Chapter 3: Skills !
Alex looked down, chuckling softly. "Come, come closer."
Hayes, the butler, snorted heavily through his nose and stepped forward. "Aren't you always obsessed with my Lady? I'm giving you a chance to marry into the family today. Don't be ungrateful!"
Alex's eyes turned cold. His clenched fist, carrying the sound of whistling wind, slammed violently into Hayes's face.
With a muffled thud, Hayes had no time to dodge. The immense force sent him stumbling backward.
"Ahhh..."
A shrill scream pierced the air as several teeth, accompanied by a spray of blood, flew from Hayes's mouth.
"Who are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty in front of me? Do you think I give a damn about marrying into your ungrateful Vance family?"
Hayes's cheeks flushed red with shame and anger. "You dare hit me?!"
"Yeah, so what if I hit you!" Alex lifted his leg and kicked Hayes hard in the chest.
Bang! Hayes was launched backward by the kick, crashing heavily onto the ground.
He struggled to crawl up, his ability instantly activating. Streaks of red light flickered across his body.
"Alex Whitefield, you have thoroughly pissed me off!"
"Come on then! Hit me if you have the guts! Attacking an S-Rank Prodigy—do you think you'll survive the consequences?"
The Federation had extremely strict protective measures for prodigies who awakened S-Rank abilities.
Anyone verified to have dared to harm or attack an S-Rank Awakener would face immediate execution!
Hayes's hands clenched slightly. "You!!"
He had forgotten about that!
If he actually laid a hand on him, having eight lives wouldn't be enough to save him!
"Me? What about me? Come at me if you have the guts!"
Hayes instantly deflated like a popped balloon. How had this Alex changed so much?
Where had the honest, silent, and submissive Alex of the past gone?
But he wasn't willing to admit defeat just like that. "I gave you a chance, and you didn't know how to cherish it. An orphan with no one to rely on... just wait until three days from now when Lady Elara beats the crap out of you!"
"Enough!" A cold voice rang out.
Hayes instinctively looked up. Seeing Elara, his heart tightened. "La... Lady Elara."
"Apologize to him!" Her voice grew colder.
"Lady, why should I..."
He tried to argue, but before he could finish, he realized in horror that the ground around him had quietly frozen over!
His face turned pale with fright. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry!"
He didn't understand!
Why was his Lady so angry for this Alex? Why did she care so much about this guy?
Alex looked at him with disgust. "What an ugly face you have."
Elara looked up. "After the duel in three days, we will have nothing more to do with each other."
"Fine by me. I couldn't ask for more!"
Looking at Elara in front of him, dressed in simple, sharp athletic wear that showcased her long, exposed legs—slender and toned. Her skin was as white and smooth as porcelain, her eyes clear and deep, her thin eyebrows like distant mountains, and her lips like cherries.
He had to admit, she deserved the title of Riverdale High's Goddess. However, his memories of her were a bit blurry.
Although he and Elara had an arranged marriage, it was merely an agreement made by their parents years ago!
Eighteen years ago, Alex's parents had sacrificed their lives to save Elara's parents during a beast attack. The two families became close friends because of it.
Later, both families had children—Alex and Elara—in the same year. To continue this bond, they arranged the marriage.
Unfortunately, the original Alex was introverted and honest, having almost no interaction with the icy Elara over the past dozen years.
Until three years ago, when the current Alex transmigrated here. At that time, his parents (in this timeline) died in a beast tide, and the Vance family mercilessly proposed to annul the marriage!
Meanwhile, the Vance family had risen rapidly over the past few years, becoming a top-tier clan in Riverdale City.
Elara took out a storage ring from her pocket. "This is compensation for Hayes's offense."
Alex took the storage ring. "Did your ungrateful parents tell you to give this? Or is it your own idea?"
He wasn't going to turn down free compensation!
Elara's parents had been saved by his parents, yet after his parents sacrificed themselves, not only did the Vances fail to lend a hand, they chose to annul the marriage and draw a clear line with the Whitefield family. How was that any different from being ungrateful wolves?
Thinking of this, Alex burned with anger!
He was determined to make Elara's parents pay back a hundredfold!
Elara was silent for a moment before changing the subject. "In three days, I hope you will use your full strength. You don't need to hold back against me."
She, too, felt disappointed and chilled by her own parents' actions.
"Don't worry about that. In this fight, I'm going to show your ungrateful parents exactly what I'm made of!"
This fight wasn't against Elara; it was against the Vance couple who looked down on him!
Elara gave a soft "Mhm" and walked away. Hayes scrambled up from the ground and hurriedly followed behind her, tail between his legs.
"So cool, Boss!" Benny leaned in, giving a thumbs up.
"Stop flattering me. Go participate in the awakening ceremony. I'm going to the Principal's office."
"Alright." Benny replied.
The two parted ways. Alex walked alone, opening his System Panel, ready to add points to improve his strength.
"System, raise me to Tier 1, Rank 1!"
[Ding! Consuming 100 Slaughter Points to upgrade!]
"Yes!"
With Alex's confirmation, the data on the screen flickered.
In a moment, Alex's realm rose from Awakened to Tier 1, Rank 1. A small ball of Origin Energy slowly condensed within his body.
In this world, a warrior's realm was divided into Tiers 1 through 10, with each Tier subdivided into 10 Ranks.
"Phew... System! Raise to Tier 1, Rank 3!"
Feeling the surging power in his body, Alex issued the command again.
[Ding! Host consumed 500 Slaughter Points. Realm upgraded to Tier 1, Rank 3.]
Instantly, Alex felt every cell in his body cheering, as if immersed in endless joy!
This feeling was like the natural growth experienced during cultivation, but far more exhilarating.
"Awesome!!"
Pay-to-win feels good for a moment; pay-to-win feels good all the time!!
Spending points really did make him stronger!
Alex clenched his fist, condensing dark elements in his hand again. This time, the darkness was richer and deeper than before.
"Not bad, not bad! How many Slaughter Points to reach Tier 1, Rank 4?" Alex asked, intrigued.
[Ding! Requires 400 Slaughter Points.]
Hearing the System's prompt, Alex hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to stop leveling up his realm for now. He closed the panel.
Better to save these 400 Slaughter Points for upgrading combat skills!
Improving combat skills was crucial for actual combat.
Next, he took out the storage ring Elara had given him and examined it closely.
"Tsk tsk, this storage ring is worth a fortune..."
He scanned the contents inside, and his eyes instantly lit up.
Inside were not only some High-Grade Origin Stones but also several precious High-Grade Bone Tempering Pills, as well as a few Spirit Origin Fruits glowing with an alluring luster!
Good lord, this is valuable!
Just the Spirit Origin Fruits alone were priceless in the market, starting at 5 million credits each. Added together, this was nearly 10 million!
"Is she trying to make up for the guilt in her parents' hearts?"
Alex guessed silently. He put the ring on, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the Principal's office.
After some time, the awakening ceremony finally ended.
As soon as Principal Higgins entered the office, he saw Alex sitting there leisurely waiting for him.
"Principal, I've been waiting so long the flowers are withering!"
"Hahaha, isn't that your own fault? Because of you, other high schools in the city have offered extremely high prices, fighting to get your student file transferred to them!"
Having an S-Rank student transfer to another high school would not only facilitate recruitment for that school but also bring them fame if Alex shone brightly in the future.
"But you didn't agree, Principal? It seems you really aren't moved by fame or profit, huh?"
Principal Higgins shook his head. "It's not that I didn't agree; it's that their offers were too low. If they added more money, I might have actually considered it."
Alex: "..."
A high-martial version of a sellout?
"Hahaha, I'm just teasing. Let's talk business." Principal Higgins wiped the smile from his face and became serious.
He poured Alex a cup of tea, then placed two ancient-looking dark combat skill books in front of him.
"This is the school's reward for your S-Rank ability. These two combat skills... one is a Tier 2 Dark Skill: Abyssal Swamp. It uses dark elements to create a swamp-like pool under the enemy's feet. Once trapped, it is difficult to break free, rendering them immobile."
"The other is also a Tier 2 Skill—Shadow Claw. It condenses dark elements into sharp claw shadows to attack!"
"Between these two skills, which one do you choose?"
(To be Continued)