With his mouth slightly opened...

"..."

Raven remained motionless for a while, he's still trying to take in the information of his newly evolved skill. His eyes stayed on the transparent system window, the text carved into his mind as if it had been branded there permanently.

The weight of what he just acquired pressed down on him harder than the aura itself.

"Should we start?"

"Hm?"

Then what snapped Raven out of his stupor was Ruby's voice. Her tone wasn't demanding, but it carried enough weight to pull his thoughts back into the present moment.

"..."

Ruby noticed that Raven seems to be a little different than usual... She could tell something was running through his head, something heavy enough to make even him space out.

"Are you okay?"

So she straight up asked him if something was wrong. Ruby didn't hesitate, because if she didn't ask, she knew he would never say anything himself.

And it's not like the two of them are strangers.

Anyway, after hearing her worried question, Raven activated <Calm Thinker> to hold back his excitement. The skill immediately cooled his racing emotions, calming the storm inside him.

And with a nonchalant demeanor—

"Oh... Yeah, I'm good."

He replied to Ruby along with a light shrug to ease her worry. His face remained as unreadable as ever, but the little twitch in his ears betrayed his suppressed excitement.

'Oh, now he's back to normal...'

Ruby thought after seeing Raven's calm face. It was the kind of calm she was familiar with— unnervingly flat and detached.

And though she still has some doubts...

"Are you ready to start?"

Ruby ignored them, she knows that Raven was never normal after all. To her, it was pointless to press further when he clearly didn't want to explain.

"I'm ready."

Raven replied, his tone flat yet resolute.

And soon they started their training to control Raven's presence.

******

(Raven's POV)

My training with Ruby to keep my overwhelming presence under my control started.

What I discovered was in other students' eyes, I'm like a sun up close that no one would dare to directly look at. Just by standing near them, I crush them without meaning to.

Also Ruby, Keara, Levina, and Yuki are completely unaffected by my dominating aura.

I concluded that this is because I don't feel even a bit of hatred towards them. The aura reacts to my emotions— so since my feelings toward them aren't hostile, it simply flows past them harmlessly.

And obviously, those who are stronger than me can resist my pressing presence. Their power pushes back against mine instinctively.

...

"The first step to control your presence is to be aware of it."

"You wouldn't be able to control something you're not able to grasp, to begin with."

Ruby stated as I was sitting in a lotus position. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge of authority to it, the tone of someone who knew what they were talking about.

"What do you mean by that?"

I asked her, eyes still closed but ears tuned to every word.

Then almost immediately...

"Know its range, strength, and density."

Ruby replied, her words seem abstract.

But I understood them to some extent with the help of <Understanding>.

So with that information in mind, I started meditating.

I closed my eyes, then started breathing in a certain rhythm Ruby taught me beforehand. Long, steady inhales. Longer exhales. Slowly emptying the unnecessary noise inside my head.

And not long after doing that... I entered a trance state.

"Calm yourself."

I heard Ruby say that, her voice floating through the quiet like a thread pulling me deeper into concentration.

Then out of impulse...

"I'm always calm."

I replied. My mouth moved before I could stop it.

"Seeing how you can still hear me and reply, you're not fully focused yet."

Ruby then sternly said. Her words carried no anger, but they were sharp enough to cut through my arrogance.

"..."

I became silent.

I tried to sense my own presence once again.

But after a few seconds, a few minutes...

"...?"

I was still unable to feel it.

It's so deeply hidden in my subconsciousness that I'm unable to even feel a grasp of it! It's like trying to hold smoke in my hands— it slips through every time I reach for it!

"I can't feel it."

I mumbled while still meditating.

"It's not that easy, and you're being impatient, that's why."

And I received a reply from Ruby.

"I know, but is there a way to make this easier?"

I asked, still have my eyes closed. The weight of frustration began to creep up in my chest, but I forced it down.

"..."

I didn't hear anything from Ruby for a while.

Then after a few seconds...

"Try releasing your presence to the max output you can."

Ruby's alluring voice entered my ears.

"Eh? Are you sure?"

I asked Ruby after comprehending her words.

"With your presence at its strongest, it would be much easier for you to sense it."

Ruby then explained.

And even though I'm a bit hesitant...

"Then... I'll do so."

I decided to follow Ruby's suggestion.

"Ready when you are."

Ruby declared.

And without further ado—

'[Emperor's Aura]'

I released my presence.

I made it as strong as possible, and I scattered it as far as possible!

*****

After Raven activated <Emperor's Aura>—

SWOOOOOSH—!!!

"?!"

Bam!

Ruby was startled by it— making her unconsciously jump backward away from Raven!

She was ready, but Raven's aura was several times stronger than what she had expected!

"This..."

Raven's pressing aura was surrounding Ruby, and it's trying to dominate her!

So in the end, Ruby has no choice but to use her own presence to protect herself!

SWAAAAAAH~!!

"I'm sure of it..."

Ruby mumbled after confirming something.

Then—

'While it might be uncontrolled and unrefined right now...'

'It's almost as strong as my aura when I was [S-] rank!'

Ruby thought while looking at Raven with mixed emotions.

...

...

...

Of course, it was not just Ruby who felt Raven's overwhelming presence.

Inside the headmaster's office...

Leo and Kendy were talking about something weird—

When Raven suddenly activated his skill!

"Huh?"

"...?"

The two immediately sensed his aura, and it made them frown unconsciously.

"What a strong presence..."

Kendy whispered.

"But I don't know whose is it."

Then he suddenly stood up.

He's planning to take care of the owner of the said presence.

Kendy concluded that it was from an intruder because he doesn't know whose aura is it.

But then—

"You stupid brat, can't you recognize who's releasing it?"

Leo suddenly asked and stopped Kendy from rushing out through one of the office's windows.

Kendy looked at Leo weirdly.

"What do you mean?"

Then he asked.

Leo looked back at Kendy... Then he just smiled without saying anything!

Though, curiosity and excitement can be seen on his face.

'Creepy old man.'

Kendy thought as his frown got deeper after seeing Leo being like that.

Then, he looked back at where the presence is coming from.

'It's coming from one of the training grounds reserved for us professors.'

Kendy muttered in his head.

And not long—

'...!'

Kendy sensed another strong presence in the same place!

"Oh..."

But this time, he recognized whose is it.

'It's just Ruby.'

Kendy thought.

Then—

"Huh?"

He suddenly remembered something.

"Aren't Ruby supposed to be with Raven, training him to control his presence?"

Kendy mumbled.

"No fucking way..."

And it didn't take long for realization to hit him.

"He's really an interesting kid, right?"

Leo asked Kendy, but he was not expecting an answer.

"..."

Which is good because Kendy is still confused about what's happening and can't say anything at the moment.

...

...

...

Raven's presence was felt by every professor inside the Lunar.

Which alerted them and made them nervous!

Like Kendy— they thought they were being attacked by a crazy intruder.

But that stopped when Leo called all of them and explained what was happening.

But even after knowing who is releasing that intimidating aura...

The professors are still nervous, but now for a different reason now though.

'We have a monster in the making inside the academy...'

Is what they all thought.

...

...

...

Anyway...

Some students who have sensitive senses also felt Raven's dominating aura.

Those who aren't strong enough got sluggish.

And some of them even passed out!

But because the professors knows what was happening, they were able to help them immediately.

Of course, the main characters felt it too, but unlike the others, they immediately concluded who was responsible for it.

"It's Raven."

"Yeah, it's him."

"I can't think of anyone else except him."

Blake, Aoi, and Adelle stated in the same order.

"What the hell is he doing this time."

"Something stupidly out of common sense, probably."

Then Curtis and Eve followed.

"Haha..."

Alex just laughed awkwardly.

They might seem relaxed, but after sensing Raven's absurd presence...

They were reminded of something.

'Even now, Raven is still getting stronger.'

Which made their resolve to get stronger resurface once again!

'I don't care what is it, but I need to do something to get stronger...'

The group thought in unison.

The idea of Raven getting ahead of them made them all relentless!

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