After Caelum left him alone—
The training hall felt unusually large.
Too large.
Tall ceilings arched high above him, layered with formation arrays designed to stabilize mana fluctuations. The floor was reinforced with divine inscriptions. Light filtered through high windows, illuminating faint particles of drifting energy in the air.
Arin stood in the middle of it.
Alone.
He took a slow breath.
"Okay."
He rolled his shoulders once.
Then asked himself the most basic question.
"Can I defeat someone from Heaven… by myself?"
Silence.
He imagined a High Divinity heir.
A bloodline warrior.
A celestial mage.
Then imagined himself.
"…No."
Immediate answer.
Not even hesitation.
He nodded seriously.
"Good. Honesty is healthy."
He paced once.
"Then how can I do it?"
Pause.
"…By using Cutie."
He stopped walking.
Stared at the floor.
Then dramatically dropped into a cross-legged position.
"Alright."
He summoned it.
A soft glow manifested before him.
Cutie hovered gently.
"I need full disclosure."
Cutie flickered curiously.
"We're about to enter something dangerous."
"So tell me everything you can do."
Cutie brightened slightly.
And began.
---
"I can sense… how much mana someone has."
Arin nodded.
"That part I saw."
"Not just surface mana," Cutie continued.
"I can see reserve."
"Core density."
"Flow speed."
Arin's eyes widened slightly.
"So you can tell if someone is hiding power?"
"Yes."
"And if someone is pretending to be weak?"
"Yes."
He leaned back slightly.
"That's… extremely useful."
Cutie glowed proudly.
"I can absorb mana."
"Spells."
"Attacks."
"Mana from the air."
"Mana leaking from bodies."
Arin raised a finger.
"Wait."
"From bodies?"
"Yes."
"If they release it."
Arin blinked.
"So if someone uses big flashy spells…"
"I eat."
"And they run out?"
"Yes."
Arin slowly smiled.
"That's cruel."
"I like it."
Cutie bounced slightly.
"The more I absorb…"
"The stronger I become."
"Temporary?" Arin asked.
"Yes."
"How long?"
"Depends… how much I eat."
Arin tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"So you're like a glutton with scaling."
"Yes."
"Good."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Now tell me everything."
Cutie paused.
Then—
"I have one more ability."
Arin narrowed his eyes.
"Go on."
"If my tummy is full…"
"I can release what I absorbed."
"As attack."
Arin froze.
"…You can fire it back?"
"Yes."
"But only after I am full."
"And?"
"I need excess mana."
Arin leaned back slowly.
"That's… terrifying."
He imagined absorbing a High Divinity-level attack—
And firing it back.
He exhaled slowly.
"That's our win condition."
Cutie flickered excitedly.
Then Arin raised a hand.
"Now tell me the bad part."
Cutie dimmed slightly.
"I cannot sense instant erasure-type power."
"Anything faster than my detection…"
"I cannot react."
Arin swallowed slightly.
"So if someone uses something like…"
He didn't finish that sentence.
They both remembered the void.
Cutie continued.
"I cannot defend against strong physical attacks."
"How strong?"
"Divine weapon."
"High speed."
"Multiple strikes."
Arin grimaced.
"So if someone just punches me really hard…"
"Yes."
"You can't help?"
"I can shield once."
"Maybe twice."
"At current state."
He exhaled.
"So we are extremely broken against magic users."
"Yes."
"And very vulnerable against physical fighters."
"Yes."
Arin nodded slowly.
"Alright."
He processed everything carefully.
Mana sense. Mana absorption. Scaling growth. Potential counterattack. Weak to fast annihilation. Weak to physical combat.
He placed his palms on the ground.
"So this means…"
"I need to avoid getting hit."
"Yes."
"I need to bait spells."
"Yes."
"And I need to let you eat."
"Yes."
He slowly smiled.
"That's manageable."
He looked at Cutie again.
"Now."
"Absorb some mana from the hall."
Cutie floated upward.
Soft tendrils of light extended.
It began absorbing ambient mana from the formation arrays.
Not aggressively.
Not recklessly.
Just enough.
Arin watched carefully.
The glow around Cutie thickened slightly.
More stable.
More dense.
"Not too much," Arin said.
"I don't want Caelum noticing the formations flickering."
Cutie stopped obediently.
Arin stood up.
Rolled his shoulders again.
"Alright."
"Basic strategy."
"Step one: survive."
"Step two: let them exhaust themselves."
"Step three: eat."
"Step four: don't die."
Solid plan.
He nodded proudly.
"Genius."
At that exact moment—
The door behind him opened quietly.
"I hope you are preparing well."
Arin turned his head slowly.
Caelum stood at the entrance.
Calm as always.
Arin smirked slightly.
"Well."
"I'm almost done."
Caelum stepped further inside.
His gaze briefly scanned the hall.
Then lingered on Cutie.
He said nothing.
But he noticed.
"You should continue refining your reaction timing," Caelum said calmly.
Arin waved a hand casually.
"Already considered."
There was a small pause.
Then—
Caelum spoke again.
"Aurelius has requested you as his first opponent."
Silence.
Arin blinked.
"…Who?"
Caelum stared at him.
"The son of High Divinity Solaris."
"Blond hair."
"Golden eyes."
"Arrogant posture."
Arin squinted slightly.
"…Oh."
Pause.
"The guy who poked me."
Caelum's eyebrow moved slightly.
"When?"
"When I was eating ice cream."
There was a long silence.
Caelum processed that information.
"…You antagonized him while holding dessert?"
"He poked first."
"That does not improve your position."
Arin scratched his cheek.
"So he wants to fight me first?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You are an Irregular."
"You stand at the bottom of hierarchy."
"He stands near the top."
Arin tilted his head.
"So this is pride?"
"It is demonstration."
Arin nodded slowly.
"Ah."
"So I'm a public stepping stone."
"Yes."
He blinked again.
"…That's rude."
"Yes."
Arin crossed his arms.
"Hm."
"Good."
Caelum looked at him.
"Good?"
"Yes."
"If I lose to him, nobody expects anything."
"If I survive…"
He grinned slightly.
"It becomes interesting."
Caelum observed him quietly.
For the first time—
Arin did not look panicked.
He looked… calculating.
"That confidence," Caelum said carefully.
"Ensure it is not delusion."
Arin smiled lazily.
"Oh, it absolutely is."
"But I have Cutie."
Cutie glowed.
Caelum's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do not rely entirely on external power."
Arin tilted his head.
"Isn't that what Heaven does?"
Caelum said nothing.
Silence lingered between them.
Then Caelum turned toward the exit.
"The match schedule will be announced tomorrow."
"Prepare."
As he reached the doorway—
He paused.
Without turning—
"Aurelius specializes in close combat."
Arin's smile slowly faded.
"…What?"
Caelum exited.
The door closed.
The hall was silent again.
Arin slowly turned toward Cutie.
They both spoke at the same time.
"…We might be in trouble."