Chapter 358: Academy Visit [2]

"After leaving Vice Principal Ramona’s office, Soren headed back outside the building using the teleportation circle. Once he left the building, he didn’t hurry to regroup with Ethea and Zura. He sat down on a nearby bench, closed his eyes, and focused on the floating window in his vision.

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Name: Ramona Ross

Race: Human

Age: 78

Status: Healthy

Rank: 8th Circle (Peak Stage)

[Current Mana Level: 12,459,007]

[Mental Cultivation: Sage’s Path — Stage 4: Inner Sanctum]

[Current Mental Power: 848,060 / 1,000,000]

[Abilities: ? (SSS-Rank), Sage’s Sanctuary (SS-Rank), Sage’s Insight (S-Rank)]

[Affinities: Wind (Grade 9 - SSS Rank), Light (Grade 8 - SS Rank), Nature (Grade 9 - SSS Rank)]

[Hidden Talent / Traits: Sage’s Bloodline, Nature’s Chosen, Motherly Warmth]

[Mental State: Curious, Analytical]

[Investment Value: Mythic]

[Potential: Transcendence]

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’...Too powerful.’

The words echoed in his mind as he stared at the window.

This was the first time he stood face to face with a true Sovereign, and it made him realize just how vast the gap between them truly was. He had known she was strong. A Sovereign-level Awakened was always someone to be respected. But seeing the numbers laid out before him was different. The gap between them wasn’t something he could close with a few months or even years of hard work.

’...And she’s not even the strongest.’

The thought lingered. If Ramona was this powerful, what about other Sovereigns? Or the beings above her? What about the enemies he would eventually have to face? Would he be able to protect Ethea when that time came? Would he even be able to put up a fight?

’...Urgh, stop being pessimistic, Soren!’

He shook his head and pushed the thoughts aside. There was no point in worrying about things he couldn’t control. All he could do was keep moving forward, keep growing stronger, and hope that it would be enough when the time came.

’Let’s use the chance to study her status more carefully.’

With that in mind, he started inspecting her status more thoroughly. The first things he noticed were her mana, mental cultivation, and mental power.

From what he remembered, Emperors typically had a mana capacity of one to three million, while Sovereigns ranged from four to ten million. That meant Ramona was at the very top of her rank, just a step away from the Paragon threshold.

’She cultivates mentally as well and is at the peak of the Inner Sanctum Stage.’

Her mental power was approaching a million, bringing her close to breaking through to the fifth stage: Immortal Zenith. At that level, the soul would be freed from physical death, able to exist independently or even reconstitute the body — a realm most people would never dream of reaching.

’...Should I help her with it?’ He pondered the idea for a moment, then shook his head. ’No, not yet. I would have to explain how I knew she cultivated mentally in the first place. That’s not something I can just bring up without raising questions.’

He made a mental note to discuss it with Ethea first. If she knew something, they could figure out a way to approach Ramona without raising suspicion.

’...Hmm. She also has an SSS-rank ability, and of course the name is hidden. But the other two give me an idea of what it might be and what kind of person she is.’

Those two contained the word ’sage,’ and even her mental cultivation technique was called Sage’s Path. So he guessed she might be some kind of sage.

’...Perhaps Sage of Nature?’ He thought as he saw her two grade 9 and one grade 8 affinities. Whatever the case, she was clearly someone deeply connected to the natural world.

He moved on to her hidden talents and traits. Each one told him something about the woman behind the title.

’Another ’sage’-related talent, but Ethea had the same thing. Does that mean they are connected somehow? Or perhaps the fortuitous encounter Ethea talked about is connected to her? And Nature’s Chosen explains her high Nature affinity. As for the Motherly Warmth trait... I guess it’s related to how she appears.’

He continued reading and saw nothing wrong with her mental state or investment value. However, he was surprised by her potential. After all, she was only the second person he’d met who had the potential for Transcendence.

’...I should really find a chance to invest in her.’

He decided, closed the window, and opened his eyes. Standing up, he headed straight toward Ethea and Zura, weaving through walkways and small groups of students. A few of them glanced at him, curious about the unfamiliar face, but none stopped him. When he finally reached the bench where the two women were sitting, he slowed his pace and offered an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. Did I make you wait long?"

"Not at all," Ethea replied, looking up at him. "How did it go?"

"It went well. She agreed to cooperate." He sat down beside her, his shoulder brushing against hers. "The contract will be finalized as soon as Ryan arrives, and his transfer exam will be scheduled for early next week."

"That’s good." Ethea nodded, relief flickering in her eyes.

"I told you there would be no problem." Zura smiled, then stood up from the bench and stretched. "So, are you two ready to tour the academy now? We’ve still got some time before lunch."

Soren and Ethea exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Please, lead the way," Soren said.

Zura gave him a thumbs-up and started walking. "Alright then. Stick close and don’t wander off. This place is bigger than it looks."

As they fell into step beside her, she glanced back at Soren with a grin. "Speaking of lunch, when are you going to treat me? You owe me for all those recommendations I gave you too, remember?"

"If you want, I will cook for you today. Lunch or dinner, at our place. Just say the word."

"Oh, are you sure?" Zura raised a brow, slightly surprised by his straightforwardness. "I don’t want to trouble you."

"It’s no trouble at all." Soren shook his head. "It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for us."

"Then, I want to come for dinner." Zura’s lips curved into a mischievous grin. "I’ll be bringing a very healthy appetite, so you better be prepared."

"Don’t worry," Soren said with a subtle glint in his eyes. "I’ll cook something you’ll definitely like."