The Gamer's POV

The moment the Il Fulgore entered the darkness, the multiple light sources lining its sleek silver hull and illuminating the inside of the cabins flickered on. Though that didn’t help a lot, considering Cedric still couldn’t see much of anything.

The only reprieve was the streaks of lightning tearing through the darkness, which momentarily made visibility a bit better.

Looking down with a bit of effort, Cedric could see that the land far below had given way to a massive body of water. Many ships were docked along the sprawling harbor. These vessels were among the only ways normal humans could leave the Imperial City, which was an island city surrounded by the Mar Celesto, the very waters which later came to be known as the Sea of Clouds.

That aside, this entire place gave off a creeping sense of dread, and it felt like something or someone had been watching them right from the moment they entered the clouds.

Suddenly, a loud roar sounded somewhere far to the east, causing Cedric to snap his gaze in that direction. Although he couldn’t quite see it with his own eyes, through the shared, heightened vision of his raven, he could at least make out the shape of a creature that looked like some sort of gargantuan fish.

It was swimming through the mist, keeping its distance from the airship.

’I’ve heard that there are some really terrifying creatures who swim through these clouds,’ Cedric mused. ’They are likely creatures belonging to the Monarch who owns this domain. Although I’m curious. Are these creatures their summons, or beings they created?’

He thought absentmindedly for some time, resting his weight on his forearms, which leaned against the cold metal railings.

After more than an hour spent drifting through these and countless other thoughts, including daydreaming about irrelevant things, Cedric heard the captain’s voice again booming over the communication system.

"...We will soon be departing from the Sea of Clouds."

Not long after that announcement, the airship flew out of the darkness of the Sea of Clouds and into the light of the Southern Province. Cedric had to squint from the sudden, piercing glare of the sun reflecting off the silver deck. When his eyes adjusted, he could see the sprawling, bustling port city below, where dozens of large ships were resting at the harbor.

’Even while playing the game as Leon, I only ever left the Imperial City once,’ Cedric recalled as he stared down at the border county of San Luca.

***

Meanwhile...

——

In the part of the observation deck which served as a parlor, Leon was engaging in casual conversation with a third-year fellow who went by the name Lucky.

The white-haired and green-eyed man was Leon’s cousin and was a few years older than him.

At the moment, Leon was drinking another cup of coffee. When he lowered his porcelain cup, he could see Lucky stealing frequent, subtle glances toward the balcony section of the observation deck.

Leon followed his line of sight and saw that Lucky was looking at Cedric, who was leaning casually against the metal railings. A raven was perched on his shoulder.

During the time they had entered the Sea of Clouds, all the other nobles who had stood by the balcony had retreated to other parts of the ship, but Cedric remained standing there for the entirety of the time.

Looking back at Lucky, Leon set his cup down and remarked with a slight smirk, "I’ve noticed you’ve been unusually fixated on my friend."

Without looking away, Lucky murmured, "I am. I still can’t wrap my head around it, you know." He slowly turned to see Leon looking at him, then he smiled and added, "I have heard a lot of interesting things about him from little Xavier. Most of it sounded so absurd that I found it hard to believe. I can still remember the first time he caught my attention. You know, back then during his duel with that fellow. What’s his name again? Demon, Domon? Something of that sort. Anyway, I recall he wasn’t that impressive then. But now I hear he’s quite the powerhouse. Vice Dean Dominic even said during the briefing that he’s probably comparable to your top ten. How does that make any sense?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "I know his father is now a marquess, but the boy was born to a baron. He shouldn’t be that powerful, and no amount of training, especially in only a matter of months, could possibly explain this kind of growth."

Leon took a slow sip of his drink and replied, "Well, unexplainable things happen all the time. Our world is full of wonders, and Cedric simply happens to be one of them."

"Hm..." Lucky hummed, resting his chin on his palm as he returned his gaze to the man leaning casually against the railing.

"I can’t help but be curious. I really want to see for myself just how powerful the guy actually is."

Leon leaned back and studied his battle-hungry cousin. Then he crossed his arms and smirked. "Can you beat me in a duel now?"

Lucky looked at him with a bewildered expression, wondering how that question had any relevance to the conversation. At the same time, a mild look of embarrassment crossed his face at the blunt reminder of his past defeats.

He huffed, "Well, not yet at least. And you know the reason for that. Wait, why are you even asking me that? What has that got to do with this? Are you just showing off?"

"No." Leon chuckled and lightly shook his head. "You’re the one who wants to test his strength. Well, you’d better believe me when I say that Cedric is actually far stronger than even you."

Lucky frowned when he heard that.

’Stronger than me?’ he thought. ’Wh-what sort of outrageous claim is that?!’

He was at the peak of level twenty-eight, and the powers he possessed were enough to make him one of the strongest grade-three students in existence right now. In fact, there were very few in his grade who could truly challenge him. That was, unless a person was an Ace like his cousin Leon, who for some reason had powers that defied the logic of their world.

So he scowled. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Leon smiled faintly, and his expression turned serious. "Seems like you still don’t understand, so let me put it this way then. If Cedric and I were to go all out in a battle, one of us would definitely die. The thing is... there is a fifty percent chance that person might be me."

Lucky’s eyes widened.

Of all the things he had heard about Cedric, this had to be the most absurd. He couldn’t believe it.

"Do you get it now?" Leon asked in a low, warning tone. "You’d better keep your curiosity in check. If even I can’t guarantee a victory against him, you would simply be asking for far more than just a humiliation."

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