"Alright, I've decided," Alex announced, standing in front of Gard with a determined smile.
"Yeah? What's up?" Gard asked, intrigued.
"I've decided to enroll in the university," Alex said nonchalantly.
"Oho? I didn't expect you to take much less time to decide, what made you decide to leave the army?" Gard was surprised, he knew Alex was not a fiery person, but he was still an extremely efficient soldier, Alex managed to save them many times without even trying, he was flexible and could follow orders without disgruntlement, he made a perfect soldier who is why he was valued so much.
"Hahaha, it's just that I got tired of the army. It's too dangerous for me. I want to explore my talents at the academy," Alex explained, pouring himself some wine. he did not tell his friend here that he knew this was something he decided after seeing himself literally die by the Kelion Army, he would not be believed and this would be a really awkward conversation,
"I see. Good choice. The next enrollment is in a month. Follow me then, and I'll make sure you get a good professor, it costs a fortune tho, 260 Gold Coins, i think you have saved up like 6 i believe, i can add 254 Gold coins and you can go to that University, HAHAHAHA i think it will be cool when i get girls to say i have a Magos friend." Gard said with a grin, clinking his drink with Alex's.
"Great. By the way, do you think we'll be called back soon?" Alex asked, using 'we' since he hadn't officially left the army yet. that was a long extensive process that would take more than a year, but it didn't matter in the enrollement, so he asked as Us, since he wasn't exiting the army just.
"Well, soldiers are gearing up for something. I visited the army base and saw they pulled everyone from the reserves. The number of soldiers exceeds 300,000. I think Emperor's Guildia is preparing to defeat Kelion once and for all," Gard said, his voice tinged with concern. he was worried about the people, since he didn't know if all out war was possible with their current power, but he was wrong in that know.
"Where are the others? Why haven't they visited me?" Alex inquired.
"They're swamped with tasks. You're lucky; as soon as you were released from the university helping center, they didn't need more manpower. Everyone is busy, with soldiers helping artisans and other duties. The Emperor's a good guy, but he does like to show off his wealth," Gard said, spitting in disgust.
"I see..." Alex looked at Gard seriously, understanding what was coming.
"Let's see..." Alex closed his eyes, focusing on the skill he'd developed in the simulation. He chose to keep the power he gained at age 28.
"Hm? Interesting. It seems like the fire energy around me is absorbed faster when I use this skill." Alex held out his hand and activated the skill.
"Let's call it... [Inferno Call]."
BSHHHHHHHH!!!
A swirling tornado of red dots gathered around him.
"Hmmm..." Alex shaped the energy into a gun-like form and headed to the garden behind the house.
"Now, let's see..."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A fireball shot into the sky, destroying a nearby tree. The explosion was so loud it caused people to fall in fear.
"ARGH!!!"
"WHAT WAS THAT!!!"
"WHO DID THIS!!!"
Panicking, Alex quickly smiled and went inside, hoping no one had seen him.
"If I'm going to use fire magic in the future, I need to understand my limits. I still don't know if the magic requires a spark, whether it drains my stamina, or how long I can maintain it in combat. I need to do more testing..." Alex looked out the window at the distant mountain range.
"And I've found my testing ground." He smiled, preparing to pack up.
A few hours later, Alex arrived at the mountain testing site he'd chosen. He paid the guards a few silver coins, brought bronze knives, spirit stones, and elixirs from the simulation.
"As expected, fertile land always attracts people. Greece was fertile back in the day, and it's the same here. But something puzzles me..." Alex looked up at a towering oak tree, over 100 meters tall.
"How did this happen? Oak trees typically grow to about 60 meters. This is extraordinary..." He marveled at the tree, shaking his head in awe.
"I need to visit the library later to learn more about the empires and their history," he decided, readying himself for the testing.
After a few minutes of walking, he reached an open area surrounded by trees and a solitary rock in the center, bathed in sunlight.
"Alright, time to test my full power." Alex set down his backpack and began focusing.
BSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
A tornado of red dots swirled around him.
"Shit..." Alex quickly dispelled the energy. "I can't control it if it surrounds me like this. It's like trying to hold wet sand."
He concentrated on gathering the energy in his arm.
BSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
The energy concentrated on his arm, turning it red from the effort.
"G.... OOOOOOOO!!!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The fireball hit the rock, causing a massive explosion. The shockwave flung Alex back a few meters.
"Agh..." Alex looked up in surprise.
"WHAT!!!" He was shocked to see that the rock, about three meters tall, had only cracked. "That explosion was like a grenade. How did the rock survive... damn..."
He stood up, unable to see the red dots anymore.
"So that's my maximum power—a grand explosion..." he sighed, examining his backpack.
"Time to see what these are." Alex took out an elixir from his bag.
"What was this called again?" He read the label on the flask.
~~
[Soul Elixir
A special elixir created by Dysonus, the god of Beverages. It contains an immense amount of alcohol capable of knocking out Zeus himself.
Benefits:
Refills soul energy.Heals any type of soul damage (if the damage is severe, it only prevents further harm).Provides temporary enlightenment.
Dangers:
Contains alcohol levels fatal to normal mortals.]
~~
"Damn... this is insane..." Alex said.
"Yes, it is..."
"Huh?"
End of Chapter.