Outside the jungle…
Scarlett watched with wide eyes, utterly flabbergasted by Alex's actions.
"This… this madman!" she muttered in disbelief.
Never in her life had she expected a boy who had barely entered the world of magic to hunt something above his level—let alone a creature above his tier.
'True, the early stages are easier to jump through,' she thought, 'but still… this is only his first year with proper education.'
Every time she believed she finally understood Alex, he showed her just how little she truly knew about him. His tenacity, patience, and devilish cunning were mesmerizing—and terrifying—to witness.
But as the astonishment faded, frustration settled in. She knew this would be Alex's first and last year at the academy; he had made it clear he would be leaving afterward.
'I get chills just imagining what he would accomplish if he stayed another year…' Scarlett thought bitterly. The more she saw of his potential, the more she wanted him to remain—but deep down, she knew it was impossible after everything he had endured.
On the other side, Fabian observed Alex with an odd, fascinated expression.
"Mixing actual poison with a skill? Ah! Marvelous—truly brilliant!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide like a man possessed.
He wasn't a water-element user himself, so the idea of integrating an external factor into a spell had never crossed his mind. In all his years, he had rarely even heard of such a method. Usually, the higher one's realm, the greater their spell arsenal—and the harder it became to cross levels in combat. After all, higher-level monsters possessed sharper intelligence and adaptability.
'Alex happens to have the perfect skillset and knowledge, combined with just the right level of strength to think up something like this,' Fabian mused with admiration.
"Ah, what a spectacle he's putting on," he murmured to himself. "First the skirmish, and now he's hunting an advanced monster as an apprentice. Luckily, the others are focused on their own students, or else…" He chuckled darkly.
Alex was truly fortunate. Each teacher could only select a single student to observe—otherwise, every instructor would have noticed him by now, and that kind of attention would have been dangerous.
At first, Fabian hadn't known whom to watch. The selection process bored him, especially since he was forbidden from leaving the observation area for safety reasons.
But eventually, one student came to mind: a boy with a hunger for knowledge unlike any he had ever seen. Alex's questions during class had always been sharp, insightful—sometimes even difficult for Fabian himself to answer.
Curiosity had driven him to choose Alex. According to the academy's entrance records, the boy only knew two spells. But now, Fabian was watching him wield four—an altered version of Windslicer and an original water-based spell derived from Ice Spear.
'Six months for two new spells… remarkable,' Fabian thought, shaking his head in awe.
Back in the jungle…
Unaware of the growing interest from outside observers, Alex moved calmly through the dense wilderness.
For him, surviving in the jungle wasn't difficult. He had lived through far worse. Now that he had a clear plan in mind, each step felt purposeful.
Once again, he began scouting for nobles. Their enmity was beyond repair, and though he no longer cared much, he still remembered Scarlett's advice: only strike at those who had truly wronged him.
That way, if any noble families complained, Scarlett could truthfully defend him—saying their children had provoked him first, and that Alex merely fought fair and square within the test's boundaries.
He moved carefully, hunting monsters whenever he could. Most of his kills came through ambushes from the shadows. Whenever his mana dropped to a quarter of his total capacity, he rested instead of using potions.
He aimed for vital spots, often the monsters' cores, even if it meant losing them as materials. Conserving resources was more important than profit right now.
As night fell, Alex searched for shelter and found a hollow tree trunk. It wasn't ideal—it forced him to sleep sitting upright—but it was the safest option before darkness made further searching impossible.
He cooked a small meal over a makeshift bonfire, the flickering light dancing on his face. After eating, he extinguished the flames with a soft wave of water magic and sealed the entrance as best he could.
Today had been productive. After days of stalking the salamander, he finally had time to hunt other creatures again. Monsters tended to avoid stronger beings, so he hadn't encountered much resistance before now.
Still, he had found no trace of Tessa or Marc. Then again, the jungle was enormous, and everyone was constantly on the move.
Eventually, his weary thoughts faded as sleep claimed him.
The next morning, Alex resumed his journey after a simple breakfast.
Today was his birthday—the first day of Dusmire. He had finally come of age. But instead of celebrating with friends or family, he found himself deep in the wilderness with splinters stuck in butt cheeks.
'Ahhh… how unfortunate,' he sighed inwardly.
As he walked, he gathered magical plants—some he recognized, others he didn't—but he could tell they were valuable by the faint hum of mana they emitted.
He hunted regularly, alternating between Water Spear and Windslicer Barrage to improve his proficiency in both.
At night, he followed the same routine: cook, hide, meditate, and practice Senturion control until exhaustion overtook him.
Days blurred together without a single human scent or sound.
'Actually, it makes sense,' he mused one evening. 'By now, plenty of participants must've been eliminated. The jungle's still the same size—but with fewer people left.'
It had been nine days since the test began, with twenty-one still remaining.
He couldn't imagine any reason for such a lengthy exam—unless it was designed to give nobles the upper hand. Carrying potions and other forbidden items made their survival easier. If the test lasted only a week, some commoners might have had a real chance to surpass them.
Now, it was clear. The long duration gave nobles ample opportunity to hunt down weaker students.
A darker thought crept into Alex's mind.
'I wouldn't even be surprised if the teachers turned a blind eye to the nobles' worst crimes… even if one of them were to rape a commoner girl.'
The memory of that girl—the one from long ago—surfaced, rekindling the rage that had cooled over the past days. His body tensed, his jaw clenched.
Anger, once again, consumed him.
And as the days passed, just when his thoughts finally began to calm, the world seemed eager to mock him—by proving him right.