The Difference in Ranks
“......”
When I regained consciousness and opened my eyes, I found myself in the infirmary, wrapped in a heavy silence. Tap. As I looked around, trying to piece together the situation, Vincent pushed open the door in the distance and stepped inside.
“Oh, you’re actually awake?”
He looked genuinely surprised, which was rare for him. Finding his reaction suspicious, I stared at him directly and asked.
“Where’s Sir Allen?”
Vincent was alone. He always seemed to be glued to Allen’s side, so something must have happened.
“Allen? He said he had something to take care of and took off. Anyway, how’s your body feeling?”
After mentioning Allen, Vincent asked about my condition. My body had been in terrible shape before.
‘Now that I think about it.’
My mind had been elsewhere, so I hadn’t even considered the fact that I’d essentially died and come back. I immediately circulated my mana to examine every inch of my body.
‘......The fire energy is exactly the same.’
I’d hoped that consuming the spiritual medicine would have increased it at least a little, but there had been no absorption whatsoever. It remained unchanged.
‘Still, it’s not bad.’
Hal’s demonic energy and fists had torn my entire body apart. The elixir had shredded me from the inside as well. Yet despite all that, there wasn’t a single problem with my condition.
“It feels like my body’s gotten even better?”
Vincent nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Of course. This is the Divine Physician’s work, after all.”
The Divine Physician. Just hearing the title made it clear he was no ordinary person—someone renowned across the world.
“......What kind of man is he?”
“The Divine Physician? He’s a close friend of my master and possesses the greatest medical skills on the continent. His rank is so high that he wanders between the Demon Realm, his residence, and the entire continent. Meeting him is incredibly difficult.”
“Why would someone like that treat me?”
“From what I heard, he was asked to do it. I don’t know the details.”
The fact that he didn’t know the details meant there was nothing more to learn even if I pressed him.
‘I wonder.’
The title “Divine Physician” surely meant his medical arts had reached the heavens. Having knowledge of modern medicine, I found myself curious about the healing techniques of this era. Seeing how my body had been restored to an even better state than before, it seemed that mana-based medicine was superior to anything from my previous world.
While I was lost in thought, something else occurred to me and I asked.
“Vincent, that demon gave me the feeling that it existed on a completely different rank than me. Do you know anything about it?”
“A different rank?”
“Yeah. The moment I saw it, that’s what I felt.”
Vincent stroked his chin in thought, then his mouth opened.
“Ah. That means exactly what the words imply.”
“......?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, he asked.
“Hmm. Do you want the simple explanation, or the truth my master taught me?”
“The simple one.”
I answered without the slightest hesitation.
‘The easy one is definitely better.’
Complicated things were annoying. Understanding it might lead to further growth, but I had no desire to suffer headaches just to achieve that.
Vincent smiled with satisfaction, clearly pleased by my answer.
“There are stages to one’s rank. Think of it simply: Low Rank, Mid Rank, High Rank, and Transcendent. The demon you encountered was nearly at the Mid Rank. You’re still at the Low Rank—not even touching the bottom of Mid Rank. That’s why you felt the difference.”
“......”
I stared at Vincent in a daze. It wasn’t that I failed to understand.
‘......He explained it too simply.’
The very simplicity of the summary had left me stunned.
“Should I get going now?”
“What time is it?”
He glanced at the clock.
“Twelve.”
“I do need to head out soon.”
Cain had told us to gather at one o’clock in front of the dormitory. I didn’t know exactly where we were, but leaving at twelve-thirty should give me plenty of time.
‘......Probably.’
It would be fine.
“Adel.”
Vincent called out to me.
“What?”
“How was the Demon Realm training?”
How was it? I recalled everything that had happened.
‘It was fine, I think.’
Since arriving here, I had learned about the world’s enemies, understood the power levels, grown stronger, gained knowledge, and hadn’t suffered any real losses.
“It was fine.”
“Really? That’s good to hear.”
Vincent closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and continued.
“This training was the mild version of the Demon Realm.”
“Mild version?”
“Yeah. Dangerous enemies did appear, but they were still within the expected range. The Demon Realm is a place that can’t be predicted.”
“......”
“In some places volcanoes erupt, in others there are vast plains, and in some there’s only darkness where nothing can be seen. The blizzard we experienced was practically adorable by comparison.”
Vincent glanced at the door and spoke quickly.
“On top of that, there are many incredible people here. You didn’t meet them this time, but next time you might encounter them while wandering the Demon Realm, at the training grounds, or even in the cafeteria.”
I wanted to meet them.
‘What kind of people are they?’
Not all of them would necessarily be good people, but meeting them would surely offer at least one thing worth learning.
“During the next training, you’ll get to taste the real heat of the Demon Realm. See you then.”
“Yeah.”
Hearing my reply, Vincent flashed a bright smile, opened the door he had entered through, and left.
A short while later.
“Adel.”
“......”
“Adel.”
“Adel.”
The four women I knew had come to visit. All of them wore expressions heavy with worry.
“Are you okay?”
Banya asked on behalf of the group.
“Yeah. I’m completely fine.”
When I said that and moved my whole body to show them, the tension in their faces eased slightly.
“That’s a relief.”
I felt like I had spent too much time talking with Vincent, so I checked the clock.
12:40
“We should get going. It’s already 12:40.”
Saying so, I rose from the bed. A slight stiffness lingered, but it quickly faded into refreshing comfort.
“Shall we go, then?”
After that, I headed to the assembly point together with the four women who had come looking for me.
At the same time Adel and Vincent were talking, Allen stood before his master, Cain.
“Master. Please teach me the sword.”
Allen spoke politely, standing in perfect posture.
“......”
Cain remained silent, arms folded across his chest.
“I am still lacking.”
Even in the face of Cain’s silence, Allen simply asked again in the exact same manner.
“......”
At last, Cain’s lips parted.
“You have already learned everything.”
It had been five years since Cain began teaching Allen as master and disciple. With his talent, that was more than enough time to learn nearly anything. But that was only by ordinary standards.
“Master. Though five years have passed in ordinary time, in reality it hasn’t even been two full years. How could someone like me possibly claim to have learned everything?”
Cain was an academy instructor. The only times Allen, who lived in the Demon Realm and the western Gawood family estate, could be with Cain were during periods like this Demon Realm training. There were no other opportunities.
“Haa......”
Cain let out a sigh at Allen’s impeccably courteous attitude and unfolded his arms.
“Would a spar be enough to satisfy you?”
A faint smile—not quite a smile—touched Allen’s lips.
“It would be more than enough.”
Woooong.
Cain used his mana to create a sword. It was a blade so flawless it deserved to be called perfection itself.
Swish.
Allen drew his sword from its sheath.
“I’ll yield the first move.”
Cain spoke the same words he always did before their spars.
“Come.”
Caaaaang!
‘......You’ve grown even stronger.’
The master’s power was at a level the disciple could not overcome even with both hands working together.
“Everyone’s here.”
When all the S-class students had gathered at the meeting place, Cain approached, slightly out of breath. It seemed he had hurried over.
“This time, unlike when we arrived, we’ll be using the gate.”
“......”
Wondering why things had changed, I turned to Christina beside me.
“Tina, do you know why we’re suddenly using the gate?”
“It’s probably because of my father.”
She answered immediately, as if she had already guessed.
“Lord Helen?”
“Yes. The gate near the Helen family requires my father’s permission. Since Instructor Cain is strong enough to suppress the middle layer, he probably went to get approval.”
Cain had not shown himself even once during the entire Demon Realm training. If he had gone to the middle layer, that would explain it.
“......Makes sense.”
It had only been two short sentences, but Christina had already grasped most of the situation surrounding this training.
“Follow me.”
Cain began walking. I glanced at Christina once more before following him.
Tap.
The place we reached was a gate that looked truly alive, swirling with vibrant blue light. Small letters beside it read Krente.
“We are heading to Krente.”
The reason we were going to Krente instead of straight back to the academy was simple—there was no gate at the academy itself.
‘To prevent any surprise invasions, I suppose.’
They had likely omitted a gate on campus to stop the possibility of an enemy force invading through one.
“Afterward, you may return to the dormitories on your own.”
Having said that, Cain stepped through the gate first. There was no need for lengthy explanations. We weren’t children; this much information was enough for everyone to handle things properly.
Woooong.
Standing before the gate, I felt mana vibrating around me.
‘How fascinating.’
It was a strange sensation I had never experienced before.
Tap.
‘Ugh......’
The moment I stepped inside, my mind grew hazy. I couldn’t tell where I was or what I was doing. After a brief moment, my normal senses returned.
When they did, I was standing in front of the gate in Krente.
“Adel.”
The woman who emerged beside me called my name.
Whoooosh.
A breeze blew past, carrying a gentle, refreshing atmosphere.
“Banya.”
Behind her, Christina, Siris, and Shane stepped out of the gate. I asked them.
“I’m heading back to the academy. What about you all?”
“Let’s go together.”
“Me too.”
“......Me too.”
“Then I’ll go with you as well.”
We made our way to catch a carriage.
Tap.
We reached the academy in no time. After a light meal, we spent the rest of the day in my personal training room. According to Shane, if it hadn’t been for Siris, they would have died from the heat.