"Don't you know?" Gase stared at me for a few seconds without saying anything, and I heard a short sigh. "In recent years, many experts have been reluctant to call anyone a limit breaker just for being able to fight monsters one grade above. After all, the past generation and this new one are stronger than the ones before." That makes sense—if too many people can fight monsters one rank higher, then everyone would be called a limit breaker.

"That's why they discussed it for years until they reached an agreement. Now, someone is only called a 'limit breaker' if they can kill several monsters one grade higher, or fight against at least two people one rank above." I understand now. The bar to be called that has been raised.

"Of course, there are exceptions, and the term is more complex—I just made it simple enough for your little brain." I rolled my eyes at her last comment for a second.

"So, do I have what it takes to be called a limit breaker?" Based on my own experience, I do. I just need confirmation.

"Obviously. With the little you showed in our last fight, you're already a Sapphire rank without actually being one." Her voice sounded different, as if saying: Are you stupid? It offends me, but I'll take it as a compliment.

"Hm?" Gase turned her gaze toward Ho, who was standing nearby. I had completely forgotten about him—he'd blended in so well he could be mistaken for a strange shrub. "Ho asks if you have any abilities with your spatial affinity." I thought for a moment. Right now, I only had my Personal World. I don't really consider it a pure space-related ability.

"Yes and no." A fiery nail tried to pierce my leg, but I blocked it with an ice construct. "Let me explain—don't get mad." I told her a bit about my Personal World, only superficially, without too many details. I also explained how I wanted to replace my movement skill with something related to space.

"Ho is quite excited about your ability." Really? He hadn't moved from that corner. "He agrees with you—space-type movement skills are the best, according to him." I recalled Gase saying something about him before—Ho is obsessed with space affinity.

"Ho, stop being shy. Maki is someone you can trust. Speak to him directly." Gase vanished and reappeared beside Ho, and I couldn't hear a word of their conversation.

"Show me." A deep voice reached my ears—or was it my head? What kind of strange ability is this?

"What? Ho, is that you?" I hesitated, staring at him for a moment.

"Yes. Show me." I figured he meant my ability, or at least that's what I understood.

"It's active. I almost never deactivate it." Ho began vanishing and reappearing all around me, similar to what the Marquis did during Sol's birthday celebration. It gave me the same sensation.

"Interesting. My turn." I felt something different in the atmosphere—almost imperceptible. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the sensation. It felt completely different from my Personal World or my former Domain. I didn't know how to explain it—I lacked deeper understanding.

After several minutes of repeating the same exercise, I finally began to feel faint vibrations. I still couldn't find the perfect words to describe it. But I could tell that my comprehension of space affinity was growing bit by bit as I tried to "see" through the use of his ability.

He stopped in front of me. As he ceased moving, I opened my eyes. The small man was staring at me from head to toe. He didn't move—only his gaze pressed against me.

"Weird." He spoke a single word before vanishing again.

"Good luck." I heard one last whisper inside my head.

"Thank you, Ho. You've helped me a lot." Watching him move so fluidly within his domain had changed my understanding—I needed to obtain that kind of ability. It was completely different from my movement skill or the short-distance teleportation my grandmother used. It felt like a fusion of both.

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I realized that my skill Electrified Charged Steps had many flaws. I had to touch a surface to use it, it took time to recharge after consuming all charges, and the distance was very short.

His ability was completely different. He could move through the air and reappear within mere meters without touching anything. The cooldown was ridiculously short—it was as fast as a blink. I doubted I could acquire such a skill anytime soon, and if I did, it would likely come with many restrictions. But that became my goal for the future.

"Ho is quite shy with the people he meets," Gase said, walking toward me. "He usually speaks in simple words. He only talks more if the situation really demands it." I had already noticed that. The most he had said to me was three words together.

The same twin swords appeared in her hands again. "I hope you're not tired from our last training." Without answering, I simply walked toward her, with two Joyeuse forming in my hands.

"I've got energy to spare." We both walked until we were a few dozen meters apart.

"Do you want a pure sword duel? Or do you prefer a mixed one?" Her question made me pause. Both options were tempting. Her swordsmanship was far above mine—this was the first time I'd met someone so skilled with twin blades. It was better to train and improve in my strongest point.

I deactivated the back part of my armor, leaving only my arms and legs protected so I could put more power into my strikes. "I'll be in your care." I couldn't see her face or expressions, but her Imra made it clear—she was just as excited as I was.

We both vanished from our positions and clashed swords at the midpoint, dancing to the rhythm of the strikes for several minutes. We were in a deadlock—neither of us had landed a blow or cut; everything was blocked or dodged.

At that moment, I felt her speed and technique rise to the next level. Her first cut nearly left a massive gash across my chest—luckily, I reacted in time. I gave it my all to keep up with her, and little by little, I noticed the gap between our swordsmanship.

The way she controlled her blades was fluid. There was no wasted movement—each attempt to cut me, each shift of her legs to dodge or reposition, used every part of her body in complete harmony. She was like a butterfly of death dancing. I was both impressed and captivated by her mastery of swordplay.

In my case, I was more direct—no wasted movements, focused entirely on chasing and striking the enemy. I didn't emphasize defense or dodging, doing so only when necessary. My posture was aggressive and straightforward, while hers was a perfect balance between offense and defense.

Gradually, I adapted to her new speed. My body started tracking her cuts more precisely. I still took several small wounds from mistiming my reactions, but not as many as at the beginning.

My brain and body were burning every ounce of energy just to keep pace with her. I hadn't landed a single strike. The difference in our physical capabilities was vast—and beyond that, her swordsmanship was several levels above mine.

Time seemed to freeze as we focused solely on each other. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal cuts—attempts to stab, small shifts to maintain momentum for the next strike—we moved like chess pieces on a board where every piece could do anything.

For a moment, I forgot everything else. I was solely focused on surpassing the person in front of me. It brought back memories from my past life—when I began with the sword, my uncle had been the first wall, and my instructor the second. I absorbed every lesson with my entire being. But even they had never reached the level of swordsmanship that Gase now showed me.

My movements began to change little by little. My body was no longer just focused on attacking or defeating the enemy. I tried to find openings, to move as little as possible to deal maximum damage with the next cuts. Bit by bit, I tried to absorb Gase's style and merge it with mine.

During those long minutes, I had changed a little. I wasn't close to discovering a new version of my swordsmanship, but at least I had seen the path ahead of me.

I failed to dodge one of Gase's cuts, and a spray of blood burst from my right leg. She stopped a few meters away, her swords vanishing. "That's enough for today." Her words pulled me back to reality. My Joyeuse disappeared, and before I could thank her, my body felt heavy. I dropped to my knees, barely able to move my arms.

She appeared in front of me with a bottle of water. "I also lost track of time during our training. If Ho hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed the exhaustion piling up on you." I glanced at Ho and thanked him. My body would've kept moving until it collapsed if we had continued.

I used Vital Synthesis to ease my fatigue. I almost never used that ability for such things—I usually didn't tire this much in battle. The life mana had a small effect, enough to erase some of the fatigue so I could stand and drink the water.

"Thank you, both of you." I bowed to each of them to show my sincere gratitude. "You've opened paths that were blocked. Because of you, I found a light to follow for some of my abilities." I gave them my most genuine smile. It would have taken much longer to find such a bright light in this darkness.

"See you tomorrow at the same time." They both disappeared in less than a second. Apparently, something important had come up.

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