The Golem Mage

619: Preparation.

619: Preparation.

The next day, Alec stepped out of his room only to find the main room completely empty, this was a surprising development; as he had never encountered a time when the space felt so deserted.

Curious, he closed his eyes and attempted to use his mental energy to probe for any hidden presence, perhaps planning a surprise for him.

Unfortunately, the other room’s barrier blocked any mental power interference, regardless, he was able to confirm that no one was there.

Determined to find someone, he made his way to the training room as he was sure he would meet either Lucas or Brandon there.

When Alec opened the door, he was taken aback to see everyone gathered inside, except for the instructors, Selene, and the Dean.

The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as everyone battled, clearly venting their energy, although they couldn’t see it, but every time Alec used his Inspect skill on them, he noticed just how they were progressing even if it was little percentage.

He understood that the cultivation pills had enhanced their systems, and as long as they faced situations that got their blood pumping, they would be advancing gradually.

He was pleased to see them sparring with such intensity, which would only bolster their cultivation.

Without further delay, Alec approached Beatrice, who was observing the group.

“Good morning, my beautiful vice captain!” he called out, causing Beatrice to turn towards him with a blank expression, causing Alec to question whether she had any real feelings apart from the cold one and the blank one she wore all the time.

He rarely saw her smile, and it seemed there was a reason for that,but since he wasn’t sure if she considered him a close enough friend to discuss her past, he opted not to pry.

“Good morning, Alec!” Beatrice replied, omitting the “captain” title that would have made the conversation feel more formal.

Alec felt a surge of pleasure at the small sign of progress in their relationship.

“So what’s going on?

What’s got the whole team so pumped up?

I’ve never seen them this serious about anything before, i don’t know what the wacky instructor team promised them, but they’re definitely making me look bad for sleeping in,” Alec remarked.

“It’s simple, our third-round opponents have been confirmed, and we’ll be the first match—fighting tomorrow morning,” Beatrice replied.

“Wow, first again!

Whoever we face better be ready; we have a team with full morale,” Alec said, enthusiasm bubbling in his voice until Beatrice turned to look at him.

“That’s not what’s got them hyped; it’s the fact that the third round and the finals will take place at the Royal Palace!”

“Are you serious?” Alec gasped, completely stunned.

He had been unaware of such developments.

“Well, it’s been confirmed.

We’ll be facing the Onyx Academy in the Royal Palace Square Arena in an all-out battle with no holds barred—it’s a full team matchup, that’s why everyone’s so pumped; they get to fight and determine whether we advance, i think none of them want to let the team down, so they’re doing their best to be in top shape,” Beatrice explained.

Now, Alec felt the weight of pressure settle on his shoulders.

He realized he would need the full strength of his team; he couldn’t take on the entire Onyx team alone, just like he did in the second round.

Just facing four members of the Vajra Academy team had left him feeling strained, and he wasn’t ready to be in that state during an open all-team fight.

While Alec would have loved to rely on his golem army to support his team in securing a victory, it felt like the competition committee was working against him.

Because the captain of Onyx Academy commanded an undead army, making him more of a one-man force than Alec could ever be with his golems.

When the match began, Alec’s main mission would be to keep the captain in check so he wouldn’t eliminate any of their teammates.

This meant that for the first time, his entire team would have to fend for themselves without his help—a heavy realization for him.

“On the bright side,” Beatrice interjected,

“they’ve reinstated some measures from the first round.

We’ll be fighting on a magical stage again, one that can expel anyone killed without causing real damage, it seems you scared them with your display in the last round.”

“Gather round!” Alec called, drawing the entire team to his side.

He started tossing bottles of Tier 4 pills mixed with a few Tier 5 ones around, reserving the bottles filled only with Tier 5 pills for Beatrice and Lucas.

“Inside these bottles are ten pills each, distributed based on my evaluation of your endurance levels,” Alec explained, pausing to let the information sink in.

Caught up in his rush to prepare them, he didn’t notice the shocked expressions on his teammates’ faces.

They were all perplexed by his generosity with the pills, even Pale thought that if he were in Alec’s position, there would be no way he would be sharing; he would rather hoard the pills for himself.

It was this selflessness that earned Alec his respect.

Before, Alec had only been able to provide at least ten Tier 5 cultivation pills at a time, and Pale recalled how much they had to haggle over who would get the most.

But now, Alec was able to offer even more.

Though no one asked, but they all suspected that Alec had learned the path of an alchemist mage even if he didn’t share it with them.

They felt this way because he rarely left his room, leading them to believe he wasn’t acquiring the pills from anyone else.

They figured he would excel as an alchemist Mage if he focuses on it, accumulating both wealth and respect, as the War God Academy would easily elevate his position, as the team believed he had solidified his rank as a Mid Rank 2 alchemist.

Even a Mid Rank 1 alchemist is extremely rare and highly respected, let alone a young Mid Rank 2 alchemist like Alec.

In the Northern Kingdom, alchemist ranks were categorized into three levels: Low, Mid, and High, with each rank further divided into three tiers.

Alec was at Mid Rank 2 in their face because he could now produce Tier 5 pills with ease, he would be considered a Mid Rank 3 once he could produce Tier 6 pills, but many other Mid Rank 2 alchemists struggled to provide Tier 5 pills like he did.

Alchemists typically received their ranks when they first created the particular pill rank, but this didn’t necessarily imply they have high proficiency; it simply meant they had improved from their previous rank and can produce pills of the lower rank more easier.

Alec was an exception, thanks to the Primordial Tree, which enabled him to produce all those pills effortlessly.