
"You must be the boy they sent."
Her name was Mara Vensel.
Feyi nodded slightly.
The woman wiped her hands on a cloth.
"I see you've been abandoned by the instructors."
Her tone was calm.
"But let me tell you something."
She pointed toward the kitchen.
"Cooking is just as important as combat."
Feyi looked slightly surprised.
Mara continued.
"In the Realm, power alone doesn't keep you alive."
She picked up several plants from a basket.
"Food does."
She held up a small vine.
"You see this?"
Feyi nodded.
"This vine looks harmless."
She crushed a leaf between her fingers.
"But it's extremely poisonous."
She pointed to another plant.
"And this one looks dangerous…"
"…but it's completely safe to eat."
Feyi listened carefully.
Mara smiled slightly.
"If you want to survive the Realm, you must learn the difference."
She continued explaining.
"There are plants, vines, and meats in the Realm that can kill you instantly."
"Some will paralyze you."
"Some will slowly poison you."
"Others will heal your body."
She looked directly at him.
"The only way to know the difference…"
"…is focus."
Then she began telling a story.
"Let me tell you something about my first trial."
Feyi listened.
Mara leaned against the table.
"I was an aspirant once… just like you."
"But unlike the others, I wasn't strong."
She laughed quietly.
"My combat skills were terrible."
"My teammates were warriors."
"One was a swordsman."
"Another controlled fire."
"The third could summon stone armor."
She paused.
"And then there was me."
Feyi asked quietly.
"What did you do?"
Mara smiled.
"I cooked."
She continued.
"Our trial dropped us in a dense forest."
"Monsters everywhere."
"My teammates fought constantly."
"Every day."
"Every night."
"They were strong…"
"…but strength burns energy quickly."
She picked up a knife and began slicing meat while speaking.
"They were exhausted."
"Injured."
"Hungry."
"That's when I started cooking."
She mixed herbs into the meat.
"I learned which plants healed wounds."
"Which spices restored stamina."
"Which meats increased strength."
"My teammates began recovering faster."
"They fought better."
"They survived longer."
She smiled softly.
"And in the end…"
"…our group passed the trial."
She pointed the knife slightly toward Feyi.
"Not because we were the strongest."
"But because we were prepared."
Feyi nodded slowly.
Mara placed several spices on the table.
"Now."
"Let's begin your training."
She pointed to the spices.
"Tell me which one smells bitter."
Feyi leaned closer.
He sniffed them carefully.
Mara nodded approvingly.
"Good."
"Your senses are sharp."
For the next several hours, she taught him different ingredients.
Spices.
Plants.
Meats.
Poisons.
Antidotes.
By the time the sun began to set, Feyi had memorized dozens of different ingredients.
Finally, Mara wiped her hands again.
"That's enough for today."
She smiled slightly.
"Come back tomorrow."
Feyi nodded.
"Thank you."
Later that evening, he returned to his dormitory.
The building was quiet.
Most students were still training or studying.
Feyi entered his room.
He closed the door.
Then he sat on his bed.
After a moment, he spoke quietly.
"Let's try this."
He activated his ability.
Self-Fragment.
A faint ripple of energy passed through his body.
Suddenly—
one strand of his hair floated upward.
The hair detached from his head.
It hovered in the air.
Then it began transforming.
The strand stretched.
Expanded.
Changed shape.
Within seconds—
a perfect copy of Feyi stood in front of him.
Same face.
Same clothes.
Same expression.
The clone blinked slowly.
Feyi studied it carefully.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Well…"
He crossed his arms.
"Let me see what you can really do."