Chapter 51: May I have the room now?
Alex took a deep breath.
Opened his eyes.
Looked around slowly.
Then grabbed his head.
"Oh my god!"
"Who... who did all this?!"
"This is inhumane!"
He stood up.
Eyes wide. Mouth open.
"If I find out who did this..."
"I’ll STOP them!"
"I have to stop them!"
The teacher on the ground.
Still sitting there.
Glasses cracked.
Stared at Alex.
Mouth opened. Closed. Opened.
"You... you just..."
Hand pointed. Shaking violently.
"That was... YOU..."
A student in the crowd.
Face drained of color. Lips trembling.
"Is... is he serious?"
Another one.
Eyes wide. Stepping back slowly.
"He doesn’t remember?"
"Or is he just..."
Hands covered mouth.
Breathing through nose. Fast.
"This is insane."
"He’s completely insane."
Someone’s jaw hung open.
"I... I don’t know what to think..."
Swallowed hard. Adam’s apple bobbing.
"That was... brutal."
On the ground.
The vomit pile.
All of them writhing.
One looked up.
Saw Alex standing there.
Face smooth. Eyes soft.
"You... you MONSTER!"
Voice hoarse. Throat raw.
Another couldn’t speak.
Just gagging. Crying.
The girl.
Covered in filth. Hair matted.
Looked at Alex.
Body shaking uncontrollably.
"Stay... stay away..."
"Please..."
Ethan.
Still on the ground. Umbrella still there.
Breathing in gasps.
Face pressed to the floor.
Tears and snot everywhere.
"You... you’re dead..."
"Dead..."
Down the hall.
The runner.
Also impaled.
Whimpering.
"Someone... please... help..."
Alex smiled.
Walked toward the teacher.
Steps light. Relaxed.
Crouched down.
The teacher flinched. Scooted back.
Alex put a hand on his shoulder.
Gentle.
"Hey. I’m really sorry about that."
The teacher’s whole body went rigid.
"I have... a bit of a problem."
Alex tapped his temple.
"Up here."
"Sometimes my protective instincts..."
He sighed. Shoulders dropped.
"They just take over."
"Can’t help it."
Pause.
"Doctors say it’s a condition."
The teacher just stared.
Couldn’t speak.
Alex’s smile widened.
Eyes crinkled at the corners.
"So... can I use the Supreme Room now?"
The teacher’s hand fumbled.
Reached into his pocket.
Pulled out the golden key.
Shaking so hard it almost dropped.
"T-take it..."
"Just... just go..."
Alex took the key.
Stood up.
"Thank you! You’re so understanding!"
The teacher scrambled to his feet.
Almost fell.
Caught himself.
Then ran.
Didn’t look back.
Alex hummed.
Started walking down the hall.
Tune light. Cheerful.
"Walking on sunshine, oh yeah~"
"Got my key, gonna train today~"
He passed by Ethan.
Stopped.
Looked down.
Eyebrows raised. Head tilted.
"Oh man. You okay?"
Ethan’s eyes were bloodshot.
Glaring. Hateful.
But couldn’t speak.
Just breathing. Gasping.
Alex crouched down.
"Here. Let me help."
Grabbed the umbrella.
"This looks really uncomfortable."
"Don’t... don’t you DARE—"
Alex pulled.
YANK!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ethan’s scream echoed.
Body convulsed.
Fresh tears.
Alex held the umbrella. Inspected it.
"Wow. Really in there, huh?"
Ethan lay there. Gasping.
Face red. Veins bulging.
"You... you’re finished..."
Voice barely a whisper.
"Completely... finished..."
"My father... will destroy you..."
"You’re... done..."
Alex tilted his head.
"Oh. You don’t want to be saved?"
Ethan’s eyes widened.
"What?"
"Guess you’re happy like this."
"NO WAIT—"
Alex pushed the umbrella back in.
SHOVE!
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"STOP! PLEASE! AHHHH!"
Voice cracking. Breaking.
Alex stood up.
Dusted off his hands.
"Alright then!"
"You take care now!"
Started walking again.
Humming louder.
"Life is good, can’t complain~"
"Gonna get stronger, feel no pain~"
Turned the corner.
Disappeared.
Gone.
The crowd.
Still frozen.
Someone finally moved.
Blinked.
"Did... did that just happen?"
Legs gave out. Sat down hard.
"I... I can’t..."
"That was..."
Someone turned.
Face white as paper.
"We never saw this."
"Right?"
"We were NEVER here."
Nodding frantically.
"Never. We saw NOTHING."
A voice. Barely a whisper.
"That’s... that’s my idol..."
Head shaking slowly.
"I need... I need to reconsider some things..."
Phone still recording. Forgotten.
Aimed at nothing now.
Just the empty hallway.
"I got it all..."
"Every second..."
Pause.
"Should I... should I delete this?"
The teacher who ran.
Came back. Different teacher with him.
Both stopped at the entrance.
Saw the scene.
The pile. The two umbrellas. The students.
Face drained of color.
"What in the..."
Still shaking.
"That boy... Alex..."
"He’s..."
Couldn’t finish.
Just pointed at the hallway.
Where Alex disappeared.
The other looked.
Nothing there now.
Just empty.
Quiet.
Then humming. Faint. Distant.
Hand went to chest.
"I’m calling security."
"And the principal."
"And... and maybe the police."
.....
Alex pushed open the door.
Supreme Room S-1.
Stepped inside.
And froze.
The air. Different.
Pure. Clean. Dense.
Energy everywhere.
Like breathing liquid power.
His skin tingled. Hair standing up.
Every sense sharpened.
He could hear his own heartbeat. Clear. Strong.
Could feel the energy in the walls. The floor. The ceiling.
All of it flowing. Circling.
Converging on the center platform.
"Holy shit..."
15x effect. No joke.
This was incredible.
Then text appeared.
[Option 3 Complete!]
[Reward: Tier 2 Vine Potion!]
[New Title: Going Feral!]
[Effect: When you go feral, opponent’s IQ -20%!]
Alex opened his system inventory.
A new bottle appeared.
Glowing. Bright green.
WAY greener than Tier 1.
Almost neon.
He stared at it.
"Damn..."
Tier 2. This had to be good.
Maybe Lilian would know what it does.
Or... he could check with the official Bureau.
Victor owed him a favor anyway.
He closed the inventory.
Walked to the center platform.
Sat down. Cross-legged.
Closed his eyes.
Checked his spiritual power.
Level 10. Peak.
Right at the edge of perfection.
Just needed one final push.
To complete Level 10.
Then he could break through to Level 9.
He grinned.
Let’s do this.
Then noticed something else.
His system panel.
[Believers: 266]
266!
Up from 83!
183 new believers!
His eyes went wide.
What the—
Then new text appeared.
[Believer System Updated!]
[New Function Unlocked: Faith Burst!]
[Effect: Combat power x3 for 2 minutes]
[Cooldown: 72 hours]
Alex stared.
Read it again.
Triple combat power.
For two minutes.
Three. Times. His. Strength.
"YAHOO!"
He jumped up. Fist in the air.
Then laughed.
Sat back down.
Pulled out his spirit stones.
Over 40 of them.
Placed them on the platform.
The room’s energy surged.
Brighter. Hotter.
The stones started glowing.
Dissolving.
Pure energy is flooding into him.
....
A villa.
Across the city.
Large. Expensive. Marble floors.
The front door opened.
A wheelchair rolled in.
Someone sat in it.
Bandages. Everywhere.
Wrapped around their lower half.
Thick. White. Blood seeping through.
Face pale. Eyes unfocused.
Ethan.
Every small movement.
Face twisted. Teeth clenched.
"Ah... fuck..."
A maid pushed the wheelchair.
Face carefully neutral.
Rex walked beside them.
Face dark. Jaw tight.
"I TOLD you."
"Should’ve dealt with him earlier."
"Just kill him. Simple."
"Why all this bullshit?!"
Ethan’s mouth twitched.
Tried to shift. Immediately regretted it.
"AHHH—fuck!"
Froze. Breathing hard.
"I... I didn’t think..."
Voice strained.
"Didn’t think he’d actually..."
Pause.
"Go that crazy."
His mind flashed back.
The hallway.
Alex laughing. That insane laugh.
"HAHAHAHA! The Asura Evil God!"
Then the teacher. Flying through the air.
CRASH.
Bodies everywhere.
The umbrella.
Oh god. The umbrella.
Ethan’s face twisted.
The pain. The feeling.
Something foreign. Invading.
Then it OPENED.
Inside him.
He shuddered. Whole body trembling.
Couldn’t stop.
The screaming. His own voice.
Raw. Desperate.
Begging.
And Alex just... smiled.
Then walked away.
Humming.
Like it was NOTHING.
Ethan’s hands gripped the wheelchair arms.
Knuckles white.
Face red now. Not pale.
"That... BASTARD..."
Veins bulging in his neck.
"He’s DEAD."
"You hear me?!"
"DEAD!"