The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 562: Interference

Daemar handed the journal back, and when Noel took it, the director’s eyes remained fixed on him with the same measured focus, as if the earlier surprise had already been filed away and converted into expectation.

"Understanding the foundation is one thing," Daemar said calmly. "Executing it when the world doesn’t cooperate is another. If you intend to rely on Spatial Shift in real situations, you need to see what interference does to it."

Noel’s grip tightened slightly on the leather cover. He nodded once, not eager, not hesitant, simply aware that this was the part where theory stopped being comfortable.

Daemar gestured to the open space in the chamber.

"Use it."

Noel stepped forward, placing himself where he had been practicing earlier. He didn’t rush the alignment. He stood still, let his breathing settle, and pulled his awareness toward the corridor outside, not as distance, but as structure. He matched altitude, pressure, mana flow, the way Nicolas had written it, and for a moment the reference felt clean enough that he could almost believe he had it.

"Spatial Shift."

He vanished.

Then he reappeared a few steps away, shoulder angled wrong, foot landing half a pace off. The shift wasn’t huge, but it was enough to be dangerous if a blade had been waiting there.

Noel’s brows drew together as he corrected his stance immediately.

Daemar hadn’t moved.

He hadn’t cast a teleportation spell, because he couldn’t. But the air had changed. Noel could feel it now, like a faint grit inside the space itself. A small distortion in the flow. A subtle gravity pull that wasn’t fully down. Noise layered into the structure.

Daemar spoke without raising his voice.

"That is what I mean by interference. Spatial Shift depends on a clean reference. When the environment changes during your alignment, even slightly, the spell will still attempt to place you where it believes you meant to go, but it can only do that through imperfect data."

Noel glanced toward the spot he had aimed for, then back to the place he had actually landed.

"So I can be displaced," Noel said, tone even, but his eyes sharper now. "Or come out at the wrong angle."

"Displaced, disoriented, or in the wrong position entirely," Daemar confirmed. "And if the interference is strong enough, you can end up somewhere that is technically compatible, but practically lethal. Against a wall. Into an obstacle. Into the path of an attack."

Noel exhaled slowly, letting the warning settle. It wasn’t fear that flickered in him, but understanding.

"I get it," he replied, then added after a brief pause, "but I still need it. Shadow Step is faster in close combat, sure, but it depends on shadows. If there aren’t any, it’s useless."

Daemar’s gaze did not shift, but he listened.

Noel continued, voice calm, almost matter-of-fact, because this wasn’t a complaint. It was a problem to solve.

"Roberto uses light. If he can wipe out the shadows around me, then Shadow Step becomes a dead spell. Spatial Shift doesn’t need darkness, so even if it’s situational in a fight, it’s still the better option for long repositioning, and it gives me a way to move when the battlefield is cleaned of cover."

Daemar nodded once, slow.

"That is a strategic choice," he said. "A good one. But choices like that only matter if you can trust your execution. You are not allowed to gamble your life on a spell that may place you half a step wrong when half a step is all it takes."

Noel’s jaw tightened slightly.

He understood the message completely.

Daemar did not linger on Spatial Shift any longer.

He shifted his stance slightly, folding his hands behind his back again as his gaze sharpened.

"Now gravity."

Noel straightened a little.

Daemar began explaining again, but this time he kept it simple. Not long theory. Not diagrams in the air.

"Vector. Axis. Orientation," he said evenly. "You are not increasing weight. You are redefining direction. If you try to force it downward, you are already thinking about it incorrectly."

Noel listened carefully. His face remained composed, but something in his eyes gave him away. He was following the words, yet they were not settling into place the way Spatial Transition had.

He understood what was being said.

He just didn’t feel it.

Daemar noticed.

"You’re processing it as structure again," he said quietly. "Gravity is not solved the same way."

Noel didn’t argue. He simply nodded once, but the faint crease between his brows remained.

Daemar exhaled lightly.

"Then let’s try this differently. You may learn faster through experience."

He lifted one hand slightly and spoke without raising his voice.

"Gravition Hold."

The effect was immediate.

The air around Noel thickened. The floor seemed to seize him. The downward pull intensified sharply, not crushing him outright but multiplying the force pressing him toward the ground.

His legs tensed instinctively. His movements slowed. Even lifting his arm required effort. The axis of gravity had tightened around him like an invisible weight.

Noel grimaced slightly as he stabilized his stance.

"That’s the spell Selene uses," he said through the pressure.

Daemar gave a small nod.

"Yes. I taught it to her myself. Though she has a natural affinity for it."

The pressure eased.

"You can ask her for guidance if you wish," Daemar added calmly. "She understands the feeling of gravitational flow in a way most do not."

Noel inhaled once and straightened, then attempted to replicate it.

"Gravition Hold."

The mana responded, but unevenly. The pressure formed without focus, spreading outward instead of concentrating. The ground beneath him wavered in density, but nothing anchored properly. The effect collapsed in on itself before stabilizing.

He tried again.

This time the gravity tightened slightly in front of him, enough to feel the pull concentrate for a heartbeat before destabilizing again.

Noel clicked his tongue softly.

"It’s not locking," he muttered.

Daemar watched the fluctuations for a moment before raising a hand.

"That’s enough."

He exhaled more noticeably this time.

"We’ll leave it here for today. It has been a long one."

There was no attempt to hide the fatigue now.

"Exams are close. Administrative work has been... persistent."

He met Noel’s eyes again.

"This week, you are free from formal training with me."

Noel nodded slowly, still thinking about the unstable gravitational field he had just attempted to shape. The spell hadn’t failed completely, but it hadn’t obeyed him either. It had felt like trying to hold water in an open palm.

"I’ll ask Selene," he said at last, lifting his gaze again. "She understands this better than I do. And I’ll keep practicing on my own."

There was no frustration in his tone, only acceptance. He wasn’t abandoning it. He just knew forcing it further tonight would lead nowhere useful.

Daemar allowed himself a faint smile, the kind that appeared only when a student chose patience over pride.

"That would be wise."

He paused briefly before adding, more softly, "But don’t overdo it."

Noel gave a small nod. "I won’t."

He stepped back and retrieved Revenant Fang, sliding the blade smoothly into rest position. The motion was natural, almost absent-minded now. Then he picked up Nicolas’ journal, handling it with the same quiet care as before.

Noir rose to her paws without being told, purple eyes glancing once toward Daemar before she moved to Noel’s side. The faint streaks along her black fur caught the dim light as they crossed the chamber together.

As Noel approached the door, he felt the weight of what he had gained today settle properly inside him.

Spatial Shift would give him freedom of movement beyond shadows.

Gravity would give him control over space itself.

But the axis was still unstable in his hands.

The door opened with a muted sound. Cool evening air drifted faintly into the chamber. Noel stepped out without rushing, Noir padding quietly beside him.

The door closed behind them.