The sting on her cheek had long since faded into a dull, throbbing ache, but the wound in Melina's soul remained wide open. She stood in the shadow of a stone archway, watching the vibrant life of the Academy pass her by, feeling like a ghost in her own skin.

  ?(Am I truly a slave, as Natalia described me?) The word felt like a brand, a label that stripped away her humanity and replaced it with a category of "lesser." She touched her face, her fingers tracing the place where the Elf's hand had struck her. It wasn't just the physical blow; it was the casual, effortless nature of the violence—the way Natalia had looked at her as if she were a nuisance to be swatted away.

  ?(Why did I even care about her words? And why do I feel like I am slipping away... like I am becoming a shadow in Nico's light?)

  ?Her thoughts turned toward the infirmary, toward the boy who had challenged a Legend Rank General without a second thought. To her, Nico was an exceptional being, a force of nature that defied the logic of the world. But that realization brought a terrifying weight. The more she stayed by his side, the more she felt her own weakness. She feared for him, yes, but she also feared of him—of the gap that was widening between them.

  ?(I am only hindering his path,) she whispered to the cold stone. (I am a shield that cracks under the slightest pressure. I need to develop. I need to become someone reliable, someone who doesn't need to be saved. I'm sorry, Nico... I think I must leave you for now. Not out of malice, but out of necessity. I promise I will return when I am no longer a 'slave' to my own fear.)

  ?In the infirmary, the air was finally clear of the heavy medicinal scent. Nico stood by the window, adjusting the collar of his uniform. The doctor had finally cleared him, though the man's eyes still held a lingering suspicion that he couldn't quite articulate.

  ?"I'll head to class now," Nico mused, his voice a low, solitary vibration in the empty room. "I wonder how much information has slipped through my fingers during these sixteen days of silence. I am eager to find out; perhaps Melina will have the data organized. She has a talent for the mundane details of this world."

  ?He felt a strange, new sensation—a craving that wasn't born of hunger, but of a memory of a scent. "First, I will acquire a cup of that dark liquid... 'coffee.' The students speak of its bitterness as if it were a virtue. Let's see if it matches the bitterness of the Void."

  ?As he stepped into the main hallways, the atmosphere shifted instantly. He didn't need high-level mana detection to feel the weight of the gazes fixed upon him. He walked through a gauntlet of whispers. Some students looked at him with a feverish admiration—the boy who stood before Akaria and lived. Others, mostly those of noble elven blood, glared with a visceral, unadulterated hatred.

  ?(Humans are peculiar,) Nico thought, his golden-crimson eyes scanning the crowd. (They harbor hatred for things they do not understand, as if loathing can fill the vacuum of their own ignorance.)

  ?He spotted a familiar head of hair in the distance. "Hey, Melina! I have returned!"

  ?He raised his hand, a rare gesture of acknowledgment. But Melina didn't stop. She didn't even turn. She walked right past him, her eyes fixed on the floor, her pace quickening as she vanished into the crowd.

  ?Nico stood frozen for a heartbeat, his hand still partially raised. (Did she just ignore my presence? Perhaps the acoustics of the hallway are malfunctioning... or she is burdened by a task of high priority. No matter. I will encounter her later; she is likely preoccupied with the missing lecture notes.)

  ?Deciding that coffee was a more logical pursuit than chasing a confused human, Nico turned toward the courtyard. But his path was blocked by a presence that carried the scent of expensive perfume and cold malice.

  ?Grotaro Natalia stood there, her arms crossed, her elven features twisted into a mocking smile.

  ?"Oh... look who the healers managed to stitch back together. It's the hero, Nico. The boy who thought he could challenge a Great War General, only to collapse like a puppet with cut strings." She stepped closer, her aura flaring just enough to make the air feel sharp. "Tell me, how did it feel to fall like a helpless infant and slip into a sixteen-day slumber? It wasn't really you who challenged General Akaria, was it? It must have been some fluke of mana... a desperate gasp of a dying circuit."

  ?Nico looked at her, his expression as unreadable as a frozen lake. "What are you implying, Elf? Your words are reaching for a point they have yet to find."

  ?Natalia laughed, a high, brittle sound. "My apologies, I didn't mean to offend your 'heroic' ego. But the entire Academy has questions, Nico. You stood before the strongest General in the kingdom, only to fall unconscious in a cafeteria. It raises a significant doubt: are you truly a power to be feared, or are you just a charlatan trying to steal the spotlight of the superior races? You act as if you are the center of the world, yet you know nothing of its true masters."

  ?"What do you mean?" Nico asked, his interest piqued by her mention of power structures.

  ?"You truly are an ignorant child," Natalia hissed. "Have you not heard of the High Sovereign? He is the absolute apex. The Kingdom of Arcadia is merely a gateway, a subordinate realm compared to the 'Heavenly Star' and the 'Independent Elven Kingdom'—my true homeland. You know nothing of Sovereign Azral Sul and his power that embodies the Cosmic Star, nor of the other Sovereigns who hold the reins of reality. I don't know why I am even wasting my breath on a human who can't even stay awake for a full month. You are utterly inexperienced."

  ?Nico stared at her, his gaze so unwavering that Natalia's smile began to falter.

  ?"So that's it," Nico said, his voice sounding deeper, as if it were coming from the floor beneath them. "Everything you've said is meaningless. If you realized what I witnessed during my slumber—the sights that occupied my mind while this vessel rested—I am certain you would be traumatized for life. Your small, structured mind would shatter trying to comprehend the 'Correction' I saw."

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  ?He stepped toward her, and for the first time, Natalia felt an instinctual urge to retreat.

  ?"Listen, Elf. You possess a respectable power and a lineage of 'superiority,' as you claim. You would be better off using those tools to ascend further. Sitting here and feeding on the contempt of others is the height of intellectual stupidity. When I stood before General Akaria, I wasn't facing fear; I was facing a calibration. In the future, you will understand what that means. As for this Academy... my days here are numbered. Step aside and save your spite for something that actually matters. And thank you for the data regarding Azral Sul. I have things to attend to now. Farewell."

  ?Nico walked past her, his shoulder brushing hers with a cold, heavy pressure. Natalia stood there, her mouth slightly open, a cold sweat breaking out on her neck.

  ?(What? Did he just... dismiss me?) she thought, her heart hammering. (Why is he so calm? Is he truly human? The things he said... they sounded like a warning wrapped in a lesson. I will find out who you are, Nico. That is a promise from a Grotaro.)

  ?Nico finally acquired his coffee. He sat on a stone bench, watching the steam rise. He took a sip, and his eyes widened slightly.

  ?"Mmm... this is truly incredible. The bitterness matches the darkness, yet the warmth provides a physical anchor. I suspect I could become addicted to this ritual."

  ?But the warmth of the drink couldn't mask the growing discomfort in his chest. He needed more than just a kingdom map; he needed the logic of the High Ranks. He decided to find Suzuna Hikari directly.

  ?He found her in the faculty wing, surrounded by glowing crystals and ancient scrolls.

  ?"Hello, Professor Suzuna."

  ?"Oh... Nico! You're awake," Suzuna said, her eyes lighting up with academic curiosity. "I heard about the infirmary. A sixteen-day coma is quite the feat for a student who just challenged a Legend. How are you feeling?"

  ?"I am functional, Professor. I simply encountered a temporary limit of this vessel. I came to ask for the information I missed. I have questions that require answers before I set out on my journey."

  ?Suzuna paused, her quill hovering over a parchment. "Your journey? Are you planning to leave the Academy so soon? The cycle hasn't even reached its midpoint."

  ?"Yes," Nico said, his voice firm. "I must go on a mission of essential discovery. I need the knowledge you possess to navigate the world outside these walls."

  ?Suzuna studied him for a long moment. She saw the confidence in his posture—a confidence that shouldn't belong to a student. "Very well. Meet me in the Research Hall next to the library tomorrow after the final bell. I will give you what you need."

  ?"Thank you, Suzuna. I will be there."

  ?As he left, Suzuna leaned back in her chair, her brow furrowed. (Did he really challenge Akaria? It's impossible for a student to maintain eye contact with a High Legendary without their mana circuits screaming in pain. Yet he speaks of it as if it were a minor inconvenience. Nico Sigmund... you are the most fascinating anomaly I have ever encountered.)

  ?Nico returned to the dormitory, but the halls felt tighter than before. He spotted Melina again, near the stairwell.

  ?"Hey, Melina! Wait. I require an explanation for your earlier behavior. If there is a problem, I might be able to offer a solution."

  ?Melina stopped, but she didn't look at him. Her voice was sharp, brittle like thin glass. "Please, Nico, stop following me. I have no intention of talking to you right now. I have things to do... my own things."

  ?"Is this regarding the information I missed? Or perhaps your own training?"

  ?"I don't want your help, thank you! Just... leave me alone!" she shouted, finally looking at him. Her eyes were red, and for a split second, Nico saw a dark bruise on her cheek that she was trying to hide with her hair.

  ?"Melina—"

  ?"Goodbye, Nico!" she snapped, turning and running up the stairs.

  ?Nico stood in the quiet hallway, his mind processing the visual data. (The bruise on her cheek... impact trauma. Not from a training accident. A deliberate strike. And her mood... is this what the books call a 'mood swing' or is it a defensive mechanism?) He threw himself onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. (I've gained what I could from this place. This Academy is a cage designed to produce soldiers, not to explain the Void. Tomorrow will be my last day.)

  ?Morning arrived with a clarity that felt like a final warning.

  ?Nico stood before the mirror, adjusting his robes. As he looked at his reflection, he froze. Across his forearms and stretching toward his neck, crimson paths—like glowing veins or underground rivers of fire—had begun to surface on his skin. It was the same energy flow that defined his original body in the Void. His human skin was struggling to contain the surge of Black Mana.

  ?(It is starting,) he whispered. (My vessel is beginning to leak. If I stay here another week, my true nature will be exposed to every sensory device in the kingdom. I must move now.)

  ?He made his way to the Research Hall. Suzuna was waiting for him, her expression serious.

  ?"You are punctual, Nico. I respect that."

  ?"I respect any timing that serves my goals," he replied, taking a seat.

  ?"Very well. You asked for the inner workings of the world. I will be brief, as I suspect you prefer efficiency over flowery language. The world is governed by the Supreme Union's Ranking System. It is the only metric that matters. High rank equals legal immunity, social prestige, and access to the 'Mana Ley Lines' that fuel the great cities."

  ?She tapped a crystal, projecting a map of the Three Kingdoms.

  ?"The absolute peak," Suzuna began, "is the Great Void Rank. As we discussed, it is considered an 'Imaginary Rank.' To reach it, one would need a mana statistic exceeding 13,000,000,000 (13 Billion) and up to 200,000,000,000. Such a number is beyond any biological vessel we know of. It is a myth used to inspire growth."

  ?Nico's hand twitched, the crimson veins beneath his skin pulsing in rhythm with her words.

  ?"The highest active powers," she continued, "are the Star Rank and the Emergence Rank (often called Resurrection in old texts). The only being to have reached the Star level is Sovereign Azral Sul. He sits at the top of the hierarchy, ruling over the Three Kingdoms: The Heavenly Star, The Independent Elven Kingdom, and our own Kingdom of Arcadia, which serves as the central hub and gateway."

  ?She looked at Nico significantly. "Below them are the Generals. Valerius Akaria is a High Legendary. A standard Legend Rank starts at 10 million mana, but Valerius is 20% higher, putting her around 35 to 38 million. You felt her pressure because her mana density is high enough to alter the local atmosphere."

  ?Nico nodded, his mind filing away the statistics. (Star Rank: 5.5 Billion. Great Void: 200 Billion. The gap between Azral Sul and the peak is still vast. I am closer to the peak than I am to this king.)

  ?"I hope you now understand the hierarchy, Nico," Suzuna said, closing the projection. "Outside these walls, these numbers are life and death. If you encounter someone of a higher tier, you do not fight. You survive."

  ?Nico rose, the crimson lines on his neck fading as he suppressed his core. "I understand perfectly, Suzuna. Thank you. This data is the foundation I needed."

  ?"Good luck, Nico Sigmund," Suzuna said, her voice softening. "Whatever mission you are on... I hope you find the answers you're looking for."

  ?Nico walked out of the hall, the weight of the "Great Void" humming in his blood. The Academy was behind him. The world—and the sovereigns who thought they ruled it—awaited.

  [End of Chapter 6]