After leaving the student council room, we headed to the classroom and attended our classes, though I slept through some of the most boring ones.

Then we had lunch, and after that, we attended the classes for our additional subjects.

My cooking has improved a little now, but it is still not enough.

Then it was time to train again.

We mostly practiced our coordination, well, those three did since I would be acting alone most of the time.

After practice, we all headed back to our own rooms.

After reaching my room, I took a bath, then took a one-hour nap, cultivated for some time, and went to the cafeteria at 8:30 PM like always.

At the cafeteria, the four of them sat together again and talked about small things, though most of the talking was done by Noah.

Noah asked Asher, "So, how did your favorite class go today?"

Meanwhile, Asher, who for God’s sake was seasoning his food with a serious expression, answered.

"I would probably not get arrested by the food inspection department for attempting to kill the customers."

Asher then asked, "By the way, who will be cooking during the survival test?"

At that question, everyone stopped and started looking at each other. Meanwhile, Asher just looked at Aria and Adam.

Noticing his gaze, Aria asked in an indifferent tone, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Asher simply replied as if it was the most normal thing.

"Aren’t you a noble lady? You should’ve taken cooking classes, right?"

Then he looked at Adam and said the same thing, though instead of "lady," he just called him a noble kid.

Aria replied, "I know how to cook, but only enough so you can eat without getting health problems. I’m not good at making it tasty." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

At this, Asher nodded with a slightly sad expression.

Adam then asked with a smirk, "Aren’t you also a noble? Didn’t you learn how to cook?"

Asher simply replied,

"But I’m a spoiled one. I skipped most classes and just focused on important things like combat and gaming."

"When did gaming become important? No, when did it even become a subject?"

At this, Asher smiled and said,

"It is, and that’s the reason I don’t faint after a duel with a bleeding nose."

Adam became furious at the comment but soon calmed down, knowing it would do him no good to argue with this "idiot."

Meanwhile, while everything was happening, Noah just continued eating his food and listening to their conversation.

When they finally calmed down, he said,

"I know how to cook, but the taste might be lacking."

Adam then said while looking at Asher,

"Only an idiot would care about taste while fighting for survival."

Asher simply replied,

"Yeah, this malfunctioning AC is right."

Then Noah suddenly choked on his drink while trying not to laugh.

Aria lowered her head slightly, covering her mouth with one hand.

Even a few nearby students who overheard the conversation started laughing quietly.

Adam’s eye twitched.

"You—"

At his new nickname, Adam had a furious expression as if he wanted to slice apart everything around him, but he soon calmed down while continuously chanting in his mind, He is an idiot. Don’t take his words seriously.

Asher then said,

"You can’t even produce hot and cold air. You should start training fire and water as your secondory elements. It would be helpful."

The three of them started thinking about it and realized it would actually be useful. Instead of normal wind attacks, Adam could create steam attacks, which would be far more powerful, though also much harder to master.

Thinking about this, Adam wondered if this idiot was actually teasing him just to help him improve.

But before he could continue that line of thought—

Asher added,

"It would be really helpful for sleeping comfortably at night in the wild."

The atmosphere around the table instantly died.

Adam’s expression became blank.

Noah looked down at his food, trying his best not to laugh again.

Aria quietly closed her eyes for a moment as if questioning why she even expected something meaningful from Asher.

Meanwhile, Asher continued eating peacefully, completely unaware of the emotional damage he had caused.

Adam finally spoke in a tired voice,

"For one second... just for one second, I thought you actually said something intelligent."

Asher looked at him in confusion.

"Being able to sleep comfortably is important."

Noah nodded absentmindedly.

"Honestly... he does have a point."

Adam immediately turned toward him.

"Why are you supporting him?!"

"I’m just saying sleep is important during survival situations."

Asher pointed at Noah with his fork.

"See? Smart people understand me."

Adam looked at Noah with betrayal in his eyes.

Aria sighed softly before speaking,

"Steam attacks are actually useful though. High temperature, pressure, and limited visibility combined together could become troublesome in combat."

Adam nodded slightly.

"Yeah... especially in close range."

Asher then added casually,

"And you can also cook food faster."

Adam’s eye twitched again.

Noah lowered his head onto the table, laughing silently.

Aria looked away, clearly trying to hide her smile.

Adam took a deep breath.

"Adam, you are mature. You are not an idiot. Keep your calm... keep your calm," Adam chanted repeatedly in his mind.

But suddenly, Asher opened his mouth again and said,

"Then you’ll at least become a functioning cooking appliance."

’Fuck it. One day, I’ll make sure to beat him,’ Adam cursed inwardly.

Just like that, dinner came to an end.

Afterward, everyone went to sleep.

The next morning—

Today’s mana control class was going to be practical, so we all headed to the training grounds.

Soon, Professor Elisa arrived.

As soon she arrived everyone became alert and focused.

"Today, we will focus on coating mana onto your weapons and various objects to make them usable in battle. That way, even in the absence of proper weapons, you can use whatever you have around you to survive and win a fight."

"You can also coat your body with mana, but it requires an enormous amount of mana and an absurd level of control. Furthermore, your body is not as durable as a weapon, so even a single mistake could cost you your life. That is why it is not advised at all."