CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96 : A UNTRUSTABLE SNAKE

After stepping out of the Nexus Core facility, Alex strolled through the Academy’s glass-and-steel corridor, hands in his pockets, the faint glow of mana-reactive panels lighting the path.

The air buzzed faintly with residual energy, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Okay, Useless, tell me what the hell just happened back there," he said, his tone somewhere between annoyed and curious.

Silence.

No prompt. No sarcasm. No condescending remarks. Nothing.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hello again? You’re there, right?"

Still no answer.

He sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up. "Alright, alright. I get it. Let me rephrase. My good, kind, all-knowing, highly efficient system... could you please tell me what happened back there just now?"

A voice finally echoed in his mind, smug and immediate.

[Host, you should have started with that.]

Alex groaned. "Now you decide to talk?"

[You do not seem surprised.]

"Of course I’m not surprised! So tell me what the hell just happened back there!"

[Okay, Host, I was just recalibrating your mana readings.]

He paused mid-step. "Wait... recalibrating? What does that even mean?"

[You have not realized it yet, but your mana is far denser and several times purer than the average cadet. That’s why the crystal began absorbing it like a sponge.]

Alex blinked. "Is that why the crystal started going crazy? Why it glowed... green in the end?"

[Correct. That evaluation crystal is designed to quantify mana density and quality on a linear spectrum—from white to silver. For avatars such as Ethan, they installed a mechanism that shows gold.

But your mana output overshot the expected range. It reached saturation beyond Monarch- and gold-tier purity, and then surpassed it.]

[Due to the overwhelming concentration of your mana, the crystal’s measurement scale was overloaded, and it couldn’t analyze your mana core’s potential signature.

Once its detection matrix failed, it defaulted to a defensive reboot state. When it recalibrated because of the overflow, the response was—green.]

He raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn’t it have exploded or turned silver at least? Or something dramatic? And can you please speak human?"

[Your mana core output exceeded the calibrated threshold mid-scan. To prevent system overload, the crystal initiated a containment protocol and terminated the analysis early.

The green coloration was not a reflection of your true rank—it was a default indicator used when the scan cannot process or classify the core accurately.

As the Academy didn’t expect something like this, they did not install any kind of mechanism for situations like yours.

In essence, the crystal only managed to analyze your core partially before failing to keep up with its complexity.]

Alex gave a thoughtful look. "So, what you’re saying is..." he tapped his chin thoughtfully, "the crystal couldn’t measure me properly."

[In other words, yes, Host. You could say that.]

Alex nodded, satisfied. "Well, I expected something like that when it started going crazy."

He stopped, gazing out a window at the training arenas below. A light smirk curled on his lips.

"Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s Master or Monarch rank. If I can’t surpass Monarchs myself... I’ll just have to make Monarchs—and even Transcendent-rank talents—serve me."

He chuckled darkly to himself. "And I already have a few candidates in mind."

That laugh slowly grew deeper, more theatrical, full of villainous flair. It echoed through the corridor, sending a visible shiver down the spines of nearby cadets who were just passing by.

A few students froze mid-step.

"...What the hell?" one whispered before backing away quickly.

One poor soul nearly dropped his Etherpad after seeing his smile.

Even the system hesitated for a beat.

[...Host, you might be a lunatic. And a dangerous lunatic at that.]

"How rude. But I’ll take it as a compliment."

---

Meanwhile, in the sealed lab where Alex had taken his potential test, the air shimmered with the remnants of a mana overload.

The crystal at the center of the chamber, now blackened and split, gave a low hum before cracking violently. With a sharp snap, it burst apart like a miniature bomb.

A wave of force shot through the room. Fire burst from the overloaded containment runes.

Instantly, the lab’s Flame Suppression Protocol activated—a cutting-edge system that released a nanite-infused mist laced with cooling mana threads. Within seconds, the fire was neutralized, the air crisp and dry again. The walls hissed with steam.

Alarms blared across the hallway.

Chloe was chatting casually with Selena on the outdoor terrace overlooking the courtyard when the shrill alarms cut through the ambient hum of the Academy.

Both turned.

"That’s coming from the evaluation wing," Chloe muttered.

Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the source.

Smoke still lingered in the air when they entered the lab. The evaluation chamber was a mess—runes blackened, instruments fried, and in the center, the crystal that had been used for Alex’s evaluation lay in glittering fragments.

"What the hell...?" Chloe stared wide-eyed. "It’s in pieces!"

She turned toward Selena, expecting concern. Instead, what she saw made her skin crawl.

Selena was smirking.

That wasn’t just a pleased smirk. It was a maniacal, lip-twitching, eyes-glinting-in-amusement expression.

"Selena... why are you smiling like that?"

Snapped from her thoughts, Selena quickly wiped the expression from her face. "Ah. Nothing. I was just... thinking."

Chloe narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

Selena, however, whispered under her breath as she looked at the ruined crystal, her voice barely audible even to herself.

’A devil... among monsters.’

---

Back in the main building, Alex, having sorted through his thoughts—and successfully spooked a few classmates with his villain monologue—headed toward his next class.

Today was a big one.

Rune Arts.

Just thinking about it made his pace quicken. When the time had come to choose additional elective subjects aside from the compulsory ones, he hadn’t hesitated at all.

Rune Language was one of the most complex, versatile, and dangerous arts in the world.

And exactly the kind of knowledge Alex wanted.

The classroom was in a more secluded corner of the Academy. As the door slid open with a soft shh, he peered inside.

The professor hadn’t arrived yet.

Only a handful of first-year cadets were present, scattered throughout the rows, many with confused expressions, already flipping through thick rune books.

Alex walked in and, for once, chose a front-row seat. There were plenty available too.

He looked around, amused. "Guess most first-years aren’t too interested in this stuff. Makes sense. It’s one of the hardest arts to learn in the entire world."

Before he could get too comfortable, a voice—smooth, playful, and just a bit mocking—came from beside him.

"Well, well... if it isn’t our mighty Apex.

Alex Dragonheart himself. Gracing us with his presence in the runic wing of academia."

Alex turned—and his eyes widened slightly.

Lilia Scott.

Orange hair that glinted like embers under the classroom lights, dark eyes filled with mischief, and an almost unnatural beauty wrapped in the sleek, black uniform of the Academy. The outfit hugged her figure with ruthless efficiency, accentuating her elegance and danger in equal measure.

She was his teammate for the upcoming mission.

A member of the infamous Shadow Serpent organization.

A spy.

And someone Alex knew better than to trust. In the game, she was one of the reasons why Ophelia became so obsessed with Ethan Williams that she almost lost her mind.

Lilia smiled and took the seat next to him, her gaze playfully unreadable.

Alex returned the smile.

But in his mind, he noted coldly:

’Snake spotted.’

Alex immediately regained his composure, brushing an imaginary speck off his uniform and lifting his chin with theatrical grandeur.

"Well, well," he said, flashing a dazzling smirk, "you may now start worshipping me for gracing you with my presence. I suggest starting with kneeling—left leg first."

A few chuckles rippled through the classroom.

Even some of the more serious students couldn’t help but smirk. A girl in the back actually snorted. Someone muttered, "This guy’s something else. Insulting Lilia like this in a class where she excels," under their breath. The tension from earlier instantly dissolved into a buzz of amused whispers.

Lilia’s mouth twitched.

She had expected him to be a little flustered after making such a grand entrance and practically falling into the spotlight during the entrance ceremony when Alex delivered his speech.

Maybe a touch of humility, or at least an awkward apology.

Instead, what she got... was a lunatic. A smug, brazen lunatic.

"You’re really quite funny, aren’t you, mister?" she said, trying to keep her tone neutral, but her annoyance was beginning to bleed through.

Alex didn’t miss a beat.

"Funny? I was actually being serious. Someone like you doesn’t often get to witness godly beauty such as myself. Consider this your lucky day."

A vein throbbed visibly on Lilia’s temple.

She sighed sharply. "Okay, okay, I’m honoured. Can we please just talk like normal people?"

"As you should be," Alex replied instantly, reclining slightly with theatrical grace. "And I am talking normally."

His grin widened as he watched her face contort through phases of disbelief, irritation, and forced composure. He was clearly enjoying himself far too much.

Lilia, on the inside, was seething.

’What a pain in the ass,’ she thought.

If she didn’t have strict orders to befriend and observe him, she would’ve already made arrangements for him to vanish quietly by nightfall.

The Academy wouldn’t even notice if a commoner like him disappeared.

Though... she grudgingly admitted,

’He is good-looking. Stupidly good-looking.

I wonder if I can convince him to go to the ball with me.’

Then just as Alex opened his mouth to deliver another wonderfully sarcastic remark, the smooth hum of the automatic door sliding open interrupted him.

"Everyone, take your seats immediately," came a firm voice.

The classroom turned toward the entrance. An older man in his early fifties walked in, dressed in a high-collared coat of deep blue adorned with silver lines that faintly shimmered. His posture was straight, and his presence demanded attention without effort.

He stepped onto the platform at the front of the class and scanned the room with sharp, calculating eyes. Then his gaze narrowed.

"Miss Lilia... did you not hear what I just said?"

Lilia, who had just been mentally planning various accidental disappearance scenarios for Alex, snapped out of her internal monologue.

"Yes, Professor," she said quickly and moved to take the empty seat next to Alex with a calm grace.

Alex, of course, offered her an exaggerated bow as she sat down.

"You didn’t kneel, but I will let that slide—because as generous as I am, I am also forgiving."

She shook her head and ignored him.

The professor tapped the panel in front of the class, and a floating display materialized behind him, glowing with runic patterns and shifting diagrams.

"My name is Rick Colesan," he said with practiced clarity. "I will be teaching you Rune Arts this semester."

The room quieted further as he looked over the class.

"As always," Rick continued, "there are only a handful of you who chose this elective. Fewer still who will have the patience to master it."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"Rune Arts are not flashy. They require time. Study. Precision. Discipline. Most of you will lose interest within the month." His tone was blunt, and many students looked uneasy.

"But..." He lifted his hand, and a small rune circle lit up mid-air. "If you do learn this... then you will possess one of the most powerful and versatile tools in your arsenal. You can use elements outside your natural affinity.

You can create teleportation gates, design custom attack spells, construct barriers, summon spatial traps—some runes can even seal enemies indefinitely."

He turned toward the display, now showing a rotating 3D model of a warp gate.

"Even the warp gates you use to travel across the continent? Rune Arts."

Gasps echoed through the room.

Students who had been slouching suddenly sat upright. Even those who had taken the course on a whim were now visibly intrigued.

Rick scanned the room once more, then his eyes landed on Alex—surprised.

"Well, well," he said, his voice warming slightly. "Looks like we have an interesting cadet with us this year. The Apex of the first-years himself."

A few whispers passed through the class.

Rick tilted his head. "So, lad... are you interested in Runes?"

Alex responded immediately, voice smooth and confident.

"Of course, sir. Rune Arts can become one of the most broken fields if mastered properly. Not learning it would be borderline criminal."

Rick burst into a rare laugh.

"Hah! You’re not wrong." Then his smile faded into something more appraising. "Assuming you have the talent and intelligence to learn it properly."

Alex leaned back in his seat with a lazy grin.

"Well, sir... we’ll never know until we try."

Lilia, meanwhile, was fuming.

’So he can talk normally?’ she thought, gripping her pen a little too tightly.

She turned to glare at him, but Alex, already anticipating it, met her gaze with a smirk that practically screamed caught you thinking about me.

She almost growled.

’This damn bastard is going to be the end of my patience.’

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A/N:-

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