'She knows I'm appraising her?' Nael shifted his gaze toward Rania.
And indeed, her smile had shifted ever so slightly.
"Interesting skill you have there," she said softly, adjusting her spectacles. "But it's not polite to peek at someone without permission, you know?" She placed a hand over her heart in a gesture of mock offense. "Especially when it's a beautiful young girl like me."
Nael's ears twitched almost imperceptibly, the only outward sign of his surprise. Then he immediately cupped his hands in an apologetic gesture. "My apologies. That was... discourteous of me." Internally, his mind raced.
'How did she detect it? Is it a trait of all Legendary Classes, or is hers specifically attuned to perception? Or does she possess a counter-appraisal ability?'
Whatever the reason, she had just demonstrated that she was every bit as extraordinary as her introduction suggested.
Rania studied him for a moment longer before her expression softened into amusement. "I'll let it slide this time. Consider it a professional courtesy between those with... discerning eyes."
"Thank you for your understanding," Nael said, his mind latching onto her phrasing. 'Discerning eyes.'
'So she does have a similar skill. That confirms it.'
Meanwhile, Mira glanced between them, her eyes darting from Nael to Rania and back again, clearly confused by the exchange. Though their choice of words—"peek at a beautiful young girl"—sounded terribly wrong out of context, she knew Nael wasn't that type of boy. Whatever had just happened, it was something else entirely, something she didn't quite understand.
Nael, his composure fully restored, turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
"Although I believe your words and your capability, there's one thing I must ask. What benefit do you, personally, or the Nebula Academy, gain from this arrangement? You're investing a significant amount of resources and capital into someone with a Common Class after all."
"..."
The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, the air thick with unspoken calculation. Rania's amused expression gradually sobered into something more contemplative. She let out a soft sigh, as if deciding to trust them with a significant truth.
"Alright, I'll tell you," she conceded, her voice losing its playful edge. "Actually, it's nothing that amazing or sinister. I just want to win a bet I made with my grandfather."
"A bet?" Nael and Mira asked in unison, their tones a blend of curiosity and surprise.
Rania adjusted her spectacles, her expression becoming more serious. "Yes. A petty disagreement about power and potential."
The two looked at her, even more confused.
"My grandfather believes that class grade is the primary determinant of success." She began to explain, her tone measured and precise. "An Epic Class holder will almost always outperform a Rare one. A Rare will beat an Uncommon. And so on. The disparity grows exponentially at each tier and Ascension."
"H-Huh? But doesn't the Summit not care what class one has?" Mira asked, her brow furrowed in genuine bafflement. Even Nael himself said it a while ago.
Rania let out a soft, dry chuckle. "The Summit's 'we don't care about class' is a surface-level lie they tell to seem fair and attract political goodwill. In practice, their entire selection process is built around it." She turned her gaze fully to Nael, her eyes sharp. "Let's say you managed to show brilliant results at the entrance exam. Results that, on paper, should guarantee entry. Do you truly believe you would be chosen?"
Nael hesitated for a moment, then gave a slow, reluctant nod.
She scoffed lightly, though the sound held no malice, only a weary cynicism. "I'm sorry to say it, but you wouldn't. Because behind closed doors, those old fossils on the admissions board would choose an Epic Class holder—or even a Rare—over you in a heartbeat, even if their exam results were the bare minimum."
"H-Huh? Why?" Mira asked in Nael's stead.
"Their reasoning is simple: why waste a precious slot on a Common Class with a low ceiling when they can groom an Epic Class with a theoretically limitless one? Your brilliant results would be dismissed as a fluke, a temporary spark before the inherent limitations of your Class inevitably drag you down."
Nael felt the weight of that statement settle over him. It was logical, in a way. But those things didn't apply to him, not entirely.
"I, however, believe that drive, intellect, and the right strategic environment can bridge that gap," Rania continued, her voice firm with conviction. "I believe a truly exceptional individual with a 'lower' class, given proper support, can not only compete with but surpass those resting on the laurels of their high-ranking Classes."
"So the wager..." Nael prompted.
"The wager," Rania confirmed, "is that I can take a student the Summit would never look twice at, someone with a Common Class from a low-ranked academy, and forge them into a weapon so sharp that the Summit cannot ignore them. If my candidate can not only pass their brutal transfer exam but then consistently outperform a significant portion of their Epic and Legendary peers, by ranking in the top quarter of their class at the Summit, then I win."
She clenched her fists slightly.
"I prove their dogma is flawed. I prove that vision and strategy can trump raw pedigree."
"I see..." Nael muttered, the full picture forming in his mind. On the other hand, Mira was looking at her idol with even more awe and respect.
Nael continued to study Rania carefully. "So, I'm that 'low class' candidate you need..." he said slowly, his analytical mind working through the inconsistencies. "But if you can see my status, or know something about my Class as your 'discerning eyes' suggest... then your argument doesn't add up entirely. You would know I'm a special case, which would invalidate using me as proof that any Common Class can excel."
A genuine, appreciative smile touched Rania's lips. "Sharp as ever. You're right - you are a special case. But that's precisely what makes you perfect." She leaned forward, her voice dropping. "The bet isn't about proving any Common Class can succeed. It's about proving their assessment methods are flawed. The Summit's board would look at you and see only a Common Class, writing you off immediately. I look at you and see what they're blind to - the real potential beneath the surface label."
She met his gaze squarely. "You're the ultimate test case precisely because you're the exception that proves their rule wrong. Your success would demonstrate that their simplistic class-based hierarchy is fundamentally broken, that they're missing diamonds because they're only looking for certain types of shiny rocks."
Nael fell silent, considering her words.
The logic was sound, and the potential benefits for him were substantial: a guaranteed path to the Summit, resources and training at Nebula first, and powerful backing. But...
"What if you lose?"
"...What if I can't do it?"