"What..."

Lana muttered in disbelief after reading the document in her hand. Her voice was faint, almost as if she wasn't even aware she had spoken out loud. Her lips barely moved, yet the weight of her words filled the quiet office.

Her eyes scanned the paper again, slower this time, as though each line might reveal something different if she looked hard enough.

But no matter how many times she read it, the numbers remained the same. They mocked her disbelief.

"I don't know how you guys did it, but I'm really impressed. Good job, you two."

Then in front of her, Lillen declared that, smiling ear to ear.

Her tone was cheerful, almost celebratory, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. There was genuine relief in her voice, the kind that only came when an impossible task had been surpassed.

The two of them were inside the office of the [Student Council]. The room was quiet, the only sound coming from the faint rustle of papers and the steady tick of the clock on the wall.

The faint scent of ink and parchment clung to the air, mixing with the stillness. Nobody was there except them, and that silence only made Lana's thoughts louder.

Anyway, moving on...

"..."

Lana was speechless. She didn't even look at Lillen, her eyes still glued on the paper in her hands. Her brows twitched ever so slightly, disbelief still etched across her face, as though her body itself couldn't process what her mind was trying to accept.

In the paper was the recorded response of the students about the incoming field trip. The numbers stood there in bold letters, impossible to ignore, a truth that couldn't be twisted no matter how much she wanted to.

About 80% of the freshmen had already declared their participation, 90% in the sophomores, and 70% in tertiaries.

'This...'

Lana was really out of words. Her grip on the paper tightened without her realizing it, the edges crumpling slightly under her fingers.

Raven had singlehandedly convinced more than half of the students in Zion Academy in just a day!

The thought felt absurd, almost laughable, yet the proof was right in front of her. It didn't even sound real, but reality had already decided otherwise.

And just then, at that moment—

'Just trust me, it'll all work out.'

Raven's words from yesterday echoed inside Lana's head. His calm, confident tone replayed over and over, and now that she had the results in front of her, the memory hit harder.

It wasn't arrogance— it was certainty. He had spoken as though he already knew the outcome.

"Ugh..."

She unconsciously frowned and groaned when she remembered that, the sound slipping out against her will. It was quiet, but in the silence of the council office, even the smallest sigh felt amplified.

"Huh? Is something wrong?"

Lillen asked when she saw her friend's face turn sour, tilting her head slightly with concern. Her curious eyes lingered on Lana, trying to read her expression.

"Ah, it's nothing..."

Lana, realizing the face she was making, immediately composed herself and replied to Lillen in a calm tone. Her posture stiffened a little, as if forcing herself back into her usual composure.

Her voice came out smooth, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed her.

"Are you sure? It's rare to see you make a face like that."

Lillen shot back, curiosity lacing her words. She leaned forward slightly, clearly not convinced, but her playful tone softened the edge of her question.

"Well, uhh... I was just really shocked that a lot of students are already partaking in the field trip next week... Yeah... That's why..."

Lana stated, trying to keep her face straight. Her voice was steady, but inside, her mind was still whirling.

The excuse sounded flimsy even to her own ears, but it was the only thing she could throw out without revealing too much.

"Right?! I didn't see this coming too!"

Lillen then excitedly replied, her smile widening even more. She clapped her hands together softly, the sound echoing lightly in the quiet room.

"..."

Lana just smiled awkwardly, not saying anything. She didn't trust her voice not to betray her thoughts.

Not that Lillen noticed, because she wasn't really paying that much attention. Her excitement blinded her from Lana's subtle unease.

Then suddenly—

Swish-

"...?"

Lillen turned to Lana, and opening her mouth—

"So? How was Raven? You've been working with him for quite a while now, did you get to know him even a bit?"

She asked that, her tone playful but laced with genuine curiosity.

"...!"

Lana's eyes slightly widened upon hearing that. She didn't expect such a question out of nowhere.

But calmly—

"I honestly don't know."

She answered Lillen's question, her voice steady and unshaken.

"Huh?"

Lillen was confused by her response. Her brows furrowed, her head tilting, waiting for more. But before she could even ask anything about it—

"He's really weird, that's what I can tell for sure though."

Lana declared that without hesitation.

"He's diligent at training, but he also seems lazy at the same time. He's smart too and a fast learner, but I haven't seen him studying at all."

She stated, then continued on speaking after that, her tone soft but thoughtful, like she was pulling each observation straight from memory.

"He dislikes socializing, but he's always surrounded by people—"

Lana went on and told Lillen what she saw and noticed about Raven during the time they worked together. Her words came slowly, like she was piecing her thoughts together as she spoke.

Lillen shut her mouth and just listened, her expression shifting slightly the longer Lana went on. At first she was amused, but gradually her smile thinned, her attention sharpening.

Then, at the end of it...

"But even after knowing all that about him..."

Lana paused and shook her head, her expression softening into something unreadable.

"...I can't really say I know him... even by a bit."

Then she muttered that, almost as if she was admitting it more to herself than to Lillen.

"I just can feel like he's hiding something... And a lot of things at that."

"..."

Lillen didn't know what to say after hearing Lana's words. Her smile faded for a moment, her gaze lingering on her friend.

'Hmm, Lana's intuition is usually right... I don't know how to feel about this.'

She thought to herself, her fingers drumming lightly on the desk as silence stretched between them.

A few seconds of silence covered the room as Lillen was stuck in her thoughts. The air felt heavier than before.

Then suddenly, out of the blue—

"Oh, and he's really great at annoying people... Really great..."

Lana said that, a hint of annoyance could be heard in her voice!

Her lips pressed into a thin line as he remembered Raven's spoiled-like personality sometimes.

"...?!"

Lillen's eyes shot wide open after hearing that, her lips curling into a confused grin.

'This is my first time hearing Lana call someone annoying... that's a bit of a surprise.'

She thought to herself.

*****

Meanwhile...

Inside Ruby's personal training room—

SWOOSH-

Raven swung his sword, [Emmeranne]. The blade cut through the air, the sound sharp and violent.

Each swing carried enough force that stopping midway wasn't even possible. The moment he committed to a strike, the motion had to finish, no hesitation allowed.

Tap- SLASH—!

Another step forward, another slash followed. The floor beneath him echoed faintly from the impact of his movements. Sweat dripped down his jawline, his breathing steady but deep, in rhythm with each strike.

He was practicing his [Vicious Lightning Sword Technique], a swordstyle that focused purely on speed and power. Every swing was harsh, decisive, and filled with pressure.

But it didn't really have fluidity. The movements lacked elegance, each strike more like a violent explosion than a graceful flow.

Swoosh- SWISH- CRACK-!

The air split again and again as Raven's relentless slashes echoed in the room.

FWIP-

"..."

His grip tightened around the hilt, his eyes narrowed, his arms moving in a rhythm that bordered on reckless. Yet every motion was precise, controlled only by sheer force and instinct.

But even while his body focused on training, his mind drifted elsewhere.

His worry about his rank limit erupted in his head again.

'This again...'

Raven frowned, his strikes momentarily heavier, sharper. He had been thinking about this for days now, circling the same problem again and again, but still, he had no solution for it.

'No matter how hard I push... I don't see a way around it.'

The thought gnawed at him, a weight pressing at the back of his mind. His blade continued to slash through the air, but his expression hardened.

He really didn't know what to do now.

For someone like him, who always found a path forward, the uncertainty felt suffocating.

But after a while—

"Ugh, fuck it... Whatever..."

Raven just shook his head, forcing the thought away.

'Not now.'

He told himself, jaw tightening.

Shrugging it off, he continued swinging his sword with even more intensity. The rhythm of his training drowned out the noise in his head.

Swoosh- BAM- SWISH—

The sound of steel slicing the air filled the room, echoing endlessly off the walls. His arms ached, but he refused to stop.

Then, with a serious look on his face—

"I need to prepare after this."

He muttered that, his voice low but firm, a declaration to himself.

Raven decided to focus on the incoming field trip for now.

And so with that, his training went on, each swing sharper than the last.

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