Hunters Academy (3)

Alex was momentarily taken aback by the smile the boy before him displayed. He had grown so accustomed to seeing people approach him solely to bully him, and none of them had ever shown a smile like that before.

'Wait, was I wrong?' he wondered, looking at the boy carefully. He then glanced at the others around the boy and noticed similar expressions.

He glanced at Ross to gauge his expression as well. The two exchanged glances and saw the confusion in their eyes.

Suddenly, the boy in question ran his right hand through his hair and flashed a smug grin. "The name is Zen Henjok. But you can call me Zen," he introduced himself.

From the way he behaved, Alex understood the kind of person this Zen fellow was.

'A narcissist, huh?' Alex thought.

"Alexander Gray. This is Ross Bongu and Julia Knight," he introduced himself and his friends, gesturing to Ross and Julia, who nodded in Zen's direction.

As soon as Zen heard the name Julia Knight, he was left speechless for a moment.

"Oh… So, you must be the princess of the Knight family." He moved past Alex and Ross, coming to stand before Julia.

The One-Horned attempted to take the hand of Julia, but a glare from her stopped him in his tracks. "Hehehe…" Zen gave a nervous laugh, backing off.

'What is it with this guy? First, you approach me, then you ignore me as soon as you hear Julia's name.

'You didn't even introduce your friends or goons or whatever they are to you.' Alex didn't know how to treat the person before him, and he was getting a little frustrated.

"What exactly do you want?" Alex was running out of patience. He already had plans with his friends; after all, they were discussing what to do and where to go before this Zen fellow interrupted.

"Calm down, pretty boy." The boy motioned for Alex to slow down. "I just wanted to see the best student of the bunch. Aren't I right, people? I know for a fact everyone here is interested in the miracle boy and what makes him so special!"

Zen turned to the rest of the class, his hands spread wide as though he were delivering a magnificent speech about his achievement.

Alex observed the expressions of his fellow classmates and noted how they all looked at the unfolding scene.

He certainly understood their curiosity about him, but if that was the sole reason they wished to draw nearer to him, then he would be better off with just Ross and Julia.

Having had enough, Alex said, "Alright! You've made your point. So, now what? You've finally seen the 'miracle boy'." He mocked, making hand quotes to emphasise the phrase 'miracle boy.'

He was always aware of the nickname bestowed upon him by the media and others. However, he cared little for it and had no interest in putting a stop to their antics.

They could call him whatever they liked, but he was aware of his goals and remained focused on them.

Hearing his words, Zen's smug smile disappeared, and a serious look replaced it.

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to see if your strength is all that they say it is." He stated with a challenging look in his eyes.

Alex could finally understand what was happening. 'They aren't convinced, are they?' Alex thought, casting another glance at his classmates.

Every one of them in this class is the best of the best, yet none of them had a statistic even close to what Alex had.

'And this Zen fellow, did I peg him wrongly?' He had assumed he was a narcissistic chap, but the way he swiftly changed attitudes and spoke made Alex wonder.

"And I am guessing you want me to prove that to you lot?" Alex questioned, his expression reflecting the annoyance he was beginning to feel.

"Bingo! With nothing to do right now, we can all head to the combat systems and find out. Of course, it's okay to chicken out as well." Zen said, smiling with a malevolent glint in his eyes.

However, before Alex could respond. Julia stepped forward, standing before Alex and Ross, "And why would he do that? He owes you nothing."

She stood with her hands over her chest. The look she had right now was cold and unwelcoming, momentarily surprising Alex and Ross.

Zen's expression quickly shifted when Julia appeared before him. He found himself completely speechless and uncertain of how to respond. He had anticipated that the princess would stay behind and let the boys handle the situation, but that was not the case.

'Dammit, now what?' his mind raced quickly for a solution. He knew how much power the Knight family held on Mars, and with her father being the Planet Lord, a single word would be all it took to kick him out!

He cleared his throat before coming up with his response, "Miss Julia, this is between Alexander and me." He said, briefly glancing at Alex standing behind Julia.

He half expected the boy to stand up for himself, but no word came from him.

Naturally, it wasn't that Alex was leaving everything to Julia. He just hadn't seen this side of Julia yet, and honestly, he was impressed.

The air around her had changed, and he could even feel a slight chill in the air.

'I guess she's pissed.' He realised with a small smile. When he emerged from his thoughts and saw the expression on Zen's face, he grasped his predicament.

Initially, he would have done nothing, but when he thought of the likely rumours that would go around, he decided to intervene.

"Julia, allow me to handle this," Alex said, making Julia turn around to confirm.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah. Guys like this only speak one language." He looked directly into Zen's eyes. He could already see the relief in them, making him flash a smug but brief smile.

While the One-Horned was being a jerk to him, the boy feared dealing with Julia; a cowardly but understandable concern.

Julia cast one last glance at Zen before stepping back. Ross, of course, was only curious about what Alex had up his sleeves.

He had always wanted Alex to stand up for himself. Now that it was happening, he would be damned to interfere.

"While I am not against the notion of having a bout with you, it would be on my terms. Just not right now," Alex stated, waiting for Zen's response.

At this point, any support Zen had gathered from his classmates was lost. Because he faltered before Julia, his momentum had deflated, leaving him looking like a fool. 

"Fine."

He growled with as much venom as he could muster and swiftly stormed off with his goons.

'You're going to regret that.' He silently vowed, leaving the now-silent classroom.