Bitterness gnawed at her, a familiar sensation that she had tried to suppress, but it had be too strong to ignore. This was the third time—three distinct moments in her life when that sharp edge of failure cut deep, and in each instance, Draven had been at the center of it.


    The first time had been during the royal banquet, where the demonic appearance had thrown the entire event into chaos. ra had stood amidst the panic, her hands trembling as she struggled to maintain herposure and summon a shield.


    She had failed miserably, and Draven, with his calm precision, had stepped in and neutralized the threat with such ease that it felt like a mockery of her own powerlessness.


    The second time had been during the dungeonification of the Magic Tower University. She had fought bravely, throwing everything she had into the battle to protect herself and her peers, but once again, her efforts had paled inparison to Draven''s swift, calcted actions. He had been there, cutting through enemies and solving the situation like it was nothing more than a simple equation.


    ra had watched, her stomach twisting with that familiar bitterness, feeling her confidence crack.


    And today was the third time. She had entered the ssroom, fully prepared to decipher Draven''s barrier, confident that her intelligence would lead her to an answer. But once again, she hade up short. Her spells had been powerful, her magic well-honed, but it hadn''t mattered. Draven''s barrier had stood, unyielding and perfect, absorbing her every attempt.


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    The frustration of being unable to understand, to see through his magic, had only deepened as she watched him deflect her and Amberine''s attacks with effortless superiority.


    ra clenched her fists as she walked, her usually serene expression faltering for a moment. It wasn''t just the failures themselves that stung—it was the way Draven had always seemed to be there, standing in the center of her failures, showing her how far she still had to go. She knew the stories about him, the rumors that painted him as a ruthless, maniptive professor with questionable morals.


    Her father, Count Valen, had warned her about Draven''s reputation many times, speaking of him as a mediocre genius who had risen to power through sheer cunning.


    But whenever ra faced him, it was as if those rumors belonged to another person. The man she encountered was cold, yes, but brilliant—far more brilliant than anyone had given him credit for. He wasn''t a failed professor or a fake. He was something far moreplex, and thatplexity left ra feeling unsettled.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    She didn''t want to admire him, didn''t want to acknowledge his mastery, but she couldn''t deny what she saw with her own eyes. He was better than her, and that was the bitter truth she had to confront.


    By the time she arrived at the front gates of her family''s estate, her thoughts had settled into a hard, cold knot in her chest. The maid who greeted her informed her that her father was out, dealing with matters of the countdom, as expected. ra simply nodded, showing little interest. Her father''s work, though important, held little relevance to her now. She had bigger things to worry about.


    Her mother approached soon after, her soft footsteps barely audible against the stone floor. "ra, wee back. How was—"


    "It was fine," ra cut in, her tone nd as she made her way toward the staircase. She wasn''t in the mood for small talk. Not today. "I''ll be in my room."


    Her mother''s soft sigh followed her, but ra didn''t slow her pace. She knew she should be more polite, more engaged, but her mind was too preupied with the puzzle that had been nagging at her since the lecture. She needed to work through it, needed to understand what she had missed.


    Once in the quiet sanctuary of her room, ra shut the door behind her and moved straight to her desk. She pulled out her magic notebook, the same model as Amberine''s, and a small, amused smile crept onto her face as she remembered Amberine''s smug expression when she had shown it off earlier. "Stupid Amberine," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.


    Even with all the tension between them, ra couldn''t help but find Amberine''s fiery enthusiasm somewhat endearing.


    But now wasn''t the time for idle thoughts. ra opened her notebook and turned to the page where she had written Draven''s exnation of the perfect barrier. She could still see it in her mind—the way his barrier had shifted, the precise movements of the mana that had absorbed every attack. It wasn''t just about raw power. It was something far more intricate, somethingyered in theory and control.


    Her eyes scanned the notes, but her mind was already moving beyond the words. She had seen a pattern beneath Draven''s barrier, a subtle magic circle that pulsed with energy. It hadn''t been immediately obvious, but ra''s sharp eyes had caught a glimpse of it in the moments before her spell was absorbed. That pattern—it was the key.


    If she could understand it, if she could decipher its structure, then she might be able to create something simr. Something perfect.


    Without hesitation, ra reached for her quill and began drawing a series of magic circles in her notebook. Her hand moved quickly, sketching out different configurations, testing each one in her mind before moving on to the next. The lines were neat, precise, but none of them felt quite right. There was something missing, something she couldn''t grasp.


    She frowned, tapping the end of the quill against the paper as Draven''s voice echoed in her mind. "A barrier must be adaptable, flexible. It must bend, but never break."


    Adaptable. That was the key. Draven''s barrier hadn''t been a simple wall of defense—it had shifted with each attack, absorbing the energy and dispersing it. ra''s barriers, though strong, had always been rigid. Theycked that flexibility, that ability to adapt to the nature of the iing spell.


    Her frustration grew as she drew yet another circle, testing its structure in her mind. The barrier formed, but it was too brittle, too prone to cracking under pressure. She needed something stronger, something more fluid.


    For hours, she continued her work, drawing circle after circle, testing one theory after another. Her room grew darker as the evening light faded, but ra didn''t stop. Her focus was unyielding, her mind working through each possibility with meticulous care. She reyed every moment of Draven''s lecture in her head, dissecting his words, trying to find the missing piece of the puzzle.


    And then, as she sketched yet another pattern, a realization struck her. A memory, a small detail from Draven''s exnation that she had overlooked.


    "The moment the attack touches your barrier, you must analyze it, understand its nature, and adjust your defenses ordingly."


    Adjust. That was it. The magic circle she had been drawing was too static. It needed to be dynamic, capable of shifting in response to the attack. Her mind raced as she quickly revised the circle, adding newyers ofplexity to the design. The lines became fluid, interlocking in a way that allowed the barrier to shift and adapt as needed.


    Her heart raced as she finished the circle, her hand trembling slightly with excitement. This was it. She could feel it.


    With a deep breath, ra channeled her mana into the circle, watching as the lines began to glow with a soft golden light. The barrier formed around her, its surface shimmering as it pulsed with energy. She could feel it—feel the flexibility, the adaptability. This was different from anything she had created before. This was something new, something powerful.


    A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she tested the barrier, throwing a small pulse of water magic at it. The barrier absorbed the spell, shifting to amodate the attack before dispersing the energy harmlessly.


    ra''s smile widened. She had done it. After hours of trial and error, after countless failed attempts, she had finally seeded.


    "The perfect barrier," she whispered, her voice soft but filled with a quiet sense of triumph.


    For the first time in a long while, ra felt the bitterness in her chest begin to fade. Draven might have shown his superiority in the ssroom today, but now, ra had something of her own. Something she had created through her own intelligence, her own skill.


    And it was perfect.


    The perfect form of her golden shield.


    The barrier that could rival the blue and beautiful barrier that her professor, Draven, has made.