Alex arrived before the principal who stood at the entrance to a room. He thought she would be waiting for him in a room but not at the entrance.
"Principal Yiny." He greeted her with a curious look on his face.
The principal understood his questioning gaze. "I can understand the question you have. But I'm not the one who wants to meet you." She explained.
"You're not?" Alex asked in confusion. "Is it Hunter Zol?"
Lord Zol and maybe Lord Mason, if he was around, could be the only one who had sufficient authority to make the principal act like the middleman.
"No, Alex. It's someone you probably haven't heard of before. You'll meet him shortly as he is waiting for you behind this door." She pointed behind her and Alex's gaze shifted to the door before returning it to the principal.
"He will introduce himself to you… Just be on your best behaviour." She advised and Alex nodded.
He did not know who it was but if they could make the principal act as a messenger, then it could only be someone high up the ladder.
"Good." She stepped aside and gestured for Alex to open the door and enter.
Alex opened the door to the spacious room that had large sofas around a centre table. Standing at the far end of the room and looking out the night sky was a tall man in a black suit.
The man's profile looked familiar to Alex but he wasn't sure where he saw him.
"Alexander Gray…" Suddenly the man called out and turned around and Alex finally understood.
'He was among the principal's guests.'
"I'm sure you're wondering why I called for you," Sawn said and slowly walked towards one of the sofas before gesturing to Alex to have a seat as well.
Alex didn't stand on ceremony and gave a slight nod before sitting on the opposite chair.
"My name is Sawn Exlaw and I'm an envoy of one of the members of the empire's council." He introduced with a stretched hand which Alex took with a slightly shocked expression.
The handshake was brief but it allowed Sawn to scan Alex's body, yet he found nothing out of the ordinary just like the reports said.
With the kind of abilities he showed and the energy he used, there should be something different about him, but there was nothing. He didn't even sense any of the energy he knew Alex had.
'Is it not stored in his body?'
It didn't make sense, but that may be what was happening or they didn't have the capability of detecting it yet.
'No matter, we'll find out eventually.'
Sawn sat with crossed legs and observed Alex's face in silence. Most would have already begun fidgeting once they knew his status, but Alex remained composed aside from the initial shock.
A slight smile graced his features before he went ahead to talk about his reasons for being here.
"Alexander… Your achievements have caught the eyes of my employer and he wishes for you to join his team."
He stated without wasting time on niceties. The status of his boss should be more than enough to make Alex understand that joining the team comes with a whole lot of benefits.
And just like he guessed, he watched Alex's expression change as the various benefits he could gain from joining them flashed through his mind.
A few minutes of silence later, Alex looked directly at Sawn and then said, "I appreciate the offer, Mr. Exlaw, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
"Oh… care to tell me why?"
Sawn didn't show any displeasure at his refusal or even attempted to convince him otherwise. He maintained his cool and just wanted to understand his reasoning.
"It's not much of a reason as I just want to continue at my own pace." Alex also made his message short. There was no need for a long talk.
And even if he had reasons to give, he was not obligated to conform to the wishes of the stranger, high ranking or not.
"Mm." Sawn simply nodded and thought for a moment before asking another question unrelated to the offer. Since he was just here to see the boy and get to understand his nature even if it was only a glimpse, the offer could be put aside.
"Tell me, Alexander. In the last event where you faced the guardian, you exploded with greater strength than your level could give. Do you know how you achieved that?"
He had access to the files and already knew Alex did it in the spur of the moment. However, it's been days since the event ended. Alex must have at least learnt something.
He wouldn't have bothered if their attempts yielded results, but so far…. Nothing.
Hearing the question, Alex smiled wryly and shook his head, "No, Mr. Exlaw. I tried to replicate what I did but haven't found the trigger yet. I believe it will take some time for that to happen."
He had some ideas on how to do that with his void energy, and of course, attempted it with some progress. He just hadn't given it his all yet. After all, there was no rush.
Naturally, the main reason he said that was because no one else had void energy and couldn't do it the way he would.
Sawn stared at the boy's expression for a couple more minutes before letting out a small sigh. He couldn't see through the boy despite his level. He focused on the boy's heart rate and everything but found no hint of lying.
It's a work in progress. If it was that easy, everyone would have done it.
"Very well," Sawn muttered and got back to his feet, quickly followed by Alex. He understood that the conversation was over.
He watched as Sawn made a gesture and generated a holographic card before sending it towards Alex who caught it with his watch.
"That's my personal contact. Reach out when you have a change of heart. Opportunities like that don't come often," He advised with both hands behind his back.
"Also, when you discover a way to use that technique, don't forget to send me the method.
"It's a game changer not only for me and your leaders, but for every hunter out there risking their lives."
Alex nodded and then bowed slightly and inwardly shook his head at the man's attempt to guilt trip him. He didn't really mind as he never thought of keeping it to himself should he find the 'mana' way.
"Thank you, Mr. Exlaw. I'll be sure to let you know once I have something."
Sawn gestured and watched as Alex left the room.
All this while, he was keenly aware that someone was keeping an eye on him. He may not be a Class S awakened, but he was no joke either. 'There's no rush at all. One way or another…'