"i see... and you believe i had it easier, don''t you?"

alex retorted observing zen''s expression that remained stern with a frown.

"i could go on about my own difficulties, but i''ll spare you that..."

till now, he still hasn''t found a method to raise his level. stuck at the same stage he awakened at the only thing going on for him was his superior speed and strength. he had complaints like everyone else, yet he wasn''t going around making a fuss about it.

"i do have one question though. why do you seek strength?"

the question slightly dumfounded zen and he wasn''t the only one. his question didn''t match the atmosphere, and it was clear why everyone was in the academy.

so he was confused and didn''t know how to reply. he felt that there was something more to his question than the reason they all knew.

''is there something he knows that we don''t?''

zen finally asked himself, and as his mind spun to come up with what set them apart, he recalled the event that made alex famous.

''the cosmic mana wave.'' he concluded with a frown. experience tales with empire

observing his changing expression, alex knew zen understood his question.

"now you''re thinking. but it doesn''t matter anyway, you wouldn''t be able to do anything."

his puzzling words caused the watching students to murmur about what he spoke about. ross and julia were of the same confused expression.

they understood there was an underlying reason for his question they didn''t know about.

''looks like he hasn''t told us everything, and i''m guessing there''s a reason why.'' ross thought, arriving at the same conclusion as zen.

throughout the academy, everyone who had a good head on their shoulders and was watching the finals wore confused expressions, their curiosity about the entire situation growing but the second.

"that boy had to go and leave clues..."

hunter zol muttered from the spot he was watching. though he said that, the clear amusement in his eyes didn''t match his words.

.......

"enough about this already. let''s get to fighting," alex added in the end.

it was as if what he did was nothing but something he could dish out every day without sweat. the air was knocked out of him even though he was wearing armour.

''why am i even holding back using my mana when i have more than he has?'' he questioned his sanity as to why he was using physical daggers when he could use his metal magic.

with its versatile nature, he could change the form of his weapon at a moment''s notice. of course, his ability wasn''t the only one capable of such action. even alex could do something similar.

however, from what he had studied about alex, he seemed to prefer relying on his physical enhancements and weapons instead of his low mana.

suddenly, alex moved again, keeping his speed within a certain range to allow zen to see him approach.

reattaching the separated staff, he took the long staff form and instantly appeared before the kneeling zen and thrust the staff forward.

the staff whizzed through the air as it closed in on zen''s face. not wanting to experience another heavy blow, he dodged by bending his head to the side as his eyes remained glued on its trajectory.

suddenly, the moving staff stopped when a small fraction of the length moved past zen''s head. it was as if someone had pressed the pause button; alex had baited him into trying to evade.

naturally, he was aware zen could create a metal wall that could stop the staff in its tracks. but from the way he moved and the dumfounded expression zen had when he experienced a fraction of his strength, he doubted if that option crossed his mind.

then, a brief but intense flash of light was emitted from the staff blinding the dumbfounded and wide-eyed zen.

"ugh!"

he groaned in discomfort, disorientation, pain and temporary blindness. his eyes stung like hell and before he could even regain his awareness,

bang!

he felt a powerful blow to the side of his head that sent him tumbling across the arena until coming to a rolling stop several meters away.

"looks like alex isn''t playing around. the light flash was a smart move."

"yeah... he definitely knows what he''s doing."

back to the arena, alex remained in his spot and waited for zen to get back up. that was just round one and he wanted him to understand the gap between them.

just because he enjoyed playing around with his opponents to feel the thrill of battle didn''t mean he was someone to be taken lightly.

"get up!"

alex called out.