Necessity is what rules the world.

Alexander had never forgotten this saying of the Cloud Demon. Maybe it was because he was the only one who cared about the theoretical lessons, but the Cloud Demon always doted on Alexander.

It was thanks to him that Alexander had the mindset he had now, that he could see things that others could not.

That's how he could understand this old man's thinking. Samuel needed investors right now. But no matter who he went to, the result was always disappointing. People sided with Ferguson, who was already a professor, rather than him.

Because of this, he had never been able to raise the necessary funds, to complete the money he needed for his research.

"I know you need someone like me. I can transfer 2,000 credits to you right now if you let me use the academics' lab and identity. 2,000 credits should get you to the point where you can get a patent."

Samuel frowned. Even among the hundred strongest students, 2,000 credits was a large sum of money. There was no way one student could have that many credits. Also, what this student was asking for was very strange.

"Permission to use the lab and academic credentials... I can't give them to you."

It wasn't that he couldn't, it was that he didn't want to. Samuel was a proud and honorable man. That's why he wasn't rolling in money right now. It was an incredible danger to give this authority to a student he didn't know.

Alexander sighed when he saw the look on Samuel's face. He would not be able to do the research himself. Choosing not to be greedy, he stepped back.

"Then you'll have to do it for me. In an hour I'll bring you an energy residue, I want you to trace the energy in the lab and compare it with the data in the school's database, then share your findings with me."

"I can do that."

Samuel responded in the affirmative, thinking that this was more feasible than the other option. The school's database contained the energy print of everyone who had ever been in the Circle. As an associate professor, he was allowed to search everything but the data of a few exceptional individuals.

Alexander pulled out his phone and made a few finger movements.

The watch on Samuel's wrist vibrated. He tapped his watch and a platinum page popped up in front of him. 2,500 credits had been deposited into the Academy account.

Samuel was a little surprised to see the young man handing over the large sum of money without hesitation. But when he remembered what he had asked for, he thought that he should have been at least that determined and stood up with a calm expression.

"I'll be waiting for you in my office."

With one last look at Alexander, he turned and left his sight.

After Samuel left, black darkness rose from Alexander's chest and condensed into a snowball in the air.

A pair of red eyes stared in the direction Samuel had gone.

It was Dark Soul.

"How did you know this person would accept our offer?" Alexander asked as he stared at the black ball floating in orbit. It was Dark Soul himself who had suggested Samuel Carlson.

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"Kikiki! Souls can see the true nature of other people. Besides, I didn't have a definite opinion about him, just a slight possibility."

Dark Soul chuckled and without saying anything else, he crawled into Alexander's chest.

Alexander didn't care anymore.

He had a lot of work to do, so he quickly went to the woods behind the dormitory. He had buried the crystal in the woods in case it was found in his ward. Of course, he had taken precautions. The pieces of the Curse Crystal were in a jade box that was impervious to energy.

So he was able to prevent different energies from mixing.

He took the jade box out of the shade of a tree and handed it to Samuel. He made sure to emphasize the things he had to be careful about when he spoke to him. There were two types of energy inside the Curse Crystal.

One was the curse energy and the other was the energy of the watcher. He had to be careful not to mix the two energies and not to let a third energy come into contact with them.

Fortunately, Samuel was an expert. He would not make such a simple mistake. Alexander returned to his dormitory with a sigh of relief and began to pack his things. From today he would be living in the apartment he had rented. It was in East City, half an hour from the academy.

Before he took his things there, he had to deregister. The academy was free to do so. Any student could move out of the dormitory and live in his apartment. Of course, he had to register his address. He left the dormitory under the stern gaze of the person in charge.

"Are you thinking of changing your identity? Outside the Circle it wouldn't be a problem, but inside there are people who might recognize you. Can you hide your identity from them until the time comes?" Dark Soul began to float in front of Alexander.

"Yes. I've changed my bone structure to some extent, and lately, I've been trying to change my Aura type, and today I'm going to change my appearance." Alexander smiled as he got into a vehicle and entered the Eastern City.

"What is your plan?

"Yes. I've changed my bone structure to some extent and lately, I've been trying to change my Aura type, and today I'm going to change my appearance." Alexander smiled as he got into a vehicle and entered East City.

"What is your plan?

"You'll find out in due time."

Alexander said to the driver when he realized he was where he wanted to be: "You can stop here."

"Understood, sir."

The driver pulled over in a cold sweat and let Alexander get out. He was quite frightened, the man behind him had been talking to himself during the half-hour journey. Even though he lived in a world full of warriors and wizards, such men were still frightening.

This was the St. Arthur neighborhood of East City. It was one of the safest parts of the city. The infrastructure and amenities were easy to access. And many high-ranking figures lived here. In this respect, it was the best place for Alexander's plans.

Alexander shouldered his bag, grabbed his sword case, and stepped into the residence. This was one of the most luxurious residences in the Eastern City. The monthly rent was equivalent to an associate professor's salary. Even Alexander had only been able to rent it for three months.

Guards in suits stood in the lobby. Each of them had a development level around level six. They were constantly watching the people around them.

After passing through security, Alexander swiped his card and took the elevator to the tenth floor. When he reached the door of apartment 12, he released his energy.

Click!

The door opened, revealing the view that fascinated Alexander again and again. The pleasant harmony of black and white gave the room a noble air. It was a large, spacious, and pleasant-looking apartment. Alexander stepped inside and took a deep breath.

Thanks to the Qi Reactor, the air was clean and full of energy. Just taking a breath relaxed his body. Such an atmosphere was only found in the Academy Building and the Training Rooms. The dormitory building did not have such extra features.

That was one of the main reasons why the students wanted to buy an apartment in the city. But Alexander had not bought it for that purpose. As someone who lived very simply, he had no eye for luxury. Also, the number of vortices at his acupuncture points was so high that his body was like a black hole, draining energy.

The reason he took this place was purely strategic.

As Dark Soul looked around curiously, he came up to Alexander and began to chuckle. His eyes were curved like a crescent moon.

"I understand what you're trying to do, but isn't it dangerous? There are too many eyes on her. One small mistake could turn everything upside down."

"It is impossible for me to fight the Shadow Cathedral alone. Let's plant the seeds now so that we can reap the fruits when the time comes." Alexander unpacked his things and stretched out on the couch. He had been so busy these last days that even he was tired.

"You still have some money left. You should buy some reinforcements with it. You should also get to level three as soon as possible. Your seventeenth birthday is not far away."

Becoming level two at the age of sixteen was enough to make Alexander a genius. But not enough to be a genius among geniuses.

Circle was full of genius.

"I know."

With Dark Soul's reminder, Alexander opened his phone and clicked on one of the installed apps. It was an e-market controlled by the Academy. Guilds and companies in the Circle had to use it to sell anything developmental to students.

Otherwise, they were labeled 'contraband'.

Alexander went to the supplements section. Dark Soul was on the phone with him. The two filtered the list according to what they wanted. Because there were hundreds of thousands of supplements for sale. It would take hours to find what they wanted among them.

"Wait. Take this."

Dark Soul pointed to a pill with his head.

The pill was not for Qi or Mana.

"Blood Pill? For marrow cleansing and body hardening?" Alexander looked up at Dark Soul, "Do I need this? We can get different things instead."

Alexander felt that the quality and quantity of Qi were where they should focus. With the Fierce Stream Pill, he could increase the quantity and quality of Qi.

Moreover, this pill was 75 Credits. Alexander only had a few hundred credits. He needed this to realize his plans. But the Fierce Stream Pill was only five Credits. Instead of taking the Blood Pill, he could have taken fifteen Fierce Creek Pills.

"No, take this one, your biggest problem is that your body is not strong enough. Your body is too fragile compared to the energy inside. That's why your veins burst, you get internal injuries, and your organs get damaged when you're developing. The Blood Pill will prevent this to some extent."

It meant being able to meditate longer.

"It also means more pain..."

Dark Soul chuckled.