The Golem Mage

”The third commander is Pale Zero,” stated Edward, causing some surprise among the others present.

Alec’s gaze shifted towards Pale, recalling that he had not been anywhere near the Tier 4 realm the last time he had seen him, after they came back from the Abyss.

While Pale may have been a peak Tier 3 Mage, Alec noted that his foundation had not been stable enough to reach Tier 4 any time soon, so he was speculating that Pale had support from the ancient Zero clan, similar to how Beatrice was supported, as that was all he could assume that would make Pale reached the Middle ranks faster.

As Pale’s eyes met Alec’s, he flashed a smug smile, seemingly proud.

As he Moved closer to Alec with some of his Noble mages friends following behind him, Pale offered,

”If you need a commander to serve under, you can come to me, I’d consider you Sergeant Alec, now that sounds good, right? You probably weren’t expecting this, but even I have my lucky days, and I’ve finally surpassed you in realm and authority now.”

Despite Pale’s grand gestures and snobbish attitude to impress his friends , Alec remained silent, meeting his gaze unwaveringly.

Agnes, observing Alec’s lack of response to Pale’s provocations, stepped in.

”Seems like your arrogant behaviour hasn’t waned but increased since reaching the middle ranks, However, rest assured, if we were to even serve under a commander, your banner would be our last choice,” she declared firmly.

Pale fixed Agnes with a sharp stare, but was met with an equal intensity.

Just as Agnes was about to speak again , Alec intervened, signalling to her to avoid escalating the situation, he held her shoulders and shook his head gently as she turned her attention towards him.

”Cowards”

A new noble mage following Pale spoke up, calling Alec and his allies cowards.

Instantly, all eyes turned towards him, including Pale’s, as Pale would never agree with such a label for Alec,

As after witnessing Alec’s actions in the Abyss, cowardice was the last thought on any of Pale’s original group’s mind.

However, the new and ignorant mage who had recently joined his group seemed to be solely focused on impressing him and had blurted that out.

Pale had only wanted to show off and fulfil his clan’s expectations for him by using Alec to boost his score after bringing him into his team after all Alec alone was a army,

But Alec had managed to keep him quiet, leaving him unsure of his true intentions regarding the proposal.

But one thing was certain though, his bold declaration and the new mages statement had definitely stirred up the group.

”And the Fourth commander that have been chosen is...” As General Edward announced,

The room fell silent as everyone eagerly anticipated the reveal of the fourth person who had entered the Tier 4 Mage Realm.

They had attempted to speculate and determine who among the new students had surpassed Alec in achieving Tier 4 Mage status.

But despite their best efforts, Alec’s remarkable achievements had overshadowed the accomplishments of the others mages in the first year, making it challenging to recognize any other exceptionally talented Mages that might have been in their set.

And the academy’s focus on the spreading news about Alec’s adventures in the Abyss further contributed to this overshadowing effect.

”The Fourth commander is Alec Gordons!” the room erupted in surprise as General Edward declared,

Every Mage looked on with shocked expressions, including Alec himself, who was equally perplexed as he knew he had not reached the Tier 4 Mage Realm and did not believe he deserved such a leadership role.

Pale turned back to look at Alec, his eyes shining with an icy light as he attempted to use his Mana to probe Alec’s realm.

Suspecting that Alec might be concealing his true abilities, but Pale was met with a veil of dense fog that obscured Alec’s powers, making it impossible for him to ascertain Alec’s true realm.

Alec sneered back at Pale, causing the latter to meet his gaze directly. Alec despised being scrutinized with Mana, a feeling he had learned to shield himself from using his mental powers after guidance from his mentor, Terran.

Though relieved that he could deflect the probing gazes, but Alec remained wary of Pale’s lingering scrutiny, prompting his sneer in response.

General Edward’s voice cut through the tension, addressing the room,

”I’m aware many of you may find it surprising that we have appointed Alec as a commander despite not yet reaching Tier 4 Mage status, however, the decision is rooted in how points are calculated within the academy’s ranking system.”

He continued,

”It’s important to understand that ranks are not solely determined by realm levels, Exceptions have been made to recognize exceptional talent among our students, For example, slaying a Tier 1 lifeform earns one point, while defeating a Tier 2 opponent grants ten points, This means a Tier 1 Knight aspiring to become a Squire must amass ten points for promotion.”

”Earning those points can be achieved by defeating multiple Tier 1 foes or taking down a single Tier 2 Mage, Once the ten points are secured, a Tier 1 Mage can ascend to Squire status, leading about ten Tier 1 Knights under their command, akin to the other Tier 2 Squires.” General Edward clarified,

Through this explanation, General Edward shed light on the academy’s merit-based system which recognized talent and rewarding exceptional talents for achieving kills beyond there realm.

”As the point system continues, achieving the required points for promotion to the rank of sergeant stands at a hundred points, Similarly, slaying a Tier 3 lifeform instantly grants a hundred points, this same principles applies across all ranks,” explained General Edward.

”Tier 4 lifeforms are valued at a thousand points, Tier 5 at ten thousand points, and Tier 6 at a hundred thousand points,” he continued.

”The calculations of Tier 6 and beyond vary based on realm levels, details which are not necessary for you fledglings at your current stage of development, when the time comes, you will learn about them.”

”What I’m emphasizing here is that Alec is no ordinary Tier 3 Mage, and his victory over Iver Dragonmir alone has garnered him over a thousand points, with other points assigned to him as a Tier 3 Mage he has surpassed the required standard for a commander,” Edward stated confidently, prompting relieved sighs from the assembled mages.

Understanding that Alec had not yet reached Tier 4 Mage status which reassured them, who were unsure how they would have reacted if Alec had indeed advanced to Tier 4.

Such knowledge that Alec remained in the Tier 3 realm alleviated their concerns, as if Alec was now a Tier 4 Mage they would start doubting their own progress and cultivation efforts.

”Now, with the main leaders for the external training expedition determined, it’s time to join a team or create your own,” General Edward instructed.

As the Tier 3 mages eagerly scrambled to align themselves with Beatrice, Lucas, or Pale, None of them wanted to be excluded from a team that could comprise of up to ten Tier 3 Mages with a Mid Rank Mage as their leader.

As they were all opting to stay together in stronger groups for a sense of security and camaraderie.

Many of them were avoiding Alec’s team, as many mages feared that he would prioritize drafting his siblings into his team, which would be leaving little room for other recruits, seeking greater opportunities for inclusion, so they went to the other mages where they felt their chances of joining were higher.