Before Alex could say anything more, Miranda stumbled toward Kirito, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Wait—what was that?! That sword technique—you sliced through the air itself!"
Zane limped closer, still panting.
"Yeah, and how the hell did you even find us so fast? Don't tell me... you're Intermediate Rank now?!"
Kirito scratched his cheek, looking oddly casual.
"I just followed the mana disturbance," he said. "And yeah... I broke through to Intermediate recently."
Miranda blinked rapidly.
"Intermediate?! But we're still stuck at Novice Rank!"
"We can't even control mana properly yet," Zane muttered, clearly frustrated. "Meanwhile you're out here swinging moon slashes."
Kirito chuckled.
"It's not just mana control," he explained. "It's my sword style—Yamazaki Swordsmanship."
Alex perked up.
"Yamazaki?"
Kirito nodded.
"It's an old style passed down in my family. It's designed to channel mana instinctively through the blade... but I wasn't able to use its true forms until I reached Intermediate Rank."
Miranda squinted at his weapon suspiciously.
"...And that katana of yours? It's not normal either, right?"
Kirito grinned, lifting the blade slightly for them to see.
"It's a C-Rank Beast-Tech Weapon. Pretty decent, huh?"
Their jaws dropped.
"A C-Rank weapon?!" Miranda gasped. "No wonder you were slicing through everything like butter!"
"C-rank already..." Zane muttered, both impressed and slightly jealous.
But soon, their attention turned to Alex.
Zane clapped him hard on the back, making Alex stumble forward a bit.
"Dude," Zane said with a smirk, "you were seriously amazing out there too! Since when did you start acting like a leader?"
Alex scratched his head awkwardly, a little embarrassed by the praise.
"I just... moved without thinking."
Zane laughed.
"Well, you better get used to it, Captain."
Then Zane pointed at Kirito dramatically.
"And you! Oi, Kirito! I'm not gonna let you leave me behind! I'll form my mana core too — and I'll get my hands on some skill books to catch up!"
Alex and Miranda blinked at each other.
Then, at the exact same time, they both asked:
"What's a skill book?"
Kirito stared at them for a moment, before bursting into laughter.
"You two really are newbies, huh," he said, still chuckling.
"Alright, alright, I'll explain..."
Zane chuckled at their synchronized reaction.
"Skill books," he began, "are ancient or specially crafted artifacts that teach you combat techniques, magic spells, or unique abilities. Once you absorb a skill book into your mana core, the knowledge fuses with you... permanently."
He lifted a finger and continued explaining, his tone becoming a bit more serious.
"Skill books are divided into three classes — Low Tier, Mid Tier, and High Tier."
Alex and Miranda listened intently.
"Low Tier skills," Zane said, "are techniques that can actually be used even without mana. You don't always need an actual skill book to learn them — you can be taught by someone else if you have the talent. All the moves we used against Drevon? Those were low-tier skills."
He paused before adding:
"Drevon though... some of the things he pulled were Mid Tier skills. You could feel the difference, right? His techniques were... heavier, more destructive."
Kirito nodded from beside him.
Zane grinned.
"But listen carefully — just because two skills are the same tier doesn't mean they're equal. Skill output depends on how well you master it, your mana control, and sometimes... pure talent."
Miranda tilted her head, her curiosity growing.
"So without a mana core... we can't even properly use skill books?" she asked.
"Exactly," Zane said, crossing his arms.
"First, you form your mana core. After that, you can start absorbing real skill books. That's when your real journey begins."
Alex clenched his fists slightly, feeling a spark of excitement ignite in his chest.
The group was still laughing and teasing each other when Kirito suddenly cleared his throat loudly.
"Guys," he said, his tone sharp and serious. "You do remember we're in trouble, right?"
Everyone paused.
He sheathed his katana with a tired sigh.
"Veloria already told us. We're being summoned to the Disciplinary Hall... tomorrow morning."
A cold silence settled over the group.
Their smiles froze.
"...Ah crap," Zane muttered, his excitement draining away.
For a few seconds, no one spoke. Then one by one, they began to disperse — the excitement now fully killed.