"because...

"... like you, i''ve endured the harshest of training, the exhaustion of the mind, and the wear of the spirit not because of any desire for fame or recognition, but because of an unyielding drive to be strong."

he began in a low tone as he turned his gaze from zen to the crowd, his mind going back to the vision he experienced a year ago and the promise he made to himself.

"the strength i wield now may have been as a result of my awakening, but do not belittle my efforts!

"you think combat skills and techniques like that come cheap?! some of you may already be aware, but i''ve been stuck at the same level since my awakening."

hearing his words, the seniors turned to look at the other first years for confirmation and noticed their nods of affirmation.

alex could feel his emotions rising from how he was perceived. what began as a petty fight to put zen in his place had turned into something bigger; something he didn''t see because of his reserved nature.

turning back to zen who now had his head raised, he moved slowly towards him and continued.

"you take my silent and reserved nature for arrogance, but you don''t know me. none of you do!"

he swung his arm out to emphasize his point, his eyes ablaze with mana. he released a deep breath to calm his rising emotions. he did not just address zen, but everyone watching him.

"i apologize if my presence ever made you guys feel inadequate. know that it wasn''t my intention to do so."

every word he spoke reverberated throughout the large arena engaging the spectating students as they thought back to how they felt every time they heard of alex; it always made them question whether they amounted to anything at all.

"there''s a weight that comes with knowing others are watching you, expecting greatness. but if there''s one thing i ask you to remember, it''s that i''m not here to outshine but to become strong enough to protect what''s important."

"it''s pointless to compare yourself to me. the path i walk is different; different than anything you''ve ever seen, much less understand it."

alex expressed with a head shake and then turned to zen. now that he had gotten that out of his chest, he didn''t know what else to do.

zen was out and couldn''t continue and he couldn''t kill him when he had clearly given up. chuckling to himself, his brown eyes focused on zen as he declared.

"yield."

one word and it expressed his desire to end this fight that was clearly over. zen sat down with a relieved expression, and although still bleeding, it wasn''t as bad as before. it was like a weight was taken off his shoulders hearing alex''s words.

''did what i said reach him?'' he mused internally.

"you know you''re one hell of a freak, right?" zen voiced out of nowhere. alex tilted his head in confusion, perplexed as to where that came from.

he just spoke about not comparing themselves to him.

"you alright?"

he was proud of the man alex was becoming. despite experiencing what he did, and whether it was true or not, alex did not let it get to him.

he continued cultivating in the hopes that he would one day find a way. at the same time, he had clearly stated to everyone watching, students and all, that his strength was a result of a different power system.

''the danger surrounding him is growing by the day. with his explicit statement, more eyes would be on him. and telling him that would only force the kid to live a life of always watching his back, at least until he is strong enough to defend himself.

''hopefully, the gift i''ve prepared for him should be helpful to some extent.''

......

in an unknown location

[what are your orders, sir?]

a voice, male-sounding, from a communication device resounded across a room shrouded in darkness with the only light source being the holographic display before whomever the question was directed to.

the being in question thought remained silent for several seconds, their gaze not leaving the figure of alex.

alex had been on their radar for some time now, and the only reason they hadn''t made contact was because a lot of people were also watching.

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like most powerful beings in this universe, they were stuck at their level and unable to grow any further. yet, they could all tell that they hadn''t reached the limits of what they could achieve.

for the longest time, there was little hope of growing until alex appeared. what began as a curious desire to understand how he survived a cosmic mana wave had turned into a race to uncover the secrets of his power.

from what they had been able to gather on the boy, everything hinted at a possible means of breaking their limits and advancing.

yes, it was only a possibility, but it was better than nothing. now with the boy confirming their guess on there being a different path to follow, their interest in him had grown even more.

recent events have further deepened that interest. as these thoughts went through the being''s mind, he came to a decision.

"continue to monitor him and stay out of sight. you''re already aware hunter zol and the order are on his detail."

of course, the being wasn''t entirely sure, but he would be a fool to not factor that in. his superiors were relying on him after all. there was no room for failure; patience was key.

they''ve waited all these years for a clue forward, a few more wouldn''t make a difference.

"there will definitely be an opportunity to ''invite'' him over."

[yes, sir]

the comms went off shortly after.