Gardener of Eden

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Personal Guidance

At dawn the following morning, Squad 07 assembled in their tactical suits, fully prepared following their rest in the private suites. Rowan took the main seat, while Seraphina, Barney, Caelen, and Mirei took their places beside him.

Before the rest of the academy cohorts gathered in the main arena, Head Dean Sterling summoned Squad 07 into a high-security private discussion room. The thick acoustic wards sealed behind them, cutting off the echo of the crowds outside.

Dean Sterling stood beside a glowing holographic display, her expression calm yet severe as her sharp gaze swept over the five members of Squad 07.

”You’ve proven your worth in field operations and uncovered threats that most cadets wouldn’t notice ,” Dean Sterling began, referencing their recent uncovering of the Order of Humanity cell. ”However, field merit does not excuse you from the academy’s official benchmarks. Today marks the start of the Initial Competency Testing Trial.”

She tapped a rune on the central console, casting four distinct holographic streams into the air, each representing a primary testing category: Direct Combat, Alchemical & Auxiliary Support, Forgecraft & Equipment Mechanics, and Territorial Cultivation & Domain Management.

”The parameters for this trial are simple, brutal, and non-negotiable,” Sterling stated, leaning against the edge of the conference table. ”This is a purge of dead weight. In every single category, exactly fifty percent of the participating students will be eliminated.”

Barney grunted, crossing his heavy arms. ”A fifty-percent cut across the board? That’s going to wipe out half the freshman roster before Layer 2 deployments even open.”

”That is precisely the point,” Sterling replied coldly. ”The Tower does not care about potential; it demands proven competency. The bottom fifty percentile in each discipline will be stripped of their squad eligibility and reassigned to rear reserve duties.”

She turned her eyes to each squad member in turn:

Combat Division: Caelen and Mirei would be evaluated in direct engagement scenarios, testing frontline tanking, crowd control, and marksmanship under high-stress pressure.

Auxiliary & Alchemy Division: Seraphina would face spectrographic analysis, high-speed reagent synthesis, and hazard neutralization challenges.

Crafting & Forgecraft Division: Barney would be judged on structural reinforcement, weapon alignment, and emergency equipment repairs under simulated combat strain.

Cultivation & Resource Division: Rowan, as a Domain Cultivator, would be placed in environmental restoration, soil purification, and rapid mana-node cultivation trials.

”Because Squad 07 is operating as a balanced, multi-class unit , your collective survival depends on every single one of you placing in the top half of your respective brackets,” Sterling emphasized. ”If even one of you fails the fifty-percent threshold, your squad ranking drops, and your independent deployment privileges will be revoked.”

Caelen loosened his shoulders and tightened his grip on his broadsword’s pommel. ”We didn’t clear Layer 1 outposts just to fall in a testing room.”

”Good,” Dean Sterling said, deactivating the holographic display. ”Then step into your assigned sector arenas. Prove to the faculty that Squad 07 belongs at the head of this academy.”

Rowan nodded toward his squadmates, his mind sharp and confident—bolstered not only by his domain skills and equipment, but also by the quiet edge of his boosted luck. ”Let’s show them how Squad 07 operates.”

***

Exiting the private briefing room with Dean Sterling’s heavy directives still ringing in their minds, Squad 07 made their way down to the academy’s central complex to fuel up before the trials officially commenced.

They entered the sprawling General Dining Hall, a massive high-ceilinged atrium bustling with energy. Long banners representing the various academy divisions hung from the vaulted rafters, and the vibrant hum of hundreds of hungry cadets echoed off the polished stone walls. Line after line of grand food stalls stretched down the outer corridors, manned by professional master chefs outfitted in crisp white culinary coats, expertly flaring flames and plating gourmet dishes.

The fragrant air was an overwhelming tapestry of spices, roasted meats, and mana-infused delicacies, but one particular scent cut through the rest—a rich, fragrant aroma of coconut milk, steeped pandan leaves, and savory, caramelized sambal chili.

Following the scent led Squad 07 toward the center of the culinary row, where the source of the commotion became instantly clear.

The most popular stall in the entire hall was serving a signature dish called Nasi Lemak. The line formed in front of its wooden counter was so immensely long that it snaked around the perimeter of the dining hall a full cycle, packed with cadets patiently waiting their turn. Behind the counter, a team of veteran chefs worked with lightning precision, scooping steaming mounds of fragrant coconut rice onto banana leaves, pairing them with fiery red sambal, crispy fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, hard-boiled eggs, and golden, deep-fried spiced chicken cutlets.

”Whoa,” Barney whistled, resting his hands on his belt as he eyed the massive line wrapping around the hall. ”I knew academy food was supposed to be high-grade, but I didn’t expect a full-blown food festival line inside the general dining hall.”

”It’s not just standard food,” Seraphina noted, her sharp eyes inspecting the steam rising from the coconut rice. ”The scent profile indicates high-grade mana-infused coconut milk combined with refined spirit-rice. Eating that before a trial probably grants a minor temporary stamina and mana recovery buff.”

Caelen crossed his arms, looking at the back of the line that nearly reached the hall’s entrance. ”If we join the end of that queue, the first round of competency tests will be halfway over before we even get a plate.”

Mirei glanced over at Rowan, a subtle tilt of her head. ”Leader, what’s the play? Jump into the snake queue, or settle for one of the smaller stalls?”

Rowan adjusted the brim of his straw hat, looking closely at the grains of rice and the fresh pandan leaves stacked beside the chefs. As a Domain Cultivator, his heightened intuition for agricultural produce picked up on the exceptional quality of the ingredients—the coconut milk was freshly pressed from high-layer palms, and the chili peppers used in the sambal were grown in high-density mana soil.

”A line that long means two things,” Rowan said with a slight smile, feeling the quiet nudge of his boosted luck stat. ”The food is worth every second, and the kitchen staff has to keep a steady rotation. Keep an eye out—places like this always have an express counter for full squads, or they’re about to open a fresh batch.”

Just as he spoke, an assistant chef stepped out from behind the stall’s side counter, ringing a brass bell and placing a new sign on the rack: ’Fresh Batch Ready - Express Lane Open for Registered Squads!’

Barney grinned, clapping Caelen on the shoulder. ”Luck is definitely on our side today. Let’s get in there before the rest of the hall notices.”