Alex took off his clothes and dove straight into the warm water. The tension in his mind and body finally melted away after a long, exhausting day.
It's time to plan ahead, Alex thought. I'll gather people with talent for magic. I'll build the academy in a remote area and slowly develop it. I'll only reveal myself when my strength is sufficient.
Morning light streamed through the window and fell upon the face of a young boy. From different corners of the town, roosters crowed, announcing the start of a new day.
[Host, wake up.]
"Five more minutes," Alex muttered.
[Ding! Ding! Ding!]
The repeated alarm shattered Alex's sleep. With a groan, he helplessly got out of bed, washed himself, and headed downstairs.
"Did you really have to use an alarm to wake me up, System?"
[A host should be proactive and not laze around. You must set a good example for your future students. Make this a habit.]
"Being a headmaster is more troublesome than I thought…" Alex sighed.
Alex sat at a table as the tavern lady placed a plate of black bread and a bowl of bland soup in front of him. He stared at the meal in silence.
I'm not eating this crap, he thought.
Standing up, Alex left the tavern and began his search for talented individuals.
A boy around ten or eleven years old was being chased through the streets.
"Thief! Thief! Don't let him get away! Catch that kid!" a man shouted.
The shout alarmed the surrounding crowd. Guards patrolling the area quickly joined the pursuit. The boy, clearly an experienced thief, darted through the streets, confusing the guards before disappearing completely.
Alex observed the entire scene as he searched for talent. The system suddenly notified him.
[Target detected: Mid-level magic talent.]
"Show me his attributes, System," Alex said.
[Name: None
Age: 10
Height: 4.1 ft
Magic Rank: None
Magic Affinity: Wind
Magic Talent: Mid]
"Let's follow him," Alex said.
With the system's assistance, Alex traced the boy's movements. The system's computational power quickly pinpointed the boy's location. When Alex arrived, he was surprised to see the boy sitting with a young girl. The two were quietly eating stolen apples.
Upon noticing a stranger, the boy immediately stepped in front of the girl, shielding her with his body. He glared at Alex with sharp, wary eyes.
[Host, the girl also possesses mid-level magic talent with wind affinity.]
So they're siblings, Alex thought.
"I'll distract him. You run," the boy whispered.
"What about you? I'm not leaving you behind," the girl protested.
"I'll be fine. I can run and hide for a while, then come back for you," the boy replied.
"Hey, hey—no need to be so tense," Alex said calmly. "I'm not here to capture you. I'm here to give you and your sister a chance to change your lives."
"We don't want trouble. Leave us alone. If you come any closer, I'll kill you," the boy said, his eyes blazing.
"I'm not here to make you do bad things," Alex replied. "Both of you have talent for magic. I want to recruit you into my academy."
"Magic? What's that?" the boy asked suspiciously.
"I'll show you. Then you'll understand," Alex said.
Although Alex hadn't begun practicing magic himself, he possessed magical equipment—more than enough to fool two children.
In an instant, Alex swapped his clothes for a mage's robe. The robe's invisibility function activated, causing his figure to vanish before their eyes. Moments later, he reappeared and switched back into his normal clothes.
"You can do the same one day," Alex said. "So tell me—do you want to rot in this place, or come with me and change your lives? The choice is yours."
The boy and girl exchanged glances. They didn't know who their parents were. They had nothing to lose—and everything to gain. Determination filled their eyes, and Alex finally relaxed.
Finally, I've got some students, he thought.
"We want to learn magic and change our lives for the better," the boy said.
"Welcome to Eldoria Magic Academy," Alex said proudly. "I am the headmaster, Alex Smith. From now on, you will call me Headmaster Smith. Understood?"
"Yes, Headmaster Smith," they replied.
"Good. Since you don't have names, I'll give you some. You will be called Noah and Sophia. Do you like them?"
"We do," Noah and Sophia said together.
"Good. Let's get you cleaned up. We'll leave tomorrow."
Alex took them to a bathhouse. Noah refused help, insisting on washing himself, while Sophia was helped by a waitress. Afterward, Alex bought them new clothes and brought them back to the tavern.
"I need one more room for a day, with meals included," Alex said, placing ten copper coins on the counter.
The tavern lady took the coins and handed him a key. Alex passed it to Noah.
"Stay in the room with your sister. The food will be brought to you."
Alex returned to his own room and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
Two students are enough for now, he thought.
With anticipation for tomorrow, Alex slowly closed his eyes.