Alex bowed his head to that enormous tree, showing gratitude for giving him aid while feeling the heavy burden of his thoughts. Like that, he made his way to the academy. With each slow step, he laid hold of his thoughts. "I think I have a grasp," he thought.
"I am still going to follow the path of immortality, although I am not sure about someone hindering my path." despite that, I have decided to tell the family of the kid that I am not their son. "I am a thief who stole their son's body," This way, they would eventually be compelled to hate me. His mother would kill me; that is for sure. Like that, He continued taking slow steps.
As the cold night descended surrounding the academy in a frightening darkness, Alex arrived at the front entrance. The grounds normally had always been taken over by students training even at night, now seemed transformed into a horror chamber. Alex, with his characteristic gesture, entered.
His gaze fell upon a figure crawling towards the entrance gate. As the person's features came into view, Alex realized it was Nancy, the purple-haired girl. Her hair was greasy in blood, and her pale skin was spread all over with crimson streaks.
Nancy's eyes locked onto Alex, and she yelled, "Alex, save us! We're going to die!" Her voice trembling with pain and desperation. Alex bent mischievously taking a clumsy stance, his eyes flickering with amusement.
"Oh, heavens! I knew you had impressive acting skills, Nancy, but I didn't realize they'd reach this level," Alex said, his tone emanating with sarcasm. "You can stop acting now; I'm onto your game. And, Sir Arnik, you can also stop hiding in the shadows."
Alchemist Arnik materialized behind Nancy, his eyes flashing with arrogance. "You're quite perceptive, Alex Agniverta," he said, his voice laced with annoyance.
Alex smirked his expression a mask of confidence. "Did you think I wouldn't notice your little scheme, Teacher Arnik? Care to explain, or should I enlighten you?"
Arnik's face contorted into a grimace of concern and arrogance. "A fragile kid like you has noticed our plan; it's unthinkable!" He paused, collecting his thoughts. "Very well, prove your claims, Agniverta. I'm fascinated to know."
Alex's sly smile widened as he began to explain. "You've shaken hands with demons, creating an elixir to control people's minds. This elixir has been supplied throughout the kingdom, including the academy. Everyone is under your control."
"Furthermore, you controlled the First Queen, using her to administer the potion to her son telling him it was a potion to increase magic affinity. However, Luck, concerned about his little brother, passed the elixir to his younger brother – me."
"You even attempted to test your drug by manipulating me into attempting suicide. Although you succeeded, right now, you're confused about how I know all this. Even when I appeared on the first day of the Academy, you were hopeless, wondering how I was still alive.
"Also, as your student, I've noticed that you can't control everyone simultaneously unless you burden your own body, sacrificing your life force. Moreover, individuals with strong mental fortitude are also resistant to your control. That's why the academy is currently in a state of silence; you've drugged them with a new substance to maintain control."
Arnik nodded, acknowledging the truth. "You're correct, Alex, but do you know why I haven't eliminated the students yet?"
Alex's tone remained the same. "Of course, my dear sensei. You can't kill them because the demons don't want them dead; they want to rule. Am I right, Sir?"
Arnik's eyes narrowed. "You're correct again, Agniverta. But there's something you don't know: I'm not the only one who can control the elixir's effects. There are at least 100 individuals scattered throughout the kingdom, including the royal palace with the same control of the elixir.
Alex smiled slyly. "I'm already aware of that, Sir Arnik. By the way, if I may ask, you seem rather confident. Is that because of the person watching us from the top of the third building?"
Arnik's gaze changes towards the building before returning to Alex. "You have exceptional eyesight, Agniverta. However, today is not your day. That individual is someone you cannot defeat; no one can kill him."
Alex's sly smile grew wider. "I'm confident as well... He's Lord's Messenger, isn't he?"
Arnik's eyes widen in shock. "How did you know that?"
Alex shrugged his head in mischief. "Just a prediction."
Arnik shouted in annoyance and pleaded, "Sir Messenger! He knows everything! Please, kill this pest!"
In a blink, the man in black robes with golden-coloured striped lines at the head area appeared at the front. His face was not visible, hidden within the robe he wore.
"Sir Messenger, kill him!" Arnik exclaimed, half-kneeling in fear.
That man exuded an aura that even Alex could sense - for the first time, he felt someone's pressure that rivalled his father, the King's.
But that "man" was not what he seemed. From his robes, tentacles emerged to attack Alex. They were large, their outward appearance akin to octopus tentacles. The tentacles appeared from multiple directions, making their way towards where Alex stood.
However, Alex's presence faded as he dodged the attack with ease. The tentacles tackled each other instead, and the ground was completely destroyed making a deep hole with minimal effort.
Alex thought to himself as he stood in a new location, "He's not someone I can defeat right now. I'm not even able to break through to the next realm yet, and I'm still in the early Foundation Realm. Because of that, I can't even use any good martial arts of Murim that I've learned. And some petty arts like Moon Body won't make a difference either, since they only make the body sturdy but are completely useless when faced with a force stronger than itself."
The tentacles attacked again from various directions, and Alex changed position to dodge, but it became completely useless. Every time he dodged, the tentacles grew bigger than before, and their speed also increased with every single attack. Destroying the ground, Alex left with very minimal ground to stand.
Alex was flustered. "I need to think fast," he thought. "If I use my aura, I'm not sure if I'll be able to defeat him. Even if I do defeat him, the toll on my body will eventually exhaust me, and I won't be able to capture that purple-haired bitch and Arnik."