The pink-haired teacher hadn't spoken during the first few minutes. She stayed silent, looking from side to side, occasionally glancing directly at me with a small smile. I felt a bit uncomfortable not speaking; when I'm drinking, words flow easily, but right now I was holding myself back because she was quiet.

A few seconds later, I couldn't resist anymore and spoke. "Melany, do you have an affinity with space?" I couldn't say for sure because her Imra protected her whole body, not letting anything leak out, and forcing mine over hers would be very impolite.

"I guess it became obvious after several tries." She had repeatedly tried to use her spatial mana to interfere with mine. I didn't feel any bad intent from her Imra, which was why I didn't pay much attention. Well, I actually felt it from the very beginning, not after several attempts, but it's better not to tell her that.

"Yes, how did you sense my ability? Is it that noticeable?" I haven't met many people with a space affinity—most of them are at least diamond rank—and this was the first time someone at ruby rank noticed my ability directly.

"It was strange… it felt like someone was watching me from every direction and from every place at once. The sensation was very faint at first. If I hadn't focused on perceiving it, I would have ignored it as just a strange feeling." She looked at me, frowning. "I've never felt a sensory ability that's so simple and complex at the same time. It's like you don't even try to use it, and yet it stands out by itself."

So, she only noticed it fully when she focused? That clears up some of my doubts. I'd been a bit surprised not to have encountered ruby ranks with space affinity who could detect my ability—perhaps their comprehension wasn't deep enough, or they simply ignored it, unable to find its source.

Simple and complex at the same time? I'd never thought of it that way. My ability feels as natural as breathing. It doesn't directly affect anyone or anything; it's just like having eyes in the sky that see everything around me. In that sense, it's simple—like extra eyes in every direction.

That same aspect makes it complex. Being able to see in all directions so fluidly makes it complete. My brain is already used to receiving and processing all that information as if it were normal, as if everything I sense comes from my own eyes. I still remember the times my brain almost fried from processing too much information at once.

Being able to see and feel everything within a radius is complex in its own way. The way your senses are structured within the natural mana is something rarely seen. All of my senses are extended and guided by the natural mana that exists in everything and everywhere—that's what makes my ability so complex. I still don't fully understand it myself.

My silence must have caused a misunderstanding. "I'm sorry if it bothered you that I tried to break your ability. I didn't mean to cause any harm or trouble—I was just curious at first, and then I was surprised that someone so young could have such an ability." She stopped and made a small bow.

I scratched the back of my head; I hadn't meant to stay quiet, I just got lost in thought. "You don't need to apologize. I was just focused, trying to understand your words." She smiled, walked beside me, and we continued on our way to her place together.

Now that the ice was broken, she seemed to take more initiative. "That ability of yours is very special… it reminds me a little, just a little, of the Banner Realm that strong ruby ranks form when they're about to ascend." What's that? I'd never heard of it before. I still hadn't gotten used to being sapphire rank due to my cube problem.

"What's that? I've only recently ascended to sapphire rank… I don't know much about the Banner or the ruby rank." I tried to sound a bit embarrassed for asking, hoping to get a proper answer; otherwise, I'd have to drown in books for years before finding one.

"What? You don't know?" She looked at me wide-eyed for a moment, her long eyelashes blinking in disbelief. "Apparently, you don't." She giggled softly and turned to keep walking.

"As you already know, your Banner must 'gain power' as you face difficult situations, fight strong opponents, or go through special experiences." I nodded slightly—I already knew that part. "That power must then be distributed evenly throughout your body. Once it flows through every centimeter, the Banner evolves to the next rank. That's the minimum requirement to reach ruby rank." I let out a small "uh-huh" to show I was following.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"When you reach ruby rank, ascending to diamond requires something similar… calling it similar isn't quite right—it's about ten times harder. Just gathering the necessary 'experience' is already a problem, but that's only the beginning. You have to create a Realm around yourself with your Banner as the core, adding your Imra, an affinity, and your Laws to it." Just imagining it made my head hurt; it's not something anyone can do.

"That's one of the many requirements to surpass the ruby rank, and one of the hardest ones. Most talented people get stuck there. The majority only manage to form one or two meters of that Realm, while special ones go beyond that distance. In both cases, they can ascend—but as you can imagine, the difference in their foundations as diamond ranks is enormous." She looked very serious, clearly enjoying the explanation, as if she'd given lessons like this before.

I could easily imagine the difference between both. I was the best example—when I reached emerald rank, I did it with every one of my skills at the limit, which gave me greater benefits and widened the gap between me and normal people. That's what solidified me as a limit-breaker in the emerald rank.

"I see, thank you for explaining that… but why does that Banner Realm feel similar to my ability?" That was the only part she hadn't clarified. She let out a small "oh" and covered her mouth. "Sorry, I tend to get too focused on this kind of topic and forget the main point." She clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head as she thought.

"Well, your ability feels similar—it shares some principles. It feels like stepping into another person's 'world', except you don't dominate it or have complete control as you would in a Banner Realm. If your Banner is weaker than the other person's, your spells and Imra are heavily suppressed. That doesn't happen with your ability." She smiled softly, her cheeks slightly red.

"I see, so that's why they're a bit similar and at the same time very different." We both stared at the building beside us—we'd been standing in front of it for several seconds. She had stopped, and I just listened.

"Yes. By the way, I live in this building, so it's time to part ways. Thank you for walking with me—it's been really fun talking with you, Maki." Melany looked straight into my eyes for a moment. "Will you be going to the student party?" The small woman in front of me asked.

"Yes, I need to find my friends at the party. It was a pleasure, Melany—thank you for the explanation, and I hope we can see each other more often in the future." I gave a small bow to my colleague.

"I hope so too. You know where I live now; if you ever need something, just come and ask for me at the reception. I'd be happy to help you as much as I can. If you get drunk tonight, you can stop by—I make a great chicken soup for hangovers." I felt my cheeks heat up and immediately activated Thundersnow.

"Thank you, and you too—come find me if you ever need anything." A smile formed on my face. "I'll think about your offer, though I hope I don't end up drunk enough to show up here. See you, Melany. Take care." I gave her a wink before turning to leave.

She stayed standing there, watching me for several seconds. I could sense her through my Personal World, but I immediately deactivated it to avoid revealing its real range and continued on my way to find Areci and Shawu.

Melany didn't seem like a bad person—she was pleasant and seemed truly dedicated to her work as a teacher. The filters in this academy were strict; it was nearly impossible for someone dangerous or with a questionable past to become a professor. Maybe I didn't need to be so cautious or paranoid around my colleagues.

I kept walking until I heard the loud noise—I was close to the student party. I could see many groups of people sitting in the park, couples hugging, and lots of laughter coming from those already drunk with happiness.

Most of them knew their limits and didn't cross them; doing something illegal or destructive couldn't be excused by drunkenness. They could be expelled or fined huge amounts of money, which was enough to keep most from losing control—but, as always, there were exceptions.

Some of them looked at me with curiosity—it wasn't common to see a student walking alone. I ignored their stares as much as I could, though it was difficult when some of the girls' gazes were so intense and deep. I could see from the corner of my eye how their flushed faces betrayed their drunken state, so I ignored them.

Finally, I entered the massive venue filled with all kinds of people enjoying good music. Many groups were dancing in the middle, others drinking at tables, and others looking around, trying to "catch something" for the night. It reminded me of my university parties.

I walked toward the VIP area where my friends were supposed to be, circling almost the entire huge hall until I finally saw them in the distance. I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to approach or not. We hadn't planned to meet; I only came because I had no one else to hang out with. "A beer might fix this," I muttered to myself. Just as I was about to turn around to buy some liquid courage, I heard someone shout my name and leap toward me.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.