Alex woke up startled and sweating.
He didn't know why — there hadn't been any nightmare this time, not that it would've mattered much since his dreams rarely changed. Perhaps it was some sort of lingering PTSD from the time he'd spent trapped in that jungle cave so long ago.
Still, he stretched his body, the bones in his back popping softly, and listened to the sound of birds chirping outside, the morning wind weaving through the bushes and leaves.
He couldn't write down any potion recipes this month. Recipe books were considered forbidden items, as they gave alchemists too much of an advantage. Only the formulas they could memorize were allowed to be used.
So he stepped outside and started a small campfire, using it to reheat the leftover meat from yesterday.
While eating, Alex began to plan his next moves.
'First, find Ethergrass. Then, once again, hide somewhere safe to make the mana potions. After that, I can actually start the test — I'll hunt monsters… and eliminate any nobles I can.'
Like Scarlett had feared yesterday, Alex was indeed thinking about revenge.
It was hypocritical of him — deep down, "dealing with nobles" had always been part of his plan. But now, after being forced to flee from them, his anger had twisted that goal into something darker. In his mind, this wasn't just a test anymore — it was payback.
So Alex began to move, fueled by hatred and frustration.
Anger had long become a normal state of mind for him, but without Tessa around to calm him, or Marc to keep him grounded, there was nothing to stop his emotions from spiraling further.
Hours passed before Alex finally found Ethergrass — the last ingredient he needed for basic mana potions.
Now, in his hands, he held the three components: Arcane Moss, used as the base for nearly all magical potions up to the advanced grade; Glowcap Fungus, which restored mana; and Ethergrass, which stabilized the mixture.
He weighed his options. Either he could go back the way he came to the cave — a safer, more familiar spot — or continue deeper into the unknown.
In the end, Alex decided to return to the cave. He preferred losing time over risking a danger he couldn't overcome. Healing potions could only let him take more damage — without mana to fight back, he'd still lose in the end.
It took him a little over an hour to return — now that he wasn't on the lookout for plants, the trip was faster.
Once back inside, Alex began preparing the ingredients to brew his mana potions when a faint rustling noise came from outside.
Quickly, he packed everything back into his pocket watch and crawled toward the entrance.
He listened closely. There was movement — faint footsteps.
'Seems like only one person…' he thought, narrowing his eyes.
For a moment, he hoped it was Tessa or Marc.
But when he finally saw the figure, he realized it was a commoner student he didn't recognize. The disappointment hit him harder than expected.
'Well, there's a two-in-four-hundred-something chance of seeing them anyway,' he told himself bitterly.
When the commoner approached the cave, Alex gave a soft whistle to make his presence known.
"The cave's occupied," Alex said.
"Sorry, then I'll move elsewhere," the boy replied.
Alex turned to go back inside, but suddenly pain flared across his side — he'd been hit by some kind of wind spell.
He instinctively cast Water Shield, and a Stone Shot hit it immediately after, shattering the watery surface into droplets.
He couldn't believe it — a commoner had attacked him. Rage flared in his chest.
Diving for cover, Alex shouted, "Why attack me!? Aren't we on the same side!?"
"Side with who, asshole?" the commoner spat. "You just couldn't keep your head down like the rest of us, huh? You had to go and screw with the nobles! Now we're the ones paying for it — more harassment, more punishment — all thanks to you and your stunt in the first test!"
Alex froze. He didn't want to understand, but deep down, he did.
His actions, while satisfying to him and some others, had made the nobles more hostile. The weaker commoners were now the ones paying the price for it.
"Besides," the boy sneered, "there's a price on your head. So you're on your own, Alex."
'I did this for you all — and this is how you repay me?' Alex's thoughts boiled with fury.
Without hesitation, he poured extra mana into Water Spear. The spell shot forward like lightning.
The commoner cast Earth Shield, but Alex twisted his spell mid-flight — the spear curved around the defense and struck from the side, piercing through the boy's torso.
Water mixed with blood as the boy's eyes went wide in disbelief. "What the fuck… You monster…" he muttered before vanishing in the light of teleportation.
Alex stood there, breathing hard. He downed a healing potion, furious that he'd been forced to use one before even facing a noble.
Then he went back into the cave and resumed brewing mana potions.
Outside the jungle, Scarlett shook her head as she watched through the scrying crystal.
She couldn't hear their words clearly, but she could read their lips well enough to understand what had happened.
She didn't know what to feel. On one hand, Alex's hatred toward nobles was understandable. But his actions — even when justified — were also dragging other commoners into suffering they couldn't escape.
Back in the jungle, after a while, Alex finished making his mana potions. He stored eight vials in his pocket watch and stepped out of the cave once again.
Now he could move freely — unrestrained and unafraid.
He began hunting monsters, killing swiftly even if it meant destroying their cores. Efficiency mattered more than profit.
Hours passed before he felt something — a faint magical pulse.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
Between the trees stood a creature: a tier-two intermediate monster — a Gloomscale Salamander.
Alex's eyes narrowed.
He analyzed its movements, its posture, its rhythm. With the right preparation, maybe — just maybe — he could take it down.
And so, he began to stalk it, silent and calculating.
The hunt had begun.