As Alexander daydreamed about his newfound wealth, the voice abruptly intervened, shattering his reverie with a stern blueprint for how the money should be allocated and spent. Despite feeling discontent and remorseful, Alexander begrudgingly acknowledged the voice was correct. Yet, this didn't stop him from being irritable.

"Well, you can keep a portion for yourself," the voice conceded, perhaps swayed by Alexander's woeful expression or simply aiming to lift his spirits.

When Alexander arrived home, he was greeted with anything but a warm welcome. Earlier, he had informed his parents he was heading to Michael's place for an unrelated project and would be unreachable, even threatening to block their calls.

Concerned, his parents had attempted to contact Michael without success. They were unaware of Michael's address, and in their visible distress, his mother suggested filing a missing person's report. His father, however, argued they should wait the three days Alexander had mentioned.

Judging by their attire, Alexander surmised they were preparing to approach the authorities. After enduring a scolding and a lengthy lecture, Alexander was finally let off the hook. It was fortunate they hadn't contacted the university; that would have been an entirely different ordeal. It seemed that being a compliant son who spent most of his time at home alone had paid off today.

Locking his bedroom door, he meticulously counted his money repeatedly. The ritual brought him a different kind of satisfaction.

After indulging in this somewhat demeaning act for a while, Alexander finally decided to attend to the matter that truly mattered. He opened up his status screen.

Name: Alexander

Race: Human

Level: 9

Exp: 04/1500

Strength: 27

*Perception: ___

*Dexterity: ___

*Agility: ___

*Constitution: 4

*Intelligence: ___

*Vitality: ___

He felt a surge of elation upon discovering that his level had reached 9, and true to form, he invested all his points into strength. Yet, his eyes widened a moment later as he saw his constitution had risen to 4.

The feeling was deeply satisfying. It seemed that all the running, fighting, and hardships endured over the past three days had not been in vain.

In a way, it felt more meaningful than any experience points earned. Experience could be controlled and gained deliberately, but gaining a point in constitution felt like stumbling upon a treasure in the wild—a stroke of luck beyond his control.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Don’t let it go to your head, lad.” Just as Alexander began to grin, his ancestor’s voice cut in with a sobering reminder.

Your physique has only grown stronger. Even without these recent activities, consistent training likely would have led to the same result.”

“And besides, you haven’t even reached the threshold of your endurance when it was 3, so realistically, all you’ve done is achieve the inevitable earlier. Nothing worth celebrating.”

Hearing the voice, though bit grumpy, he did obediently went to bed after freshening up with a shower and a short break. This was his first outing and he did get back in one peace, in his opinion this was worth of a bit more celebration, right?

The following morning, he woke up as usual, only to find that the university was closed. he did not think much of it, and the day passed under the watchful eyes of his ancestor. Training and the like.

He went out for a morning run in a nearby area. Essentially, it was an affluent neighborhood with some greenery where everyone came to jog. Although mostly frequented by elderly couples and wealthy residents, for whom jogging was more a pastime than actual exercise.

“Thank you.” After a long run, Alexander collapsed on the roadside, his polyester clothes soaked, heavily through with sweat.

“What for?” the voice replied.

No matter what he had accomplished or changed during this time, or how much he had earned or leveled up, the most comforting feeling was that the police weren't coming to arrest him. That was what mattered most.

Alexander knew that after severing someone's hand, logically, he should be behind bars by now. But he wasn't, and that fact was undeniable. It didn't take a genius to figure out whose handiwork that was.

Alexander said nothing, got to his feet, and resumed running.

The voice, also didn’t press him further.

What Alexander did not know was that even though he did not went into university for 4 days the university was not closed for just this one day but all 4 of the day. Which he was aware of the next day’s when he heard the university was also closed that day.

Honestly Alexander did not care, he just stack to his routine. During this period, the voice persistently urged him to purchase items it recommended, but he dismissed the idea, citing that it wasn't an appropriate time to visit the market after recent events, he coursed in the market, that day. In truth, he simply wished to hold onto his money a while longer.

The following day brought clarity. Courtesy of a new hardworking journalist who wanted to make it big, the situation was finally explained. According to a brief video he managed to capture before being intercepted by security, and kicked out, a substantial crater had appeared in front of the library. The scorched surroundings left little doubt that an explosion had occurred there, an observation requiring no genius to deduce.

After further investigation, Alexander discovered that the incident wasn't isolated to his class alone. Communicating with classmates and other student representatives, he learned that every department had been closed under the pretext of resuming classes the next day. It was evident that the issue was both serious and intricate.

After briefing his parents on the events, his father fretted over the worsening situation, while his brother busily disseminated information through his phone, likely spreading news throughout his school. Yet for Alexander, these concerns held little significance. He remained focused on his tasks and exercise routines.

With university activities paused and his reluctance to make purchases, Alexander's ancestor decided it was time to intensify his training regime.

As for the voice’s, or rather his ancestor's name, Despite repeated inquiries, Alexander was denied; he was told that the time to reveal it would come when he had proven himself worthy. And not to mention, he smugly added he had to earn the right to know his name.

At which, of course, Alexander scoffed back. He remained indifferent and continued with his day. However, it was in the evening when another bombshell hit.

Although there was no official announcement, news of the incident reached them. A student had been apprehended. On camera, the thin-framed student was visible with numerous black and red patches across her face, covered in a quilt that likely concealed additional bruises, possibly from so called question which was torture, beyond any doubt. Not to mention he saw some pretty important person that day at the library. And as far as he knew the library was closed even when the day he created the incident. Just thinking of the day of the incident, Alexander was filled with a strange feeling of satisfaction. Which he liked, he liked very much.

The news didn't particularly concern Alexander, which he found odd. He vaguely recalled seeing her before, but ultimately, it didn't leave much of an impression on him.

It was also announced that the university would reopen the following day. This brought mixed feelings for Alexander. He was apprehensive about potential retaliation from those he had confronted, yet excited for the same reason. But no matter what, This time, he felt stronger and a bit wealthier.

Quickly dressing up he finished his breakfast and went for the bus. The bus was quite packed today. Following the school break, many students went home and today all of them will go back at the same time.

Fortunately, he had arrived early today; otherwise, he would have been forced to stand the entire distance.

With anticipation and excitement, he landed on the varsity grounds. For a moment nothing happened, he went to class, went to eat, then again back in class. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

No one even noticed him that much, except for some occasional glances. Everyone was either busy with themselves or about the library incident. Just by moving place to place, he already heard more than 13 theories and speculations.

Though he occasionally got some eyes on him, it was nothing to worry about. it seems some sharped eyes individuals remembered him from the fight. But it seems he was mostly forgotten with the long holidays and the recent incidents.

But that was honestly not that bad. Though weird, it almost gave him a bit of a popular vibe.

But all of that did not take long to come crashing down.

And just like that, with his classic luck, in the last moment of the last class as he was getting ready to put his things in his bag, and thinking of what to eat after exiting, the twist happened.

“MOTHERFUCKER,” he screamed inwardly.