Chereads / My Recipe for Disaster / Chapter 14 - Guess What Happens When Exams Turn Into Nightmares?

Chapter 14 - Guess What Happens When Exams Turn Into Nightmares?

Reika felt her scalp tingle, and an overwhelming wave of disgust surged through her heart. "I don't know who you are, but I really... can't stand you," she muttered to herself, feeling the woman's voice piercing through her like nails on a chalkboard, triggering an inexplicable anger.

But the judges and that woman continued their relentless barrage of insults, their voices dripping with malice and sarcasm, as if no matter what Reika did, she would never escape their crushing pressure.

"Someone like you will never succeed!" The voices of the judges grew shriller, more biting, like invisible whips cracking against her spirit.

Reika's face turned pale, her hands gripping her sleeves tightly as she felt cornered, step by step. It was as if these judges and that woman's words were digging into the deepest wounds of her soul, deepening the scars with every cutting remark. No matter how hard she tried, it felt like the pain was only intensifying.

"I can't take this anymore..." Reika clasped her hands over her ears, trying desperately to block out the vicious voices. But the sharp words echoed endlessly in her mind. Fear and self-doubt swirled up from the darkest corners of her heart, making it feel like she was drowning, unable to escape. The voices swarmed around her, louder and louder, accusing her, blaming her, as if she were beyond redemption. Even the blurry image of the woman sneered, her voice dripping with scorn: "Your skill level is an insult to spirit food itself."

"You're so worthless..." the woman's voice became an unbearable screech, every word stabbing into Reika's heart like a dagger. "See? You can't do anything right."

Reika's hands trembled. She felt like she was being crushed. The voices suffocated her, filling her chest with an oppressive weight, trapping her in a cage with no escape.

Flashes of memories flickered in her mind—some blurred, others vivid—but each one carried with it a growing sense of powerlessness. It was as though she had faced countless failures before, and every time, she hadn't been able to truly rise again.

"Am I really that useless?" Doubt gnawed at her, pulling her down into a pit of despair. For a moment, she felt like she was back in that fragile, broken past, trapped in a spiral of self-criticism, on the verge of giving up entirely. She was starting to believe that no matter what she did, she would never be enough.

But just as she was about to break, a sudden thought sparked in her mind.

"Wait a second..." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "I don't even know these people. Why do I care what they think?"

In that moment, Reika realized something: these blurry judges and that hateful woman weren't real. This was all just a part of the illusion.

"What the heck am I doing?" Reika murmured to herself, letting out a bitter laugh. "None of this even matters."

She looked up at the judges again, but this time, her eyes were steady, calm. She finally understood—the real test here wasn't about spirit food or skills. It was about confronting her inner fears, not letting the opinions of others dictate her worth.

"I don't need your approval. This is my life, and I live it for myself!" Reika shouted, her voice echoing in the void. As the words left her lips, it felt like a massive weight was lifted off her chest.

With her newfound clarity, the arena around her began to crumble. The judges and that hateful woman slowly faded away, vanishing into nothingness, as if they had never existed at all.

Reika stood alone in the empty space, the pressure that once suffocated her now gone. She wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye and smiled, her resolve firm. "So, that's what this test was about..."

Just then, the illusion flickered again, like there was still some unfinished business. Reika blinked, slightly confused. "What now? A bonus round?"

Sure enough, a deep voice resonated from above: "Life isn't about perfection, just like these spirit dumplings. You don't need to aim for a perfect score—just put your heart into it."

Reika was dumbfounded. Was this... a random life lesson from the universe? She nearly burst out laughing. "Who the heck is that? Acting like I'm obsessed with getting a perfect score for dumplings."

Shaking her head, she couldn't help but find the test's ending hilariously corny. What started as a nerve-wracking trial had turned into something almost comically philosophical.

"Maybe that's the real lesson here—don't let outside voices get to you. Just live a little lighter," she mused, her steps lighter as she walked. With each step, the illusion crumbled completely, and she emerged from the painful trial.

As she reached the exit, an odd question popped into her head: "But seriously... what's the secret to getting a perfect score on dumplings?"

Reika couldn't help but laugh at herself. "If this illusion had gone on for a few more minutes, I'd probably be taking those critics' advice to tweak my dumpling recipe!"

With a newfound sense of relief and a smile on her face, she walked out of the trial, her spirit lighter than ever.

***

At this very moment, Sylas was facing his own trial—an endless tower of spirit books, stacked so high they seemed to pierce the heavens. Books were everywhere, pouring down like an avalanche, surrounding him. The air was thick with the scent of aged paper, making it feel like he had stepped into a library paradise.

"This... this is heaven, right?" Sylas's eyes gleamed with excitement, his heart practically leaping out of his chest. He grabbed a copy of "Spirit Weapon Design," flipping through the pages with barely concealed glee. "This is amazing! This is my dream trial!"

But his joy lasted about three seconds. As soon as he reached the critical section, the text on the pages started to jump around, dancing as if the letters had minds of their own.

"Wait... why are the words jumping around?" He furrowed his brow and tried to catch the elusive text, but no matter how fast he was, he always missed by just a fraction of an inch.

Suddenly, the ground cracked open beneath him, and a massive exam desk rose from the floor, accompanied by a booming voice: "The exam begins!"

"An exam?" Sylas automatically sat at the desk, staring at the ink, brushes, and stacks of spirit books before him. An all-too-familiar feeling of dread began creeping up his spine—just like the night before a major test. He glanced at the glowing questions on the exam scroll, and to his dismay, a sense of impending doom settled in.

"This... this is literally a test!" Sylas wrung his hands nervously and took a deep breath. "Okay, calm down. I've read all these books. No problem!"

But the moment his eyes landed on the first question, his brain short-circuited.

"What's the fourth step in spirit weapon forging?"

"What's the key mantra for channeling spirit energy?"

"What's the best herb combination for feeding spirit beasts?"

The difficulty of the questions shot through the roof, and Sylas's mind went blank. These questions looked familiar, yet somehow, they all felt brand new.

"Wait, I've definitely seen these before!" he mumbled to himself, cold sweat beginning to form on his brow.

He flipped open the nearest book, frantically searching for the answers, only to find that the pages had turned blank. The once-informative spirit books were now as empty as his brain during a pop quiz. The words had vanished like they were never there.

"Empty pages? What the heck?!" Sylas flipped through book after book, but every page he turned was blank, his panic growing with each flip.

This is exactly like those nightmare exams—where you study for an entire year, only to walk into the test and draw a total blank.

"Calm down, calm down..." He muttered to himself, trying to regain his composure. "The answers have to be here somewhere!"

He feverishly tore through the pile of books, but the more he searched, the more frantic he became. His hands were shaking, and his palms were slick with sweat. The test questions kept piling up, and he hadn't even managed to scribble down a single word. It felt like the knowledge in his head had gone on strike.

"This... this test is impossible!" Sylas was spiraling into despair, feeling like he had somehow entered a hell-level exam room where nothing made sense and time was running out.

As the minutes ticked by, his anxiety reached an all-time high. He started babbling random "scholarly" quotes, desperate for something to stick, but nothing worked.

"Key mantra for spirit energy flow... According to The Heavenly Spirit Manual—wait, no, it's from The Spirit Beast Handbook! Wait, why am I talking about spirit beasts?!" He frantically flipped through the pages, getting more and more lost in the chaos.

Every time he thought he was on the verge of finding an answer, the text would disappear, vanishing as though mocking him. The world around him grew more distorted, the pages fluttering like butterflies just out of reach.

"This is a nightmare!" Sylas cried out in frustration.

He tugged at his hair, the stress reaching its peak. "How could I be this bad? I've read all these books!"

Amid the chaos, one of the spirit beasts from the spirit books suddenly leaped out of the pages, landing on his desk and happily prancing around.

"Would you guys just calm down already?" Sylas waved his hands in a futile attempt to shoo them away, but the spirit beasts only started dancing in circles around him. To make matters worse, one of them picked up a brush and began doodling on his test paper.

"AHHH! They're messing with my test!" Sylas screamed, on the verge of a total meltdown.

Just as the clock was ticking down, Sylas finally stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath. He looked at the chaotic mess around him—the test papers, the books, the mischievous spirit beasts—and something clicked.

"This... this isn't about getting the right answers," he muttered, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes.

"This is a test of my mindset, not my knowledge. I'm not supposed to find the perfect answer; I'm supposed to realize that life isn't about getting a perfect score." He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "No amount of books can give me all the answers. The real journey comes from within."

He glanced at the spirit beasts dancing around him and smiled, finally at peace. "Books are like parachutes—they're only useful when you open them and apply them. But if I hide behind them forever, I'll never face the real challenges."

As he put down his pen, the illusion began to dissolve. The books, the test, and the playful spirit beasts all faded like smoke in the wind. The exam desk crumbled away, and a cool breeze of spirit energy flowed into him, filling him with a sense of clarity and release.

"So this wasn't a test of knowledge at all. It was about letting go of my obsession with the books and finding my own path." Sylas sighed, a smile spreading across his face for the first time in what felt like ages.

As the trial completely dissipated, Sylas found himself back at the tower's exit. He gave his trusty book bag a gentle pat, grinning as he said, "Books are great, just like parachutes. But the real key is knowing when and how to use them!"

With a light heart, he stepped outside the tower, waiting for his companions to return.