SSS Awakening: I am the First Legendary Mage

Instead of answering immediately, Alex observed the room. Stefan seemed used to leading people, as everything inside the building was well organized despite the circumstances. Even the map on the pool table had detailed markings, making Alex think someone in Stefan’s group had probably worked in security or the military.

"The giant monster... Does it happen to be green with long arms, three fingers ending in claws, no lips, two tusks, and a mouth full of ugly teeth?" Tina suddenly asked while studying the map.

"You’ve seen one too? Dammit. How many of those things are there?" Elizabeth, the black-haired Priest from Stefan’s group, asked with a frown.

"That’s called a Wild Orc. Taking one down isn’t actually that hard, but what comes after that is the real problem," Tina replied. She remained focused on the map, seemingly unaware that everyone else had gone quiet.

The silence became louder as the members of Stefan’s group stared at her. Their expressions ranged from shock to confusion. Stefan was the first to speak.

"Wild Orc? You know what it’s called? Does that mean you’ve defeated one before?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, not us. Alex was the one who killed it. The rest of us couldn’t move because of its freezing ability," Tina answered casually. She still hadn’t noticed the reactions around her as she remained focus on the map.

The eyes directed at Tina slowly shifted to Alex.

Alex calmly met the gazes directed at him. He saw disbelief, doubt, curiosity, apprehension, and even admiration on several faces. Some of them had probably watched the video of him online, but hearing him killing a Wild Orc was clearly different.

"You really killed one? That’s... honestly amazing. I thought it wasn’t something that could be killed. At least not before the Ascendants have a few weeks or months to grow," the black-haired Priest of Stefan’s group, Elizabeth, said.

Stefan stayed quiet for a few seconds before asking, "What level was it? And how did you defeat it?"

"It was Level 16. I used Fire Bullet to drill a hole through its head," Alex replied.

Stefan slowly nodded as though everything had suddenly fallen into place. Quiet whispers spread through the room as several people discussed the video they had seen online, saying it now made complete sense. They were praising Alex. Even Stefan looked at Alex with a complicated expression, though he quickly hid it.

Tina, on the other hand, looked oddly proud. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was the one receiving all the praise instead of Alex.

"You all accepted our story pretty easily. Aren’t you worried that we might be lying?" Alex asked once the whispers settled down.

Stefan shook his head. "We’re going to rely on you to kill that Wild Orc. If you’re lying, you’ll only be putting yourself and everyone else here in danger. I don’t think anyone would make something like that up when their own life is on the line."

Alex gave a small nod before speaking again. "I understand. Even so, we can’t kill the Wild Orc while it’s still near Jaelo Supermart. We need to lure it somewhere farther away first."

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.

Alex explained what had happened after he killed the previous Wild Orc. He told them about the spear that had fallen from the sky and the incredible power behind it. Based on everything he had seen, he believed the attack came from a leader commanding the Wild Orcs.

Everyone’s expression gradually became serious as they listened. They quickly understood the implications of the leader’s existence.

"I understand it’s dangerous, but couldn’t we just avoid the spear? We already know it’s coming," the black-haired Priest, Elizabeth, said after thinking for a moment.

Before Alex could answer, Stefan spoke first. "I don’t think it’ll be that simple. The Wild Orc leader is clearly intelligent. It’ll realize someone capable of killing its subordinates has appeared. The next attack could cover a much larger area, or it might send several spears instead of just one."

Nobody argued with that reasoning. The room became quiet again as everyone considered the situation. Luring the Wild Orc away from Jaelo Supermart was already difficult since it stubbornly refused to leave the area for some unknown reason.

Everyone had been likely relieved after learning Alex could kill it, but that hope had quickly become complicated.

If a large-scale attack came after the Wild Orc’s death, the spear might strike Jaelo Supermart as well. That would turn a successful rescue into a disaster and could cost many innocent people their lives.

"I have a plan. I’ll lure the Wild Orc away from Jaelo Supermart to an area where there aren’t any people. Once it’s far enough away, I’ll kill it there," Alex said, breaking the silence.

Stefan looked at him for a moment before speaking. "...The Wild Orc is fast."

Alex nodded. He understood exactly what Stefan was trying to say, but it didn’t change his decision. He had already considered that problem.

In truth, Alex wanted to fight the Wild Orc properly this time. The previous one had died before it could show what it was capable of, and he wanted to understand how strong the species really was. Since he would likely encounter more of them in the future, gaining that experience, and learning about their strength and weakness was important.

He also had no intention of ending the fight with Fire Bullet. The spell would make the battle too easy and leave him with nothing to learn from it. If he wanted to keep growing stronger, he needed to test himself without relying on the same overwhelming attack every time.

Stefan remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "Are you sure you can kill it?"

"Yes. I won’t be using Fire Bullet this time due to circumstances, but I have other ways to deal with it," Alex answered.

Stefan frowned but didn’t say anything else. Alex had brought it up now because he didn’t want anyone interfering once the fight started. If they expected him to rely on Fire Bullet, they might try to create an opening for it, and that wasn’t what he wanted.

After Alex confirmed once more that he would fight the Wild Orc himself, the preparations happened immediately. Stefan started assigning tasks while the rest of his group moved without hesitation.

Their first objective was to clear a path from Jaelo Supermart to another location and move as many nearby civilians away from the area as possible.

Alex couldn’t help noticing how efficiently Stefan’s team worked. The giant man took charge of coordinating everyone, dividing responsibilities while keeping the operation organized.

Alex became convinced that the man had a background in security or the military because he handled everything like second nature.

The evacuation wasn’t particularly easy. Many civilians refused to leave, believing it was safer to remain where they were than to risk moving through monster-infested streets with Stefan’s team. Others simply didn’t trust people they had only met a few minutes earlier.

Stefan personally stepped in whenever someone refused to cooperate. His group had deliberately chosen an area with relatively few civilians, which was easy to find since the earthquake had already forced most people outside before the monsters appeared and killed most of them.

Stefan calmly explained the situation, promised they would be protected, and gradually convinced enough people to clear a wide section of apartments around the streets.

Although not everyone cooperated, the plan was successful. Before long, they had secured enough open space for Alex to fight without worrying about innocent people getting caught in the aftermath. Throughout the preparations, Stefan’s group continued working smoothly despite the tension hanging over everyone.

Alex could tell many of them still doubted whether he could really kill a Wild Orc. None of them voiced those concerns aloud, but their expressions made it obvious. Even so, they trusted Stefan’s judgment and continued carrying out their tasks without complaint.

While waiting, Alex noticed Zach watching Stefan’s group with obvious admiration. The family man quietly observed how everyone coordinated with one another, occasionally nodding as if impressed by what he was seeing.

Alex walked over to stand beside him.

"Did they impress you that much? Are you thinking about joining Stefan’s faction instead?" Alex asked, joking.

Zach chuckled and shook his head. "No. If anything, this made me realize I was lucky that you invited me first. Caleb showed me the news people were talking about on Dwitter, and from what I saw, you’re probably one of the strongest Ascendants in San Francisco."

"Don’t trust Dwitter too much. Most strong Ascendants have probably become busy dealing with monsters and don’t have time to reveal their strength online," Alex said.

Zach nodded politely, but Alex could tell he hadn’t changed his mind. The man clearly still believed Alex was among the strongest Ascendants around.

Once the preparations were finished, everyone gathered one final time before setting out.

"Are you really sure you can fight the Wild Orc without using Fire Bullet?" Stefan asked for what felt like the tenth time. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any condescension in his voice. If anything, he sounded genuinely worried about Alex.

"Yes," Alex answered. The truth was, he didn’t actually know how difficult the battle would be. A Level 16 Wild Orc definitely possessed overwhelming physical strength, and considering its size, even the force behind a blocked attack could easily kill him.

He could end the fight almost instantly with Fire Bullet. That was exactly why he refused to rely on it. He was at a disadvantage in close combat against the Wild Orc due to the size difference, and there was no better way to improve than by fighting the Wild Orc itself.

There was another reason as well. If Alex couldn’t defeat an ordinary Wild Orc unless he used his strongest attack, then he had no chance of defeating the Wild Orc leader later. Avoiding difficult battles now would only make future ones even harder.

Stefan accepted the answer with a slow nod before asking another question. "How are you planning to move inside its range? That freezing ability stopped everyone we sent near it."

"It isn’t impossible to resist. Compress your energy as much as possible and keep it circulating through your body. If you don’t have enough energy to cover your whole body, then circulate it beneath your skin instead. That should push the Wild Orc’s Origin Energy away and allow you to move," Alex explained.

..

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