News about Rocky''s dominant performance as a fighter spread like wildfire throughout the university once the lecture came to an end.


    Tales of his heroics became exaggerated to the extreme and just like the game of Chinese whisper, it became utterly ridiculous by the time it changed a few ears.


    ''Cunning like Shakuni''


    ''Dominant like Ravan''


    Became the adjectives that students used to describe Rocky''s performance as the fact that the champion of Gemini was stronger than the champion of Poseidon became the day''s headlines with every student being made aware of the results within an hour.


    On the bright side, Rocky was viewed as a fearsome guy and nobody tried to pick on him. However, on the worse side, the spotlight on him seemed to have gotten even brighter, increasing the expectations resting on his shoulders.


    **************


    Rocky reunited with Buhara and Erin once his ss ended and the three of them headed off to have lunch together at the mess.


    Without Rocky having to say anything, the two already had heard about all the juicy details of his fight, as both seemed extremely psyched by the results.


    "Puny human is a formidable fighter? Buhara is impressed" said Buhara as he pped Rocky on the back with joy.


    "Sir Rocky, I always had full faith in you, there is no way a strong and stable headed individual like you can''t win a fight" Erin said, as if Rocky did not know any better, he would assume Erin was trying to lick his boots, but it was just how he talked.


    " Thanks guys" Rocky said as he served his te with the food on the day''s menu and found a spot to sit.


    The cuisine served at the university was way different whenpared to Earth and the items on the menu were dishes that he had never seen or heard of.


    Yet he took a bit of everything to try, as he did not wish to write anything off without trying.


    After sitting down, Rocky eyed his te with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.


    The alien cuisine was a riot of colors and textures that seemedpletely unfamiliar to the culinary practices of Earth.


    Among the dishes was a pulsating gtinous cube that shimmered with a rainbow sheen, emitting a mild, enticing aroma reminiscent of freshly cut grass mixed with tropical fruits.


    Beside ity a serving of what appeared to be crispy tendrils, coated in a dust that sparkled under the mess hall''s lights.


    While the final section of his te was upied by a small, steaming mound of grains that seemed to subtly change colors, from deep blues to vibrant reds, as if alive and responding to his gaze.


    Buhara, noticing Rocky''s hesitation, encouraged him with a heartyugh, "Eat, puny human! Buhara''s favorite is the shimmer cube. Makes mind feel... zingy!"


    Erin, who seemed to have filled his te with the tenders said "The Crystalline Tendrils are a delicacy on my. They are known to enhance cognitive functions and provide a unique sensory experience. Please do try them, Sir Rocky."


    Taking their encouragement to heart, Rocky started with the gtinous cube. As he chewed, the cube released bursts of vor that danced across his pte - sweet, then sour, followed by a hint of spice that was not overwhelming but pleasantly warming.


    The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced; it was as if the cube was engaging all his senses simultaneously, leaving him feeling invigorated and slightly euphoric.


    "Zingy…" said Rocky after tasting it, as Buharaughed loudly and banged his fists on the table, drawing attention of the entire mess on them.


    Next, Rocky tried the crispy tendrils that Erin suggested.


    The first bite into it was like a sensation he never felt. The sparkling dust that coated the tendrils exploded into a burst of vors that tingled his taste buds and sent a gentle electric buzz through his body, making his skin tingle pleasantly.


    It was a texture and sensation he had never found in earthly food before, as Rocky felt like a small child who was getting to eat things he never knew existed.


    Finally, he tried the changing grains, which offered a more familiar texture, simr to rice, but instead of a constant vor each grain seemed to burst with its own unique vor, some sweet, some savory, creating a symphony of tastes thatplemented each other perfectly.


    As Rocky ate, he felt a range of emotions and sensations. The food not only satisfied his hunger but also yed with his emotions, making him feel a mix of joy, surprise, and a newfound appreciation for the culinary diversity of the universe.


    By the end of the meal, Rocky felt more than just full. He felt energized with his mood being lifted by the exhrating vors and the unique properties of the alien cuisine.


    ''Life is beautiful'' is what he felt like as despite the challenges that the spotlight on him brought, Rocky felt like he was enjoying university and its little pleasures like unique cuisine.


    ''I wonder what they will serve tomorrow?'' Rocky wondered at the end of the meal, as he really looked forward to the next day.


    *************


    ( The grand assembly hall )


    After lunch, the second lecture of the day was the mandatory ss ''Survival Training'' taken by the one and only principal Liam.


    Since it was a mandatory ss, it was held in the grand assembly hall, since it was the only hall that could hold the entire batch at once.


    As usual, Rocky, Buhara and Erin sat at the same spot where they did for the orientation, with Buhara covering 3 seats and being a menace for all sitting behind him.


    Sharp, at 2 pm, the assembly gates mmed shut, as a tiny man with terrible posture, tangled beard and serious ego issues walked onto the stage.


    "Wee all, to my first ss, Survival Training In The Tower" he said calmly, as despite his voice being soft and low, it carried throughout the hall which was eerily silent as no one even dared to breathe too loud with the mad principal around.


    "In this course, I will teach you all the basics of how to survive in the tower, so at least you won''t die before reaching floor 21 and won''t be aplete embarrassment to your respective bloodlines"


    "The course will be graded on practical activities as well as attendance, with there being only two grades for my ss.


    Pass or Fail" he said as from the very first day he made the objective of the course extremely clear.


    " Millions of climbers die in the tower every year. Millions dying before they even reach floor 21, because of the most stupid reasons" Principal Liam said as he began pacing around the stage tearing off strands off his beard.


    " Some don''t prepare enough supplies for a floor raid. Die of thirst or because they ate an unidentified fruit…. Basically the idiots dying an idiots death" said Liam with audible anger in his voice.


    "Some die because they are oversmart. They try to do oversmart things such as explore trails that are unexplored, looking for secrets nobody has ever tried to discover.


    Getting killed in the process...


    These sort of people I call the Fools, who die a foolish death"


    "Some die because of nefarious forces.


    The only safe floor on the tower where killing is banned is floor zero, but everywhere else you can be robbed, killed, raped, enved, bought, sold, kidnapped….


    Pretty much anything can happen, and for many people, anything does happen, which is why we build a team at the university and focus on team exercises as research shows that groups of 3 or more are 70% less likely to be attacked by nefarious forces" Said principal Liam as he seemed to be very proud of how the university conducted their teaching.


    " But the maximum number of people die because of enmity.


    Bounties, scores to settle, family feuds.


    This sort of petty hate crime is the number one reason why people lose lives between floor one to twenty which are the non-god floors where no godly bases have been made.


    Unfortunately, it''s also the number one reason why students from our university die.


    So I''ll tell you all, the same thing I told all my previous students.


    Don''t kill your ssmates! Please….." he said as he made an earnest request to everyone to heed his words.


    " However, if you domit that crime of killing a ssmate.


    Then know this….. regardless of who you are. Or where you hide. This mad principal will hunt you down and make you one of his ghosts" principal Liam said, as he unleashed all the thousands of ghosts under hismand into the grand hall, that were once students just like them, but dared to kill another student because of enmity inside the tower.


    ----------


    /// A/N - This bonus chapter is sponsored by patron Allcat_Gaming, please thank him in thements for the same ///