He remained seated even after the hall gradually calmed down.
The noise returned.
The laughter returned.
Even the drunken dwarf was dragged back to his table amid the grumbling of his companions.
But something inside Arin… had not returned with them.
He looked down at his plate.
The food was still warm.
Steam rose gently from it, as if nothing had happened.
Yet inside him, it was the opposite.
This world…
He tightened his fist slightly beneath the table.
This was not a world of bedtime tales or stories told by the fire.
This was a world where people moved faster than the eye.
People you could not sense… yet who could end your life without anyone realizing how.
He lifted his gaze toward the stairs the elf had ascended.
I thought I was starting to understand something.
Mana… elements… magic…
But in truth… I'm still at the first line of the page.
He swallowed slowly.
If that movement had been directed at me… would I have perceived it?
Would I still be alive?
The answer came immediately—cold and clear:
No.
His fingers trembled slightly, and he hid his hands beneath the table.
I'm shocked by everything.
Every step outside the Silent Forest was a shock.
The city… the races… the patterns… the Crimson Vein…
And now… this.
He breathed in slowly.
I can't keep going like this.
I can't remain that boy whose eyes widen in awe at every turn.
For a moment, the noise around him felt distant.
I used to live in a simple world. Predictable. Logical.
Now? The laws here run deeper than what I see.
And ignorance…
Ignorance here is slow death.
He lifted his eyes slightly and saw a dwarf laughing loudly, humans arguing over a deal, Miss Sasha moving quickly between tables with trays in hand.
Life went on.
So the world doesn't stop just because I'm overwhelmed.
He lowered his head slightly.
I need to stop chasing floating questions without foundation.
Not every door opens at once.
Rai said that… and only now do I truly understand it.
Something shifted inside him.
Not a sudden transformation.
Not a dramatic explosion.
But… a quiet decision.
I will learn.
Slowly, if I must.
But steadily.
A faint smile touched the corner of his lips.
I won't remain the weakest for long.
Even if I start from zero… again.
He remembered his previous life.
The questions he avoided.
The hesitation.
The fear of change.
Here… there is no place to run.
He looked at Rai, who was watching him silently.
She didn't ask anything.
But she knew he was thinking.
I need to change how I think.
This world may be fantasy compared to mine… yes.
But that doesn't mean I should behave like a child in a hall of wonders.
He took a deep breath and released it slowly.
Calm down.
Understand things step by step.
Don't try to swallow the sky in one bite.
Maybe I accomplished nothing important in the past… but I will not be remembered as a failure. I will turn my late beginning into the road toward a great ending.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice how tightly his fist had clenched.
Rai reached out quietly and touched his wrist gently.
"Arin."
He looked up at her.
"Don't drift too far."
He held her gaze for a moment, then replied in a calmer voice than before:
"I won't."
She studied his eyes briefly.
She could see the difference.
A small one… but it was there.
"Good," she said, returning to her meal.
"Because this world… does not wait for those who lag behind."
He smiled faintly.
Then I won't lag behind.
He returned to his plate and took another bite.
The food was no longer just food.
It was… fuel.
Fuel for something beginning to take shape within him.
Not power yet.
Not full understanding.
But will.
And in the City of Pulse, amid the noise of Rotana, among dwarves, humans, and elves…
Arin began to accept one truth:
This world is dangerous.
And that is precisely why…
He must become dangerous as well.
The noise around him gradually faded in his ears as he pondered his fate in this world.
It felt as though the entire city stepped back little by little… leaving him alone with a single thought.
Patterns…
He lowered his gaze briefly, then raised it again—this time steady.
I think it's time.
He looked toward Rai, who was calmly cutting a piece of meat.
"Rai."
"Yes?"
"I think—no, I'm certain. You need to explain what these patterns really are."
He paused, then added,
"I've been hearing the term a lot lately… from you, and from Miss Sasha. From the way you speak, I assume they're… ranks? Tiers of power in this world, right?"
Rai stopped eating for a moment.
She took a deep breath and set her utensils aside.
"Yes. You're right… to an extent."
She looked at him directly.
"Patterns are a ladder of power evolution. They aren't just numbers… they're stages of transformation within the user's essence itself. In mana, in the body, and even in the soul."
Arin leaned forward slightly, as if something inside him was waiting.
"There are roughly fifteen recognized ranks in this world. Some academies differ in naming, but the overall structure is the same."
She pointed lightly toward him.
"And you… are currently at the Second Rank."
His eyes widened.
"Only the second?"
She gave a faint smile.
"It's called the Mana Stabilization Pattern."
The term echoed in his mind.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you've surpassed the first stage—the Mana Perception Pattern—where one simply learns to sense the flow of mana within and around them.
In Mana Stabilization… you can hold mana inside your body without letting it scatter."
She raised a finger above the table. A thin thread of mana appeared for a brief moment before vanishing.
"You can retain it… but you haven't consciously shaped it yet."
He swallowed.
"What comes after that?"
Her gaze turned serious.
"After that comes the Core Formation Pattern—where the user begins condensing mana into a stable nucleus within their body."
"A… core?"
"Yes. After that comes Body Tempering—where mana begins seeping into muscles and bones.
Then Bone Refinement.
Then Mana Purification…"
She paused, lowering her voice slightly.
"And after that… come the stages where one is no longer merely human."
A chill ran through him.
"How many ranks did you say?"
"About fifteen.
In the middle lies Partial Dominion.
Near the summit, Domain Sovereignty.
As for the final three… their names are rarely spoken.
And these fifteen aren't necessarily the absolute limit. There may be higher patterns beyond them.
Also, within each pattern, there are five subdivisions. To advance to the next pattern, you must complete all five divisions of your current one."
Arin fell silent, trying to arrange the information in his mind.
"Then… that elf?"
She answered calmly:
"He is certainly at a higher pattern than you."
He lowered his head slightly.
"And… humans?"
"Humans usually plateau at the mid-level ranks.
Dwarves excel in Body Tempering and Bone Refinement due to their natural build.
Elves progress quickly in Core Formation and spiritual integration."
She raised a faint brow.
"As for demons… they are an entirely different case."
Arin's shoulders stiffened at the word.
At that moment, Sasha passed by their table carrying a tray of glasses.
She caught part of the conversation.
Her steps slowed slightly… though she did not look at them directly.
Hmm.
So he's reached this point already…
She smiled inwardly as she continued walking.
Rai is truly strong… the way she speaks is not that of a beginner.
But that boy…
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
His power is still a mystery.
She continued moving between tables, placing drinks before customers as if she had heard nothing.
Arin returned to his thoughts.
"So I'm… only at the second."
"And that's not bad," Rai said calmly.
"Most people spend years just reaching Mana Stabilization."
"But I feel… weak."
She smiled.
"That's because you're comparing yourself to those you saw today."
He glanced toward the stairs again.
"Yes."
She leaned slightly closer.
"Arin… strength in this world is not a short race.
It's a long path.
And those who climb too quickly without understanding… fall even faster."
He remained silent for a moment.
"Then… I need to learn how to climb quietly."
"Exactly."
He looked down at his hands again.
Mana Stabilization…
A faint smile appeared.
Only the second step… but I've begun.
And in a corner of the hall, Sasha placed a plate on another table and murmured to herself:
The city is moving… and the pulse is growing stronger.
It won't be long before the paths truly cross.
Even though Arin, Rai… and this world… are still only at the beginning of the catastrophe.
Back at their table…
A new chapter of understanding had begun.