031

At the moment, inside the dean's office, Alex is seen glaring at the dean. While this might be a normal interaction with another student, the cold and dull eyes tell a different story. Of course, the dean wasn't afraid of this student, although he did feel an ounce of threat. This oppressive silence was broken when the dean asked,

"So? I'm going to ask again, what do you want with Mia?"

"Then I'll tell you again, I want to talk to her."

Alex was starting to have this strange feeling that the dean was involved with Mia somehow. At the moment, he had no idea how he was involved. Alex was thinking of just leaving when he remembered something important. In the past timeline, Mia had entered the military right after high school. Of course, with her grades, she could have easily gone to college; however, instead, she entered the military. Alex looked at the dean and asked,

"So, you're Mia's foster father?"

"That's correct."

"What rank were you in the military?"

"Why? Are you nervous?"

"No, not really. I'm just curious."

"Well, I want to know what kind of relationship you have with my daughter."

"We're old friends from the same orphanage."

"Where was that orphanage, and what's its name? For some unknown reason, I can't find anything at all."

"T-that's probably for the best."

"I don't believe you get to decide that."

"If you want to know, wait until Mia tells you herself. Until then, just forget about that place's existence."

"Fine, only because I respect my daughter's privacy. Well, I'll let you talk to her, however, I'll be watching you, Alex. Now, please leave my office."

"Alright."

Alex left the dean's office. Of course, he needed to have the last laugh. As he played the "I know your name" card, isn't he begging? Alex had to do the same thing.

"I'll see you later, John."

"You—"

Alex didn't stay around for his outburst and shut the door. He already got permission to talk to Mia. He left the front office and headed to her 5th-hour Orchestra class. The orchestra class was just doing independent study when he arrived. He quickly saw Mina and headed over to her. When she arrived, she felt a tap on her shoulder and found Claire behind her. Alex then remembered Claire was also in this class, and he felt a headache coming.

"Hey Alex, how's your day been?"

"It's been good. What about you?"

"Mhm, I've also been good. Unfortunately, my parents have been annoying us since they saw us."

Like a cat, Mia's ears perked up. She was curious about what their relationship was and how they knew each other. Of course, Alex noticed this and asked Mia,

"Hey Mia, want to join us?"

"S-sure."

Claire was less than thrilled to have Mia join them. However, she didn't show that on her face and energetically said,

"Hey Mia, I'm Claire. It's nice to meet you."

"Y-you too."

While Claire and Mia were talking, Alex was thinking about how bad this will go. Of course, luckily for him, it seemed the worst didn't happen. That's when Mia said,

"Oh yeah? Alex, I had got that pod thingy. Could you show me how to set it up?"

"Sure, I would love to."

"M-me too! I also got it. Could you show me too?"

"Sure."

They kept talking for the rest of the hour, and while the teacher wanted to stop them, he had already received word from the dean not to interfere. He just hoped this wouldn't be a daily recurrence. Alex, Mia, and Claire all left school after the 5th hour. After an hour, he had set up both of their VR pods. Of course, he felt they already knew how to set it up, however, he didn't mind doing it for them. After everything was set up, he gave them his username and left. Alex went back to his house and logged onto the game.

Now back inside the Inn, he quickly sent a message to an Undead King player. He had received a reply to his message, and now he was about to initiate contact. He received a reply almost immediately.

[ Undead King: How do you know about that!? ]

[ Lucifer: I have my sources. ]

[ Undead King: I should be the only person who knows! ]

[ Lucifer: What class did you receive? ]

[ Undead King: I'm not telling you. ]

[ Lucifer: Well alright, it was at least worth a try. ]

[ Undead King: What do you want? ]

[ Lucifer: I want you to join my guild. ]

[ Undead King: What do I gain from it? ]

[ Lucifer: That's the person I know. Anyway, you'll be given a high position. Considering my guild's structure, I believe you'll be happy about it. ]

[ Undead King: That depends, what's the name? If I believe the name is terrible, I won't join. ]

Alex smiled at that last message. He had thought about it for a long time; however, the answer was really simple.

[ Lucifer: Broken Heaven ]

[ Undead King: Hahaha! A place that symbolizes the highest place. A place that stands to accommodate the deities, yet that place is broken. I love it! Very well, I'll agree to join this guild. ]

[ Lucifer: I was hoping you would say that. Here, just sign this contract. ]

[ Undead King: Very well, boss! ]

Alex sighed in relief that everything went well. He was betting on a piece of information he had heard in the past timeline. The player Undead King was an eccentric individual and would do actions that didn't make much sense. Of course, that was also the main reason he became known as one of the 4 apocalypses, the Harbinger of Death. Now that he had someone who would certainly reach great heights, he needed to register his guild. He already knew that he needed one more player, however, if everything went correctly, then he should be there. Alex headed to the Spirit Association and met up with the other players. Luckily Alex was able to ask Blossom to power level Claire and Mia with someone from her guild. Of course, he had to pay a little bit, however, it wasn't much.

So Alex met up with Claire, Mia, and the Undead King inside the Spirit Association. Claire and Mia looked the same as they were in real life. The Undead King was wrapped in bandages; however, he could already guess he switched his race or was close to switching his race as his bone was showing in some parts of his body. Then finally, the last person arrived, Liam. Alex had asked him to meet him here to complete their bet. Alex requested a duel with Liam, a duel on equal playing ground.

[ Duel Request

Challenger: Lucifer

Challenged: Liam

The duel will be of equal stats, and no weapons. ]

Once Liam accepted the duel, they both disappeared from the Spirit Association lobby and reappeared in a grass plain. They each were given a pair of ordinary clothes and no weapons. Liam looked to be more comfortable with his fists, so Alex chose to have no weapons in this duel. Alex knew this wouldn't take long, so he gestured for Liam to attack him. Liam, taking his provocation, rushed Alex. Alex watched him with pure disappointment and couldn't help but say,

"I had thought you were better. Was I mistaken?"

Alex, not giving Liam a chance to understand what he had said, effortlessly and effectively dodged his punch. With Liam's center of balance all messed up, Alex threw his own attack. His hand went behind Liam's neck and chopped it. Alex watched in dissatisfaction while Liam's body fell. While Liam's vision was getting dark, his expression was that of disbelief.

"I-I had lost?"

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A/N

Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter! Have a good rest of your day or night!

If you like this book so far you should check out my other work, A Last Wish!