"Professor Maki." I was putting my things away after finishing my class when I turned and saw Yuri standing in front of me.

"Did something happen, Yuri?" The young girl with black hair streaked with green highlights and caramel-colored eyes was always hard to read—she usually wore the same poker face all the time.

"There's a bit of a complicated situation…" I had never seen the best student in my class look so uneasy. "I need your help with…" She kept going around the subject until she finally explained everything. In her Dungeon Looting class, they needed a fourth-year student or a professor as a supervisor to get approval to enter a dungeon.

Her group of friends didn't have many connections with upperclassmen. They were all commoners—no nobles—and all sponsored by different organizations. They couldn't afford to pay a fourth-year student to supervise them, which meant they could lose the course and have to retake it during the summer. The non-noble fourth-year students had already joined other groups from the same or different classes, so they couldn't help them either. As the group leader, she decided to ask me as a last resort.

"There's a rumor going around the school about you, professor… that you know some important people from the fourth year. I wanted to ask if you could convince one of them to charge us the minimum? If each of us asks our family for a bit of help, we might manage to gather enough…" Each of Yuri's words came out haltingly; I could feel the frustration in her voice.

Sometimes I forget to look at the world from another perspective. People who weren't born with the 'privilege' of being nobles have to face many more everyday struggles—especially in a school where almost every student is a noble's child or comes from a wealthy family.

My silence made her even more nervous. She didn't show it on her face, but her hands kept moving behind her back. "I'll do it, Yuri. I'll be your supervisor." I gave her my best smile to ease her tension.

"Really?" Yuri looked genuinely shocked—it was the first time I had ever seen her show surprise.

"Yes, and if I can't do it that day, I'll personally find someone to replace me and cover the costs. You won't have to pay me anything." She looked a little stunned at first, then a small smile appeared before she returned to her usual calm expression.

"Thank you, professor. My friends will be really grateful. I've already told them about your wonderful classes." She bowed politely.

"I'm glad. I just want to ask you a few questions as payment." She nodded without hesitation.

I asked her how they managed to live, since I knew that scholarships usually only covered tuition, not food or personal expenses. Yuri explained the different kinds of scholarships, most of which matched what I had already researched. Most students couldn't afford to eat in the academy cafeteria, so many worked part-time jobs inside the school and others worked on weekends in the city to cover their living expenses.

Some of them grouped together to hunt in dungeons and sell the monster cores. Since they were only third-years, they weren't allowed to enter full-grade 3 dungeons, only grade 2 or combined ones. The school paid for the monster parts and cores, but the problems were obvious: they could get injured, and they could only do it on weekends.

On top of that, they still had to study hard to pass their classes and keep their scholarships, so most of them lived busy lives—some could only rest on the last day of the week, and others didn't rest at all.

"It's just four years of hard work. The rewards will come after." Her tone softened at the end; Yuri seemed genuinely happy with her life, and that made me happy too.

I asked her why she had emphasized 'hard work.' She said she was aware of the privilege of studying at the best academy in the world—living here was far better than in any small town or low-tier city. They only had to work a little to live with dignity in such a beautiful place, and once they graduated, they'd have guaranteed jobs.

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Every graduate from Skyblue Academy was highly sought after. Some came to study politics, botany, or monster research; others became adventurers or joined city security forces. Graduating from Skyblue was synonymous with potential and greatness. They understood their situation and knew their families' lives would improve once they finished school.

I stopped interrupting Yuri so we could both go to class. We were already running a bit late, but still within tolerance. "Everyone lives a different life… every person is the protagonist of their own story." I'm not sure where I read or heard that, it just came to mind.

"One day, I should open a school for little kids in my territory…" I whispered in the empty hallway. I could tell my parents to build it, but… that wouldn't feel like I had truly done something myself to help them. I'll do it on my own.

I stored that idea deep in my mind—someday I'll make it real, and I'll name it after the gym of that grumpy old trainer from my past life.

Professor Jhonny's second class was still the most interesting one of the week. I kept struggling with those items, trying to complete each circuit. Jhonny had been focusing on me a lot lately, constantly throwing small attacks—and one big one—whenever I made progress.

When I looked at him, he completely ignored me. I could feel it though; he always knew when I was staring, he just pretended not to care. I couldn't help but smile. At least I'd made progress—one of the five circuits was complete, and maybe next week I'd finish another… if Jhonny let me, of course. If he kept attacking me constantly, that would be a problem.

I couldn't complain about his teaching methods though. Thanks to his constant attacks, I'd learned to use my Imra more efficiently. I could now accumulate it more fluidly and quickly in the right places, and I was better at detecting hidden Imra attacks even without my Personal World. I was definitely the one benefiting the most.

The other classes were pretty much the same. A day before heading into the dungeon with Gustav's student groups, I finally found something I'd been searching for three weeks. "Finally! Information about one of those herbs!"

"With the passing of years, the name of this herb has changed many times, due to its improved properties and adaptation to changing mana. It's one of the few herbs with this particularity. New official name: Parl." The text said that, showing a picture of the herb I had been searching for.

I put the massive book aside and went to look for one about botany from the Timal Marquisate. After a long search—and feeling like a weirdo under the gaze of other people in the library—I found two books from the Marquisate, one general and another focused on the small territory of Baron Solar. "Luck is on my side…" This herb was very common in one of the hills of Camux's territory. It was known to slightly enhance the effects of certain mixtures, but since the increase was so small, people didn't bother using it.

I remembered reading that the first marquis had never discovered why the enhancing effect was so strong when creating the potion the way he and his friend had. He wasn't a fan of potion-making and hadn't been interested in listening to his friend's long explanations. If the plant's effect had improved over time and could be boosted when used correctly, maybe the potion could evolve… It was already at the peak of grade 2—it might even reach grade 3 and work for Sapphire ranks.

Excitement kept building inside me. I was finally one step away from completing my biggest project—one step closer to creating something that could change the world. If I could produce grade 3 potions quickly and cheaply, it would revolutionize the market. But I had to be careful not to completely destabilize it.

People love money too much. If you interfere with their business, it's worse than meddling with their families. If I wasn't cautious, I could become the target of something big—or worse, my family could face consequences too. I needed to grow stronger, gain more power… or, as a last resort, use Julio or Susan as a shield.

I calmed myself down. There were still steps ahead before anything concrete. I still had to find the other missing herb, and my intuition told me it wouldn't be easy. I sighed, knowing my gut was rarely wrong.

I checked the time, put the book back on the shelf, and left. I only borrowed books during weekends. Tomorrow, I'd come back for it and spend my weekend locked in my dome training like a maniac.

It was time to train a bit before tomorrow's dungeon trip—it was definitely going to be a long day. Some students in my class had already shown sour faces or disagreed with my participation as their group's supervising professor. It was predictable, but still annoying; people tend to judge me before getting to know me.

Only strong people recognize my potential at first sight. I vented some of my frustration on the poor spikes, refining my control over the new gravity ability. Combining it with electricity to boost my brain and movements was still tricky—there were small delays in coordination.

I had improved enough to feel comfortable moving at nearly half my normal speed. My speed had decreased a bit, but I had gained power. Once I managed to balance both abilities, my strength and speed would jump to the next league. Tomorrow would be a long day…

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