mtl008 Chapter 214 Alice (2)
Chapter 214 Alice (2)
Chapter 214 Alice (2)
Alice snapped out of her thoughts and slowly walked toward the private training room. Most upperclassmen usually liked to gather together and chat, but she didn't like this approach.
Every time she was near these talented individuals, she felt pressured. Their training methods were so different, and their dedication to their careers made her uneasy. Although she was also at the Arcadia Hunter Academy, her main goal was not to become a warrior, but to take control of her own guild and build her own faction.
Therefore, she prefers to be with regular students rather than with older students.
When she entered the private training room, she found Rimors training intently, his movements fluid and focused.
The way he handled the equipment revealed a level of focus, and the sharpness in his eyes was something Alice had never anticipated.
Is this really the level of a low-ranking player?
After only two seconds of looking at him, Alice's well-trained eyes could tell that Morse's movements were very skilled and that he was definitely not an ordinary lower-grade student.
She leaned against the door frame, observing quietly. Out of habit, she subconsciously used her magic to conceal herself. She was not good at fighting, but being third in her grade was no joke.
'interesting.'
There was no one else in the training room at the moment. This room was located in a corner of the club and was known for its monster strength malfunctions, so other students did not like to train here.
Alice's initial dissatisfaction with Morse gradually turned into an increasingly strong curiosity. With each of his skillful movements, she felt that Morse was different from what he seemed on the surface, and she became more and more convinced of what Carl and Ethan had said.
While observing, Alice silently noted Morse's movements, strengths, and weaknesses.
Observe his attack accuracy and movement efficiency with a critical eye.
The more she looked, the more curious she became about the discrepancy between Morse's abilities and his noticeably low ranking.
'I understand why Ethan said he was physically weak, but even so... he shouldn't be ranked so low.'
Given this series of differences, it is indeed confusing.
Morse battled monsters in the training room. Some monsters were weaker than expected, while others were unexpectedly strong. Despite facing different enemies, Morse persevered. His determination remained unwavering. Even when facing opponents who should have been too powerful, he gritted his teeth and persisted.
Alice couldn't help but admire Morse's tenacity, which made her feel that he wasn't just training to improve his ranking, but for some deeper purpose, a purpose she couldn't yet understand.
This reminded her of Ethan and Carl's assessment. Alice nodded; the guy was indeed stubborn and possessed all the qualities needed to become a hunter.
Although this was just training, Alice knew that the requirements for a hunter went far beyond physical strength, as her father had taught her.
"The real difference between an Awakener and a Hunter lies not only in their physical strength, but also in their mentality. A Hunter's strength is not only reflected in their ability to defeat monsters, but also in their resilience in the face of life's challenges. Mental resilience is the true mark of a Hunter."
This is why she never underestimated Ethan and always supported him. Although he awakened later, once he did, she knew he would be outstanding in the future.
She could always sense this quality in Ethan, though not exactly the same, and Morse also had this potential.
'I might... have been wrong.'
She recalled their first encounter when she bumped into Morse at the door, feeling extremely annoyed and disgusted by the disturbance. She considered him insignificant based on her ranking and therefore showed him no mercy.
'Perhaps I could consider bringing him into my faction.'
As Alice pondered this, she analyzed whether he was worth it. According to Morse's rumor, he was an orphan, a fact widely circulated in the college, but she didn't believe it.
[Dickt, investigate Morse Scott.]
She immediately messaged her assistant, requesting an investigation into Astrang, and received a reply quickly.
[Dick: Understood, Miss Alice. I will continue the investigation.]
Upon seeing the reply, she was secretly pleased. Dict was someone she had carefully chosen, and she believed he would complete the task soon.
"You shouldn't spy on other people's training."
Just then, a voice came, and a person suddenly appeared in front of her.
She was startled; the voice was much closer than she had expected.
Morse stood in front of her without her noticing. Her eyes widened instantly, and she instinctively assumed a defensive stance, not even realizing what she was doing. In a panic, she immediately threw a punch in self-defense.
But Morse easily dodged Alice's unexpected attack, moving swiftly and effortlessly avoiding her fist.
"You reacted quickly," Morse commented casually.
Alice quickly calmed down, withdrew her fist, and the surprised expression on her face gradually turned into embarrassment and anger. She cleared her throat and regained her composure.
"What are you doing here?" Alice asked, her tone slightly annoyed.
"What do you mean? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?" Morse said casually, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
Alice raised an eyebrow, realizing that her question was somewhat ironic, after all, she had barged into the training room without permission and observed Morse's training without any scruples.
Although she was curious and wanted to observe, barging into someone's private space in broad daylight was clearly not the way to build a good relationship, especially when she was considering recruiting him.
Alice nodded, accepting his point of view: "That makes sense. I should observe the surrounding environment first."
"This is not just about being mindful of your surroundings; it's about respecting other people's boundaries."
Looking into his eyes, Alice finally understood why she hadn't liked him in the first place, and also understood why Irina always complained about him.
However, her self-esteem was not that fragile.
“You’re right… It’s about respecting other people’s boundaries. I’m sorry if this bothers you.”
"You just understand."
"..."
"What? If I did that, I'd be labeled a pervert, you know that?"
"...You shouldn't blame me; blame your compatriots who ruined the reputation of men."
"You make a good point, but that doesn't negate my opinion. I won't be so polite next time."
"Oh? What are you going to do?"
Want to give it a try?
"...Do you know who I am?"
"Who doesn't know Alice, the school's goddess?"
"...cough cough..."
She usually doesn't care about her nicknames, but for some reason she felt a little embarrassed today.
Alice, with a mixture of annoyance and interest in her eyes, continued to banter with Morse. After observing him up close, she realized he wasn't so bad after all.
Morse raised an eyebrow, temporarily pausing their conversation: "Why were you secretly observing me?"
Alice remained calm and replied, "Nothing, I just wanted to know how other archers train, nothing in particular."
She maintained a blank expression, revealing no true intentions, but Morse looked at her suspiciously and shrugged. "Fine, whatever." His attitude seemed to dismiss the matter, but his eyes said it all.
Alice realized he knew her intentions, and she couldn't help but think to herself.
'What a perceptive fellow.'
Alice disliked people as perceptive as him because, from her perspective, such people were difficult to control.
"Alright, I'm off then."
"You're just going to leave like this, without giving me anything in return?"
Why should I give you anything in return?
"Because you've been looking at it for a long time."
"You...you knew from the very beginning."
"Correct."
'...Interesting...Morse Scott.'
She smiled confidently as she walked towards him, a hint of teasing in her eyes. She stood very close, almost touching his face.
"So, what do you want?" Alice's voice was filled with curiosity and challenge, wanting to know how highly he regarded her.
“It’s nothing,” Morse said softly, his gaze firm, unmoved by Alice’s behavior and teasing, which surprised her somewhat. “I want to see how you train.” His words were simple yet serious.
"You want to watch me train?"
"Ah."
"Why do you think this deal is fair? Considering our rankings, shouldn't you show me more?"
"I'll make a judgment after I've seen your training."
"...How do I know you won't side with yourself?"
"We'll consider it later."
"..."
Alice paused, lost in thought. Letting him watch her train meant revealing her training methods, which was not what she wanted, especially since these were techniques passed down to her by her mother, which she was unwilling to disclose easily.
Alice glanced at him again and found that he did not back down.
'Anyway, it's not a big deal. What can he learn from just one training session?'
Alice smiled and accepted his offer.
"alright."