Chapter 388: Celebration

Ryan nodded and followed, his steps considerably lighter despite his weariness. His posture radiated satisfaction, making it clear how much passing the evaluation meant to him, though every few paces he instinctively touched the bandage wrapped around his brow.

"...Should I give you a potion?" Soren couldn’t help but ask as they walked. "Or did the academy healers already patch you up?"

"Ah, thank you, but there’s no need." Ryan hurriedly replied. "...Actually, I received a blow to this spot after the official exam ended. One of the instructors offered to spar with me."

He paused, a faint flush rising on his cheeks as he admitted the rest. "It wasn’t much of a duel, honestly. He defeated me pretty brutally before I could even land a hit on him, and that was how I ended up with this."

He touched the fabric over his temple, yet as he spoke, his voice carried an unmistakable edge of enthusiasm. Soren caught the contrast immediately. For someone who had taken a rough beating, the boy sounded remarkably eager.

Noticing Soren’s expression, Ryan grinned sheepishly and continued. "Even though it was over in less than a minute, I learned so much from just those few exchanges. In fact, I even ended up getting an enlightenment because of that final attack!"

"I see," Soren said, nodding slowly as the pieces clicked into place. This explained why Ryan’s mental state had been in a trance state for some time earlier. "That instructor must be quite skilled to be able to make you enlightened."

"Mm. I think I heard they called him the Chief Sword Instructor," Ryan said, his eyes shining with clear admiration. "He probably leads the Weaponry Department too. And... He even asked if I wanted to become his personal disciple on the spot."

Soren smiled slightly and glanced over at him. "Did you accept, then?"

Ryan shook his head without hesitation. "No, I thanked him politely first, but I rejected the offer."

"Did he... get angry?" Soren asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, actually," Ryan chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck again. "He just laughed out loud and said I was interesting, then told me he’d be looking forward to seeing what I do in the future."

"...What a strange man," Soren muttered, though he guessed the instructor was simply pleased to find someone with genuine talent and the resolve to forge his own path.

"He really is," Ryan agreed, nodding before his tone turned deeply respectful. "But he was unbelievably strong too. Even though I had to decline his offer, I’d still love to learn whatever I can from him while I’m here."

Soren chuckled softly, looking ahead as they walked. "If I had to guess, you’ll be seeing plenty of him from now on. The academy isn’t so big that you can avoid the Chief Sword Instructor, and there will be more than enough opportunities to pick up a few things along the way."

"Right." Ryan agreed. "And I am glad I chose to transfer here."

Soren felt happy for Ryan too, and given the Vice Principal’s keen eye for talent, the academy’s upper management would undoubtedly invest heavily in Ryan’s growth, ensuring he had every resource he needed to reach his full potential.

The two kept walking and talking until they reunited with Ethea and Zura. Like Soren, they both reacted the moment they saw the bandage on Ryan’s forehead.

"What happened to you, Ryan?"

"Are you ok?"

"I am ok. But more importantly, I passed!" Ryan announced before they could worry further.

"Really? That’s amazing news!" Zura gasped, her eyes lighting up instantly as she rushed forward to slap Ryan on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Ryan!"

"Congratulations, Ryan," Ethea added with a sincere smile. "You did well."

Ryan thanked each of them in return.

"We should celebrate it." Zura turned toward Soren with a grin. "Sir Ren will be treating us, right?"

Before Soren could reply, Ryan spoke up, waving his hands modestly. "Actually... I’d like to treat everyone. My parents said they would prepare a lunch for us today, so please come over to my house."

Zura raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin spreading across her face. "Oh? Were you that confident you would pass?"

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck, a soft yet determined smile on his face. "I had no choice but to pass, so..."

Zura chuckled, crossing her arms as her grin softened into an approving look. "There’s no need to be so serious about it. Having confidence is a good thing, as long as you don’t let it turn into overconfidence."

"I will keep that in mind," Ryan replied, nodding earnestly.

"Though I certainly won’t reject a party," Zura added with a wink before turning toward Soren and Ethea. "And I doubt these two will either."

"Not at all," Soren said with a light nod. "And let’s continue the celebration at our place in the evening."

"Cool, it’s decided then!" Zura exclaimed. "Let’s go!"

The other three laughed and followed after her.

───────

After having lunch at Ryan’s house, they all parted ways, and Zura and Ryan had agreed to gather at the hotel for dinner.

Soren and Ethea returned to their room and went through their daily routine. Once Ethea was settled and had drifted off to ’sleep,’ Soren sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

But soon after he entered a meditative state, a familiar ding chimed gently in his mind, and translucent message windows materialized, floating in his vision.

He didn’t react outwardly, keeping his breath steady as he read through the incoming notifications and allowed the rewards to seamlessly integrate into his body and mind.

It was another round of investment returns, this time modest gains yielded from cooking for Malakar and Zura. In total, the Authority granted him Cooking Mastery +1 and a substantial influx of 50,000 mana.

’...Status Open.’

Soren scrolled down and stopped at the one line that caught his attention.

[Mana Capacity: 869,704 / 880,000]

’...I think there’s no need to go into Gates anymore.’