Insane

Noah looked at Asher like he was trying to decide whether the person in front of him was insane or simply disconnected from normal logic. "...That sentence alone is exactly why people fear you."

Asher glanced at his restored hand again before replying, "I don't think fear is necessary."

"Of course you don't," Adam muttered while rubbing his nose. "You're the one casually removing body parts during a conversation."

Asher moved his fingers once, checking whether anything felt off, then said, "It's efficient."

"There are many words for that," Noah replied immediately. "Efficient is not one of them."

Aria stayed silent for a few seconds, her gaze still fixed on Asher's hand, then asked in a quieter voice, "...How painful is it?"

The others looked toward her in surprise, but Asher answered without the slightest hesitation. "Very."

Adam blinked, his expression turning even stranger. "Then why are you acting like it doesn't matter?"

"Because pain and damage aren't the same thing," Asher replied. "If it can be healed, fearing it too much only affects your judgment."

Noah stared at him for a moment, then slowly exhaled. "You genuinely think like a machine sometimes."

Asher tilted his head slightly. "Emotions during battle slow reactions."

"No," Noah replied at once, his voice sharper than before. "Panic slows reactions. Emotions are normal."

The group remained quiet for a few moments after that, and although the tension from the spar had already faded, the atmosphere somehow felt heavier than before.

Asher looked between them once, then asked, "...Are we done for today?"

"No," Adam replied instantly. "We're definitely not ending the conversation there."

Noah pointed at him with a serious expression and added, "I agree. You don't get to say disturbing things and then casually try to leave."

Asher looked genuinely confused. "Why not?"

"Because normal people need time to process whatever is wrong with you," Noah answered.

Aria sighed softly and leaned against a nearby wall. "You're wasting your time. He clearly doesn't understand why his behavior is abnormal."

"I noticed," Noah muttered.

Asher crossed his arms, his expression still carrying more confusion than guilt. "You all keep calling it abnormal, but none of you have explained why."

Adam stared at him for a second before laughing once in disbelief. "You cut off your own hand without blinking."

"And healed it afterward."

"That does not improve the situation!"

Asher looked toward Aria instead, as if expecting a more logical explanation from her.

Aria remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Most people instinctively fear injury because their bodies are fragile. Even trained fighters hesitate subconsciously when facing serious damage."

"Because losing an arm usually ends the fight," Noah added from the side.

Asher glanced at his restored hand again before replying, "But my mana coating already makes damaging me difficult in the first place."

The others went quiet for a moment because that part was true.

During the spar, even their direct attacks had struggled to damage me properly.

Adam clicked his tongue. "That's honestly the annoying part."

Asher looked at him, and Adam continued with a faint frown, "Your defense is already ridiculous, and on top of that, you can heal injuries that do get through."

Noah nodded immediately. "You're basically removing the fear of damage entirely."

"I still avoid unnecessary injuries," Asher replied. "Regeneration consumes a large amount of mana."

Aria narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then your healing isn't the problem."

Asher looked toward her.

"Your mindset is," she continued. "You trust your defenses too much, and because your mana coating is powerful, you've become comfortable fighting at extremely close range."

Asher did not deny it.

"Most opponents can't break through your defense quickly," Aria said. "That means you're used to overwhelming people before they can properly threaten you."

Noah crossed his arms and added, "And when someone actually can hurt you, your first instinct might not change fast enough."

Asher remained silent this time.

Adam looked at him for a moment before speaking bluntly. "You fight like someone who's used to being untouchable."

"That's exaggerated."

"No, it's accurate," Aria said immediately. "Even during the spar, you ignored several attacks because you knew your mana coating could handle them."

Asher thought back to the fight briefly, but he still did not respond.

"You rely on efficiency too much," Aria continued. "Strong defense and healing are tools, not excuses to abandon caution."

A short silence followed after her words.

Then Asher spoke quietly, "...Against stronger opponents, overconfidence becomes predictable."

Adam blinked. "Wait, you actually agree?"

"I'm not overconfident," Asher replied. "But predictable habits can become weaknesses."

Noah looked surprised. "That's probably the most reasonable thing you've said today."

Asher only glanced at them once before turning toward the exit.

But they don't know this is only one of my vessels. Even if it gets destroyed, why would I care?

He left the training room soon after, while Noah watched his back disappear through the doorway.

"...Did anyone else feel like that conversation somehow got worse near the end?"

Adam let out a tired sigh. "It definitely did."

Aria remained leaning against the wall, though her eyes stayed fixed on the doorway Asher had passed through.

"He understood our point," she said quietly.

Noah frowned. "Then why does it feel like he ignored it?"

"Because understanding something and valuing it are different things," Aria replied.

Adam scratched the back of his head, his expression still carrying some discomfort. "That's honestly the creepy part. He listens normally and responds normally, but sometimes it feels like his priorities are completely different from everyone else's."

Noah nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's like he's pretending to think like a normal person rather than actually thinking that way."

The room went quiet again after that.

Meanwhile, Asher walked calmly through the hallway outside the training room.

His expression remained unchanged, but his thoughts continued moving quietly in the back of his mind.

This vessel still relies too heavily on direct defense.

During the spar, he had noticed several attacks that he intentionally chose not to avoid because his mana coating could withstand them.

Against weaker opponents, that was efficient, but against stronger opponents, repeated patterns became exploitable.

He understood that much, but fear still felt unnecessary; even if this body suffered irreversible damage, it would not truly be the end for him.

Still, losing a vessel carelessly would be inefficient.

Do they really think my fighting ability is just talent? No, it isn't. I fought through countless life-and-death battles with my other vessels and trained in spatial magic to reach this level.

Asher's steps slowed for only a moment before the thought passed. "Whatever, It's time for a nap."

He headed toward the dormitory afterward, and as soon as he reached his room, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.