Morning light slipped gently through the small dormitory window, casting a soft glow across the wooden floor.
Inside the academy kitchen, the air was already warm with the scent of herbs, simmering broth, and freshly cut vegetables.
For the past several days, Feyi had been spending most of his time here.
And surprisingly…
He did not dislike it.
Standing beside a long wooden preparation table, Feyi carefully examined several leaves laid out before him.
Some were dark green.
Some had pale purple veins.
Others looked completely harmless.
Across the table, Mara Vensel watched him with her arms folded.
"Alright," she said calmly.
"Which one is poisonous?"
Feyi leaned closer and sniffed each leaf.
He remembered the lessons Mara had taught him over the past week.
Poisonous herbs often carried a sharp, bitter smell.
Some had tiny white spots on the stems.
Others produced a faint sticky residue when crushed.
He picked up one of the leaves with careful fingers.
"This one," he said.
Mara raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Feyi answered immediately.
"The veins are purple, but the edges are slightly curled inward. When I crush it, the smell is bitter."
He gently pressed the leaf between his fingers.
A faint sharp scent rose into the air.
Mara nodded slowly.
"Correct."
She pushed another leaf forward.
"And this one?"
Feyi examined it.
"This one looks poisonous…"
He sniffed it again.
"But the smell is neutral."
He shook his head.
"It's safe."
Mara smiled slightly.
"You're learning."
Over the past week, she had mostly told him stories while they worked.
Stories about the Realm trials.
Stories about students who survived.
And students who didn't.
According to Mara, the biggest mistake most aspirants made was assuming that strength alone would save them.
But the Realm was unpredictable.
Sometimes monsters weren't the real danger.
Sometimes it was the environment.
Poisonous plants.
Deadly insects.
Strange meats that could paralyze someone within minutes.
Those who survived longest were usually the ones who could adapt.
Because of her lessons, Feyi could now identify many herbs and plants.
He wasn't an expert.
But it was enough to survive the first trial.
Mara wiped her hands with a cloth.
"Good. That's enough plants for today."
She walked toward a wooden storage chest near the wall and opened it.
Inside lay several large pieces of strange meat.
They were dark gray.
Their surface looked almost metallic.
Mara lifted one piece and placed it heavily on the preparation table.
"Today," she said, "you'll learn something new."
Feyi looked at the meat curiously.
"What is that?"
Mara answered simply.
"Steelhorn boar meat."
Feyi frowned.
"Steelhorn?"
Mara tapped the meat lightly with her knuckle.
The sound that came out was shocking.
Clang.
It sounded like someone knocking on metal.
Feyi blinked.
"…Meat doesn't sound like that."
Mara chuckled.
"Not ordinary meat."
She pushed the piece toward him.
"This creature lives in rocky mountain regions of the Realm."
"Its muscles grow extremely dense to survive the harsh environment."
She placed a simple kitchen knife beside the meat.
The knife was the same one they used to chop vegetables.
"Cut it."
Feyi picked up the knife and hesitated slightly.
Then he swung it down.
BANG!
The blade struck the meat and bounced off violently.
The impact made his hand sting.
Feyi stared at the meat.
"…What?"
He tried again.
BANG!
The same metallic sound echoed.
The knife bounced again.
Feyi frowned.
"This is impossible."
Mara calmly took the knife from his hand.
"You're doing it wrong."
Feyi crossed his arms.
"Then show me."
Mara held the knife loosely.
Then she said something unexpected.
"I'll reduce my strength to your level."
Feyi looked confused.
"You can do that?"
She nodded.
"Of course."
She rolled her shoulders slightly and took a slow breath.
Feyi could sense her aura suddenly drop.
Her presence, which normally felt powerful and steady, weakened deliberately.
Now it felt almost equal to an aspirant.
Mara lifted the knife.
Then she slowly sliced downward.
Shhk.
The blade cut through the meat smoothly.
Feyi's eyes widened.
"…How?"
There had been no speed.
No burst of strength.
Yet the meat had parted cleanly.
Mara placed the knife down.
"Strength is not always the answer."
She tapped the surface of the meat.
"This meat is dense."
"Too dense for brute force."
She picked up the knife again and pointed at the meat.
"Look carefully."
She pressed the blade lightly against the surface.
Then she moved the knife sideways slightly.
"There are muscle lines inside."
She traced faint lines across the surface.
"Every living creature has them."
"When you cut against the muscle fibers, the meat resists."
"But when you cut along the fibers…"
She slid the blade forward gently.
The knife slipped through easily.
"…the resistance disappears."
Feyi leaned closer.
"So it's about direction."
Mara nodded.
"Yes."
"But there's more."
She lifted the knife and handed it back to him.
"Try again."
Feyi examined the meat carefully.
He noticed faint patterns running across the surface.
Tiny lines.
Almost invisible.
He placed the blade along the direction of the lines.
Then he applied gentle pressure.
The knife moved slightly.
Not much.
But it moved.
Feyi's eyes lit up.
"It's working."
Mara smiled.
"Good."
Then she added another lesson.
"Now adjust your grip."
She walked behind him and corrected the position of his fingers on the knife handle.
"You're holding it too stiffly."
She tapped his wrist.
"Relax."
"If your hand is tense, the blade cannot follow the natural path of the fibers."
Feyi loosened his grip.
Mara nodded approvingly.
"Now cut again."
Feyi tried once more.
This time the knife slid deeper into the meat.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
A small piece separated.
He stared at it with surprise.
"I did it."
Mara laughed softly.
"Barely."
"But it's a start."
For the next several hours, she taught him patiently.
How to read muscle patterns.
How to adjust cutting angles.
How to control pressure.
How to let the blade glide instead of forcing it.
By the end of the session, Feyi could finally cut the Steelhorn meat properly.
His arms were sore.
But he felt strangely satisfied.
Cooking, he realized, was not just about preparing food.
It was about understanding structure.
Understanding patterns.
Understanding resistance.
That night, after finishing work in the kitchen, Feyi returned to his dormitory.
Just like every other night.
He closed the door.
Then he took out the book.
Void Dance.
He had been studying it every night.
Unfortunately…
He still could not perform the technique.
He had memorized every page.
Every explanation.
Every diagram.
But when he attempted the movements, nothing happened.
His energy refused to flow the way the book described.
Still…
He refused to give up.
Before practicing again, he began his usual exercises.
Stretching.
Jogging in place.
Slow breathing.
Simple body training.
These routines helped him understand his aspirant body better.
After all, he had only recently awakened.
His body was still adjusting to its new strength.
Every day he felt small improvements.
Better balance.
Faster reflexes.
More control over his muscles.
After warming up, he stood in the center of the room.
Then he began practicing the movements described in the Void Dance manual.
Step.
Turn.
Shift weight.
Focus energy.
Again and again.
But nothing happened.
No energy movement.
No technique activation.
Just empty movements.
Feyi sighed.
Still…
He continued practicing.
Because even if the technique failed, the movements themselves improved his agility and balance.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
During the daytime, he trained with Mara in the kitchen.
He learned how to prepare strange meats from Realm creatures.
Some meats were poisonous if cooked incorrectly.
Others could become healing food if prepared carefully.
By the end of the month, Feyi could prepare dozens of dishes.
Some restored stamina.
Some removed mild toxins.
Some improved physical recovery.
At night, he continued studying Void Dance.
He memorized every line of the book.
Every movement.
Every explanation.
Because he knew something important.
He could not take the book into the trial.
Once the trial began, the academy would confiscate everything except basic survival gear.
So the knowledge had to stay in his mind.
The final week passed quickly.
One evening, Mara watched him carefully while he prepared a complicated dish made from two different poisonous meats.
When he finished, she tasted it.
Then she nodded slowly.
"You're ready."
Feyi looked surprised.
"For the trial?"
Mara shrugged.
"As ready as anyone can be."
Then she added quietly,
"Remember what I taught you."
"Strength isn't always the answer."
"Observation saves lives."
Feyi nodded.
"I won't forget."
A few days later—
the announcement finally came.
Early in the morning, a loud bell echoed across the entire academy.
Students rushed out of dormitories.
Instructors gathered in the central courtyard.
A tall official stood on the platform beside a large stone gate.
His voice echoed across the academy grounds.
"Aspirants."
"The time has come."
"Prepare yourselves."
"The Realm Trial will begin tomorrow."
A heavy silence fell across the courtyard.
Excitement.
Fear.
Anticipation.
For many students…
This moment had been years in the making.
For Feyi…
It was the beginning of everything.
Because tomorrow—
he would finally step into the Realm.
And face whatever awaited him inside.