I froze when I saw their reactions. Was that too much? I hadn't thought much about my actions when I decided to show them a bit of my abilities. I felt so comfortable with them—since they're friends of Areci and Shawu—that I didn't think twice. I just hope I made the right decision and won't regret it later.

I've always tried to keep a low profile, only showing my true strength when I feel comfortable or when I'm forced to. This time, it was the first case. After talking with them for so long, I felt close enough that I couldn't resist my instinct to impress them a little—and the alcohol certainly helped me not to hold back.

Wait… my instincts? I've always trusted them blindly. They've never betrayed me or led me into a dead end. My instincts didn't warn me of any danger this time; instead, I felt completely at ease. That means my instincts trust them as friends. A small smile formed on my lips. I had no regrets—if something went wrong, I couldn't blame anyone but myself.

"What's wrong?" After a few long seconds, I finally decided to break the silence. The only person who seemed sane at the moment—besides me—was Areci, though I didn't know why she hadn't said a word.

"They're just surprised… there aren't many people as versatile as you." I already knew that—many people had told me before, even Susan had emphasized it.

"Aren't you?" I looked at Areci. She was a limit-breaker like me; she should be just as versatile in every role, right?

She rested her chin on her left fist. "Yes and no. I can adapt to being a tank if needed, maybe even handle decent long-range attacks. Explorer? Much harder. Healer? Impossible. I prefer staying in the middle, where I can lead my group effectively while deciding things on the go." She smiled, tilted her head, and playfully bumped my shoulder with her fist.

"I prefer to wreak havoc right in the middle. In that role, I don't lose to you. I can deal more damage up close—I'm more destructive than I look." She ended with a wink, and at that same moment, time seemed to unfreeze for the others. Questions poured down on me—even the usually silent twins asked one each.

"Calm down, everyone. I can't understand a thing if you all talk at once." They quieted down a bit, lowering their voices. Everyone turned to look at Shawu, who sat to my left. They must've reached a silent agreement that she'd ask first. That alone showed their coordination.

"Why didn't you tell me about your other abilities? I felt death affinity in your spell—and when you healed yourself. Not only do you have that stasis skill that's better than mine, but your death affinity seems a step above mine too." Shawu grabbed my shoulders, shaking me from side to side. Her drunkenness seemed to have vanished.

"Well… you never asked." She looked annoyed at my answer. "I promise to train with you later and buy you something delicious to eat, so don't get mad." At first, she looked unconvinced, but her expression slowly softened. Finally, she took my hand to seal the deal. Food wasn't a problem; I was already planning to invite her and Areci to the same restaurant I went to with Ubit.

The next person to speak was the team's support—Ogine. Her small face peeked up, waiting for her turn. When Shawu sealed our deal, she gave her friend a thumbs-up and finally spoke. "It must be hard for you to focus on so many things at once. Haven't you ever made a mistake while healing someone? Your life mana feels very… rigid." She must be very skilled with life affinity to notice that so quickly.

"Yes… it's quite hard to focus on so many points at once. There were days when all I did was train and sleep, for many days…" A flash of my childhood crossed my mind. "I tried to heal someone directly with my mana once—it was a complete disaster. Since then, I've only focused on healing myself. That's why my mana feels rigid when I use it—it's only ever been practiced on me." She seemed to think about it for a moment before accepting my answer.

A faint memory of that terrible day when Sol's uncle died crossed my mind—but Areci interrupted it. "Ogine is the daughter of two very well-known doctors in the city. Both are respected Ruby ranks who've dedicated their lives to helping others. She has the potential to surpass her parents." Areci's words made me see the healer in a better light; now she seemed even gentler.

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Shawu leaned close and whispered in my ear, "Don't be fooled by her attitude right now. When we get injured in battle, she never stops complaining about always having to heal us—and sometimes, we even get hit." Shawu's words became reality as Ogine pinched her on the back. I only noticed thanks to my Personal World.

Ogine offered to give me some lessons on how to heal minor wounds if I wanted. I told her I'd think about it—I already had too much on my plate to start something as complex as medicine, but I would try when I had time. Learning to heal basic wounds could buy precious seconds to save a life.

"My turn—I can't hold back anymore." The tall, muscular tank stood up suddenly. Calling him a tank might just be formal—my instincts told me he was much stronger than that. "Train with me. I need a good sparring partner, and Areci's too busy with school matters. Please, be my partner." Humyr clasped his hands together in mock pleading.

So, he's one of those training maniacs. "Once I finish my recovery, I promise to train with you and Shawu." Humyr grinned from ear to ear at my positive answer. He raised his arm, and I bumped his fist with mine.

The last ones to speak were the twins, who didn't seem excited or anxious at all. It wasn't that they disliked me—they were just… different.

"Do you use swords? Fight me." Bruk's question was simple and direct. He had probably condensed all his earlier thoughts into that one line.

"Practice magic control and formation with me." Brak did the same, focusing only on what mattered most—training her ranged attacks with me.

The conversation became much livelier after I agreed to train with all of them and join their team whenever they needed someone. They asked more questions about how I used to train as a kid, some bits of my past, and how I'd become like this. My answers were fairly shallow but enough to satisfy them—I shared some things while keeping the important parts to myself.

Time passed. The topics shifted away from me, and the atmosphere grew more relaxed. I was surprised to see the twins answering questions so easily—quick, concise, and never wasting words. They'd started showing a bit more emotion, though their faces remained mostly unreadable.

Areci told me a bit more about them—they were the third and fourth children of the Duke of the Quyr Kingdom. Their father was the most powerful duke in terms of personal strength and military power among all the kingdoms and even the Empire, ranking just below the Emperor, the kings, and the Archduke. The twins were very different from their older siblings, who were loud and mischievous.

According to Areci, they didn't dislike me—in fact, they seemed to like me quite a bit. They were just quiet, always wearing those poker faces. That was their nature. Sometimes they went a little wild when talking about certain topics, but in general, they were calm and reasonable—especially compared to other nobles of high birth. That reassured me. I liked the twins; they seemed honest and straightforward.

Evening turned to night. There were still a few hours left of the party, but the alcohol at our table was running out. I offered to buy more since I was the new guy. Everyone immediately objected for that same reason. We ended up in a short debate before they finally let me go buy beer and some rum-based drinks.

After paying, I felt someone tug at my shirt from behind. I had taken off my sweater since the place was warm and the alcohol was heating me up. "Are you new? I've never seen your face at school before." I turned around and was taken aback. She was blonde, with gray eyes, around 170 cm tall, wearing a dress just above the knees that highlighted every curve and showed off her narrow waist.

"You have a pretty face—and your eye color is rare." I could feel her gaze scanning me from head to toe—those blue-gray eyes didn't miss a single detail. I swallowed softly. I could easily get out of this just by thanking her and tossing a compliment back—but I didn't. There was something different about her. This blonde girl was as strong as Areci's group—she had to be someone special. And the last thing I wanted was to cause trouble before classes even started.

"Thank you. Yes, I'm new at the school." I tried to sound composed, with a half-smile and a respectful tone. "My name's Maki. Nice to meet you—I like your eye color." They reminded me a little of Marga's, except this girl's eyes had tiny blue flecks mixed into the gray. My Thundersnow was working at full capacity now.

"Wanna join my group for a drink?" She winked and took my free hand. When she tried to pull me and realized she couldn't move me, she turned, visibly confused.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I can't right now. I just bought these for my group and need to get back to them." I tried to sound calm and a bit regretful for refusing. Her expression only grew more puzzled.

"They can wait—it'll only take a moment." Her tone turned a bit more commanding, her "invitation" sounding more like an order. She must have been from a highly influential family—only nobles from the upper ranks spoke like that. That made things more complicated. How could I refuse politely?

"Hey, Maki! What's taking so long?" Shawu's voice called out as she walked toward me. From the corner of my eye, I saw her notice the blonde holding my hand. Shawu vanished from her spot and moved at full speed. I wasn't the only one who noticed—the blonde frowned.

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