The Golem Mage

The main reason General Edward had rushed off so abruptly was because he received a sound transmission from the Dean, urgently summoning him, upon arriving at the Peak where the Dean resided, Edward was surprised to find Selene already there—though not in the War God Mage Academy uniform.

Instead, she wore a distinct robe marked with the insignia of the Battle Mage Academy, indicating she now held a position in the Battle Mage Academy

"So, you finally found a way to reconcile with your father. I had hoped that stubborn man would be too blind to see your worth and push you back into the waiting hands of the War God Mage Academy." Edward remarked as he landed gracefully on the platform, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Selene chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but my family still leads the Battle Mage Academy, while I'm allowed to study outside, if I ever declared I wanted to pursue a career with the War God Mage Academy, I think we both know my father wouldn't hesitate to start a war over it."

"Enough with the pleasantries. We're here on official business," Selena—who had arrived alongside her sister—interrupted, cutting off what could've been a long, sentimental exchange between the former master and student.

"We're aware your academy has been given another chance to participate in the Origin World Tournament, what we've come for today is to form an alliance between our academies, while we're strong, this isn't just another inter-academy competition."

"This will be a clash involving the top forces across all five kingdoms, that alone should tell you how serious this is. We made this journey in hopes of securing a worthy ally—one whose values align with ours." She continued.

The fact that the Battle Mage Academy had sent two of their new instructors to seek an alliance—despite the fact that the War God Mage Academy had not yet defeated the Royal Mage Academy—spoke volumes about their faith in the War God Academy's potential. It laid the foundation for mutual respect and a promising partnership between the two institutions.

"We at the War God Mage Academy want to assure you that we fully understand your intentions and would be honoured to form an alliance with an academy as distinguished as yours," the Dean, who had remained a silent observer until now, finally spoke, extending his hand toward Selena with a calm smile.

"By the way, where is Alec? Since he's now considered the uncrowned leader of the War God Mage Academy, I would have expected him to be present for such an important agreement," Selene asked, her curiosity piqued, she had been the one to predict that Alec would rise to lead the student body in the War God Mage Academy, and now she wished to see him in person since she returned for a brief moment.

"Well, if what he told me holds true, he should be heading into the Second Dimension soon—on my recommendation," Edward replied casually, but the moment he said that, the Dean's expression darkened instantly, even Selene froze for a second, stunned by the revelation.

"Please repeat what you just said, did you just mention Alec is planning to enter the Second Dimension?" the Dean asked, his tone turning sharp as he fixed a serious gaze on Edward.

"Yes, that's exactly what I said. Is there a problem?" Edward replied, puzzled.

"The boy wanted to subject himself to intense physical pressure to push his limits, and I suggested the Second Dimension. With no golems to support him, it would be the perfect place to sharpen his instincts."

As soon as Edward finished speaking, the Dean fell into a deep, troubled thought.

"Nothing is wrong—it's just that there's a message stating that the boy must not be allowed to enter, no matter the excuse, although he's not banned, however, Old Man Alderic insists he stay out of the Abyss. I believe it's because he's grown fond of him and doesn't want to see him die young," the Dean said.

"That boy probably doesn't need anyone's concern. He's capable enough to navigate even mid-level orc villages and the more advanced cities in that region," Edward replied, still not understanding the reason behind the caution.

He couldn't believe such an order would come from Alderic, the old man in charge of the logistics department, especially in a place like the War God Mage Academy, where training was grounded in blood, grit, and survival.

—

While Alec was being discussed at the War God Mage Academy, another conversation about him and his team was taking place within the royal palace of the Northern Kingdom.

The king had just received the letter from the Origin World envoys and had abandoned his closed-door training to read its contents, after going through the message, he was visibly displeased by the demands it made.

However, unlike his previous impulsive display during the inter-academy finals, he knew better than to act out this time, and that was because these envoys were not people to be antagonized.

If he angered even one of them, the other four kingdoms wouldn't hesitate to unite against the Northern Kingdom, just so they could prevent a negative report from reaching the Sun-level Monarch who supported their realm.

Because losing that support could jeopardize the upcoming tournament or others in the future—as it was still this tournament that offered a hundred spots to help mages in the five kingdom continent travel to the origin world without a fee and making them aspiring Sun-level monarch experts.

Standing before the king was the Dean of the Royal Mage Academy.

Although his face was solemn, but it was clear he couldn't understand the king's anxiety, In his mind, he felt there was no way the Royal Mage Academy could lose to the War God Mage Academy.

"You have to understand something—the team of mages you've assembled is not allowed to lose. I don't care how they get it done, but I want complete domination over whatever team the War God Mage Academy sends. Is that clear?" the king said through clenched teeth.

"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. There's absolutely no way the War God Mage Academy can defeat us. I can confidently say they won't even see it coming," the dean of the Royal Mage Academy replied.

"The entire team has improved significantly since the last time we faced them. There's no chance we'd lose to a group of lowlifes abandoned in that barbaric academy. Even if their captain—the one who dragged them to the finals last time—tries it again, he'll be brutally humbled by Liam Tudor, your relative, who's on the verge of a breakthrough into the high ranks. So don't worry—we've got this completely covered," the dean added, his tone full of certainty as he backed his claim with facts, finally easing the king's tension.

The king knew that if the War God Mage Academy won and his Royal Mage Academy was kicked out, it wouldn't just be a blow to his pride—it would ignite the voices of his people.

Citizens, who had been long silenced by fear, would gain the courage to speak openly of how he manipulated the system to favour the academy under the Royal family's control, and this time, he wouldn't be able to silence the rumours.

And that would cost him dearly, because despite the fact that his father tolerates his failures, if those failures tarnished the dignity of the royal family and cast doubt on the kingdom itself, then the king knew—he'd be in serious trouble with his own father.