Alexander's days at the academy could be considered…lackluster.
Damien wasn't planning to attract attention to his Avatar. There would come a time when it needed to hide away from the universe until the time was right, and for that to be done properly, he couldn't be someone with a great reputation or impact.
The timeline was also something to be worried about.
Seeing just how many branching timelines existed in the painting of reality, Damien realized the dangers of influencing time before he was completely free of its grasp.
Therefore, he made sure to keep a low profile.
He didn't have many connections among the students, nor did the teachers particularly favor him.
He took part in the secret realm expeditions and dungeon clearings just like any other student, however, the results he got were nothing more than average.
That was the facade he put up.
Though, a facade was just that.
Anything Damien did solo, he did to the best of his capabilities, achieving results that were impossible for even the instructors.
And, as he grew more powerful, his connection to his main body grew as well. Slowly but surely, the prowess Damien possessed was reflected in Alexander, exponentially enhancing his growth speed.
After spending four years abusing the academy's resources and reaching the middle stages of 3rd class, he took his adventures to the rest of Heiron.
He explored the Volcanic Sea beyond the Brilliant Flame Empire and discovered the hidden society below, he killed the Magma Giant that controlled the massive volcanic ring below the sea and caused it to erupt so frequently, and even formed an accidental relationship with the Imperial Family when he ended up saving a few of their princes and princesses during one of his expeditions.
Once he felt there was nothing left for him in the Brilliant Flame Empire, he went south to the Crystalline Moon Empire and thoroughly reaped the rewards present all over the Sacred Continent.
It was amazing. The Hidden Moon Realm in the southern empire was majestic and contained a power of stars Damien didn't expect to feel in this body. Just as the north had the Magma Giant, the south had an Ice Phoenix that was the cause of the drastic weather difference and snowfall that covered the southern half of the continent.
However, Damien didn't kill that Ice Phoenix. Since he had a strong relationship with the 3000 Beast Mountain Range Ice Phoenix Clan, he instead spent 5 years with the beast, earning its trust and teaching it techniques so it could become a protector of the continent that raised this body.
And, as if it was fate, he naturally made acquaintances with the Crystalline Moon Imperial Family as well.
He was truly a princess magnet, but with his attitude, even the Emperors were aware their daughters had no chance.
It was a great time. He spent roughly two decades afterward refining his techniques and protecting the continent from dangers.
Both internal and external threats were quelled as the citizens of Heiron learned of the existence of the greater universe, but the identity of their hidden protector was a closely guarded secret known to only a select few.
Damien enjoyed the time. He wanted to stay in Heiron for a while longer and see how much he could accomplish without leaving this world, but as expected, that didn't suit his personality at all.
After another decade of pure training, he'd reached a level equivalent to the peak of 3rd class, just short of a Universe Baptism.
As for why it took him so long to reach that level, well the reasons were plentiful.
First off, Heiron didn't have a high mana concentration to support his training nor did it have a large beast population to promote growth.
Secondly, the talent of people in this era was extremely muted compared to Damien's generation. It was hard to see this speed as fast when so many reached 4th class below the age of 30 in the current era, but one had to remember how old the nine revolutions masters and Demigods of the universe were.
Even for those powerful characters, it took thousands of years to reach Divinity.
Rather, the current generation was the outlier. The war times and unique circumstances surrounding the universe during their era forced the universe to birth talents that were godly in comparison to their predecessors.
And finally, the third reason it took Alexander almost 50 years to reach the peak of 3rd class, and the simplest reason…
He didn't train in a law.
His body didn't have any law affinities, because his soul was not his own. He used all his mana to enhance his muscles and body, so his internal systems were practically god-like in comparison to any other practitioner:
However, because he was using mana to exclusively bring his physical state to the level he desired to be, it took a very long time to train.
It wasn't a problem. Damien gave himself more than enough leeway, and more than anything, once Alexander could use everything the main body possessed, there was no need for him to have a law specialization of his own.
Instead, it was more beneficial for his body to become monstrous.
With all that in mind, Damien practiced and did everything he could until his desires became too big to control.
It was time to leave Heiron and seek greater horizons.
He'd been living in his home village ever since he finished exploring the continent, and though the villagers and his parents knew there was a lot he was hiding from them, they accepted him wholeheartedly.
To train in this environment was a blessing Damien couldn't be more thankful for.
He had to leave, but he wasn't planning to leave this life's parents behind.
The only question was how they'd react, whether it be to the idea of thousands of years of life or the truth behind his identity.
Therefore, Damien hid the latter for now and decided to have that conversation at a later date, if ever.
He focused on the former, and after convincing them to take the Elixirs he'd prepared for this very purpose, he left on another journey.
He told them he was going to explore the world again, but that was just a lie to calm their hearts.
That day, he left the world altogether and began his advent in Grand Heavens Boundary.
He grew more and more powerful and had more and more experiences. He met more and more people until he became someone that quite a few would remember, to his chagrin.
Universe Baptism was, naturally, not available to him, but his strength continued to soar, and among those at his same level, he was indomitable.
Decades became centuries, and change became the norm.
Heiron disappeared from the Divine Realm one day as it was placed in the Sanctuary, and Alexander's parents were finally told the truth of his existence.
Unexpectedly, they reacted quite well.
Maybe it was because Alexander always treated them as real parents, or maybe it was because Alexander lacked a soul from the start and Damien's intervention was precisely what gave him life.
No matter what his true identity was, whether he was god or demon, he was the only son they had from start to finish, so they accepted him with open arms and listened to his story in wonder and worry.
Damien felt quite relieved when that matter was taken care of, and after making sure Alexander's parents wouldn't die until they wanted to, he went back to his usual activities in the universe, rising and rising.
It was a mundane existence, really. It was a far simpler life than what Damien led, and he realized why it was so difficult for regular practitioners to build their Legend and progress through the nine revolutions.
After all, even after all this time, he was still only in the late stages of fourth class.
And as he continued living this common life, preparing for the future…
…an unexpected encounter took place.
In a nameless secret realm somewhere in the Divine Realm, Damien met a group of men adventuring together with the same goal as everyone else, power.
However, these men…
'...haha, I never expected to see this.'
Luciel, Lucifer, Alucard, Commander Huo, and some others Damien didn't know.
They were young, nothing like the versions of them Damien had grown used to.
He smiled as he watched them from afar.
'Shall I take a little break…?' He thought to himself.
He knew he had a lot to do, but…
…he couldn't help but be curious about the stories of these people who would become great existences in the future.
