Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

Chapter 188: Bold move

Alex stood outside Dr. Arlen Zoric's classroom, tapping his feet rapidly on the floor as he waited anxiously for the respected professor to show up.

He had spent the previous night researching everything he could about souls, but everything he read was either vague or just plain useless to him. They all led to one thing in the end, consulting an expert.

Dr. Arlen Zoric was a well respected figure in the University, known for his deep understanding of souls and their properties. The Principal of the university even once said that Dr. Zoric knew more about souls than he did, in complete confidence.

This alone brought respect to his name.

Getting his attention and approval wouldn't be easy, but Alex was determined.

Alex took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He spotted Dr. Zoric approaching the entrance, surrounded by a few other students who were probably also eager to get a word in before class.

Alex waited impatiently until Dr. Zoric had almost reached the door, then stepped forward, hoping to catch him before he entered the lecture hall.

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"Dr. Zoric," Alex called out, his voice clear and respectful.

Dr. Zoric turned, his sharp eyes assessing Alex quickly. "Yes? Can I help you?" he asked, his tone polite but clearly preoccupied.

"Professor, I'd like to join your soul studies class," Alex stated directly, trying to keep his voice steady.

Dr. Zoric raised an eyebrow, a look of mild amusement crossing his face.

"If you're interested in joining a course, you can do so through the official channels, I don't have time for this."

Alex felt a pang of frustration but didn't let it show. He had expected this response.

As Dr. Zoric turned to enter the lecture hall, Alex made a bold move and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Please, Dr. Zoric, hear me out," Alex said urgently.

Dr. Zoric's eyes darkened slightly, and Alex felt a wave of pressure, a leak of the professor's aura meant to intimidate him.

Alex could tell instantly that Dr. Zoric was at least a B+ rank, which was honestly quite low for a professor, but just like Professor Will, there must be some special circumstances that allowed him to gain the position.

It was a subtle display of power, but it sent a clear message: know your place.

The relationship between professors and students in Capital Prime was a delicate balance of respect.

The Professors earned and deserved the respect of the students because of their experience and their willingness to put aside their own affairs to guide the younger generations, but the moment a sign of disrespect was shown, they wouldn't take it lightly.

Despite the oppressive feeling though, Alex held his ground, determined to make his case.

"I'm a first year student," Alex explained quickly before things got out of hand. "I know I'm not supposed to be able to join your class yet, but I can't wait a year to do so."

Thankfully Dr. Zoric seemed to be the forgiving type, as his mild annoyance turned to curiosity. He studied Alex for a moment, then let out an exasperated sigh.

"Why is it so urgent for you, then? Most students wait their turn. What makes you so special?"

Alex hesitated, knowing he didn't have a good enough excuse ready for such a question like this.

He knew he had to say something, but he was unsure of what to share.

Hesitating, he took a deep breath, deciding to share a tiny bit of the truth.

"I suspect that my talent has something to do with the soul," he admitted.

"I've been experiencing things that I can't explain, and I believe understanding souls might help me understand my abilities better."

Dr. Zoric's eyes narrowed slightly, a knowing look crossing his face. He was silent for a moment, considering Alex's words.

The Principal, who was listening in from his office tens of kilometres away, also had a knowing look on his face.

'So that's why the kid has such an interest in souls all of a sudden,' he mused. 'But, there was no such thing about either of his talents having such a relation to souls in the information the Soul contract revealed. Hmm, quite peculiar…'

The Principal was spying on Alex, even though he had chastised Mira for doing so. But it wasn't like he had to follow his own advice, heck, it was practically his job to spy on the students...

Back at the doors of the lecture hall, Dr. Zoric finally spoke.

"Exceptions have been made in the past for students whose talents are related to the soul, but they were admitted through the official channels from the beginning of their enrolment. Their talent's relation to souls was naturally exposed during the talent assessment, so the university could judge that it was beneficial for them to join the class." Dr. Zoric continued.

"Considering you aren't already in the class, this clearly wasn't the case for you, which either means you're lying, or you've somehow skirted the terms of the soul contract. I'm much more inclined to believe the former."

Alex's heart pounded in his chest as anger and frustration mixed. He knew he wasn't lying, but explaining the complexities of his talent to Dr. Zoric just for him to be admitted into his class wasn't an option either.

His mind raced as he desperately tried to come up with a solution.

Meanwhile, just as Dr. Zoric was about to refuse Alex's request, the professor paused, his eyes glazing over momentarily as if listening to something Alex couldn't hear.

In reality, the Principal's voice had entered Dr. Zoric's mind.

"Make an exception for this kid," the Principal commanded.

Dr. Zoric was sceptical though, "The boy is most likely lying," he replied mentally.

The Principal's voice was firm. "I don't think he is. And if I'm right, then this makes the whole ordeal much more interesting. Let him in."

Dr. Zoric sighed, relenting to the Principal's command.

He refocused on Alex, who stood there anxiously trying to come up with another excuse, awaiting his verdict.

"Fine," he said, somewhat reluctantly.

"I'll make an exception for you, just this once. You can join the class."

'Huh?'

Alex's eyes widened in surprise and relief.

He hadn't expected for Dr. Zoric to actually accept his quite honestly disrespectful proposal, especially considering how he reacted to Alex's initial request.

"Thank you, Dr. Zoric! You don't know how much this means to me!"

Dr. Zoric nodded curtly, not letting on about the Principal's intervention. "Don't make me regret this decision. I can still Expel you from the class just as easily as I let you in. Find a seat and settle in, you're lucky, this is the first lecture I'll be putting on for this year."

Alex hurried into the lecture theatre, his heart still pumping wildly from the encounter. It seemed Dr. Zoric had forgotten to retract his aura, as the whole time they were conversing he still had it trained on Alex.

He found a random spot near the front and sat down, feeling deep relief and gratefulness for being let in.

As the other students filed in, Alex couldn't help but glance around.

'So these are the other second year students huh, I've only seen Rowan so far.' He thought.

'I didn't expect them to be this strong.'

He secretly inspected a few of the student's and found that most of them were around D to D+ rank, with a select few students even being C- rank!

Though, he still reckoned he could take most of them on in a one on one battle, as most of them were still Ordinary class students.

This was the difference between the top first year student, and the average second year student.