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
Days passed as Alex worked hard to avoid drawing attention to himself at the academy.He activated his "Assassin's Presence" ability, blending into the background so that no one would notice him, all while secretly growing stronger.In the forest, he studied geometry and Feng Shui to read the earth’s energy veins, learning how to find the perfect spot where he could draw more mana and live in harmony with nature.After a week of searching, he finally found an ideal place. Slowly, he began building a log house, starting with a simple tent.Day by day, his life improved as he built his home and trained in secret, adding to his skills.But one day, before he successfully left class, Greg and three of his followers blocked his path at the door."You, come with us," Greg demanded."Sorry, but I don’t have time. I’m busy," Alex replied, trying to brush them off. But before he could escape, Greg's follower, John, grabbed his shoulder tightly."This is a command. You, a worthless nobody, don’
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
As usual, Alex sat in class, staring at Professor Allen’s lecture on ice magic formulas.While looking at the diagram on the board, Alex's Akashic Record activated, automatically drawing a more advanced and perfected version in his mind.He kept the skill to himself, trying to sit quietly in the corner, avoiding anything that might cause trouble.During the break, instead of hanging around with the others, he slipped into the library, devouring as many books as he could to enhance his skills.The librarian with cold eyes beneath her glasses and long brown hair framing her face like an artist’s brushstroke, saw him enter, her beauty frostbitten, her gaze a wall of quiet authority.She had said only one thing to Alex the first time he stepped inside, her voice icy, “If you dare to ruin any book, I’ll take your arms.”Alex’s notorious reputation had spread throughout the academy, but the library was his only sanctuary.The cold beauty librarian, a third-year senior named Arriane, watched
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
The next day, the second-year students, who had more than ten classes, were set to do their field test for the first time.Each class was sent to a different area within the country of Avaloria.Alex’s class, consisting of 40 students, embarked on a journey to the Barren Hill, where a monster-filled tower awaited them.He had learned that in this place, the gods controlled humans, while demons held power over monsters.The gods and demons forced humans to fight the monsters, feeding on the negative energy that humans emitted—fear, anger, pride, and more.The more desperate a human became, the stronger the demons grew, thriving on that despair.Meanwhile, gods preferred energy born from pride, anger, and worship.Alex stared at the towering dungeon and clearly understood that humans were just puppets in a much larger game.When humans died, they would forget, only to be reincarnated and forced to play on this world illusion again.The gods and demons would continue to harvest the energ
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
Lisa’s eyes opened wide. "Do you have a death wish?!"“You’re the weakest in our class,” Rose said angrily.“Really?” Alex looked at both of them.“If I’m the weakest, how come you guys are taking damage while I haven’t even been hit yet?”“If you want to die that fast, I’ll agree with you!” Rose snapped, her face flushed with anger.“We’ll follow you and do nothing!” Jennie added. “You better not beg for our help later.”“Same to you,” Alex shot back. “Take care of yourselves while I’m fighting, ‘cause I’m not helping you if you’re about to die!”“Fine!” Lisa said through clenched teeth. “Let’s see who dies first!”Alex shook his head.They couldn’t agree on much, but at least he could make it to the 10th floor.Later, when everyone reached the 11th floor, they could re-arrange the team.The academy only required four people per team for the first ten floors to avoid an early death during the tutorial levels, which would bring shame to a high-ranking academy like theirs.On the seven