It was a bright and peaceful morning. Alex woke up to the sun streaming through his window. He stretched, glanced outside, and smiled with excitement.
"Today's the day," he said to himself. "The day I finally go to the Academy and start my journey as an assassin. High-rank missions... here I come."
He headed to the bathroom to freshen up, his determination clear. As he stared at himself in the mirror, he nodded.
"No matter what happens, I'm going to become stronger."
Later that day, inside the Academy classroom, students filled the space with chatter and laughter. Some were already forming groups, talking excitedly about what lay ahead.
Alex entered and immediately spotted his childhood friends, Kinto and Baraka, sitting together. His face lit up as he called out their names.
"Yo! Kinto! Baraka!"
Baraka grinned. "Alex! Glad to see you, man!"
Kinto nodded. "Do you have any idea who your teammates are gonna be?"
Alex shrugged. "Not a clue... but I just hope it's not someone I don't vibe with."
Baraka smirked. "Like that Kazuki guy you used to butt heads with?"
Alex let out a groan. "Ugh. Don't remind me. I swear, I better not end up on a team with that guy."
As fate would have it, Kazuki walked in just then. He and Alex locked eyes—and just like that, the tension sparked between them. Neither said a word, but the mutual irritation was obvious.
Across the room, Serena leaned over to Sukuna. "This better not turn into a mess."
Sukuna laughed. "Those two? They've been at each other's throats since day one. They're never gonna change."
Just then, the classroom door slammed open. Tomoa, the instructor, entered.
"Settle down, everyone!" he barked. "Time to assign your teams."
The class fell silent.
Tomoa began calling names.
"Kinto, Baraka, Sukuna — you three are one team."
Sukuna sighed. "Aw man... I was hoping to be on the same team as Serena."
Serena smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll still be close, as always."
Alex rested his chin on the table, looking disappointed. "If I'm not with Kinto and Baraka... then who am I stuck with?"
Tomoa continued, "Alex, Serena... Kazuki."
Alex instantly jumped up, cheering. "Let's gooo—!" But the excitement drained from his face as realization hit. "Wait… what did he just say?"
He blinked. "KAZUKI?!"
Kazuki scoffed. "Ugh, I'm stuck with a bonehead like you?"
And like clockwork, they started arguing.
"You're the bonehead, bonehead!" Alex snapped.
"Both of you shut the hell up!" Serena yelled, slamming her fists into their heads.
Tomoa cleared his throat. "Now that teams are set… it's time for your first test."
Everyone turned toward him, alert.
"You'll be heading into the Dead Wood Forest for a survival mission. Your objective is to find an energy stone. These stones contain powerful energy that enhances your strength depending on how strong your core already is."
An hour later, all teams gathered at the edge of the ominous forest.
Alex stretched with a grin. "This'll be a piece of cake."
Serena raised a brow. "You do realize we don't know what's in there, right?"
Alex smirked. "Yeah, but you're looking at the future strongest person in the world."
Kazuki scoffed. "More like the future dumbest."
Alex glared. "Say that again, purple-head!"
Kinto crossed his arms. "I don't like how this is starting."
Baraka yawned. "Let's just finish this and go home…"
"Lazy much?" Sukuna teased.
Tomoa opened the gates. "Begin!"
The students dashed into the forest like the wind, some leaping from tree to tree, others carefully scanning the ground for signs of traps or energy signatures.
Alex, Serena, and Kazuki moved swiftly through the trees.
"Watch out for traps," Serena warned.
Suddenly, she triggered one.
A massive boulder dropped from above.
"Serena!" Alex shouted.
Without thinking, he activated Energy Fist, smashing the boulder to pieces — and several trees along with it.
Before he could breathe, a swarm of daggers flew at him. Kazuki jumped in, unleashing a Spiritual Explosion, a glowing purple energy ball that detonated mid-air, incinerating everything nearby.
Alex blinked. "Damn…"
Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "Focus, knucklehead. Or lose your head."
"I had it under control!"
"Both of you, enough!" Serena snapped.
Hours passed.
Perched on a tree branch, the trio looked exhausted.
"This is harder than I thought," Serena muttered. "We haven't found a single energy stone…"
Alex, hanging upside down from a branch, suddenly felt a strong presence below. He flipped down and landed smoothly.
"Guys… I think I found something."
They followed him to a hidden hole. Inside lay a glowing stone.
"I found it!" Alex beamed.
"Are you sure that's it?" Serena asked.
Kazuki rolled his eyes. "He probably found a rock."
Alex turned. "Shut up, Kazuki."
"You shut up."
"You shut up—"
"QUIET," Kazuki suddenly snapped, eyes narrowing.
The ground began to rumble.
From beneath, a monstrous giant scorpion burst out.
"RUN!" Kazuki shouted.
They scattered — Kazuki leapt from tree to tree, Alex flash-stepped, and Serena kept pace.
The scorpion hurled a massive log at her. Alex screamed, "Serena!"
Her fist surged with lightning and she punched the log to pieces, stunning both Alex and Kazuki.
The scorpion's tail burst from the ground behind her. Alex kicked it away just in time.
"You okay!?"
"I'm fine! But LOOK OUT—!"
The scorpion's tail stabbed Alex clean through the side.
"ALEX!" Serena screamed.
The beast hurled him across the forest, then turned to Kazuki. He fired another Spiritual Explosion, but was also swatted away.
Alex staggered, bloodied, as the scorpion grabbed him by the neck, smashing him into the ground over and over, dragging him through trees.
"What… do I do… now…" Alex thought, pain blurring his vision.
The scorpion stabbed him again and again.
Serena screamed.
Suddenly — Alex's hair turned red.
The scorpion raised its claw for the final blow—then stopped.
Alex's eyes snapped open—now glowing red and black.
In a blur, he flash-stepped behind the scorpion and punched it with devastating force, launching it through trees.
It roared in fury and lunged.
Alex flash-stepped again and unleashed a barrage of powerful punches, rattling the entire forest.
It tried to grab him, but he ripped off its arm with a brutal strike.
The scorpion shrieked and tried to flee.
Alex charged for the final hit—but the tail caught him off-guard and smacked him away.
He crashed into the trees… and his red hair faded back to white.
Alex lay unconscious.
Kazuki, watching from a distance, stood frozen.
"…This guy… is something else."
Evening.
Serena and Kazuki returned to the forest gate, Kazuki carrying Alex on his back.
Tomoa waited.
"You three are the only ones back. Did you retrieve the energy stone?"
Kazuki looked away. "We lost it…"
Tomoa sighed. "Then you fail."
He paused.
"…However, you'll get a chance to redeem yourselves. Tomorrow, all teams will face their team captain in a sparring match. Be ready."
He glanced at the injured Alex, unconscious on Kazuki's back, and sighed again.
"…Let's hope he wakes up in time."