Qwarian had expected at least a hint of surprise. Fear. Confusion. Anything.
Instead...Dante simply looked at him with complete indifference.
Internally, Qwarian let out a quiet sigh. 'Older Brother was right... This academy really is becoming a den of hidden monsters.'
His calm smile never faltered. It wasn't genuine. Not even close. His skill was far from invincible. It allowed him to dismantle skills by attacking their very foundation.
Every skill, regardless of its Tier, was ultimately constructed from mana. Different arrangements. Different compositions. Different structures.
By observing where mana gathered and how it flowed, he could deconstruct that structure before the skill fully manifested. Like removing the foundation of a tower moments before it was completed.
Normally...It was effortless. Most people instinctively gathered mana before attacking. Some pointed. Others reached for their weapons. Many unknowingly revealed exactly where their mana converged.
That gave him time. Time to analyze and time to dismantle.
Dante...Did none of that. His skill appeared almost instantly. No warning. No visible gathering of mana. No fluctuation. It simply...Proofed into existence.
Qwarian had been forced to devote an absurd amount of concentration just to catch the moment the skill formed, identify every fragment of mana composing it, and dismantle it before it reached him.
Even then...It had been close. Far closer than he cared to admit.
Worse still... He couldn't read Dante. Not at all.
His instincts screamed at him. If he attempted to probe deeper, to uncover Dante's true strength... He would suffer and severely so.
Qwarian had long since learned never to ignore those instincts. That was precisely why he had delayed approaching Dante until today.
He had gambled that openly sitting beside him inside a classroom would prevent an immediate attack. Apparently...
He had greatly overestimated Dante's common sense. 'The academy rules were explained yesterday... and he still attacked.'
His curiosity only deepened. 'There's no way he's only Level One... Impossible. Could he already be Level Three...? No. How?' For the first time in years...
Qwarian found himself genuinely interested in another student. He smiled. "We'll meet again." Dante barely acknowledged him. He lazily waved a hand. "Sure."
Without another word, Qwarian disappeared as quietly as he had arrived.
...
Outwardly, Dante hadn't reacted. Internally... His thoughts were anything but calm. 'What kind of ridiculous skill was that? I only said his name a few times... that's it. How the hell was that enough to trace my location?'
There was no way he had fulfilled whatever conditions a skill like that should require. He hadn't formed a contract. He hadn't exchanged mana He hadn't even touched the man. 'All I did... was say his damn name.'
Dante rubbed his forehead. 'This academy really doesn't want me bullying weak people.' Clicking his tongue, he made a mental note.
He would have to ask Jurian and Aishwani later. One of them had to know who... —or rather, what— Qwarian actually was. Unfortunately... Second Mind remained stuck at Level Twenty-Four. Without reaching Level Twenty-Five and beyond, his Appraisal simply wasn't capable of revealing information about someone like Qwarian. A shame.
Still... Today's lesson might change that. If he could discover a reliable method of evolving Legendary-tier skills into Mythical ones... The journey to Midvest Academy would already have been worthwhile. One thing, however, reassured him.
Abyss Veil. Without it... Things might have become considerably more troublesome. The System had expended an enormous amount of effort concealing his true nature. Even Qwarian had walked away without discovering anything substantial.
That alone made Abyss Veil worth every ounce of mana it consumed. Dante pushed the encounter to the back of his mind and turned his attention toward the front of the classroom.
The instructor had arrived. The chatter gradually faded as every student returned to their seats. Once silence settled over the lecture hall, the elderly man calmly swept his gaze across the room before giving a slight nod.
"My name..."
He paused briefly.
"...is Faraway."