Today the Baron couldn't accompany us because he has business and meetings with merchants and nobles, so the four of us came in a special carriage from Arisa's family. While we were eating something, waiting to be called, a topic came up that I hadn't been asked before.

"Maki, how many pseudo laws do you have? No matter how much I think about it, you're ridiculously strong." Marga brought up a subject we hadn't discussed in depth. Arisa and Sol paused, waiting for my answer. They obviously knew I had at least one, but not the total number.

"I have three." I replied while taking another bite of my sandwich. Their eyes widened in shock. I felt it would be wrong to hide things from them, so I continued. "I also have two laws, and one of them seems to be special because it combines two affinities." All of them froze, staring at me as if I were some strange creature—it reminded me a little of my grandmother's gaze.

"Whatttttttt?" Marga was completely stunned. "And here I was, feeling special for having one before entering school. It was so hard for me to get my plant pseudo law…" She lowered her head in frustration.

"I also only have one. Thanks to my father's guidance, I obtained a fire pseudo law." Sol looked down, also disappointed.

"I wanted to show off with my two pseudo laws, and Maki already has one more than me—not counting two actual Laws, and one of them combined." Arisa grumbled while tapping her fingers on the table.

I congratulated each of them for what they had achieved. Getting a pseudo law or a law is never easy. It took me a long time to obtain one with electricity affinity; the others were more a matter of luck, thanks to my past-life knowledge. Without that, I would still be stuck. "What are your pseudo laws, Arisa?" Sol and Marga had already told me theirs.

"With my wind affinity, and the other is penetration." She struck a proud pose while saying it. I was glad for her—with those two pseudo laws, her offensive potential would grow considerably. I had never seen her use them, but I understood how they worked. Yesterday's opponents had made me reconsider some values: though they were close to obtaining pseudo laws, they were still missing that final push.

I explained my pseudo laws and laws in some detail, and as I went on, their surprise grew steadily. I described how I had obtained each one and how I applied them to my skills; my strength would drop drastically if any of them were missing.

"If I finish early today, let's train. I want to see yours in action. Also, I've been thinking we could move up our dungeon trip—maybe go on one of the rest days." They were excited at my suggestion, and Arisa promised to ask her father for permission to use an appropriate dungeon.

We discussed whether we should be accompanied or not. Honestly, I could defend them from any danger, and I preferred not to bring anyone else along. With them, I had no problem revealing my secrets—I would only show my full strength to those I trusted, unless the situation became truly desperate.

Then I noticed the card on the table glowing. "It's time for me to go." They all wished me luck for my next match. Let's see what kind of opponents I'd face today.

My first two opponents weren't much different from yesterday's—they were close to acquiring a pseudo law, but not quite there yet. I used these matches, where defeat was nearly impossible, to refine my control over my pseudo law of electricity.

Both of them were long-range attackers, so I defended myself and countered with various electric constructs. After the first minute, I pressed harder and ended the matches, overwhelming them from all sides. I could tell they tried their best to improve during our fights; hopefully, they would gain something for their next matches.

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I was waiting for my third opponent, arriving quickly because the gate was near my VIP box. A boy about 162 cm tall walked toward me, moving nervously. His actions revealed his tension. When he saw me, he reached out for a handshake. Strangely, he never spoke—just greeted me silently and then focused forward.

He was different. I could feel a pseudo law in him, though I couldn't determine its type yet. I wasn't skilled enough to tell. I could press his Imra with mine to investigate, but that would be highly disrespectful.

We reached the designated arena, locking eyes as the referee explained the rules. We put on the collars, activating the protective spell. He was still nervous, but at least managed to control most of it. When he unleashed his power, I sensed a familiar affinity—ice. I would always recognize that.

He carried no weapon, so he must be a mage specialized in mid or long range. When the match began, he created several ice constructs around him. Condensed ice harpoons shot at me, but I blocked them with a wall of ice and smiled.

A Joyeuse appeared at my side in an instant, which I launched toward him to see his reaction. He created an ice wall that was pierced through. His jaw dropped in disbelief. Despite his shock, he didn't stop moving, hopping back and creating two more walls—the first was destroyed instantly, but the last finally held.

"You're quite good." Since I didn't know his name, I just complimented him. "Attack me with everything you've got." His expression turned serious, and he nodded. His constructs grew faster and sturdier. I could feel his pseudo law incorporated into his attacks. I countered with my own constructs, and the collisions painted the arena with layers of ice.

The fight grew more interesting. He tried reusing the ice already scattered on the ground to fuel new constructs, managing to reclaim a small percentage each time. That reduced his mana consumption, letting him last longer.

I could do the same—probably recover even more efficiently—but I rarely bothered unless my reserves were low. Maybe I should practice it regularly to save energy in the long term. For now, I let him take advantage. He needed it more than I did.

His attacks came from every direction. At one point, he attempted to impale me with spikes of ice from below, the only moment I moved aside to dodge. I could have stopped it with my body techniques, but by now, our battle had turned into a mage's duel.

Gradually, his constructs lost power and number. Three minutes of nonstop offense had drained his mana and stamina. His collar was close to triggering the shield. He had already taken a few cuts from my Joyeuse and a weakened hit from one of my spheres, blunted by his defenses.

Finally, I created a Joyeuse as large as his harpoon, and we launched our final attacks simultaneously. Both of us had the same defensive idea—stacked walls of ice. His three layers shattered against my sword, condensed with mana and empowered by my pseudo laws of ice and sharpness.

My single barrier held for a moment before breaking, but his attack had weakened enough for me to catch it directly. It dragged me back about a meter, but I managed to stop it.

That's when I realized—his ice felt colder than mine. How could that be possible? Mine was already incredibly dense, fueled by immense mana. Yet his carried a sharper chill.

While he struggled to rise after my strike knocked him down, I investigated. His constructs combined mana, ice affinity, and Imra—but his Imra wasn't only reinforcing from within, it also wrapped around as an external protective layer. Why? Then it hit me.

How could I have been so careless? Ice loses coldness when exposed to ambient heat and external factors. By shielding his constructs with Imra, he insulated them from external heat—making them feel colder, more stable. I had never paid attention to that. Without touching his spell, I might not have noticed for months—or even years.

With this realization, an idea sparked: if I could completely isolate my constructs from external heat, they would grow progressively colder. That path could lead me to absolute zero. If I remembered correctly, at that point, all cellular movement ceases, and everything freezes upon contact.

If I mastered this, my power would increase exponentially. And if it served as the foundation for my Law of Ice, then this boy had just given me the missing key. My mind flooded with possibilities as he staggered toward me.

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