"Huh? What does that even mean?" Aidan asked, a bit bewildered by Zane's vague response.
Zane just shrugged. "Let me show you," he said, stepping forward.
He walked over to a nearby tree and casually picked up a small fallen branch—light, thin, and unimpressive.
But the way he held it… felt dangerous to Aidan.
Matthew, on the other hand, went completely still. His eyes narrowed—not in suspicion, but in realization. He had an idea of what Zane might be hinting at... but he wasn't ready to jump to conclusions.
Not yet.
Instead, he said nothing, choosing to wait. To watch.
Zane now stood with the stick in hand, rolling it between his fingers, feeling its weight.
He gave it a few light spins—testing it, connecting with it—before his gaze shifted. Ahead of him stood a practice dummy in the distance.
He turned toward it, eyes narrowing slightly.
The air seemed to still.
He didn't swing.
He simply moved—just a slight clash of the stick against the air.
But that single gesture was enough.
A sudden gust surged forward, sharp and controlled, like a blade of wind unleashed from nothing.
In the distance—more than a hundred meters away—the training dummy stood still for a breath. Then it split.
Clean. Perfect. Sliced in half as if by an invisible sword.
Aidan sucked in a sharp breath, the air catching in his throat.What he'd just seen…
Even after forming his core, he wasn't sure he could do something like that.And even if he could—there was no way he could do it that effortlessly.
Zane turned to look at Aidan and Matthew, his expression calm—unlike his usual smugness. "I don't know what to call it yet," he said quietly, "but I feel like anything I touch… becomes a weapon. A way to unleash destruction."
"What does—" Aidan began, but Matthew cut him off mid-sentence. His voice, usually composed, now carried a rare edge.
"You have a Distorted Rarity, Zane." He stepped forward, eyes narrowing slightly.
"And from the looks of it… a melee-type."
Aidan stared at Matthew, stunned. "You're sure? He really has a Distorted Rarity Attribute?"
Matthew shot him a look, a bit irritated as he snorted. "Do you think I'd say it if I wasn't?"
Aidan paused, the weight of Matthew's words sinking in.
It was true—Matthew never spoke carelessly. If he said it, then it was true.
Zane had a Distorted Rarity.
The realization hit harder than he expected. Part of him felt genuinely happy—for Zane, for what it meant.
But another part… another part turned inward. Toward his own path. His own progress.
And suddenly, that path felt a little heavier. A little slower. Did I forget to give importance to my progress?
Aidan knew he wasn't slow. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
He was fast—really fast. His growth had outpaced nearly everyone around him. But that wasn't the point.
More than speed, what defined him lately was his single-mindedness.He had thrown everything into his training—into answers, strength, progress.
And now, standing beside Zane, he realized what he'd been missing wasn't pace. It was perspective.
To notice others—just like how he had missed Zane's transformation.
Aidan sighed, his fingers curling slightly as he glanced at Zane. The thought was already there.
A spar.
Something to anchor him as he tested the gap between himself and someone who had just stepped into the realm of Rank One.
He wanted to know—no, he needed to know—what that difference truly felt like.
But before he could say a word, Zane caught the look in his eyes.
With a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he raised the stick in his hand and pointed it toward Aidan.
"How about it, Aidan?" he said, voice light but laced with challenge. "Want to see what Zane the Breeze can do now?"
Aidan smiled—just slightly, a half-lipped curve that didn't quite reach his eyes.
He stepped forward, slow and deliberate, drawing his sword in one smooth motion.
Before Aidan could answer, a hand moved between them—firm and unyielding. Matthew stepped forward, eyes locked on Aidan with a calm that carried weight.
"You can't," he said, voice low. "You're no longer at his level, Aidan. Not yet. To fight him now would be pointless."
Aidan looked down at the hand that had stopped him, then slowly raised his gaze—from Matthew's arm to his face.
He didn't meet it with defiance, only quiet determination. Reaching out, he gently pushed Matthew's hand aside.
"It doesn't matter if it's pointless," he said, his voice calm, a tired look on his face. "I want to see. I need to know how far Zane has really reached."
Matthew sighed.
He had heard the resolve in Aidan's voice—the kind that wasn't going to back down.
Shaking his head, he rubbed his temple, clearly torn.
"Aidan… understand this," he said, his tone edged with frustration, not anger. "His speed, his reaction time—everything has elevated. He's at least twenty times faster, stronger… maybe more.
And you—" he paused, meeting Aidan's gaze,"you haven't even completed your core formation yet. You're not even an incomplete Rank One."
He took a breath, about to continue."I'd allow it—when you've finished. But until then, it's useless to e—"
"I already did," Aidan interrupted, voice quiet but steady. "I've completed it. I'm an incomplete First Rank now."
Both Zane and Matthew's eyes widened as they heard Aidan.
Matthew's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening as he looked directly at Aidan. "You mean to say… you've completed your core formation?"
His voice was quiet, but heavy with scrutiny—like he needed to hear it again, just to believe it.
"Yes," Aidan said, his voice steady. "That's exactly what I'm saying… Teacher."
He glanced at Matthew, meeting his gaze without hesitation.
Matthew hadn't used his mana sense in a while—on Aidan. But hearing those words, something shifted.
Without a word, he extended his senses, the world around him dimming slightly as he honed in on Aidan his mana sense seeing the aura core inside him.