Alpha Core smiled as he looked at the students.
"You all have only two days to learn the Gyan Mudra."
The moment those words echoed through the classroom, all the students were shocked.
Vasuki silently lowered his head.
Mara damaged my ego…
I'll show him who I really am.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Mara looked worried.
I don't even know anything about this Gyan Mudra…
How am I supposed to learn it in just two days?
Alpha then continued speaking,
"Because after two days… we will travel to a place where every region has a different temperature."
Suddenly, Torisa entered the classroom.
Today, the same overwhelming confidence could be seen in him—the same presence he had shown on the Red Moon while facing Atura.
Torisa stopped walking and looked directly at Mara before speaking coldly,
"Whatever jokes you all were making until now… they end here."
"From this moment onward, become serious."
Pasito slowly leaned toward Mara and whispered into his ear,
"Whenever I see this confident walk of his… I instantly realize he's about to torture us with punishment."
Mara quietly replied,
"There's nothing to be scared of."
Torisa then slowly moved his gaze across every student in the room.
"Now then… let's head to the training ground."
Vikar swallowed nervously.
This guy is way too cruel…
For some reason, his body slightly leaned backward on its own.
Torisa immediately noticed him and said,
"From today onward… laziness must be abandoned."
Vikar's eyes widened.
Is this guy some kind of psycho?
He then quietly whispered to Vasuki, who was sitting behind him,
"This ashram is filled with weird people…"
"One psycho, one gangster, one coward… seriously, what kind of place is this?"
Torisa loudly shouted toward the entire class,
"Alright then, everyone move to the training ground!"
All the students quickly stood up and began walking out of the classroom.
Alpha Core instructed everyone to form a straight line.
Torisa walked ahead outside the class while the students followed one behind another.
At the very back of the line stood Vasuki.
In front of him was Mara.
And ahead of Mara was Pasito.
After walking for a few seconds, Mara suddenly looked at Pasito and asked,
"Can I walk ahead of you?"
Pasito nodded casually.
"Yeah."
Mara immediately moved forward in the line.
Seeing this, Vasuki quietly walked toward Pasito and asked,
"Can I stand ahead of you?"
But Pasito gave no response at all and completely ignored him.
Vasuki then moved closer to Mara and softly asked,
"Can I stand ahead? It feels awkward standing at the back."
Mara immediately stretched his hand forward to block him and replied,
"No. No one is getting ahead of me."
After saying that, Mara continued walking forward and finally stepped out of the classroom.
Vasuki slowly stepped out of the classroom as well.
The moment Alpha Core noticed him, his expression changed instantly.
"Vasuki… what are you doing?"
Before Vasuki could answer—
SLAP!
Alpha Core suddenly struck him across the face and shouted angrily,
"Maintain discipline, students!"
Vasuki's eyes instantly became watery.
Without saying a single word, he slowly began walking back toward the rear of the line.
As he turned his head slightly…
…he saw the other students laughing at him.
Vasuki quietly returned to the back of the line.
As he walked, he whispered inside his mind,
"The king always stands at the back."
"And besides… I'm taller than everyone here. From here, I can keep an eye on every student."
For a brief moment, he tried to comfort himself with those thoughts.
But slowly, sadness returned to his face.
No one accepts the weak…
His eyes turned serious once again.
From now onward… I will never beg before anyone again.
Remember this… no one here belongs to me.
And even if someone did…
…to this world, I am nothing more than a stranger.
After some time, all the students and teachers arrived at the ashram training ground.
Alpha Core looked at everyone and commanded,
"All students, form two lines."
The students quickly obeyed.
In Line One stood Mara, Pasito, Lina, and Maya.
In Line Two stood Artha, Vikar, Yunsa, and Vasuki.
Alpha Core then spoke once again,
"Now sit down in your places."
All the students quietly sat on the ground.
"Place your hands on your knees," Alpha continued.
"Now connect the thumb of your hand with your first finger… and close your eyes."
The students followed Alpha's instructions exactly.
A moment later, Alpha Core and the other seven teachers also sat down beside them in complete silence.
Alpha Core spoke calmly to all the students,
"Now… think about our classroom."
"Imagine yourselves there."
"Feel the atmosphere of that place."
Mara slowly focused his mind.
A room… filled with many benches…
A board standing in front… with a banner hanging above it…
Suddenly, the air around everyone became heavier.
The atmosphere turned completely silent.
Mara continued imagining the classroom inside his mind.
A room with benches… and a board with a banner on it…
Then Mara quietly realized something.
I can actually see the atmosphere of the classroom…
I can feel that place…
At that exact moment, the hair of Mara, the other students, and even Alpha Core suddenly broke apart into countless tiny white particles of light and began floating through the air.
Alpha Core's calm voice echoed across the ground once again.
"Now ask yourselves one question…"
"Why am I imagining this place?"
Pasito immediately spoke inside his mind,
I know why we're imagining this, brother…
But suddenly—
A bright light burst out from Pasito's closed eyes.
The next moment, his body lost balance and he fell backward while still sitting on the ground.
Seeing this, Atirika and Kamini Mem instantly stood up in shock and rushed toward Pasito.
Alpha ignored the situation completely and continued speaking calmly,
"Now pronounce those words before me…"
"And repeat the words that I say."
The moment Alpha spoke, white light suddenly began escaping from the closed eyes of the students.
One after another, several students lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground.
Now only Vasuki, Mara, Lina, and Maya remained sitting with deep concentration.
A few moments later, the remaining students slowly opened their eyes—
…and instantly froze in shock.
Vasuki was floating in the air.
Countless streams of light were rising toward the sky from tiny holes within the ground's sand.
And in the center of that glowing phenomenon…
Vasuki sat silently in a meditation posture, floating without any support.
Seeing this unbelievable sight, Mara and the other students were left speechless.
Then slowly…
Vasuki slightly opened his mouth, as though he was about to say something.