Leaving the training hall behind, Ryan made his way toward the Academy cafeteria... He had heard from Aaron and a few others that Evergreen Martial Arts Academy had its own cafeteria... And not just an ordinary one... Here, if you had the money or points, you could order almost anything... even dishes made from the flesh of Star Beasts...
Star Beasts were hunted down by martial warriors... Their bodies broken down and sold inside the Academy either for credits or for cash... Because of that, Star Beast meat was plentiful here... The Academy even employed special Strength Chefs... trained martial warriors who had chosen to devote themselves to the culinary path...
Strength Chefs were not ordinary cooks... Every one of them had to possess real strength to even qualify... and their status was so respected that even battle-hardened warriors sought their favor...
As they walked, Ryan turned to Aaron... "So you are saying our cafeteria actually serves Strength Cuisine..."
Aaron nodded... "Yeah... Evergreen is ranked among the top three academies in the country... Of course we have Strength Chefs here... On the third floor, they even serve dishes from other realms... Strength Cuisine based on ingredients you cannot find in this world... But only martial warriors are allowed up there... Regular students are not qualified..."
Ryan's eyes lit up... "Can we see the warriors at least..."
"Sometimes..." Aaron said... "But not often... Most of them are off-world or away on missions... And even if you do see one, do not expect to get close... Strength Cuisine is expensive... Crazy expensive... Some dishes go for hundreds of thousands... even millions... Rare ingredients... dangerous hunts... impossible cooking techniques... That is what makes them special..."
Ryan almost stopped in his tracks... Millions... for a single meal... He shook his head in disbelief... That was an entire fortune for one plate of food... No way he was going to waste his credits like that... For now, the first-floor cafeteria would be more than enough...
So he ate alongside Aaron and the other students... filling his stomach without emptying his wallet... Afterward, he allowed himself a short rest before returning to training in the afternoon...
This time, he focused entirely on his knife techniques... If his fists, his footwork, and his swordsmanship had already reached perfection... then his blade arts had to catch up too...
Hour after hour... strike after strike... Ryan pushed himself... refining every slash... every thrust... every angle... until the dull repetition transformed into sharp instinct...
By the time the sun dipped low in the sky... every one of his attributes had already surpassed the thresholds of an advanced trainee... He was not just at the level anymore... He was climbing into the ranks of the elite among them...
Even his knife technique, which had lagged behind, had advanced significantly... The rest of his skills... Perfected...
And yet, as he stared at his stat screen, he could not help but frown...
Basic Knife Technique... Advanced...
Still not perfect... Why is everything rising so fast... but this one is lagging behind...
The thought lingered as he wiped the sweat from his brow...
For now, Ryan decided he would stay on the second floor of the training hall for a few more days... There was no need to rush into the third floor just yet... Better to consolidate his progress...
That night, he returned home... He did not say a word to his parents about how far he had advanced... He knew it would be too much... too fast for them to take in... Instead, he quietly mapped out his plans for the next day...
Because if he was rising this quickly on the second floor... what would happen once he stepped into the third...
The next morning, Ryan woke early... After breakfast, he grabbed his keys and headed out...
His father, Steve Miller, watched him leave with a look of deep satisfaction...
Finally... no more of those constant eyes on me...
But when Ryan glanced back through the rearview mirror of his sports car, he shivered...
Wait... was that the warm gaze of a loving father... God, that was terrifying...
Shaking the chill from his spine, he hit the gas and sped off toward Evergreen Martial Arts Academy...
By the time he arrived, the sun was already climbing high... He passed the grassy fields outside, scooping up a few scattered attribute bubbles along the way... and finally stepped into the trainee hall...
The moment he began his practice, the air in the room froze...
"Advanced level!..." someone blurted, eyes wide...
The boy who had been sparring right beside him stopped mid-movement, stunned...
"What did he just say..." another whispered...
"No way... was he not the new guy who came in yesterday..."
"Not yesterday... Friday night... I saw him myself..." another corrected quickly...
"Then that means..." someone muttered, voice trailing off in disbelief... "Two days... He went from intermediate to advanced in just two days..."
"That is impossible..."
"No one can improve that fast..."
The whispers spread like wildfire... Students stared... their expressions shifting from doubt... to suspicion... then to outright disbelief...
"He must have trained in martial arts before... Look at him... rich kid... Families like that do not bother with school... they hire private trainers... Makes everything easier..."
Heads nodded... Murmurs of agreement rippled through the hall... Because if this was not cheating... if this was not some hidden advantage... then what else could it be...
No one wanted to accept the truth... Advancing that quickly was not human... It was monstrous...
"Unless..." one student muttered under his breath, voice cold... "Unless he is not cheating at all... Unless he really is a monster..."
The hall fell silent...
And Ryan... unaware of the storm of whispers behind him... simply tightened his grip on his weapon and pushed forward with his training...
Because this was only the beginning...