After that battle, exhaustion finally caught up to them.
No one spoke much.
They didn't celebrate.
They simply understood one thing—they had survived.
They rested, but not carelessly.
Shifts were assigned. Some stayed awake while others slept, ensuring that there was always someone watching the surroundings. No one trusted the Kalkan Forest enough to fully relax.
The night passed slowly.
Every sound mattered.
Every movement was questioned.
But no major attack came.
By morning, the sky had finally begun to clear.
A faint light broke through the dense canopy of the forest.
It was time to move again.
They resumed their journey.
Fight.
Move.
Fight again.
Rest briefly.
Then move again.
It became a routine.
The forest did not make it easy, but compared to what they had faced earlier, their movements were now more coordinated.
Sharper.
Faster.
Better.
Before the sun went down, they saw it.
The Camp Base.
A wave of relief swept through the group.
They had made it.
When they arrived, the instructors were already there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Judging.
But their expressions…
Changed.
Shock.
Genuine shock.
"You got here… already?" one of the instructors said, disbelief clear in his voice.
Another stepped forward.
"In previous years, the fastest group took a week. Some batches took a month… even longer."
He paused, looking at them carefully.
"…and you made it in two days."
There was silence.
Then a small nod.
"But anyway," he continued, "since you are here, you will need to eat."
He pointed behind them.
"There are no food supplies prepared for you. Look around. Find what you can. Each dorm feeds itself."
And just like that—
Their next challenge began.
Lior, Rain, and Jason gathered.
Jason stayed behind.
"I'll prepare the fire and utensils," he said.
Rain and Lior nodded and headed into the surrounding area.
The search wasn't easy, but they managed.
Some roots.
Wild vegetables.
A bit of edible meat.
Not much.
But enough.
When they returned, Jason had already set everything up.
Rain dropped the ingredients.
Lior got to work.
Rain… did nothing.
He just stood there.
Watching.
Occasionally tossing in a comment.
Mostly useless.
Lior ignored him.
Focused.
Cutting.
Mixing.
Cooking.
The smell began to spread.
Rich.
Warm.
Inviting.
By the time the food was ready, they served it.
Just as they were about to eat—
Someone came running.
Mike.
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Who are you running from?"
Mike didn't even sit down.
"Verick and Will… they are trying to kill me with that so-called soup."
Jason laughed.
"We still have some. Help yourself."
Mike didn't hesitate.
"I will."
Rain took the first bite.
Then—
He froze.
Jason followed.
He froze too.
Lior looked at them.
"What?"
Rain slowly turned.
"You never told us… you could cook like this."
Mike took a bite.
Paused.
Then looked at Lior.
"How about I transfer to your dorm?"
They all laughed.
Rain shook his head.
"Since I got to the Capital, I've been living on fast food. We had a chef in the dorm."
Then—
Without warning—
They started beating Lior.
"Why didn't you say anything?!"
"You've been hiding this?!"
"This is criminal!"
In the middle of it—
An instructor arrived.
"What is going on here?!"
Everyone froze.
Except Rain.
He calmly stepped forward and explained everything.
From the cooking…
To the taste…
To the "frustration."
The instructor looked at Sylvia.
"Captain. Taste it."
She stepped forward.
Took a bite.
She froze.
The instructor frowned.
"Well?"
"…It's great."
He took a bite himself.
Then he paused.
Looked at Lior.
Looked at Rain and Jason.
"…Feel free to Kill him if you might."
And walked away.
"…Also," he added without turning back, "package mine. I'll be waiting."
Silence.
Then—
Chaos.
Word spread.
Fast.
Soon, almost all the male students came.
Everyone wanted to taste it.
For a moment—
It didn't feel like training.
It felt like something else.
Something warm.
Something real.
And strangely…
He missed them.
The elementals.
The times they cooked together in dungeons.
Fought together.
Ate together.
Argued.
Laughed.
He smiled slightly.
That night, they all took a warm bath.
Then went straight to sleep.
The next day—
Training began.
Early.
Brutal.
Non-stop.
From morning till evening.
No breaks.
No excuses.
They trained their weaknesses first.
Relentlessly.
Lior focused on speed.
Without magic.
Pure movement.
Pure reaction.
Pure instinct.
At first, it was difficult.
His body lagged behind.
His mind reacted faster than his limbs.
But slowly…
That changed.
Step by step.
Day by day.
He got faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
Then—
They trained their strengths.
Rain refined his control over earth.
Jason improved his coordination and timing.
Mike enhanced his explosive power.
Orelia stabilized her dual elements.
Everyone improved.
And at the end of each day—
They looked at Lior.
He tried ignoring it.
Failed.
Eventually, he gave in.
He divided them into groups.
Assigned ingredients.
Sent them out.
Some succeeded.
Some failed.
Some improvised.
It stopped being about dorms.
It became something bigger.
Even the girls joined in.
Then someone suggested—
"Why don't we all cook together?"
And just like that—
They did.
Training became harder.
But so did they.
By the end of the week—
They were different.
Stronger.
Faster.
Closer.
And Lior…
Had changed the most.
His speed had improved drastically.
Even without magic.
His reflexes sharpened.
His movements became cleaner.
More efficient.
He wasn't just surviving anymore.
He was evolving.
Finally—
The week came to an end.
It was time.
Assessment day.
And not just any assessment.
Their first entry into the City Dungeon.
They all stood in front of it.
Massive.
Dark.
Silent.
The entrance alone felt overwhelming.
No one spoke.
Even the confident ones were quiet.
Because they all understood—
This was different.
This was real.
The instructors stood before them.
Watching.
"This," one of them said, "is your first official step into real dungeon experience."
He pointed at the entrance.
"Inside… there are no second chances."
Silence.
"You will enter. You will adapt. You will survive."
Another instructor stepped forward.
"This assessment will determine your readiness. Your awareness. Your ability to work as a team."
A pause.
"And your ability… to stay alive."
The gates slowly began to open.
A deep, cold wind rushed out.
Darkness awaited them.
Unknown dangers.
Unknown enemies.
Lior tightened his grip.
Rain smirked.
Jason stretched.
Mike stepped forward.
Orelia's eyes sharpened.
One by one—
They prepared themselves.
The instructors gave the signal.
"Begin."
And just like that—
They stepped into the City Dungeon.
The next stage of their journey had begun.