Ashan stepped into the academy cafeteria, and the noise hit him immediately.
It was a vast, open space designed to hold hundreds of students at once. Long tables stretched across the hall, and the air was filled with overlapping conversations, clattering plates, and the faint hum of mana-reactive lighting above. The smell of cooked meat, spices, and freshly baked bread mixed together, making it clear that lunchtime was in full swing.
Students of every rank filled the place. Some laughed loudly, others spoke in hushed tones, and many simply ate in silence, exhausted from the morning's training.
Ashan took a tray and moved through the food line calmly, collecting his meal without drawing attention. Once his plate was filled, his eyes scanned the cafeteria with quiet precision.
He spotted Nevil almost instantly.
Nevil was seated in a corner with several other B-rankers, his posture relaxed but his eyes still sharp, as if he hadn't fully come down from the tension of the race. Ashan walked toward them, weaving between tables.
"I'm not late, am I?" Ashan said casually.
Nevil froze mid-bite. His shoulders stiffened before he turned around, eyes widening in surprise.
"Ashan?" Nevil blurted out. "You're back already? What happened?"
Ashan smiled faintly and sat beside him, setting his tray down.
"The professor suspected I was faking my rank," Ashan said plainly. "So he tested me himself."
Nevil's face drained of color.
"…Tested you?" he whispered. "Personally?"
Several nearby B-rankers slowed their eating, pretending not to listen while clearly doing exactly that.
Nevil leaned closer. "So then? Did you get caught?"
Ashan shrugged lightly. "Of course not. The results confirmed I'm a B-ranker."
Nevil stared at him as if trying to see through his skin.
"But… you were faking it," Nevil said in a low voice. "I heard the academy uses ultra-sensitive machines. The kind that detect even microscopic fluctuations. How did you get past that? What kind of tricks did you use?"
Ashan leaned closer, lowering his voice further.
"I'm only telling you this because it's you," he said. "I figured out how to alter the structure of my mana core. Not superficially, but structurally. It looks completely natural."
Nevil sucked in a sharp breath.
"…You're insane," he muttered. "If anyone else found out, the whole academy would go wild."
Ashan shook his head slowly. "Even if they knew the method, it wouldn't matter. It requires an absurd amount of mana. Far more than most people could ever handle."
Nevil gave a strained laugh. "You say that like you have an endless supply."
Ashan smiled, unbothered. "That's not far from the truth."
Nevil's expression shifted from amusement to confusion.
"Are you saying…" he hesitated, "…that your mana reserve exceeds even S-rankers?"
Ashan met his gaze directly, his eyes steady and serious.
"You probably won't believe this," Ashan said with a faint smirk. "But my entire body functions as storage. I can absorb mana endlessly. The core inside me is practically useless. My body itself is the core."
Nevil's mind went blank.
He stared at Ashan, mouth slightly open, unable to speak for several seconds. There was no doubt in Ashan's tone, no exaggeration, no pride. Just a statement of fact.
"…Your body?" Nevil finally said, laughing weakly. "That means you're basically a walking energy reservoir."
Then concern replaced shock. "Is that safe? For your body, I mean?"
Ashan nodded. "Perfectly fine. It doesn't affect my daily life. Right now, I'm mostly drained, only the original core has mana left. But if I need more, I can absorb it from the surroundings. Mana is everywhere."
Nevil ran a hand through his hair.
"I knew something huge must've happened to you," he muttered. "But this… this is beyond anything I imagined. Does that mean you're stronger than S-rankers?"
Ashan made a playful expression. "Maybe. I might even be the strongest person in the world."
Before Nevil could even react to Ashan's words, his attention was pulled elsewhere.
His expression stiffened.
"Ashan… look."
Ashan didn't lift his head, still calmly eating.
"S-rankers and A-rankers are coming."
The moment those words left Nevil's mouth, the atmosphere inside the cafeteria shifted.
Half of the noise vanished as if someone had lowered an invisible switch. Conversations died mid-sentence. Plates paused halfway to mouths. Dozens of gazes instinctively turned toward the entrance.
The presence of high-rankers carried weight.
They walked in unhurriedly, expressions calm, postures relaxed. Unlike the others, there was no trace of exhaustion on them. No heavy breathing. No slumped shoulders. It was as if the brutal training session earlier hadn't even touched them.
"They really are monsters…"
"Yeah… not even tired."
"Are they even human?"
Whispers spread like ripples across water.
Some students straightened unconsciously. Others swallowed nervously. A few tried to act natural, though their eyes betrayed awe and envy.
Among the S-rankers and A-rankers, however, there was no interest in the crowd itself.
Their eyes were searching.
Quietly. Deliberately.
And then..
They found him.
Every gaze locked onto the same table.
Onto the same B-ranker.
Ashan.
He had just lifted another bite to his mouth, completely unaware, or at least pretending to be.
'Found him.'
The word didn't need to be spoken aloud. It was clear in their eyes.
Ashan, for his part, continued eating as if nothing had changed. He didn't look up. Didn't stiffen. Didn't acknowledge the sudden pressure converging on him.
Nevil, sitting beside him, nearly choked.
"H-Holy… Ashan," he whispered urgently. "They're all looking at you. What are you going to do?"
Ashan chewed calmly and swallowed.
"I'll just pretend I didn't see them," he said quietly. "Avoid them."
Nevil stared at him as if he had just heard the most unrealistic plan imaginable.
"That's not going to work…"
And indeed, it didn't.
"Haha… there you are."
A deep, amused voice rang out.
The sound of footsteps approached.
The moment Luphar Skarn stepped forward, carrying his plate casually, the surrounding B-rankers stiffened. Conversations died completely now. Even breathing seemed louder.
An S-ranker walking directly toward a B-ranker's table was not normal.
Nevil froze.
The others subtly leaned away, instinctively creating space.
Ashan merely glanced up briefly, then went back to eating.
Luphar stopped beside the table and nodded toward the empty seat next to Ashan.
"Would you mind if I sit here?"
Ashan swallowed another bite and answered calmly.
"The seat's empty. But are you really fine with that?" he asked. "You should be eating with the other S-rankers. Not with B-rankers like us."
Luphar laughed as he sat down.
"Haha, you say that like you're weak."
He placed his plate down and turned toward Ashan, eyes sharp but friendly.
"You beat all the A-rankers and nearly caught up to us. Why act humble now?"
Ashan shook his head slowly.
"Don't misunderstand," he replied. "It only worked because I've had strong physical abilities since birth. I'm stronger than an average B-ranker in that sense. More importantly, I pushed myself too hard. I ended up with internal injuries."
Luphar's gaze sharpened instantly.
His pupils shrank as he scanned Ashan's posture, breathing, and subtle muscle tension.
"So that's why you stopped mid-race…" he muttered. "What a pity. You really could've caught us."
Then he frowned slightly.
"You seem to be telling the truth. Still… strength like that comes with consequences. It's unnatural."
Ashan smirked faintly.
"Why is it impossible?" he said. "I once saw an old man walking with a cane who suddenly ran like a horse during a dungeon break. My friend here witnessed it too."
He casually pointed at Nevil.
Nevil nearly jumped out of his seat.
'Ashan, you idiot!' he hissed. 'Why drag me into this?!'
Luphar turned his gaze toward Nevil, studying him with interest.
"Oh? That's your friend?" he asked. "Is he as strong as you?"
Ashan looked at Nevil and answered without hesitation.
"I don't compare myself to my friends. He's strong too. His willpower is stronger than mine."
Nevil felt his ears burn.
Luphar waved casually at Nevil, who was trying, and failing, to hide behind his tray.
"You there. What's your name?"
Nevil swallowed and forced a polite smile. "H-Hello… I'm Nevil, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Luphar's expression turned awkward.
"Sir?" he repeated. "You make me sound like a professor about to lecture you. Relax."
Ashan gave Nevil's shoulder a light pat. "That's just how he is," he said. "He respects everyone."
Luphar hummed, then glanced around. The other S-rankers and A-rankers were openly watching now, pretending not to.
His attention returned to Ashan.
"When you recover," Luphar said, voice lowering slightly, "race me again. Just you and me."
Ashan sighed quietly.
"I don't think it's worth it," he replied. "I won't be able to run like that for a while. Ask someone else."
"Tch."
Luphar clicked his tongue.
"That won't do. Racing you was different. No one else pushed themselves like that. Until you interfered, they were all running below their limits."
Ashan closed his eyes briefly.
"Why go this far?" he asked. "You don't even know me. And I don't know you."
Luphar smiled.
"Then let's change that."
Without hesitation, he extended his hand.
"I'm Luphar Skarn," he said proudly. "Fourth prince of my kingdom. It's a pleasure."
Ashan looked at the offered hand, then smiled faintly.
'So he really won't back off.'
'What a stubborn guy.'
He reached out and shook Luphar's hand.
"I'm Ashan Ashvale," he said. "The honor is mine."