Two months and twenty days passed just like that.
As expected, Alex's return wasn't taken kindly. The nobles had developed an obsession with making his life as miserable as possible.
They started by playing petty pranks on him—throwing things into his food, messing with his belongings, and other kinds of random, childish cruelty. They also grew bolder with their insults, knowing full well they were untouchable within the academy's walls.
Alex knew this was the consequence of his own actions. Even though — if he had realized the field test was being observed, he probably would've held back… but that, too, was his mistake.
Still, his resentment toward the nobles grew stronger by the day. He despised them all—even those who hadn't personally wronged him. The very sight of their smug faces was enough to sour his mood.
The only thing keeping him from lashing out was Tessa. He and Marc had grown close to her, and she'd begun spending more time with them—whether in their room or elsewhere.
Alex was becoming especially fond of her. She had a comforting presence, a calm that made it easier to breathe when things got rough. Honestly, she was probably the only reason he hadn't snapped yet.
It was now Thalen, the eighth month of the year. The next, Dusmire—the month of twilight—would mark Alex's sixteenth birthday.
It also coincided with the midterms, meaning he would come of age during the exam period.
Marc, on the other hand, had celebrated his birthday a few days after they'd returned. It was a small celebration—just him, Alex, and Tessa. No grand tradition, no party. Just quiet company, and that was enough for them.
Today, however, was special for another reason.
Alex had finally finished his new spell—Water Spear.
"Fucking finally…" Alex muttered, staring at the hole cleanly pierced through the training dummy. He exhaled heavily and opened his status window.
—STATUS—
Name: AlexanderRank: Apprentice Mage (16.35%)Mana: 1102 / 1417Mana Control: Senturion Control (Master - 9.65297%)Elements:
Wind (Apprentice - 87%)
Water (Novice - 8%)
Skills:
...
Windslicer Barrage (Apprentice - 55%)
Water Spear (Novice - 5%)
It had taken him blood, sweat, and tears to complete the spell.
In the process, his water affinity percentage had even surpassed his wind, all thanks to the endless experimentation needed to create it.
He'd had to make numerous modifications to the spell circle and its nodes.
First, he reduced the area of effect to a minimum—after all, this was a single-target spell.Then, he adjusted the range to a mid-range type and rebalanced its strength and control.
What took him the longest to understand was that raw power wasn't the key. He'd initially assumed a piercing spell required maximum force—but that wasn't the case.
Because all the impact was concentrated into such a tiny area, the force required for penetration dropped drastically. What mattered was control.Water was fluid, constantly shifting. To make it pierce, he had to maintain the shape, spin, and speed simultaneously while controlling the direction.
The result was unexpected—a spell capable of twisting and redirecting itself mid-flight, curving around obstacles while maintaining its deadly momentum.
It ended up being categorized as a Novice spell, but its mana consumption was absurd—315 mana per cast, even with his mana reduction from Senturion control.
Now, he had ten days until the midterms to perfect it. He needed to reduce its casting time from several seconds to less than one.
He trained until his mana reserves were nearly depleted, then left the training field.
On his way back, he avoided crowded areas—even if it meant walking longer routes.
"Go back to whatever rock you crawled out of, you disgusting trash," someone sneered as he passed.
No matter where he went, the insults followed. He had become half-numb to them, but his resentment toward the nobles grew heavier by the day.
Still, he endured and returned to the dorms.
There were only three places Alex ever went outside his room: the classroom, the library, and the gym. Otherwise, he stayed holed up in his small sanctuary, keeping to himself.
After he and Marc started spending time with Tessa, the commoners in their class began avoiding them too. They saw her as a "noble sympathizer," and because Marc and Alex were close to her, they became outcasts by association.
Unlike the nobles, the commoners didn't harass them—they simply ignored them.
Alex could live with that.
When he entered his room, he found Tessa and Marc already inside.
"Hello, Alex. Back from training?" Tessa greeted with her usual politeness.
"Sup, fucker," Marc added, with his usual politeness.
Alex chuckled. "Hello to both of you. Yeah, I finally finished the spell I was working on."
"Oh, that's so cool! Can you show me?" Tessa's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Yeah, give us a demonstration!" Marc chimed in.
"Sure," Alex agreed. He barely had enough mana left for one more cast—he never trained to full depletion to avoid mana exhaustion—but seeing Tessa's eager expression gave him the urge to show off a little.
He formed the spell. A water spear, thick as an arm and tipped as sharp as a quill, rose from the floor like a formless serpent. It coiled around him gracefully before spiraling outward, encircling Marc and Tessa before dissipating as Alex canceled the spell.
"Huuf… sorry, I'm out of mana," he said, exhaling.
"It's so different from my Ice Spear! Yours can move on its own—it's so cool!" Tessa said, eyes shining.
"Yeah, it looks nice," Marc added with a grin, "but not as nice as my Triple Burst Fist."
"Honestly, Alex," Tessa continued, "I don't know how you come up with these spells. I tried designing my own, but I can't get my head around all those equations and runes. Ah! I'm so jealous of your intelligence!"
Alex blushed slightly and scratched the back of his neck, turning away.
"Oooh~" Marc teased immediately.
"Look at him, Tessa—he's total boyfriend material! Makes potions, invents spells… ah, if only it weren't for that nasty personality of his!" Marc said, snickering.
Alex didn't have the mana to cast anything—but he had enough to infuse his hand with energy and smack Marc on the back of the head.
Tessa smiled softly but said nothing, amused.
"Uuh… I have to go to the bathroom," Alex muttered, excusing himself. His cheeks were still flushed, though this time it wasn't from embarrassment—it was from something else entirely.