No matter how hard I tried to forget that person, I couldn't. It was something extremely strange. Those orange eyes, as piercing as his hair, made it harder—they were just too striking.

Why did he approach me? Why did he disappear after testing that strange ability? What did he mean by "we'll meet again"? So many questions in my head, growing more and more by the minute. At least my domain leveled up just from that little experiment. I still don't understand what really happened… maybe I should focus on obtaining a Spatial Law. That might help me understand these kinds of situations better.

I let out a tired sigh. I haven't been able to obtain a pseudo Electric Law—how could I possibly get one of Space...? "Cheer up!" I slap my cheeks lightly with both hands to motivate myself. Nothing in this life is free—everything takes time and training.

Minutes kept passing. Little by little, I asked myself fewer questions about that person and tried to focus on all the people arriving. "It's time to go back." I check the envelope with my table number again—it's time for the birthday party.

As I arrive at my table, I notice it's in a privileged spot, quite close to the main table with a good view of the dance floor. The appetizers are nearby, and I also have a direct path to one of the restrooms.

The round table already has some snacks and all kinds of drinks. Six chairs? I'm not sure who I've been seated with… I wish some of my family had come. Work has them totally occupied.

A few minutes later, Arisa arrives at my table. She looks divine in that pink dress perfectly tailored to her figure, her hair neatly styled up, and wearing some discreet necklaces and bracelets. She's beautiful no matter how you look at her—she must have lots of young men drooling over her.

I stand up from my chair to help her sit. "You look beautiful today." I let out a small compliment as she takes her seat. I don't know when I started smiling.

"Thank you." With a small, modest smile and calm eyes gazing into mine, she speaks again. "You look handsome too—you look more mature in that suit." I thank her for the compliment, and we begin chatting casually about our daily lives.

Just as I'm about to tell her about my encounter with that strange person, I feel the same disturbance in my domain again. It's almost nonexistent—if I hadn't been fully focused on sensing any changes, I wouldn't have noticed. It seems I'm still sensitive after his words.

I immediately turn to look behind us. Through my domain, I sense Arisa turning too after seeing me do it. I don't say anything—I don't know what to say—I just keep looking at the unknown person.

To my surprise, I hear Arisa speak. "Are you serious? What is he doing here?" In that exact moment, she stands from her chair at an incredible speed, and before running toward the stranger, she says something that leaves me in shock. "Uncle, I didn't know you were coming."

Those words blew my mind. I stood there processing the information for a few seconds. When Arisa reached the person she called Uncle, I finally snapped out of it.

The only person she could call "Uncle" is the Marquis. How did I not suspect it before? There can't be that many people with hair that color… I should have guessed it at least as a possibility. How foolish of me.

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My mind kept racing, connecting the dots and understanding the situation better. Now I get how he suppressed me without me feeling anything, and that flawlessly mastered movement ability. He lives up perfectly to his nickname: "The Smiling Flash." Always with a smile no matter the situation, and moving at speeds most people can't even follow.

Rumor has it he's close to the Obsidian rank—someone who stands at the top of the Diamond rank, and just like me, he's a limit-breaker.

A generational genius who inherited the Marquis title at a young age due to his ability to connect with people and his obvious strength in combat. He's admired by many, especially his people. A true genius, top-tier talent through and through.

My head kept trying to recall every rumor and piece of information about the Marquis. Arisa and he were already walking toward my table. I tried to control my emotions and forced myself to use my mental ability to calm my thoughts and organize them.

Should I pretend I didn't meet him before? Should I act like I did? With my mind a bit calmer, I went with the first option. I could ask him later if we get a moment alone.

"Uncle, I want to introduce you to someone." I immediately stand from the table and make a deep bow to show my respect. I hear a soft giggle from Arisa, and through my domain, I see her covering her mouth with her hand.

"This is Maki Vichag. He's the son of a Baronet. As you already know, he's the one who helped me in the dungeon." She looks into my eyes as I finish my bow and continues. "He's someone very special to me." Her words sounded sincere—they reached me directly, and all I could do was smile while blushing.

"Maki, I want to introduce you to my uncle." She motioned toward him with her hands. "A genius known by all, the ruler of this entire territory: Marquis Julio Timal."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Marquis. As your niece already mentioned, my name is Maki. It's truly an honor to meet you." I bowed again as I introduced myself. I didn't want to cause any trouble for him—much less for my family.

"A pleasure to meet you, Maki. It's always good to personally meet a genius with great potential—one who, according to my niece, might mark an entire generation." His smile widened slightly as he glanced at Arisa from the corner of his eye. "And possibly a future nephew." Arisa turned as red as a tomato. She didn't deny it—she simply stood there, looking down, silent. I had never seen this tender side of her before.

"Don't just stand there, let's sit down." The Marquis broke the brief silence and gestured for us to take our seats. He even helped with Arisa's chair, just like I had done. The table was quiet for a few seconds. Arisa was still lost in her thoughts, and I didn't quite have the courage to speak up. The Marquis broke the silence once more.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Maki? You must have several questions about how we met the first time." His expression didn't change at all. The first to react was Arisa, who looked back and forth between her uncle and me, again and again.

"Uncle, you already met Maki?" Her eyes judged him, but he didn't flinch. As for me, I chose to stay silent until we had the chance to talk privately.

"I met him just a few minutes before and we played a bit—it was quite brief." That was a game? That little game gave me a skill level-up… He continued speaking.

"And I can't lie. I was curious to see what Maki was like without knowing who I was. I needed to find out what kind of boy had stolen your heart." Arisa looked like she was about to say something but then closed her mouth again.

"I'm quite impressed by you, Maki. My niece spoke very highly of you, and I can now say her praise wasn't enough." For the first time, his tone turned slightly more serious, though his smile never faded.

"You are someone who can truly be called a genius. And after observing you a second time, I believe Arisa's words were accurate." He looked me straight in the eyes.

"You have the potential to define a generation. With your abilities, you could create a clear before and after." His words left me frozen. Hearing something like that from a genius was incredibly flattering. And I could tell by the seriousness in his voice and eyes that he meant every word.

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