Lia rose slowly from her seat, the motion unhurried yet deliberate, as though she had already reached a conclusion and was now moving toward confirming it.
The faint glow from the surrounding machines traced along the edges of her white coat as she stepped closer, her gaze fixed on Ashan with a level of focus that felt far more invasive than before.
"Ashan," she began, her tone gentler than expected, though there was a quiet firmness beneath it, "may I ask you for a favor?"
Ashan looked up at her, his posture straightening instinctively as he sensed the shift in her demeanor. The earlier lightness had faded; not entirely, but enough for him to recognize that whatever she was about to ask wasn't casual.
"What kind of favor, Professor?" he asked, his voice steady, though his eyes had already narrowed slightly in caution.
Lia stopped just in front of his face, close enough that the faint scent of antiseptic and something softer, something distinctly her, reached him.
"I need to confirm something regarding your physical condition," she said, her eyes studying him not as a student, but as a subject. "What I observed from your eyes isn't normal. It's not something that occurs in isolation."
A brief pause followed, her gaze dipping slightly before returning to meet his.
"If my assumption is correct, then your entire body should reflect the same level of refinement."
Ashan didn't respond immediately.
"…And to verify that?" he asked.
Lia held his gaze without hesitation.
"I'll need a direct examination," she replied. "Would you mind removing your upper garments?"
For a moment, silence lingered between them.
Ashan's expression didn't change drastically, but the subtle tightening of his jaw and the slight narrowing of his eyes made it clear that he wasn't entirely comfortable with the request.
"May I ask why?" he said, his tone calm, though no longer purely casual.
Lia's lips curved faintly, not dismissive, but understanding.
"Because the human body doesn't achieve perfection in fragments," she explained, her voice taking on a more analytical rhythm.
"If your visual system has reached that level of precision, your musculature, skeletal alignment, and neural pathways should exhibit corresponding adaptation."
She tilted her head slightly.
"And if they don't… then that discrepancy becomes even more interesting."
Ashan let out a quiet breath, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer as if weighing her words.
There was no deception in her expression.
Only curiosity.
And that, more than anything, made her dangerous.
"…Alright," he said at last.
He moved without unnecessary hesitation, removing his outer clothing and folding it neatly over the chair beside him before straightening again.
Lia stepped closer.
And stopped.
For the briefest moment, her composure faltered; not enough for an untrained eye to notice, but enough for the stillness to feel slightly out of place.
Her gaze lingered.
Ashan's physique wasn't exaggerated, nor did it carry the bulky density of someone who relied purely on strength. Instead, every line flowed into the next with seamless continuity, his body balanced in a way that felt… intentional.
His shoulders were broad but not excessive, tapering naturally into a defined chest and abdomen where each muscle existed in perfect proportion to the others. There were no irregularities, no scars, no signs of strain or overuse.
It wasn't just well-trained.
It was optimized.
A structure built not for display, but for function.
For a fraction of a second, Lia simply looked.
Then she adjusted her glasses.
The soft hum of activation broke the moment as translucent layers of data began to form over her vision, restoring the distance she needed.
"Stay still," she said, her tone returning to its professional steadiness.
Ashan complied without question.
Lia reached forward, placing a sensor lightly against his chest. The device responded instantly, emitting a faint pulse as streams of information populated her view; heart rate, oxygen levels, internal temperature, blood pressure.
All within optimal range.
Not just stable.
Perfectly regulated.
Her brows drew together slightly.
She moved the sensor downward, tracing along the center of his chest and toward his abdomen, her movements precise, controlled, yet unhurried. The readings updated in real time, displaying muscle density, fiber integrity, and structural balance.
No inconsistencies.
No deviations.
"…This is crazy," she murmured under her breath.
She adjusted the scan parameters, narrowing the focus.
Micro-level analysis.
The results shifted.
Her fingers stilled.
Micro-tears, normally present even in highly trained individuals, were repairing almost instantly. Cellular activity showed accelerated recovery, yet without the instability or strain such speed would typically produce.
Her gaze sharpened behind the lenses.
She leaned closer, her attention narrowing entirely onto the data.
"…No… this isn't just crazy."
Ashan remained still, though he noticed the subtle change in her breathing, the slight tension building in her posture.
"Is something wrong, Professor?" he asked.
Lia didn't respond immediately.
Instead, she circled him slowly, continuing the scan from different angles as the system layered more information into her field of view. Bone alignment displayed perfect symmetry, with zero stress concentration across joints or load-bearing structures. Neural pathways responded with clean, efficient signals, free from interference or delay.
Every system,
Balanced.
Refined.
Optimized.
"…Impossible," she whispered, barely audible.
Ashan's eyes narrowed slightly.
That wasn't a word someone like Lia used lightly.
She stopped in front of him again, lowering the scanner just slightly as she stared; not at him, but at what she was seeing beyond him.
"Your body…" she began slowly, her voice losing its earlier certainty, "…isn't just trained."
A brief pause.
"It's been adjusted to eliminate inefficiency entirely."
Ashan said nothing.
Lia looked up at him then, her expression shifting; not suspicion, not yet, but something close to it.
"This level of condition shouldn't exist without a cause," she continued. "A hidden ability… an external modification… or something else entirely."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ashan… is there something you're not telling me?"
Ashan met her gaze evenly, his expression calm, controlled, giving nothing away.
"I don't think so, Professor."
The answer was smooth.
Too smooth.
Lia held his gaze for a moment longer, searching, weighing, measuring.
Then, slowly,
A faint smirk returned.
"Well… I suppose everyone is entitled to their secrets."
She removed her glasses, the glow fading as she set them aside.
"I won't press you."
Not now.
Turning away, she gestured toward the central examination platform.
"It was a good decision to examine your physical condition first," she said, her tone returning to normal, though something beneath it had changed.
"Now we move on to the main part."
Ashan's attention sharpened instantly.
"The mana core."
"Exactly."
The machines responded as she activated them, the low hum deepening as components shifted into place. The platform adjusted, aligning itself with precise mechanical movements while surrounding devices repositioned themselves in preparation.
"You don't need to get dressed yet," she added, glancing over her shoulder.
"Come here."
Ashan stepped forward and onto the platform, his movements steady despite the tension building beneath the surface.
'This is it.'
'Before coming here, I had carefully reinforced the false structure of my mana core, adjusting the flow and suppressing excess output to maintain consistency. In theory, the scan should register as a B-rank.'
But theory didn't account for someone like Lia.
'If she digs deeper…'
His jaw tightened slightly.
'There's a chance she'll notice.'
What concerned him more wasn't the result itself, but the method.
The concealment technique he used wasn't something ordinary. It originated from a hidden organization, designed specifically to mask rank and distort readings without leaving obvious traces.
It wasn't widely known.
Not yet.
But Lia wasn't "most people."
'If she recognizes it…'
He steadied his breathing.
'Then this becomes a problem.'
"Student Ashan."
Her voice cut through his thoughts.
He looked at her.
Her expression had changed completely.
No smile.
No warmth.
Only sharp focus.
"Before I proceed," she said, her voice calm but carrying unmistakable weight, "I'll make one thing clear."
The air seemed to tighten.
"If I find any indication that you're falsifying your rank," she continued, her eyes locking onto his, "don't expect me to show leniency."
Ashan held her gaze.
"I understand."
"Good."
Without another word, she initiated the scan.
"You may feel some discomfort. Stay still."
Beams of colored light activated, sweeping across his body before converging near his core. The machines adjusted continuously, refining their output with mechanical precision as data streamed into the system.
Ashan closed his eyes.
Seconds stretched.
Then minutes.
The hum deepened, the air vibrating faintly as the process intensified.
Finally,
A soft beep echoed.
"You can open your eyes."
Ashan did so slowly.
Lia stood before the display, her attention fully absorbed by the results. Her fingers pressed lightly against her neck as she analyzed the data, her expression unreadable.
The silence that followed felt heavier than anything before.
Then,
She looked up.
Her gaze locked onto him.
Sharp.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
Gone was the composed researcher.
What remained was something far more dangerous.
Ashan's instincts flared.
'Don't tell me…'
Before the thought could complete,
A translucent window appeared before his eyes.
—-----------------------------------
[Special Message]
Lia Frost has detected traces of the concealed mana core technique within your system.
Immediate action is required.
—-----------------------------------