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[05]
STATS CHECK: LETHAL
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G6’s confusion lasted barely a second.

A blank mind was a luxury she could not afford, especially when everyone else in the room was staring at the appraisal orb as though it had just committed blasphemy.

“What does that even mean?” G6 asked, her gaze moving from the crystal to the Queen.

Don’t tell me—I’m mana-less in this magic world?!

The Queen remained focused on the runes.

“Mana Reserve refers to capacity—the amount of mana one’s core may hold and sustain,” the Queen explained. “It does not measure skill, control or magical proficiency.”

Leo had gone unusually pale.

“Precisely, Your Majesty,” he said. “A person may possess a considerable reserve and still lack the training necessary to use it effectively.”

He leaned closer to the appraisal orb.

“However… Immeasurable is not a recognized numerical classification.”

Tina adjusted her glasses.

“So, the orb cannot determine the limit?” she asked.

“That appears to be the case,” Leo replied.

He studied the runes again.

“It is not saying Lady Reise possesses no mana. Quite the opposite,” Leo continued. “The appraisal simply cannot establish where her reserve ends.”

G6 slowly looked back at the crystal.

Oh.

That was considerably better.

Before she could decide whether she should be pleased or concerned, Leo suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS STATUS?!”

Everyone turned toward him.

His professional composure had finally shattered.

The Queen immediately straightened.

“Leo. Bring the orb closer. Now.”

He obeyed without hesitation, shifting the crystal stand nearer to the table. The white light remained contained entirely within the appraisal orb while the runes across its surface rearranged themselves.

More text emerged beneath the original reading until the full appraisal became visible.

MANA RESERVE:

Immeasurable

MAGIC AFFINITIES:

● Wind — S-Rank

● Cryomancy — C-Rank (Blessing of the Heavens)

SPECIAL SKILLS:

● Perfect Assassin Form — EX Rank

● Silent Reaper’s Blade — EX Rank

● Eclipse-Step — EX Rank

● Death’s Whisper Aim — EX Rank

SUPER EXTRA SKILLS:

● Cognitive Nullification — S

● Aura Dominion — S

● Eyes of Chronos — S

● Author’s Decree — S

No one spoke.

G6 read the display from the beginning.

Wind made sense. Reise was a Worthon, and House Worthon was known for its Wind affinity. The S-Rank beside it was another matter, but at least the affinity itself belonged where it should.

Cryomancy did not.

G6 had no idea what it was beyond the obvious possibility that it had something to do with ice.

Then her gaze moved lower.

Perfect Assassin Form.

Her expression changed immediately.

“The fuck?” she whispered.

Perfect Assassin Form? Is this thing trying to sell me out?

The Queen raised one hand before the room could dissolve further into panic.

“Everyone, compose yourselves.”

The command restored some semblance of order.

Edmund, unfortunately, had already moved almost embarrassingly close to the floating status.

“Oh, Lady Reise…” he murmured, staring at the display.

“This is utterly unprecedented.”

Tina removed her glasses and cleaned them once. After another look at the appraisal, she cleaned them again.

“I have never encountered classifications called Special Skills or Super Extra Skills,” Tina said.

“You would not have,” Leo replied, though he scarcely sounded calmer than she did. “They do not exist within the recognized registry.”

Edmund finally stepped back.

“The highest accepted auxiliary classification is an Extra Skill, generally recorded under an established discipline such as Physical Enhancement,” he explained. “These categories are entirely outside conventional appraisal structure.”

Leo swallowed.

“This is not simply an unusually powerful noble status,” he added. “The structure itself does not resemble any standard appraisal I have ever seen.”

G6 kept her face neutral.

Internally, she was considerably less calm.

The words Perfect Assassin Form were still glowing in front of five people.

Lilia, apparently unaware that there was anything remotely alarming about this, tugged excitedly at G6’s sleeve.

“Lady Reise! You are amazing! You are like a hidden final boss in a dungeon!”

G6 slowly looked down at her.

So, she’s calling me a monster?

Lilia smiled brightly.

G6 chose not to pursue the matter.

The Queen was no longer paying attention to them anyway. Her gaze had stopped on a single line.

Cryomancy.

Whatever faint amusement she had shown earlier disappeared.

“All of these classifications are extraordinary,” the Queen said carefully. “Yet this one concerns me most.”

She indicated the affinity.

“This should not be here.”

Leo’s face tightened.

“Cryomancy,” he repeated.

Lilia tilted her head.

“What is Cryomancy?”

Leo hesitated and looked toward the Queen. She gave him a slight nod.

“It is an ancient theoretical affinity,” Leo explained. “Most surviving references appear in theological fragments and extremely old magical texts rather than modern records.”

“Is it ice magic?” Lilia asked.

“In the simplest description, yes,” Leo answered.

Lilia brightened.

“But Water mages can make ice too, can they not?”

“They can. Ordinary ice may be produced through sufficiently skilled elemental manipulation.”

Leo folded his hands behind his back.

“A Water mage may alter the condition of water itself, while Wind can assist through control of surrounding air and temperature,” he continued. “Combined techniques are capable of producing ice quite effectively.”

He glanced toward the Cryomancy entry.

“But that remains ordinary elemental manipulation.”

“And Cryomancy?” Tina asked.

Leo’s expression grew more serious.

“The oldest surviving texts call it glacies vera—true ice.”

Lilia blinked.

“What is the difference?”

“That,” Leo admitted, “is where reliable knowledge ends.”

The Queen spoke before he could continue.

“Ancient scholars associated Cryomancy with stillness rather than cold alone,” she explained. “A few surviving fragments suggest its effects may extend beyond what ordinary frozen matter can accomplish.”

G6 glanced toward her.

The Queen’s expression had grown distant, as though she were searching through something remembered.

“Some texts speculate that it may interfere with movement or disturb mana itself,” the Queen continued. “But these are ancient theories, not proven capabilities.”

Lilia’s eyes widened.

“Could it stop time?”

Leo almost smiled.

“That belongs to theory bordering on myth.”

“So, nobody knows?” Lilia asked.

“Precisely,” Leo replied.

Lilia nodded solemnly.

Then she smiled.

“I do not understand most of that, but it sounds really cool.”

G6 had heard enough.

More importantly, everyone was looking far too closely at her.

She saw an opportunity to redirect the conversation and immediately took it.

A dramatic sigh escaped her as she lifted one hand toward her forehead.

“All this talk of impossible statuses and ancient theories is giving me a headache,” G6 said. “Your Majesty, about my Professional Card… does this mean I can have it now? I would very much like to see the Collegium.”

Her performance was shamelessly innocent.

And I would very much like to find out what kind of lethal spell I apparently own.

The Queen did not answer immediately.

Her gaze lingered on Cryomancy for several more seconds. Something had shifted behind her eyes—not quite recognition, but perhaps an old question resurfacing.

Whatever it was, royal composure concealed it again.

“Patience, Reise,” the Queen said.

Her voice had lost some of its earlier warmth.

“This development cannot simply be ignored. An affinity believed to exist only in fragmented theory has appeared in a daughter of one of the Three Pillars. It is accompanied by an immeasurable mana reserve and classifications unknown to the Professional Registry.”

She folded her hands.

“Such information carries political consequences. Allies may become curious. Enemies may become considerably more than curious.”

Oh, right. Politics.

G6 kept her expression neutral.

Just give me the card before that Perfect Assassin description gets any more specific.

“We must understand the other entries as well,” the Queen said.

She looked toward Leo.

He nodded and touched one of the runes.

Additional information unfolded beneath the Special Skills.

EX — PERFECT ASSASSIN FORM

A combat-state classification reflecting exceptional bodily coordination, refined physical control, heightened combat perception and trained response beyond ordinary appraisal parameters.

EX — SILENT REAPER’S BLADE

An extreme precision discipline emphasizing lethal blade placement, speed, timing and minimal detectable motion.

EX — ECLIPSE-STEP

A movement discipline capable of dramatically reducing audible trace, visible intent and perceived presence during approach or evasion.

EX — DEATH’S WHISPER AIM

An advanced marksmanship classification reflecting exceptional target acquisition, environmental compensation and precision under difficult conditions.

Edmund’s expression gradually shifted from astonishment into something resembling horror.

“Oh, good grace…” he murmured.

G6 stared at the descriptions.

Silent Reaper’s Blade?

That was essentially her blade training dressed in funeral poetry.

Eclipse-Step described stealth, footwork and infiltration discipline with enough dramatic flair to make Pisces proud.

Death’s Whisper Aim was even worse.

That’s just being a good shot.

The names were absurd.

The techniques were not.

They belonged to her.

Everything written there described skills Akira Gemstone had spent years developing long before G6 ever woke inside Reise Worthon’s body.

Her eyes narrowed.

So this thing isn’t giving me new skills. It’s naming what I already know.