The next day, Yan Yi didn’t bother picking the lock again. He simply watched from afar as Teacher Lette opened the door before slipping cautiously to his seat.

Just as Yan Yi was about to slump down for a nap, he suddenly noticed Teacher Lette staring right at him.

Yan Yi froze. His ability to conceal his presence was so absolute that others would overlook him like a pebble on the ground. Unless he revealed himself, no one would even realize he existed.

So why did Teacher Lette’s gaze feel so… targeted?

He stayed perfectly still, hoping she was just glaring at his empty seat out of lingering anger from yesterday. But his hope was crushed.

Teacher Lette hadn’t spotted him at first. Then she recalled his antics from the day before, frowned slightly, and scanned the room carefully. Sure enough—there he was.

The key to being unnoticed was simple: people had to stop thinking about you. Hiding from someone actively searching for you was nearly impossible.

"Good morning, Teacher Lette," Yan Yi greeted stiffly, forcing a neutral expression. Best to confess outright.

"Oh? Yan Yi, how long have you been here?" Teacher Lette’s lips curved into a faint smile.

"I—I slipped in right behind you! Think about it—building a secret passage? Way beyond me." Yan Yi defended himself instantly. He hadn’t picked the lock this time, and he refused to take the blame.

"Ah. Then let’s discuss yesterday’s… incident." Lette nodded. She’d suspected him of constructing a hidden route, but logic argued against it.

At her words, Yan Yi’s feet itched to bolt.

"T-Teacher! If we start flinging magic here, the classroom won’t survive!"

"Who said anything about flinging magic? And even if I did, I’d control it perfectly."

*She actually wanted to blast him?!*

"About yesterday… I only cracked the floor by accident. Technically, *I’m* the victim here. No compensation needed, right?" Yan Yi asked carefully. Being dirt-poor, paying for repairs would doom his future.

Dark lines crisscrossed Teacher Lette’s forehead. *Victim?!* That poor floor hadn’t done anything to him! And why climb the tower in the first place?!

"That’s not the point! I meant—what trouble will you cause next? Ugh, no! I meant—are you really F-Rank?!" Lette caught herself mid-rant. Surviving a fifty-meter fall required either insane defensive magic or an ironclad mana barrier. Yet Yan Yi had landed and *still* had time to ponder what happened.

Something was deeply off. Lette was convinced he possessed immense power masked by high-level concealment magic.

Yan Yi groaned inwardly. Explaining his body could withstand the impact? She’d never believe it. He gritted his teeth and spun a half-truth.

"Sigh… Teacher, I never wanted to stand out. I have this magic—it hides everything about me. My mana, my presence… even from myself. Don’t ask what it’s called. I just… *feel* how to use it."

Teacher Lette’s expression shifted to *I knew it*.

"So you possess a Unique Magic. Guess troublemakers like you really are geniuses, huh?" She muttered the last part under her breath—but Yan Yi heard it. *Who’s the troublemaker?!* Still, he rolled with her assumption.

"Unique Magic? What’s that? City life’s so complicated. This small-town boy’s lost."

Lette shot him a look. *If only you were that naive.* She explained:

"Unique Magic—also called Innate Magic—is born from the subtle differences in everyone’s mana. It belongs to one person alone." She paused, recalling yesterday’s battle. "Take my spell barrage. Normally, controlling multiple high-tier spells simultaneously is impossible. But my Unique Magic is *Stasis*. I can freeze spells mid-cast, stockpile them, then release them all at once."

Yan Yi remembered the rain of magic—how each spell had materialized before her hand before striking him. *Powerful. Could she stack ultimate spells?*

"Don’t get ideas," Lette cut in, reading his thoughts. "Stasis has limits. The stronger the spell, the harder it is to freeze."

Yan Yi nodded. Of course. Greater power meant stricter conditions.

"But you’re remarkable. Unique Magic is a prerequisite for reaching the S Realm. And to break *beyond* S Realm? Its strength is non-negotiable." Lette sighed. She’d only awakened her own at twenty-one, after barely scraping into Class A. Yan Yi was leagues ahead.

"S Realm? What comes after?" Yan Yi asked. Ink Village’s books held no records. Few reached SSS Rank—let alone beyond.

"Beyond S Realm lies the Realm of Magic. Common knowledge among nobles, but not for villagers from remote corners." Lette’s eyes narrowed suddenly. "Wait—you’re not *already* in the S Realm, are you?"

Yan Yi forced a bitter smile. "I don’t know. My mana concealment is passive. I can’t gauge my own strength… or sense others’ mana at all."

*Dangerous words.* Not sensing mana meant he barely understood its nature.

"I see. Your magic has severe limitations." Lette tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Shall I retest you? Rank assessments require minimum mana levels, but I can vouch for you."

Yan Yi weighed it. Higher rank meant library access—but bureaucracy sounded exhausting.

"Teacher, does the library require a rank to enter?"

Lette blinked at the non-sequitur but answered: "The library’s special. Most non-lethal areas only require *demonstrated* strength. Mana rank matters only when lives are at stake."

*Perfect.*

"No need. F-Rank is fine."

"Eh? Higher ranks open doors! Future missions, team opportunities—"

"I’d rather not."

Yan Yi met her gaze and suddenly grinned.

"What’s so funny?"

"You really *are* a teacher. I just realized."

He flopped face-down onto his desk before she could react.

Lette’s eye twitched. Spells flickered into stasis around her.

"Are you implying I *wasn’t* one before?!"

*Like hell you were!* Throwing magic at students? Unforgivable! But did he really think she’d let him off that easily?

The classroom door swung open—students began filing in.

Lette snapped her fingers. The hovering spells vanished.

…

"Today’s lesson is complete. One last announcement: the Freshman Flag Capture begins in one week. Teams of three. Submit your rosters to me within three days."

The morning bell rang. Yan Yi hadn’t lifted his head all class. Every word Teacher Lette said made sense alone—but strung together? Meaningless. He couldn’t practice a single spell while classmates conjured sparks in their palms. So he’d slept.

As the bell faded, he cracked an eye open. He’d heard the tournament announcement. Thirty students. No escape.

"Hey."

A sharp voice cut through his thoughts about afternoon naps. Yan Yi kept his cheek pressed to the desk, tilting his head to see Luris standing over him, hands on her hips.

First time he’d seen her fully in uniform. It suited her. *Would knee-high socks look better than ankle ones?* (He wisely kept that thought to himself.)

"What is it, Miss High-and-Mighty?"

"What’s *this* supposed to mean?" Luris scowled, jabbing a finger at his sprawled form.

"Nothing. Tired." He tried turning away.

"*Hey!!*"

"Alright, alright! What do you want?!" Yan Yi sat up slowly.

"Join my team." Luris crossed her arms, chin lifted in finality.

Yan Yi froze. Then face-planted back onto the desk.

"If the teacher suggests pairing the *first* and *last* ranked students for ‘balance’—don’t count on me."

"Hey! Wait, you bastard—!" Luris yelled, but Yan Yi had already activated selective deafness.

As she debated dragging him up by the collar, a pink-haired girl approached.

"Luris? Decided on your team members yet?"