Professor Allen stared at the magic formula, disbelief flooding his face. "This is impossible."Alex closed the magic formula and gave him a cool, smug look."See? I can handle this. I'll stay here, listen to your teachings, and prove I'm the best."He walked back to his chair.Professor Allen asked. "Alex, tell me, how are you doing this? And what is that fireball formula? I've never seen it before."Alex sneered. "That’s my family's secret. The Secret Fire Magic formula. No one outside of us gets to see it. If you want to learn it, Professor, you'll need to pay me 10,000 gold coins."Gasps filled the room, shock rippling through the students."But Alex," one student blurted out, "your family isn't known for magic! They are knight and swordman."Alex’s eyes narrowed. "Do you know my family better than I do? Of course, we have magicians," he lied, his tone biting.Professor Allen shook his head, still skeptical. "Alright, Alex. Show me one more time. If you can recreate that formula p

Alex was shocked. "Permission from who? I thought this forest was under the Academy and free for students to use. Do you really think I need permission from them to stay here?""Not from the Academy," Liora added, her tone serious. "From the spirit of the forest. They are the true owners."A breeze rustled through the trees, as if the forest itself was trying to join the conversation.“The forest is alive, and it asks for nothing but respect—each leaf, each stone, is a sentinel of time, older than any human claim.”Liora Faylover, one of the top student from the second year but in a different class, was famous for her strange ability to contract spirits—from the smallest, most insignificant ones to the wildest and most powerful."I'm sorry," Alex replied, feeling unsure. "I can't talk to spirits. Can you help me? Can you tell them I need this place to stay?""Okay," Liora answered, her gaze shifting as if speaking to something unseen. The conversation seemed intense, her words becomin

One day, Arriane found Alex reading a high-ranking magic formula book.She approached his table, her eyes cold, and said, "I've been watching you for months now. You borrow books and skim through them. I think you're just wasting time here, probably trying to flirt with the women."Alex looked up at the cold beauty librarian, unsure of what to say.He knew his bad reputation had caused people to look at him with disdain and caution.He also knew this library had watched him like a predator since his first visit."I’m really studying here," Alex replied quietly."Studying?" Arriane scoffed."As I remember, you were ranked last among the first years. You couldn’t even cast a single basic spell. And now you expect me to believe you’re reading high-ranking magic?"Alex calmly closed the book titled ‘High-Rank Magic Formula for Masters and Above’ and said, "Yes, I’m reading it."Arriane’s face twisted with disbelief.She pulled out a piece of paper she had prepared and slapped it down on t

Alex returned to the group after each of them had slain their own kobold."Based on the agreement we made earlier, everyone is responsible for their own monsters. Do you still want to stick to that rule?" he asked."Yes," Lisa answered hastily, her voice tinged with anger."Killing monsters gives us points to level up our power and items. Don’t take our game and loot.""Fine," Alex spat back."No need to get angry. It's only the first floor, but we're already wasting time. I was just asking out of good intention."Rose scoffed, "Since when did the notorious villain start doing good deeds?"As the portal appeared after they cleared the four monsters, the tension between them was palpable.They stepped through, clearly not on good terms.On the second floor, four more kobolds appeared—this time, adult kobolds, much stronger than before.The creatures rushed at them without hesitation.Alex quickly activated the Akashic Record, trying to uncover any advantage, hoping he'd get lucky with

Alex gazed at the blue sky from the eleventh floor, and he had to admit—it was breathtaking.Yet, even the sky may be boundless, but it holds no promise of freedom.He had learned that each floor after the eleventh was a gateway, connecting to countless planets controlled by gods and demons.Adventurers from many places were drawn into this place, where they could become great warriors for the gods if they reach the top.But if they died, they fell into the hands of the demons.Humans fought among themselves, constantly trying to prove who was the strongest, the most powerful.Years, decades, even millennia had passed, and still, nothing changed.All of these towers and planets were just a grand stage, a trap set by the gods for their amusement."This is the illusion of the worlds," his master had once told him."If you want to break the system, you must become the one—the only one—that people across all worlds fear and obey. Become the king of the world, like You did on Archlion."Ye