Oversoul: Path to Master

Chapter 4 – Ambush

After school, Alex and Logan made their way home.

"Hey, Logan, are you sure no one knows this path?" Alex glanced behind, where the smaller boy was following him.

Alex was baffled. Compared to Logan, he was handsome and wise. But while Logan resembled a cowering mouse, he had a level 5 thunder affinity.

This makes no sense!

Logan hesitated. “No, probably not."

"Probably?" Alex repeated sharply. Blue veins popped out on Alex's forehead.

To avoid Justin's revenge, Alex sneaked out with Logan after school. Despite all his bravado in the classroom earlier, he didn’t have a death wish.

"We usually take this road when we go home. People seldom use this path," Logan replied timidly.

"Okay, fine,” Alex waved off. “Is it difficult to pass the Yuki High School entrance exam?" He changed the topic, feeling restless. He didn’t know if the niggling feeling he had was a warning or not.

"What do you mean?" Logan asked, perking up. "Yuki High School is the best high school in the city. You have to possess a level 7 affinity to get admitted."

"Level 7," Alex repeated. He groaned inwardly.

I got myself into a mess!  

Alex was pissed that he challenged everyone without thinking. In hindsight, it was like throwing an egg at a boulder.

This is a disaster! What was I thinking? Without any affinity, how am I supposed to get in after 10 months?

Alex wanted to smack himself. 

It turned out that Alex and Logan lived close to each other. Because of Alex’s lack of affinity and Logan’s personality, all their classmates excluded them.

As a result, the two stuck together even outside school.

The small road was hidden in a forest. It was usually quiet when they took this route. 

But as Alex and Logan traversed the path, three figures suddenly leaped out from behind the trees ahead of them and blocked their way.

“J-Justin!" Logan shouted in horror, knees trembling in fright.

Alex's heart sank. His plan to avoid trouble backfired.

Justin stood in the middle. In addition to his level 7 affinity, he was tall and muscular. His entire presence was oppressive.

On his left stood Emily, who sneered at Alex with disgust. 

Alex recognized the other boy on Justin’s right as Edward Martin. He had ranked a level 5 celestial affinity at today’s test.  

It was obvious that the three students were up to no good.    

"Did you actually think you could get rid of me that easily?” Justin sneered.

Emily glared daggers at Alex. "How dare you humiliate me in front of everyone! You’ll pay for what you did today!"

Alex’s actions today left Emily feeling sick and violated. There was no way she was going to forgive him.

"I didn’t mean to touch you! Even if you came up to me, there’s no way I would go anywhere near you!" Alex spat out.

Being passive was pointless. The three obviously had no intention of letting Alex go today. It was better to go down with a fight than to beg for mercy.

Alex had his pride. If his classmates attacked him, he would fight back with all his might.

Alex’s words were like a slap to Emily’s face. "Y-you bastard!" she stammered in shame and fury. She stomped her feet and pulled Justin’s arm. “Justin! Teach that bastard a lesson! He makes my blood boil!"

Justin shot Alex a cool look. "Do you have a death wish?”

Edward stepped forward and said, "Justin, let me have a go at him. I’ve been looking for a fight for days."

"Fine, but don’t kill him. He’s not getting away that easily." With a wicked grin, Justin crossed his arms and prepared to watch the show.

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave some fun for you,” Edward sneered. He walked towards Alex at a slow pace, cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner.

"A-Alex?" Logan stammered, trembling with horror. He curled up on the ground, biting his fingernails nervously.

Meanwhile, Alex raised his eyebrow and shot Edward a cool look. Despite his calm façade, he was silently assessing the situation. Like a patient cheetah, he waited for the perfect moment to deal a lethal blow.

"Huh, that’s interesting. You don’t even look scared at all. Are you ready to face me? Be honest, Alex. I have a level 5 celestial affinity, and I can use Dou Qi. Be careful, I could cripple you for the rest of your life," Edward sneered as he approached.

Dou Qi! Alex's eyes narrowed.

After today’s lessons and chatting with Logan, Alex learned about magicians and warriors. While magicians used magic, warriors used Dou Qi martial arts. And it was a difficult style to learn.

Though he didn’t show it, Alex was terrified by the revelation. Dou Qi users could instantly increase their strength several times, letting them reduce boulders to particles with a single punch. They were a lot stronger than ordinary people.

"A-Alex... d-don't fight back..." Logan warned in a trembling voice, already scurrying away. Despite his worry for Alex, he was so frightened, his legs were turning to jelly. He couldn’t even stand straight.

"He's right. Don't fight back. You’ll only get seriously hurt," Edward taunted.

He stopped in his tracks when he was a meter away from Alex. He wondered whether to punch Alex's face or stomach first.

While Edward contemplated on his attack, Alex screamed, "f**k you! You’re nothing!" He leaped at Edward and kicked his crotch roughly.

Edward clutched his groin and keeled over in pain. He bit his lips, eyes bulging out and face flushing red.

He dropped to the ground, curled up like a small bean. Letting out a silent scream, he rolled on the ground in agony.

Edward’s crotch hurt so badly that he couldn’t even make a sound.

Logan shuddered from his hiding place. He was worried that Alex would be beaten up to a pulp. He didn’t expect the fight to go like this.

What a cruel fate, Logan thought with pity. Edward might not be able to have kids in the future.

Previously smug, Justin now stared at the scene in horror. He winced in pain as if he could feel Edward’s agony himself. His heartbeat raced against his ribcage as he watched his friend whimper miserably.

"Alex, you cunning bastard!" Justin yelled in rage. He leaped towards Alex and swung a fist at him.

"I just followed your example!" Alex retorted, already turning around to flee. He sprinted into the woods and ran away.

As a novice warrior, Justin was ten times more powerful than Edward. Alex could trick Edward, but it wouldn’t work on Justin.

But as long as Alex is alive, he still had hope. Since he couldn’t beat Justin, it was wiser for him to run away. 

Justin's fist swung through the air and landed on the ground, forming a crater on the path. Dust flew everywhere as the earth shook.

Fuck! That was powerful! Alex shuddered as he craned his neck to look back. He pushed his legs to run faster.

"You still think you can escape? Do you actually think you can get rid of me?" Justin roared. Missing Alex made his temper worsen.

Justin kicked the ground and rushed into the woods to chase after Alex. The two figures disappeared into the trees.

Only a dazed Logan and a frightened Emily remained behind. They stared at Edward, who was lying on the ground in shame and agony.

Deep in the woods, Justin tailed after Alex and shouted, "Give it up, Alex! You can’t get rid of me!"

"Do you think I’m stupid! Why would I stop?" Alex shot back, gasping for breath.

Because Justin was a novice warrior, he had the advantage of Dou Qi. But despite his faster speed, Alex evaded him by running all over the place.

"Fine, keep running! You’ll eventually get tired!" Justin yelled angrily. His anxiety from seeing Edward’s defeat was now gone. He was raring for a fight, and he was willing to wait patiently if he had to.

Because of his Dou Qi training, Justin could continue to run for an hour. When Alex ran out of energy, he would stop to rest. Then Justin would strike.