The silence in the training arena was heavy and absolute. Marcus lay unconscious on the floor, a testament to the shocking outcome. The other Prime Division students stared at Jin Park, their earlier mockery and pity replaced by a mixture of confusion, suspicion, and a newfound, grudging respect.
Instructor Zane was the first to break the silence. He walked over, his sharp eyes scrutinizing Jin Park from head to toe, then looking down at the skillet still held loosely in his hand.
"How?" Zane asked, his voice quiet but intense. "Explain the technique."
This was the critical moment. Jin Park had anticipated this question. He lowered his head, adopting the persona of a humble, socially awkward prodigy. "I... I don't know, sir," he said, his voice hesitant. "When I hold a kitchen utensil, my Chop skill... it just guides me. I see the weak points. The joints, the places where balance is poor. It's the same as finding the seam in a tough piece of meat."
He had wrapped his lethal insight in a plausible, culinary-themed lie, attributing his terrifying efficiency to an unusual application of his mundane Job skill.
Zane's eyes narrowed further. It was a bizarre explanation, but it wasn't entirely unbelievable given the boy's "miracle" dish at the exam. An anomaly. A culinary savant whose genius extended to a strange, almost instinctual form of combat.
"I see," Zane said slowly, making a mental note. "Victory is yours, Jin Park. Med-team, retrieve Applicant Marcus."
As medical staff floated in on a hover-stretcher, Jin Park walked back to the sidelines. The other students now parted for him, their expressions complex. He was no longer a joke. He was an enigma.
His gaze swept over the remaining students, finally landing on his chosen target: the quiet first-year, Ren. Ren had won his match in a strange, anticlimactic way by somehow causing his opponent's spell to fizzle out. Jin Park, with his System Weaver talent, understood what had truly happened. Ren had the rare and insidious ability to interfere with the mana of others.
That, Muyeong thought, a cold spark of interest flashing in his mind. That is a priceless tool.
The rest of the sparring matches concluded. Jin Park's single, shocking victory placed him solidly in the middle of the pack—#16 out of 30. It was the perfect result: high enough to be seen as competent, but not high enough to attract the intense, suffocating scrutiny given to the top ranks.
As the students were dismissed, Jin Park checked his internal clock.
[Divine Copy Cooldown Remaining: 22 days, 7 hours, 14 minutes.]
He had identified his next target. Now, all he had to do was wait.
Over the next few weeks, Jin Park established a quiet, unremarkable routine. He attended his classes, submitted his assignments, and spent his nights in "The Kitchen." His level began to climb steadily as he created more and more innovative, XP-rich dishes using the academy's resources. He synthesized new materials, creating lightweight but durable cooking utensils and reinforcing his own simple clothes with threads of hardened monster sinew.
He also spent time observing Ren from a distance. He learned the boy's schedule, his habits, his preferred secluded spots in the library. He was a predator patiently learning the patterns of his prey. He never approached him, never spoke to him. There was no need. Not yet.
He was a wolf, and he was capable of incredible patience when stalking the perfect prize. His focus was on his own growth. Each level he gained made him stronger, and each new dish he created pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible for a chef.
He was building his power in the shadows, waiting for the day his most important skill would be ready once more. The academy saw a culinary prodigy. The other students saw a strange anomaly. But Muyeong knew what he was.
He was a hunter, sharpening his claws, counting down the days until his next kill.