"Why don't you try asking for her help?"
"Who? Who are you talking about?" Alex asked in utter confusion, unable to think of anyone to seek assistance from.
"I am referring to that pink-haired human girl."
"What?! Are you talking about Sherry?" Alex responded with a slightly irked tone.
Aurora's suggestion didn't seem helpful; in fact, it felt like the worst option he could think of. He found himself in this predicament because of Sherry.
If she hadn't discovered the traces of magic on him, he could have practiced his magic behind the dorm building as usual.
Perhaps then he might stand a chance at completing the seemingly impossible quest.
"Aurora, I have a serious problem, and I am not in the mood for jokes. That girl is starting to be a headache." Alex lightly reprimanded, thinking that Aurora might be making fun of him or attempting to prank him.
And it wasn't that simple, as Sherry sometimes tried to approach Alex, but due to her lack of social interactions over the years and the last scolding from him held her back.
To Alex, it looked like she was trying to follow him, but in actual reality, she was merely attempting to approach him again.
Aurora, however, appeared serious about her suggestion. "I am not joking, Alex. For the past few days, I have monitored that girl, and I can say she can help us right now. Just think about it; she never leaves her lab other than to sleep back in her room. Heck, she even sleeps there sometimes and orders takeout, if we don't count her stalking you."
Alex, somewhat intrigued by the idea, looked at Aurora as if asking her to continue.
"I've never seen her socialize or talk to anyone, so it's safe to assume that she is a loner. She seems deeply immersed in her research and books. The most important part is that she never mentioned anything about you to anyone. It seems like she wants something from you from her recent actions. If you consider that she is a timid and meek girl, we can easily manipulate her to keep your secret while also helping you improve." Aurora explained.
'Her idea is not bad, but...' As Alex was still hesitating, Aurora said something that finally hit the nail in the coffin.
"It is a mere fool's empty dream if you believe you can hide your secret forever. She has already found you once. The next time might not be so lucky, merely a possibility. It is better to do this now when we can still have the upper hand. She clearly wants something from you, so maybe we can have a sort of transaction with her."
Alex found himself somewhat in a dilemma about what to do next.
'Asking that girl might be a bit premature, and the day after tomorrow is the weekend. I can practice outside as I have to leave for the main quest anyway.' He finally decided to postpone this possibility a little longer.
Throughout the night, Alex and Aurora brainstormed more ideas and discussed what could be done to address his current challenges.
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"It's only been three classes, and you're doing pretty great for someone in this class." Miss June sincerely praised Alex.
She then jokingly added, "Did you fail the theoretical subjects too badly or what to end up in this class? Anyway, where were you hiding this potential and talent all along?"
Alex just smiled wryly, trying not to act suspicious. Well, he did appear somewhat suspicious to his classmates.
The previous Alex was like any other student in this class, barely excelling in anything, just scraping by and getting somewhat enrolled here. He wasn't good academically, nor was he physically strong, as indicated by his initial G rank.
Hailing from a small town with no one to teach him, he wasn't skilled with a sword either.
However, his classmates were shocked when they witnessed his duel with Marcus a few days back.
Even though they hadn't been together for long, they would surely have noticed if someone was so adept in combat in their class of failures.
They were envious of Alex as he started to get taught by miss June personally but after seeing his duel they knew themselves they were not his match and he by some miracle left them behind to spread his wings further higher than they ever will be able to.
Miss June was also somewhat puzzled by this sudden growth, but she attributed it to not having paid much attention to him since he was just another student from the beginner class. She realized she had overlooked his talents until the duel happened.
'Maybe he was bad in theory or was unwell on the day of the entrance exam. It could also be attributed to a stroke of luck, as upon joining the academy, he found determination and managed to unleash his inherent talents. Anyways, he is still rough around the edges but doing great so far and is also a fast learner too.'
June didn't dwell on this too much; such stories were not uncommon at Star Shine Academy. Many students soared to success, while just as many stumbled and faltered in the intense competition.
Alex practiced his sword moves on the dummy when Miss June approached him and instructed, "The next time, don't be too stiff and hold the sword like this. Once your basics are clear, I'll teach you some fundamental moves."
Alex's ears perked up at Miss June's words, and he asked, "What sort of moves, miss?"
"Nothing special, just some basic sword skills and footwork. It might still be early for others, but you seem to grasp the basics easily, so we can move the schedule earlier. Anyway, I was supposed to teach you guys this according to the academy's syllabus."
"Ooh."
"And here try this other sword instead of this basic one." Miss June tossed him a similar-looking sword, which he caught.
"It's heavier." Alex remarked after holding the newly tossed sword, which felt heavy but manageable.
"Yes, the previous 15 kg sword seems too light for you; maybe 30 kg will be good."
"..." Alex was dumbfounded after learning the weight of these wooden practice swords.
Aurora then explained to him, surprising him further, "What are you dreaming about? Some magic artifacts, especially weapons, weigh a lot. I've seen some peak S-rank weapons weighing almost a ton. This sword is nothing compared to it."
'Wow! The humans here are a lot stronger if they can hold out such heavy weapons, too.'
Well, Alex was right in a way. Due to the advent of mana, the people of this world became stronger, and their constitution improved significantly.
Initially, Alex had trouble holding onto this basic practice sword, but as he gained strength by drinking the Foundation Building Potion, his strength increased a lot, and he could easily handle up to 40 kgs currently.
For some information, the sword gifted to him by the system, the Black Iron Sword, which is also an artifact, is enchanted to be less heavy, and the materials used also contribute to its lighter weight at just 50 kgs. Very light compared to other similar-ranked weapons.