Chapter 71: Scenario II

By the time they reached the cafeteria, it was already crowded.

The large dining hall was filled with students from different years and departments. Long tables occupied most of the room, while several food counters lined the walls. A few staff members were preparing meals, and small floating trays carried food between the counters and the tables.

Ryan looked around with interest.

’Even the cafeteria is this elaborate?’

Daniel walked toward one of the counters.

"Come on. Let’s get something to eat before the good dishes run out."

"Do they actually run out?" Ryan asked.

"Of course! The academy provides meals for everyone, but the special dishes are limited. You should know that."

Daniel gave him a strange look.

Elara sighed.

"Just ignore him. He’s been talking about food since morning."

The three of them joined the queue.

Ryan examined the available dishes. There were several ordinary meals, along with some unfamiliar food containing spiritual ingredients. A few dishes even had small labels indicating their effects.

[Spirit-Grain Rice]

[Type: Food]

[Effect: Slightly improves spiritual energy recovery.]

[Moonleaf Soup]

[Type: Food]

[Effect: Helps restore mental fatigue.]

[Golden Herb Chicken]

[Type: Food]

[Effect: Provides mild nourishment to the soul.]

Ryan looked at the labels.

’Even the food here has special properties.’

He selected a few dishes and followed Daniel and Elara to an empty table.

As they began eating, Daniel started talking about their afternoon class.

"By the way, have you heard? Professor Valen is going to teach us puppet creation today."

Elara nodded.

"I heard that as well. Apparently, we’re going to make our first spiritual puppet."

Daniel looked excited.

"I hope we get to keep it. Imagine having our own little puppet to help with assignments."

"You’re getting ahead of yourself," Elara replied. "We’re first-year students. We’ll probably only make a basic puppet capable of performing simple tasks."

"That’s still useful!"

Ryan listened quietly.

Puppet Creation Beginner.

He had noticed the subject on his schedule earlier, but he hadn’t expected it to involve creating actual spiritual constructs.

’Is this related to Soul Weaving?’

He had already learned that Soul Weavers could manipulate spiritual threads and create spiritual constructs. Perhaps this class would teach him the fundamentals of that process.

"Have you made a puppet before?" Ryan asked.

Daniel shook his head.

"No. This is our first practical lesson. We only studied the theory last week."

Elara added, "The professor will probably explain the basic structure before allowing us to create anything. We still don’t know enough to make a proper spiritual puppet."

Ryan nodded.

He continued eating while listening to their conversation.

The two occasionally discussed other classes, assignments, and professors. From their conversation, Ryan learned that the academy had several departments, each focusing on a different aspect of soul studies.

There were departments dedicated to spiritual medicine, soul research, spirit summoning, and spiritual constructs.

The Soul Binding Academy was apparently one of the oldest institutions in this world, and students came from different regions to study its techniques.

Ryan found that information interesting.

He had assumed the Soul Weaver inheritance would only teach him a specific profession, but the academy seemed to offer a much broader education.

After finishing their meals, the three students headed toward the library.

The library was located in the central part of the academy. It was a massive building with several floors, and its entrance was guarded by two stone statues shaped like ancient spiritual beasts.

Inside, rows upon rows of bookshelves extended into the distance.

There were ordinary reading areas, private study rooms, and several restricted sections protected by transparent barriers.

Ryan looked around.

’This place is enormous.’

Daniel led them toward a quieter section on the second floor.

"We usually study here."

They found an empty table near a window and sat down.

Elara immediately took out her textbook.

"Show me your assignment."

Daniel reluctantly handed over a few sheets of paper.

Elara examined them.

"Daniel, you haven’t even completed half of it."

"I was busy!"

"Doing what?"

"Other important things."

Elara stared at him.

"Like playing with your spirit bird?"

Daniel remained silent for a moment.

"...It’s important to maintain a good relationship with your spirit companion."

Ryan almost smiled.

He opened the additional exercise booklet Professor Elric had given him and began reading through the questions.

Most of them concerned the basic structure of souls and the classification of spiritual threads.

He started answering them one by one.

Unlike his previous life, where he had rarely needed to spend time studying ordinary academic subjects, he found himself genuinely interested in the material.

The more he read, the more he understood why Soul Weaving was considered a special profession.

It wasn’t simply about controlling spiritual energy.

A Soul Weaver needed to understand the structure of a soul, identify individual spiritual threads, and manipulate them without disturbing the connections that maintained the soul’s stability.

Even creating a simple spiritual construct required considerable knowledge.

Ryan spent the next hour studying.

Occasionally, he glanced at Daniel and Elara.

Daniel was still struggling with his assignment, while Elara patiently explained the questions he had answered incorrectly.

At one point, Daniel leaned toward Ryan.

"Mika, can you help me with this question?"

Ryan looked at the paper.

It asked about the difference between structural threads and energy threads.

He briefly considered the answer before explaining it.

"Structural threads maintain the stability of the soul. Energy threads distribute spiritual energy throughout its structure. They’re connected, but they serve different purposes."

Daniel looked at the question again.

"Oh, that makes sense."

Elara glanced at Ryan.

"That’s actually a good explanation."

Ryan simply nodded and returned to his booklet.

He was gradually becoming comfortable with the situation.

For the time being, he would continue learning alongside the other students. There was no reason to rush through the inheritance trial.

After all, the system had clearly stated that he needed to demonstrate sufficient understanding of Soul Weaving.

He couldn’t simply rely on his previous abilities to complete it.

Eventually, the clock on the library wall approached 12:45.

Elara closed her textbook.

"We should leave. Our next class starts in fifteen minutes."

Daniel quickly gathered his belongings.

"Finally. I thought we’d be studying here forever."

"You would have finished earlier if you had actually done your assignment."

"Why do you always have to bring that up?"

Ryan packed his books and followed them out.

The afternoon class was held in another building, this time near the academy’s crafting grounds.

When they arrived, Ryan noticed several students carrying wooden boxes and bundles of materials.

A large sign above the entrance read:

Department of Spiritual Constructs — Beginner Workshop

Daniel pointed toward the building.

"This is where we’ll have our practical lesson."

Ryan looked at the entrance.

’Let’s see what kind of puppet we’re going to make.’

The three entered the building and found a large workshop filled with individual crafting stations.

Each station had a wooden workbench, several tools, and a collection of materials arranged neatly in small containers.

At the front stood an elderly man with a long white beard and a dark brown robe.

He was examining a small wooden puppet that moved its arms whenever he touched a glowing symbol on its chest.

A moment later, he placed the puppet on his desk and turned toward the students.

"Everyone, find your assigned workstation."

The students quickly took their seats.

The elderly professor looked around.

"My name is Professor Valen. I will be teaching you the fundamentals of spiritual puppet creation."

He raised the small puppet.

"Today, you will learn how to create a basic spiritual construct. Do not expect anything impressive. Your first creation will barely be capable of performing simple movements."

A few students chuckled.

Professor Valen continued.

"However, don’t underestimate this lesson. A spiritual puppet is not simply a wooden object with energy placed inside it. It requires a stable structure, a properly arranged spiritual core, and a network of spiritual threads connecting its different parts."

Ryan’s attention immediately focused on the puppet.

The professor placed it on the table.

"These three elements form the foundation of spiritual construct creation. If even one is improperly prepared, the puppet will fail to function."

He waved his hand, and a diagram appeared above the platform.

It showed a small humanoid puppet with several glowing connections running through its body.

"Your task today is to assemble a basic puppet using the materials provided. Once the structure is complete, you will connect its spiritual threads and activate its core."

Ryan examined the diagram.

Unlike the soul model from the morning lecture, this structure was artificial.

It didn’t contain a natural soul. Instead, its spiritual threads formed a simple network that allowed energy to travel through the puppet and control its movements.

’So this is how they create spiritual constructs.’

Professor Valen began distributing the materials.

Each student received several wooden pieces, a small spiritual core, and a bundle of prepared spiritual threads.

Ryan examined the items on his workstation.

[Basic Puppet Components]

[Rank: Common]

[Type: Crafting Materials]

[Condition: Suitable for Beginner Practice]

He picked up one of the wooden pieces.

It was a small body frame with several holes where the limbs would be attached.

Professor Valen began demonstrating the assembly process.

"First, you must prepare the physical structure. Make sure every joint is properly connected. Once the frame is complete, you can begin arranging the spiritual threads."

Ryan followed his instructions carefully.

He attached the limbs, secured the joints, and checked the structure.

It took him several minutes, but he eventually completed the basic frame.

Next came the spiritual threads.

Ryan picked up the prepared bundle.

There were several thin strands of silver material, each containing a small amount of spiritual energy.

He examined them before looking at the diagram again.

’This is similar to what we studied during the previous lesson.’

He began connecting the threads.

However, after attaching the first few connections, he noticed something unusual.

One of the threads didn’t align properly with the structure.

He stopped and examined it.

The problem wasn’t with the material itself. The connection point had been placed at the wrong angle.

Ryan carefully removed the thread and adjusted its position.

This time, it fitted properly.

He continued working.

By the time he reached the final step, his puppet was almost complete.

All that remained was the spiritual core.

Ryan picked it up and placed it inside the puppet’s chest.

A small circular symbol appeared on its surface.

[Basic Spiritual Core Detected.]

[Connection Required.]

Ryan looked at the diagram one final time before connecting the remaining threads.

Then he placed his hand over the puppet’s chest.

A faint silver glow appeared.

The puppet’s fingers moved slightly.

Ryan watched it carefully.

A moment later, its head turned toward him.

[Basic Spiritual Construct Created.]

[Status: Functional]

Ryan examined his creation.

It was a simple wooden puppet, barely reaching his knee, but it had successfully activated.

He couldn’t help but feel a little interested.

’Not bad.’

Around him, several students were still struggling with their creations.

One puppet had fallen apart, while another remained completely motionless despite its owner’s repeated attempts to activate it.

Professor Valen walked between the workstations, examining each student’s work.

When he reached Ryan’s station, he stopped.

He picked up the small puppet and inspected its connections.

"Hmm?"

He examined the spiritual threads more closely before looking at Ryan.

"You managed to complete it?"

Ryan nodded.

"Yes, Professor."

Professor Valen turned the puppet over and checked its core.

"The structure is stable, and the spiritual connections are properly arranged."

He placed it back on the table.

"Good work. However, don’t become overconfident. This is only the most basic form of spiritual construct creation."

Ryan nodded.

"Understood."

The professor moved toward the next workstation.

Ryan looked at the little wooden puppet.

It was a simple creation, but he had learned something useful.

The process of constructing a puppet wasn’t entirely different from Soul Weaving. Both involved arranging spiritual threads and maintaining a stable network.

The main difference was that a puppet required an artificial structure, while Soul Weaving dealt with the threads belonging to an actual soul.

He carefully placed the puppet inside the wooden box provided by the academy.

The lesson continued until the end of the scheduled period.

When the bell rang, Professor Valen gathered the students’ attention.

"Tomorrow, we will examine the functions of different spiritual cores. Bring your textbooks and review today’s lesson. You will need that knowledge for the next practical assignment."

The students began leaving the workshop.

Ryan checked his schedule.

[15:00 — First-Year Assessment]

He looked at the time.

The assessment was about to begin.

Daniel approached him with a troubled expression.

"How did you finish so quickly? Mine wouldn’t even move!"

Elara shook her head.

"Because you connected the energy threads incorrectly."

"I know that now!"

Ryan listened to them as they walked toward the assessment hall.

He was curious about what kind of test the academy had prepared.

After spending an entire day attending classes, he was beginning to understand that this inheritance trial wasn’t going to be completed in a single afternoon.

And according to the system’s warning, he couldn’t simply leave whenever he wanted.

He had to keep living as Mika, learning the techniques of the ancient Soul Weavers until he completed the trial.

Ryan looked at the two students walking beside him.

’Well, I suppose I should get used to this life.’