Novel's Extra: I Awakened The Strongest Physique From The Start

"Huh?"

Alex blinked, his thoughts sluggish as the world around him shifted. The memories came rushing back—the confrontation with Anos, the tense energy, and the sharp sting at the back of his neck before everything dissolved into darkness.

"So, I was knocked out, huh?" He muttered, his voice tinged with a mix of resignation and defeat.

But before he could fully process the thought, his body began to fall backward, only to be caught by a plush couch that materialized beneath him. He landed softly, sinking into its velvety embrace.

"Yes," a familiar voice replied from his side. "She seemed to have judged the situation to be better with you down."

Alex turned his head to find Sophie lounging casually on his lap, her head resting comfortably against his chest. Her blonde hair glimmered softly, her presence both grounding and oddly comforting.

"Well, we can just wait then..." Alex sighed, his fingers moving instinctively to comb through her hair. It was a familiar rhythm, one that helped him think and calm the storm of questions swirling in his mind.

"But still..." He sighed, "They could've at least listened to my words."

He wanted to tell them that the demon lord wouldn't try to harm him and was probably curious about something, but he couldn't do it.

"Well, at least they seemed to have made up," Sophie changed the topic, her fingers tapping his chest. Alex, reminded of the way Vanessa and Alenia seemed to be exchanging glances, also smiled.

It did seem like they weren't avoiding each other.

For a while, none of them said anything, sitting comfortably on the couch, waiting for Alex's body to wake up.

Sitting with nothing to do, Alex's mind drifted back to the day before when he made a deal with the demon lord.

.................

The demon lord had been sitting relaxedly, leaning casually on the sofa in his mansion, staring at Alex, wondering what kind of deal it would be.

"Why do you want your children to grow strong, Lord Anos?" This was the question Alex had started with—something that had made Anos, the demon lord, raise his brow in interest.

He seemed to be curious as to what Alex was getting at, but he didn't stall for long.

"So that they can try to kill me. So that they are strong enough to pose a challenge to me. And just so that when their blood washes over me, I won't feel embarrassed to call them my children." Anos grinned as he replied, his expression turning dangerous as his body trembled in excitement.

"Ah, just imagining it is exciting," muttered Anos as the scene of the last massacre surfaced in his head.

Anos's thoughts, however, had been interrupted when Alex's words fell.

"Are you sure?" He had asked, making Anos frown for the first time.

"What are you talking about?" With a growl, Anos had asked, shifting in his seat. "Are you doubting my life's objective?"

Anos appeared to be a bit angry; after all, the implication behind Alex's words was huge.

"Not at all, lord Anos." Alex, however, had remained calm, his tone measured as he added, "All I want from you is to realize what you truly want."

The next second, just as Alex had thought, a bit of Anos's aura exploded out, putting pressure on him just enough to make it hard to breathe.

The air around them had tensed, and Anos's crimson eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Boy, I don't like playing in circles." Gritting his teeth, Anos spoke, "If you don't get to the point, then you will only have yourself to blame for your death."

"Please calm down, lord Anos," enduring the pressure with a bit of difficulty, Alex confronted Anos, "Were you never, even once, reminded of your time at the academy in all these days?"

Those words paused Anos, his aura faltering. Alex, a bit relaxed, continued, "Were you soaked in your children's blood at that time, Lord Anos?"

Seeing Anos's gaze quivering, Alex pressed, "From what I have heard, you seemed to have enjoyed that time even though you had no children. How, Lord Anos?"

Alex had seen Anos's eyes growing cloudy as the guy finally recalled his real nature. He wasn't a bloodthirsty maniac who loved killing his children. He just loved fighting.

In the fight where he had massacred his whole family, he had felt that thrill again, but clouded by anger, he couldn't think straight. He had deduced that feeling of exhilaration to be bought by killing his family.

Anos had unknowingly made his goal—Alex knew it because this was later revealed in the plot. Anos himself realized it later on in the plot.

Alex, on the other hand, wasn't wasting his time. He knew that Anos had already bit on the hook; all that was left for him to do was pull.

"In the memories of the time that you enjoyed the most—your academy life—had one part you never liked, right?" Alex had inquired, snapping Anos back to reality. The demon lord had nodded, Vanessa's face flashing through his head.

"You never got to defeat my mother." Alex's words reminded Anos of the bitter truth. Vanessa had never fought him. Not once.

"She still won't fight you—you know that as well." Leaning forward, Alex smiled. "But what about her son? You can still fight me."

Alex could see Anos's expression freeze in shock, so he struck the iron while it was still hot. "Won't defeating me make that single regret of yours go away, lord Anos—"

Alex had wanted to continue, but he couldn't as Anos's mad laughter interrupted him.

"HAHAHAHAHHAHA!"

Anos kept wiping the imaginary tears from his eyes as he laughed wildly, not bothering to appear graceful. Discover hidden tales at empire

"Boy, do you hear yourself right now? You want me to fight you?" Still laughing, he questioned, "Do you think you can survive even a faction of my power—"

Tap

Anos paused as Alex pushed something on the table. It was a bracelet—one that emitted a strange energy.

"What is this?" Picking it up, Anos had asked, frowning as he failed to identify it. He had never seen anything like that.

Alex had expected that kind of question. It was something that would make Anos realize that even as weak as Alex was, he could still pose a threat to him.

So, with a smile, Alex started explaining, "It is..."

........

Before he could drift deeper into his thoughts, he felt a pull to his consciousness, making him snap back to reality.

"Looks like you are about to wake up," Sophie commented, making Alex nod. "Looks like it," he spoke as the pull grew strong.

Sighing, a bit reluctant to let go of Sophie's warmth, he kissed her forehead. "I'll see you again tonight, love," he smiled, and seeing Sophie nod with a smile, he closed his eyes.

The next second, he groaned softly as his vision returned. His senses picked up the presence of three people in his surroundings; the tension was at an all-time high.

He could feel his head resting on something soft, which he soon found out to be Alenia's lap, as the first thing he saw after his vision returned was her face looking down at him with a grave expression.

'Now that's... new,' he muttered inwardly, as he had never really seen that type of expression on Alenia's face before.

But as he sat up straight with her support, he found another pair of eyes looking at him. It was Vanessa, and her expression was the same as Alenia, while Anos, the demon lord, sat across Vanessa, relaxed as ever, glancing at him lazily with a grin.

"Great." Rubbing his forehead, Alex muttered with a sigh, "What did I miss this time?"