Recently, Cui Ciyou had noticed that his situation in Ranoa had become somewhat... strange.
An indescribable atmosphere, filled with awe and distance, clung to him like a shadow.
Not just at the Ranoa University of Magic, but even in the city.
He found it deeply puzzling.
Granted, he had defeated a legendary Demon King head-on, and become a new member of the Seven Great Powers.
Either of those achievements was enough to shake the world.
So it was perfectly reasonable for people to look at him with a mixture of admiration, curiosity, and awe wherever he went.
The problem was that those looks seemed to have quietly undergone a fundamental shift from "awe" toward "fear."
And almost everyone in Ranoa seemed afraid of him, especially at the Ranoa University of Magic.
At first, Cui Ciyou had not quite caught on. He simply assumed his title as one of the Seven Great Powers was so intimidating that people dared not approach him and merely kept a respectful distance.
But he soon discovered that things were nowhere near that simple.
The respectful distance remained unchanged.
Yet behind that respectful distance lay an added trace of... panic, as though they could not get away from him fast enough.
Take today, for instance.
As Cui Ciyou walked along the broad corridor leading to the Central Library as usual, a group of tall, imposing students approached from the opposite direction.
Their matching modified uniforms, designed for ease of movement, and the training longswords at their waists made their identities clear-students from the Swordsman department.
Not everyone who studied swordsmanship had a fiery temper, but most possessed a certain boldness deep down, a willingness to defy authority and face challenges head-on.
Yet the moment this group of supposedly fearless hotheads spotted Cui Ciyou at the other