<h4>Chapter 33: Elective [3]</h4>


    What I am about to do, can only be considered as ''disgusting''.


    "Hah"


    ''Let''s get this over with''


    As I entered, my gaze fell upon therge expanse of the chemistryb.


    Before me were shelves lined with numerous chemicals, test tubes, and beakers, each with a differentbel giving off a distinct smell.


    The room was brightly lit, with the windows partially blocked to prevent reflections and ensure properb conditions.


    I could hear the hum of the fume hoods and see the myriad of tools and equipment that were scattered across the area. Theb was huge.


    My eyes stopped on a man sitting in the elegant armchair, his confident posture emanating an air of sophistication.


    He had a chiseled face with sharp, defined cheekbones and a well-groomed beard that framed his cheekbones.


    His hair was styled neatly, slicked back, and jet ck in color. Dressed in a crisp ck suit, the buttons of his vest shining in the dim light as he held a paper in his hand, his eyes scanning it intently.


    I cleared my throat with a soft "ahem"


    "Oh? It seems you have chosen the chemistry elective, I presume?"


    His voice resounded in the silent room.


    "Yes," I replied, scanning the empty ssroom.


    "But there doesn''t seem to be anyone else here. Did nobody else choose chemistry sses?"


    The teacher paused, considering my question.


    "It''s rather rare for anyone to join the chemistry elective," he said slowly.


    "And all the students have already chosen their electives, so you are the only student, I presume."


    Nodding my head, I took a deep breath before continuing. "Are you the one who will decide marks and credit points for the chemistry elective? Or is anyone else involved in the authorities?"


    The teacher''s eyes flickered with curiosity as he watched my movements, but he answered my question nheless. "Yes, I am the only..." His words trailed off abruptly as I moved towards the door, paying no attention to him.


    I closed the door swiftly, shutting out the world beyond.


    The teacher''s expression hardened as he watched my strange behavior.


    "What are you doing? Are you a student?" he demanded.


    This time, I headed toward the window, the cool surface of the ss felt hard. I traced my fingers along its edges.


    The teacher''s gaze followed me, his eyes flickering with a hint of suspicion.


    But despite his obvious concern, I continued to explore the ssroom, my movements strange and erratic.


    As my hand reached out for the curtain, I slowly began to pull it.


    "Whatever this is, I suggest you stop. I am gonna report-" Before he could finish, I cut him off mid-sentence with a loud voice, "Midvale''s dark hour."


    I continued to close the curtains, my focus solely on the task, not his now frozen body.


    "Who are you?" he asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.


    ''I''m not sure how to answer that,'' I thought to myself. ''I''ve actually given this a lot of thought, but something about it just doesn''t sit well with me. It doesn''t feel like the right thing to do.''


    Taking a deep breath, "Huff."


    "Nano," I finally said in a low hush.


    [Affirmative...]


    He continued to question me, his voice now low and gruff, emitting a chilling killing intent that put a lot of pressure on me. "I asked WHO ARE YOU?"


    "Year 1977, a boy was born. Raised in the city of Midvale. He had a rtively normal childhood until tragedy struck when he was a teenager..." My words trailed off. I started strolling around theb.


    Step-Step-Step


    The sound of my footsteps reverberated off the walls, bouncing back to me with each step I took.


    "Son of Max and Mary Wilson - Edward Wilson."


    Five billion nanoscopic particles made their way towards Noah''s iris, travelling through the intricateyers and interacting with the surrounding tissues, initiating a series ofplex interlinking processes that extended to the very lenses of the eye.


    Gradually, Noah''s once dark iris transformed into a subtle grey shade, imbuing it with an alluring and enigmatic aura


    "In a freak ident, Edward lost both his parents - Max and Mary Wilson. This traumatic event was Midvale''s darkest hour, a rather tragic incident where many people lost their lives."


    Edward stood there, his expression unknown to me, my eyes weren''t even paying attention to him. He said nothing as I continued my story.


    "After the tragic loss of his parents, Edward became an easy target for one of Midvale''s notorious crime syndicates. The gang led by a man named Jackson."


    As soon as the name Jackson escaped my lips, Edward''s body flinched at the mention.


    "Jackson, wasn''t it?" I looked at him intently, trying to gauge his reaction.


    In response, he opened his mouth to speak, but his words died before they could even take shape. Only air escaped his lips as he closed his mouth, leaving behind an awkward silence.


    Feeling the tension in the air, I averted my gaze from him and scanned the room, taking in the sight of the various instruments that were scattered throughout.


    "Jackson took a liking to the skilled teenager and offered him a job as an alchemist in their ndestine operations."


    "At first, Edward was hesitant to get involved in illegal activities. Still, his overwhelming grief and the desire for some semnce of family made him easy prey for Jackson''s maniptions."


    My gaze rested upon a steeling ss mirror in the distance.


    "What a fucking fool you were, you almost remind me of someone", I let out, my eyes fixed on theb''s mirror that reflected my image.


    "How do you?" his voice barely passed through his lips.


    ''Tch, that''s not what I want to hear''


    "Edward''s rare talent caught the attention of the gang, who gradually leaned on him for their operations."


    "But when tasked with developing the perilous ''Mana Enhancer'' drug, Edward''s conscience was torn. He felt trapped between his morals and the fear of retaliation_


    Torn apart, Edward found the courage to make a bold choice - he ingested the drug, destroyed his work, and vanished from the sight of the gang."


    "The drug had broken Edward''s mana core"


    "S-stop", He let out in a broken tone.


    "During his hiding, disgusted with his past, Edward fled to Crosston where he studied Alchemy and the art of engineering potions for the next five years as an apprentice."


    "After finishing his Academy years, Edward decided to go to Krenada, where he had heard there were opportunities for work.


    It was in Krenada that he met Sarah."


    "She is your wife now, isn''t she? Does she know about your dark and shady past?"


    "Stop..don''t bring my family into this!"


    "In 2007, Edward got admitted to the prestigious Arcanum des Academy, and even got a beautiful daughter."


    As soon as I took his daughter''s name, the air around us became chilly as he pulled out a wand out of his dimensional bracelet.


    "What a happy ending to the story, right?" I said with a faint smile.


    I looked at my [Mystery of Teleportation], getting prepared just in case.


    My smile faded as I let out, "But I will change that happy ending into a saaaddd ending if you do notply with what I want."


    "What do you want?!" he asked with a revulsive, angry face, his tone full of anger.


    ''That''s what I wanted to hear''.


    ....


    --------Section A40, Coffee Cafe----------


    A group of eight students sat huddled together in the bustling coffee shop.


    The lulling ambience of merriment humming silently in the background.


    A tall and muscr boy with short ck hair, caressed his chin thoughtfully as he spoke. "Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You want sses A3, A4, and A5 tobine their power in the dungeon trials, because our ssesbined have the best chance of defeating ss A1?"


    Kenta, the leader of ss A4, who possessed piercing blue eyes and white hair, grunted his approval, a low husky sound emanating from his throat. "That''s right Adin"


    Sera interjected , "Excuse me, which elective did you guys join?"She had a stylish pixie cut and an unsettling air of nonchnce, impatiently flicked her eyes in their direction.


    Adin''s scowl deepened. "We are not here to discuss electives, Sera," he replied sternly.


    Sera rolled her eyes in defiance and turned her full attention to the rest of the group.


    Adin couldn''t help but shake his head upon hearing her unintelligent remarks. Dealing with her often made him cringe, but being the two top rankers in ss A3, he had to learn to cope with her personality.


    Adin ,picked up where he left off. "But why leave out ss A2? They are not as strong as ss A1."


    Arisha, the leader of ss A5, who had amanding presence with jet ck hair and a no-nonsense demeanor, spoke up.


    "Actually, that would be the wrong assumption. ss A2 might not have the top-ranked students, but they have the highest number of F rankers and an E-ranker along with Karthik. Karthik might be hard to beat, and considering that he is only the second-best in their ss, they could pose a threat to us."


    The group pondered Arisha''s words, realizing that they needed to consider all sses before forming an alliance for the dungeon trials.


    The smell of freshly brewed coffee and the soft hum of chatter provided the perfect backdrop to their conversation.


    "Let''s assume our alliance works wlessly and we eliminate sses A1 and A2, what happens next?" Adin asked.


    Kenta let out a smirk and replied, "When that happens, may the best man win." In an instant, his demeanor had shifted.


    Adin frowned in response, uncertain about the implications of Kenta''s statement.


    Author''s note: If the chapters are boring you, feel free to let me know. I understand that some of you may find my writing style a bit awkward, but there''s not much I can do about that. English is not my nativenguage, so I have to think about the nuances of my ownnguage first, and then trante it into English. Apart from that, it''s always great to seements from my readers. Even a simple period is better than nothing, haha