Chapter 725 What Differentiates the High ranks from the Low ranks?

Monday morning sunlight fell over the center of the First-Year Academy’s main building.

Snow drifted gently from the sky, settling on the edges of the training ground and the surrounding walkways.

The cold hadn’t stopped the students from gathering.

Since they were all used to it.

Well, except for one, but that didn’t affect him either.

All the First-Years were seated in the training ground, arranged in a large circle.

Each student had a throw pillow beneath them, and most sat with their legs folded.

Some had already settled into comfortable positions, while others were still adjusting their clothes and finding enough space between themselves and the students beside them.

The training ground was relatively quiet.

There were occasional conversations, but they never lasted long.

Most of the students were waiting for the professor to begin.

A few were still discussing matters from the previous program, though their voices became quieter whenever someone nearby turned towards them.

Professor Kent Preacher stood in the middle of the circle.

Miss Karla stood behind him, holding a Zphone Tablet in her hands.

Her attention remained on the professor, waiting for his signal.

"Good morning, class."

Professor Kent greeted the students with a serious expression.

His tone was ordinary, but his face wasn’t.

It was quite unusual to see him looking so serious at the beginning of a class.

The professor was usually more relaxed, and his lessons often came with jokes or unexpected and annoying remarks.

Seeing him stand there without his usual playful expression made several students look at him more carefully.

That was what many of them thought as they returned his greeting.

"Good morning, Professor, and Assistant Karla."

The students greeted them together.

Karla lowered her head with a warm smile.

Professor Kent nodded slightly.

He allowed the greeting to settle before looking around the circle.

"So, I’m sure you’re all wondering why today isn’t a practical class. Which is very true, but first..."

He paused.

His eyes moved across the students, taking in their expressions.

It didn’t take long for him to notice something about many of them.

"Hehehe... What the hell happened to many of you?"

He pointed at them with a mocking expression.

"You all look like you’ve been betrayed, by getting kicked out of your unit, only to have your girl or boy taken by your best friend."

He said it casually.

Several students immediately frowned.

A few looked at him with displeasure, while others lowered their heads or turned towards their neighbours.

They clearly weren’t pleased with the professor making fun of them so early in the morning.

But he wasn’t entirely wrong.

The program, which was meant to settle some of the arguments that had erupted because of Basil’s scandal, had created another argument instead.

The First-Years who supported Lady Willow Derlis didn’t want to associate with the supporters of Lady Vera Ashenlocke.

This was despite Vera having already stated that she wasn’t interested in the position.

She had even hinted at the person she would have preferred to see make an attempt at securing it.

Yet that hadn’t stopped the division.

The students had their own opinions, and those opinions had begun affecting how they interacted with one another.

Some were more willing to associate with people who supported the same candidate, while others had become less interested in speaking with students on the opposing side.

The two princes and their respective factions weren’t on friendly enough terms to make matters any better.

Their supporters weren’t exactly eager to approach one another, either.

Even when they happened to be seated close by, there was little interest in starting a conversation.

The situation wasn’t limited to those two groups.

Even the Iron Vanguard Faction had been split.

Some of its members weren’t pleased that Fatima Drakes was representing them instead of Maxwell.

And to make things worse, Maxwell had mentioned that he intended to vote for Lady Vera Ashenlocke because she was ranked number one.

Following his decision, the members had made their own choice to vote for the Lady of Ash as well.

The atmosphere around the students was completely split.

And Professor Kent was loving it.

He looked around the circle, seemingly satisfied with the reactions his remark had caused.

The students’ expressions only made his smile more apparent.

"Okay, let’s get back to the serious topic."

He winked at Karla.

Karla understood immediately.

She tapped the Zphone Tablet a few times, and a holographic screen materialized in the center of the students.

The display appeared above the training ground, positioned where everyone seated in the circle could see it.

Its contents settled into place, drawing the attention of the students.

Some immediately sharpened their gazes to read the words clearly.

Others adjusted their sitting positions, turning their upper bodies towards the screen.

The General Terms Within Power Ranking.

That was what was written boldly.

The students looked at the words.

Several glanced at one another, as if expecting someone to understand what the professor meant.

But the title alone wasn’t enough to explain the subject.

Even students like Ezra, Ravenor, Vera, and many others Top students found the topic quite new.

Ezra kept his eyes on the display.

He had studied different aspects of Alchemy, and he understood that the difference between Alchemist ranks wasn’t limited to the amount of Cognis an Alchemist possessed.

However, the professor’s choice of words suggested that the lesson would focus on something beyond the usual explanations of Alchemist rank.

He waited to hear more.

Professor Kent noticed the faint curiosity among his students.

"You must already know what differentiates Alchemists of different ranks from one another, right?"

He asked the class.

Many students nodded.

They had all learned about Alchemist ranks.

The higher the Alchemist rank, the greater the capabilities of the Alchemist.

They also understood that certain things were impossible for lower-ranked Alchemists to accomplish, no matter how much effort they put into their training.

Some students had experienced these differences personally when they faced Higher-rank Alchemists during the Combat festival.

Others had grown up around Alchemists whose Alchemist ranks were far above their own. They had seen the way those individuals handled Alchemy, and some had witnessed displays of power that were difficult to understand.

Professor Kent continued.

"These particular terms are something many of you who have the privilege of having an Alchemist who has passed the Arcanist Alchemist rank, or reached an even higher Alchemist rank, as an uncle, aunt, master, or parent might have noticed."

He looked around the students.

"So, you must have seen just how powerful they are. More importantly, you must have noticed something very crucial about their display of power."

Professor Kent wore a smug expression.

He seemed pleased that he had finally brought up a subject that would catch the students’ attention.

Ezra remembered the occasions when he hadn’t been able to perceive or sense the Alchemy ignitions of the Duke of Ash, the Royal Alchemist Head of the Nebula Branch, and another Head of a different Royal Alchemist Branch.

Those experiences had left an impression on him.

He had been unable to perceive their Alchemy ignitions.

It wasn’t simply a matter of their power being greater than his own.

There had been something about the way they displayed that power that he couldn’t grasp at the time.

His attention remained on Professor Kent.

Several other students also recalled similar incidents.

Some had witnessed the unperceivable displays of power of high-ranking Alchemists themselves.

Others remembered occasions when powerful individuals had used Alchemy in front of them, leaving them unable to properly follow what had happened.

They might have understood the difference in Alchemist rank, but that didn’t mean they understood every aspect of the difference.

"Well, that’s what today’s class topic will show you all."

Professor Kent spread his arms to the sides.

Karla swiped the screen of the Zphone Tablet.

The holographic display changed.

Three separate terms appeared.

First, Time Perception.

Second, Physical Stats Interaction.

Third, Presence.

The three terms remained on the screen.

The students read through them, and their attention lingered on the words.

Ezra looked at the display with considerable interest.

Time Perception.

Physical Stats Interaction.

Presence.

The terms were simple enough to understand individually, but their connection to the differences between Alchemist ranks was what interested him.

Professor Kent lowered his arms.

"The first general term is Time Perception."

He said calmly.

Then he began walking.

His steps were gentle as he moved along the inner side of the circle.

He didn’t rush his explanation, allowing the students to follow his words while he continued.

"Many of you might not know this, but from the study of time, we Alchemists have come to believe that time was one of the first, if not the first, form of concept that existed when Essence began creating everything that exists now."

He explained calmly.

Some students remained focused on him, while others glanced at the holographic screen again.

The subject was different from what many had expected.

Professor Kent continued.

"And from this idea that time exists, it gave birth to the general time we check and use every now and then."

He slowed his steps.

"But what if I told you that there are time realities different from the general time you can perceive? And that it’s something you all see, but haven’t reached the Alchemist rank required to notice yet?"

He turned gently and continued walking at a slow pace.

The students listened.

A few looked thoughtful, while others seemed unsure of what he meant.

The mention of different time realities had caught their attention, but Professor Kent hadn’t explained what separated them from the general time they were familiar with.

Even the students who had studied Alchemy extensively couldn’t immediately draw a conclusion from his words.

Ezra continued watching him.

The professor wasn’t merely discussing how quickly an Alchemist could move.

At least, that wasn’t what his explanation suggested.

"Example..."

Professor Kent stopped.

"Without looking at the current time, three students, tell me what time it is now."

He asked straightforwardly.

"8:45."

Willow Derlis, Princess Stella Aethelmont, and Starke Drakes answered at the same time.

Their voices overlapped, but the answer was identical.

Professor Kent looked at the three of them.

"Another three. Speak at the count of one, two, three..."

He said calmly.

The students waited.

"8:47."

Felix Ashenlocke and Dave Wakener spoke at the same time as the third student.

But there was a difference.

"8:46."

Elena Galehart gave a different answer.

Professor Kent turned towards the students who had responded.

"Okay, now... our dear Lady Willow Derlis, Princess Stella Aethelmont, and Sir Starke Drakes were all spot on."

He pointed at the three of them.

Then he turned towards the others.

"Mr. Felix Ashenlocke and Mr. Dave Wakener were correct, but sorry, dear Miss Elena Galehart. You were wrong."

He said calmly.

Elena clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Her answer had been close, but that didn’t change the fact that she had been singled out as the one who got it wrong.

She didn’t look particularly pleased about it.

Professor Kent continued without dwelling on her reaction.

"This is how you were all able to perceive the general time. By following the necessary calculations and counting of numbers correctly, you were able to determine what the time was."

He explained.

The students listened.

Some looked back towards Willow, Stella, and Starke, while others seemed more interested in the professor’s explanation.

The example had been simple, but it gave them something familiar to work with.

They had been asked to determine the time without looking at a clock.

They had relied on their own perception and calculations, and their answers had been close enough to reveal a difference.

Professor Kent had yet to explain why that mattered.

"Now, this is where things get interesting..."

He paused.

The students turned their attention back to him.

"Do you all know..."

Professor Kent was speaking.

But he was no longer within the view of all the students.

"...that the time it took me to get here isn’t something your brain can perceive?"

His voice came from behind the students seated on the right side of the circle.

Several students immediately turned around.

Their attention shifted towards the source of his voice, but Professor Kent wasn’t there anymore.

They looked around.

He wasn’t standing among the students on that side, either.

For a brief moment, the students were left trying to locate him.

Some turned their heads further, while others looked towards the center of the circle where he had been standing only moments earlier.

"It’s like I didn’t make any sound or cause any disruption in the air."

Professor Kent said calmly.

He was now standing in the center of the students again.

The students turned towards him.

Some looked amazed, while others remained quiet, their eyes fixed on the professor.

A few glanced towards the right side of the circle once more, trying to understand when he had moved from there.

They hadn’t noticed him crossing the distance.

There had been no clear sound of footsteps to follow.

They hadn’t seen his body move through their field of vision, either.

One moment, he had been speaking from behind the students seated on the right.

Next, he was standing in the center again.

Professor Kent folded his arms.

"The time I used to move around in general time falls under microseconds. But many of you have already been able to achieve movement at millisecond speeds and even think at microsecond speeds. Yet your brains couldn’t sense my movement, as though I had moved at an unperceivable speed."

He explained.

His gaze moved across the students.

The demonstration had given them a clearer example of what he meant, but the difference between their own abilities and his movement was still difficult to grasp.

Some could move at millisecond speeds.

Some could even think at microsecond speeds.

Yet they hadn’t perceived the professor’s movement.

Professor Kent continued.

"Did any of you know that the time I used to perceive all your movements while you were searching for me, isn’t measured in the seconds that general time would tell you?"

He paused briefly.

"Basically, during the Combat Festival, I was watching all of you move in minutes, and even longer minutes."

He said calmly.

The students remained focused on him.

The statement brought their attention back to the Combat Festival.

They had all participated in it, and many of them remembered how quickly the matches had unfolded.

To the students watching and participating, the fights had taken place within the ordinary flow of time. Movements, attacks, defenses, and decisions had followed one another in a matter of moments.

But Professor Kent was telling them that his perception of those same events was different.

What they had experienced as seconds and brief exchanges, he had perceived in minutes, and even longer minutes.

Ezra looked at the professor.

He understood the basic meaning of the explanation, but the implications were worth considering.

If an Alchemist could perceive the movements of others in such a different way, then the difference between Alchemist ranks wasn’t simply a matter of how quickly someone could move or think.

There was also the question of how much of the world they could perceive while doing so.

His gaze briefly returned to the three terms displayed on the holographic screen.

Time Perception.

Physical Stats Interaction.

Presence.

The first term had already revealed something he hadn’t properly considered before.

And the professor had yet to explain the other two or complete the explanation of the first one.