Hunter Zol asking him if his stored mana could do anything else aside from defusing into his cells meant there had to be more to having mana.
Naturally, as an awakened, he understood how mana works as countless research had been undertaken to discover its limits and while there was still more to discover, what they knew so far was a lot.
In class as well, his instructors had explained how it works. Because of this, he had tried everything he was taught and still hadn't discovered anything else.
'This could also be because of my low level.' Alex sighed to himself, catching the attention of Hunter Zol.
"Alex, don't worry too much. I'm sure sooner or later, you'll find a way. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do on my end as well." Saying this, his mind went back to the self-frozen woman. That woman might be the key to understanding the way Alex's powers work.
'But she encasing herself in that ice is a problem we currently have no idea how to break.' If his guess was correct, it was made out of the same void energy.
An energy they couldn't interact with. It was dangerous and only machines could approach it. Even then, it seemed to be impossible to break and their monitoring devices could only deduce that it was an energy type and nothing else.
"The reason I called you here was simply due to your level issue. I wanted to see for myself and check if there was something I could do… Sadly, you'd have to discover something first. Only then can I offer to help in any way I can."
Alex listened to his words with rapt attention and nodded in acknowledgement. The bulk of his path depended on himself and if he did not find something to work with, others could not help.
"I understand, Sir."
"Good"
After that exchange, Hunter Zol talked about the performance of Alex in the battle royale and gave him tips and pointers on what he could do better using his skills, combat prowess and physical strength.
Sometime later, he bade them farewell and wished them good luck in the coming main event.
"Don't expect the main competition to be as easy as the battle royale. Your strength gives you an advantage, but not all stages require just physical strength and speed.
"Most importantly, see this as a learning process and godspeed."
Hunter Zol then excused himself, leaving the trio sitting alone in the principal's office.
"Haa… That was something."
Ross muttered, relaxing in the comfy seats. Being in the presence of Hunter Zol was nerve-wracking; it was as if a certain kind of pressure settled on his shoulders.
Julia just shook her head before replying, "What did you expect? He is a Class S hunter. Even without actively releasing his aura, it's still there. You'll just have to get used to it."
Alex nodded agreeing with her. Of course, when he first met him, he was too excited to take notice.
"Alright, let's get out of here before the principal returns," he stated getting back to his feet. Ross and Julia followed suit and soon after they exited the administration block.
"Where to now?" Ross asked once outside. They had come from the dorms and Ross didn't think they would be returning there now.
The day was almost over, and they had two days of rest, well mostly one day as the last one would be used in explaining the content of the main competition.
"Let's go eat something then. You returned from the simulation not long ago and you must have used a lot of energy utilizing your brain." Julia suggested.
"Yeah. But let's go to the Academic City."
Alex agreed after momentarily thinking about it. He wanted a change of scenery while he ate and thought of anything that might help him level up. Staying cooked up wasn't helping him or anybody.
"And I will be needing your help to think about something that might help me level up. I can't come up with anything on my own."
"Sure. But I don't think I can be of much help." Julia replied as they made their way to the teleportation hubs.
She had discussed this with her older brother and even her uncle mentioned not having a clue as to what might help him, so she doubted if she could actually be useful.
"It doesn't matter. What he meant was if we could think of anything at all no matter how crazy it might sound. This is him getting desperate. He might be the strongest now, but we're not relaxing either.
"Sooner or later, he is going to be left behind. You and I are already close to Class E, so catching up wouldn't be a problem."
"Exactly what he said," Alex affirmed with a nod.
"Well, we can't do that on an empty stomach, so let's move it," Julia said and then left the boys behind.
"Hey, I'm the one who partook in the event you know? If anything, I should be the hungriest!" Alex exclaimed, running to catch up with her. Of course, Ross didn't want to be left behind either and rushed after his friends.
...…
Principal Seraph watched the trio as they moved further away. The kids might not have been aware of her presence, but she had returned the moment Hunter Zol left the building.
And while she was not privileged to partake in the discussion, she was able to deduce the reason behind it.
It was all everyone could talk about. Why is Alexander Gray unable to level up despite his physical stats?
It wasn't a matter of not having the resources to level up, but what was stopping him from levelling up. And the only thing they could think of that made him different was the cosmic mana wave he survived.
Somehow, it had changed him. Now the question was, was it good or bad, and only time could tell. Right now, everyone with enough power and desire to grow stronger was watching, including Seraph Yiny.