The Golem Mage

650: Good Bye.

650: Good Bye.

The War God Academy team returned to their living quarters, gathering in the main room that connected all their rooms.

They exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

“How did we get to this point?

I have to admit, when we set off for the capital, I never expected to make it to the finals of the inter-academy competition, my only desire had been to get a little spotlight on me, enough to catch the attention of some elders from my clan,” Pale remarked.

“But now, I’m pretty sure almost every elder in the Zero Clan knows my name,” he continued, prompting more laughter from his teammates.

“I’m so proud of you all!

Alec, what’s with that face?

You look like you’d rather be anywhere else than celebrating with us,” Selene said, standing as she curiously observed his demeanor.

“Sorry about that.

I’m just a bit sleep-deprived.

I really would like to skip the celebration activities, if you all don’t mind,” Alec replied, turning to the rest of the team and giving them a pleading smile.

Before long, most of the team started chiming in, agreeing that Alec should go rest, as some of them even made excuses, saying they wanted to do something else or focus on their cultivation.

While they were all aware that they weren’t as strong as the other two teams remaining, reaching the finals was still an achievement to them.

Now they just had to wait two more days to find out who their next opponent would be and what the battle format would entail.

Selene watched as the little victory party dispersed, with Alec retreating to his room and collapsing onto his bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Lucas, Brandon, Arthur, and Endrick headed to the training room; Knight was trying to break through a plateau in his training, while Kate and Agnes focused on their cultivation.

Beatrice settled in her room, studying her puppetry arts techniques.

Practically the entire team left Selene alone in the main living room to go do one thing or the other.

About twenty minutes later, the Dean and two instructors entered the room.

Though the Dean would have loved to come instantly after the match ended, but with the academy having just entered the finals, he couldn’t disappear that quickly.

Many sought to curry favour with him, while others came to congratulate him, although Alec had turned down a small interview with the referee, but the Dean knew he couldn’t afford to do the same; those congratulating him were all at his level or above, and they were individuals he might need their help in the future, so he was kind in a way building relationships for the War God Mage Academy.

So, despite feeling pressed to leave, he had to stay and entertain everyone’s requests, even forcing a smile for those who had ridiculed his team before.

Even if he suspected they were up to no good, he was the kind of person who wouldn’t call them out.

This skill in managing difficult people was one of the many reasons the Old Dean had chosen him to hold his position while he was in seclusion.

And now he was finally free, the first thought that crossed his mind was to check on the entire team.

But when he arrived, none of them could be found in the main living room.

“Where are they?” the Dean questioned.

“They’re all occupied with different things, mostly preparing for the finals,” Selene replied.

“What about Alec?

I need to speak with him immediately,” the Dean insisted.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think it would be right to disrupt his cultivation right now, before he left, he mentioned he wanted to enter deep seclusion to heal from his internal injuries.”

“ As Dean of the academy, I would hope you wouldn’t mind waiting until he’s finished, considering he’s taken our academy to the finals,” Selene said, putting on a humble face even while lying.

The Dean, accustomed to faking emotions, could see that her true desire was to reply sarcastically.

Nevertheless, his position demanded her respect, and that was why she still extended him the courtesy he was due.

Seeing that Selene wouldn’t yield, the Dean sighed and left the room, heading towards his own accommodation.

Although he wanted to discuss many things with Alec, he realized after listening to Selene that it wouldn’t hurt to wait until Alec emerged from seclusion.

With the Dean gone, the two instructors that came with him remained standing there, looking lost.

They had already packed their bags, a clear indication that they believed the War God Academy team would lose.

Now, with the situation having turned around, it was evident even if no one spoke of it, that their position on the team had become non-existent.

They had not been well-liked before, and now they would be even more disliked.

—

Due to his exhaustion, Alec slept for an unusually long time, until he was eventually being pulled from whatever dream world he inhabited into the Amulet space when it was time.

When he entered the space, he was half-naked, clad only in some medieval-looking pants that barely covered his private parts like in the beginning.

This was a new development for Alec; as each time he entered the Amulet space before, he had quickly summoned his red Salamander armor to cover up.

However, when he unconsciously attempted to summon it this time, it didn’t receive any feedback or response.

That was when he remembered that the spirit armor had been broken during his last fight with Dorian.

Looking down at his body, he felt that the tattoos representing the red Salamander set, once hidden deep within his flesh, had vanished as if they had been erased.

“I know how much you loved that armor set, so I spent some system points to help you rearrange it into its old form.

However, you’ll still see the cracks, and it no longer possesses any spirit energy, which means it can’t be used for defense.

It’s more like a collectible now,” the system spirit said, appearing again in its blue, bubbling form.

After hearing the spirit’s words, Alec quickly checked his space ring and found the red Salamander armor carefully tucked away in one corner, though it no longer held any spirit energy.

Yet, the armor still emanated a distinct aura, not an oppressive one, but a presence accumulated from every beast it had helped Alec defeat.

It shimmered with this aura, and Alec could sense that it somewhat imitated his own, causing a small smile to form at the corners of his lips.

“I guess it’s time I finally get a new armor that matches my realm then.

Thank you!” Alec said, turning to the system spirit to express his gratitude.