The city was still dark, the moonlight remained the dominant source of light, supported by the stars scattered across the dark sky, the air still felt cold.
In one of the houses at the corner of the city, a golden light emitted its presence.
A golden glow emerged from Alex's palm, its form like a thin mist.
Alex's eyes widened, he grabbed his right wrist and shook it.
The golden mist swayed.
A wide smile formed on Alex's face.
'So, this is what holy energy is, Krystal?'
A voice inside his head responded.
'Yes… that's just a little of what I can release right now….'
One of Alex's eyebrows lifted.
'This is very beautiful, you know? It's also warm.'
Alex stood up and danced around with his glowing palm, the soft golden mist following along.
Several times he made attacking poses, but nothing happened.
Alex took a deep breath, calming his rapidly beating heart.
'Is this for long-range attacks or punching?'
Krystal clicked her tongue.
'Ck ck ck, I thought you already knew. This idiot would probably be dead in this foreign world without me…'
Alex's eyebrow twitched, he wanted to shout but held himself back.
'Just explain it… bastard.'
Krystal spoke lazily.
'It's only useful against demons or monsters, idiot. Yeah… maybe it can also work against dark side users who contract with demons…'
Alex took a breath and exhaled.
He once again looked at his palm, every movement caused the glowing golden mist to follow.
'So if there are no monsters or demons, this is just a lighting tool.'
Krystal clicked her tongue again.
'You're the only one who would call inherited holy energy a lighting tool….'
Krystal's anger flared.
'That's a foolish hope!'
Alex scratched his head with his glowing hand.
He smiled.
'Is that so… that's actually true… because it feels warm.'
Krystal cursed at Alex inside his mind.
But a voice made Alex freeze.
"What are you doing this early in the morning?"
Krystal immediately hid the holy energy and Alex quickly turned around.
Alex smiled.
"Uh… dad…"
His father looked at him suspiciously.
"What are you doing? You just got back and already want to do something weird, huh?"
Cold sweat formed on Alex's palm.
'That was close…'
He crossed his arms.
"No way… I'm doing something weird. I'm just doing morning training."
His father narrowed his eyes.
"Let's go to the doctor this afternoon, okay?.... I think I'm going crazy for not recognizing my own son."
Alex burst into laughter, Krystal also laughed hearing that.
Alex wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Okay, okay… I'll take you there, dad…"
His father stared at him blankly.
He stretched his body.
"You know? You've already started acting tough after beating up that rich kid…"
Alex looked at his father.
His father smiled.
"How about we stretch a bit?"
Alex looked at his father in disbelief.
"That's not fair, right?"
His father chuckled.
"Only using physical strength… no mana and no talent."
This time Alex chuckled, he smiled slightly.
'That's true… I've never experienced the skill of a professional in this world….'
Alex smiled.
"Don't blame me if you really end up meeting a doctor this afternoon, okay?"
His father looked at him in disbelief.
"You just beat up those nice kids and you're already arrogant, huh?..."
Both of them prepared their stances.
But an attack hit his father first.
Fwosh.
It was a pillow flying hard.
Alex swallowed seeing his father collapse.
He looked toward where the pillow came from.
There, his mother was growling like she was about to explode.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING?!"
Alex helped his father up and they were forced to go back inside the house.
Slowly, sunlight crept across the city, driving away the night sky.
After a while, the blue sky revealed itself, white clouds scattered across it.
The still-warm sunlight managed to pierce through the clouds.
In one of the identical houses lined up together, Alex and his father stood side by side facing his mother, who looked at them while holding Aisy.
His mother sighed, looking at Alex who was wearing all-black clothes from jacket to pants.
"You can't stay here for a little longer?.... you just got back."
Alex scratched his cheek and smiled.
"I'm just going for a while, mom."
His mother's shoulders slumped.
"Yeah… what else can I do. Are you going with the princess? Is it like a date?"
His father clicked his tongue and pointed at Alex.
"No way Princess Katarina would want this kid…"
One of his father's eyebrows lifted.
"....Princess Katarina and Julian Overmas are more suitable."
Alex's eyebrow twitched.
"Julian? I already kicked his ass until he cried… and you're still comparing me to him?"
His father smiled and nodded, but suddenly he wrapped Alex in a tight hold.
Alex struggled.
"Hey hey… I asked the princess yesterday…"
Alex punched his father's arm, his face turning red.
"....she said the one you defeated was Arthur Dowman… and the simulation ended after that."
Alex couldn't respond as he struggled to breathe again when his mother hit his father's head.
"What are you doing to your son?!"
Aisy looked delighted seeing that.
His father rubbed his head.
"I'm just playing… look at him! He's already different from before."
Alex rubbed his neck and took a deep breath.
Alex looked at his father.
"Let's go now, if this continues it might take all day…"
His mother and Aisy hugged him.
Alex and his father said their goodbyes and left.
His father drove a white car through the busy city streets toward the outskirts.
As the traffic grew quieter, the white car turned right.
Along the road stood large trees, the air becoming fresher.
Alex opened the car window.
Sreet.
A fresh breeze hit his face, his black hair fluttering.
At the end of the road stood a massive gate as the entrance to a towering wall, not far inside were guard posts on each side.
Alex's father slowed down, the large gate slowly opened, a honking sound echoed as a greeting.
Beyond the gate, a mansion could be seen with a large main building and several smaller ones around it, a wide yard surrounding it, with trees and flowers growing beautifully.
His father parked the car and got out with Alex.
They walked side by side, his father's gray robe swaying as he looked at Alex.
"Actually, her majesty wanted to meet you… but she's very busy today."
Alex nodded briefly.
"So I'll just meet Katarina?"
His father wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulder and pointed somewhere.
"Yeah… the princess might be in the back garden, just follow that corridor."
Alex nodded.
"Alright… is this like a child visiting his father's workplace?"
His father chuckled as they stopped for a moment.
"Don't stay too long… your mother is very worried. I don't know what you're going to do…."
His father patted his shoulder.
"....but come back in one piece."
Alex nodded and hugged him slightly.
"Relax… I'll be back soon. This is just a casual trip."
His father chuckled.
Alex walked away.
His father shouted.
"When you come back, we'll continue what we started this morning!"
Alex gave a thumbs up.
His father sighed and smiled.
"He really has returned to how he used to be…"
Alex's footsteps echoed through the corridor, occasionally greeting servants and asking where Katarina was.
They were quite shocked because Alex looked very similar to Captain Sander, only his hair and height were different.
His steps led him to a garden behind the large building.
A stretch of colorful flowers of various kinds surrounded a small pavilion.
In the pavilion, two girls and a boy sat around a round table.
Alex glanced at the flower field.
His steps traced the path cutting through the flowers.
A smile formed on his face, the fresh air brushed against his skin.
A voice sounded in his head.
'Beautiful…'
Alex nodded.
'Right? I mean, this feels like heaven.'
Krystal agreed.
'Marry that princess so we can live here.'
Alex's eyebrow twitched.
His smile widened, his steps felt like dancing.
'That's not right. But it is….'
A loud voice ruined the atmosphere.
"THAT FRAUD! GET OVER HERE!"
Alex sighed, looking at Reva who was shouting.
"Relax, bastard!"
Alex jogged toward the pavilion, his black jacket swaying.
His eyes locked onto Katarina.
Katarina gestured for him to sit.
Alex sighed, then looked at the other boy, wearing dark blue pants and outerwear over a white shirt, his black hair tied.
"You came early, Ken?"
Ken shrugged.
One of Katarina's eyebrows lifted, her dark red hair tied up.
Katarina looked at Alex.
"You're quite late, aren't you?..."
Alex chuckled.
"I have a family… they find it very hard to let me go explore this harsh world, you know."
Reva, who was drinking tea, almost spat it out.
"Yeah… no matter how I look at it, you really are a mama's boy."
Alex's eyes widened, his face turned serious as he pointed at Reva.
"That's very true, how did you know? Were you following me?"
Veins bulged on Reva's forehead as he restrained himself.
Alex chuckled and clapped once.
"Alright… let's talk about the details…"
Everyone looked at Katarina.
Katarina tapped the table.
"Then let's get straight to the details…"
"The attacks on human cities yesterday were led by the dark side… but subordinates of the Overmas family were involved. That led to Clay Overmas being arrested…"
Everyone nodded.
Alex stroked his chin.
"The whole world already knows…"
Katarina sighed.
"Maya met him directly and saw it with her own eyes… Ophi. Maya tried to communicate but Ophi didn't respond."
Ken asked.
"Are they being controlled or something?"
Reva frowned.
Alex rested his head on his right hand.
Katarina sipped her tea briefly.
"Demonic energy, they are being controlled by demonic energy…"
Ken's eyes widened.
"Isn't demonic energy only able to infect people without mana?"
Katarina nodded.
"That's what we used to know… but they've evolved and this just appeared."
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"Did Maya say that? Wasn't Aril's mother the one who fought them?"
Everyone looked at Alex.
Reva spoke.
"Big sister Maya must have fought them and sensed the energy…"
Alex looked at Reva then at Katarina.
"Is that really how it is?"
Everyone looked at Katarina, and Katarina looked back at Alex.
"The headmaster told me…"
Alex chuckled.
"Well… that makes it clear."
Alex sighed.
"Come on… don't hide anything… it's fine to hide a little. But tell us the full plan."
Katarina laughed softly and shrugged.
"I'm not hiding anything, you know that
knowing too much at your current level would be dangerous, right?"
Alex swallowed.
"Then don't tell me anything…"
Katarina chuckled and tapped the table.
"The point is, Julian's family is being framed, demonic energy is controlling them…."
Everyone swallowed.
".... I know how to cure it"
Ken looked at Katarina in shock.
"Then I'll make the headmaster act as an intermediary…"
Alex massaged his forehead.
".... but there are several materials that are hard to obtain…"
Katarina looked at everyone.
"....and that's why we're all here, to get them."
Everyone's faces froze.
Alex raised his hand.
"Can I go to the bathroom for a moment?"
Katarina nodded with a slight smile.
"Of course, but leave your head here…"
Alex ruffled his hair.
"I don't want to! I don't want to do dangerous things again!"
Everyone sighed seeing Alex.
Ken raised his hand.
"Where do we find the materials?"
Katarina stroked her chin.
"One is at the border between human and beastman territory. And another is in the heart of beastman territory."
Ken swallowed.
Reva raised his hand.
"Isn't there another place, Princess? I don't like deserts."
Katarina chuckled and shook her head.
Reva's shoulders slumped.
Alex lowered his head while ruffling his hair.
'What do you think, Krystal? This is our first journey?'
Krystal sighed.
'Just go along… that princess is clearly strange. Let's dig deeper.'
Alex clicked his tongue.
'Yeah… let's uncover her identity. I also want to see other races… that didn't exist in my previous world.'
'Should I create the second soul core first?'
Krystal went silent for a moment.
'Later…'
Alex stopped ruffling his hair and raised his hand again.
"Will you pay us for this journey?"
Everyone looked at him with blank expressions.
Reva clicked his tongue.
"This fraud really has no shame…"
Alex shrugged.
"If not, this little trip will feel like we're just helping Katarina prove her boyfriend's family is innocent…."
Ken's shoulders slumped.
Alex looked at him.
"Relax, my friend… there are still plenty of chances."
Katarina laughed softly and looked at Alex.
"What do you want?"
Alex's eyes widened as he pointed at the flower garden.
"I want all those flowers! Send them one by one to my house…."
Alex counted with his fingers.
"Buy clothes for the desert region, provide delicious food during the journey, the accommodations must be five-star….."
Alex thought for a moment.
Krystal spoke in his head.
'Buy expensive artifacts… get the latest smart bracelet edition… give me this mansion..'
Alex followed along.
"Buy expensive artifacts… get the latest smart bracelet edition… give me this mansion…"
Katarina massaged her forehead hearing Alex's requests, while Reva and Ken could only listen with disdainful looks.
Katarina sighed and looked at Reva and Ken.
"Let's go, Reva, Ken. We're leaving now."
Reva and Ken nodded.
The three of them stood up and left Alex, who was still focused on listing Krystal's requests.
Realizing he was being left behind, Alex shouted and chased after them, but Katarina, Reva, and Ken ran away from him.
The four of them finally began their journey toward the border and the beastman territory.