Omega Over Alpha

Chapter 2: The Lunar Essence

Seraphina left the arena under the weight of countless awestruck and fearful gazes, her expression remaining perfectly composed and serene.

The gathered students watched her departure with a mixture of admiration and terror.

Silverbrook Academy's supreme alpha was every bit as formidable as the legends claimed!

Only after Seraphina had completely left the arena did her carefully maintained facade finally c***k. She found herself pressing a trembling hand to her chest, her heart still racing from the close call. "Dear God, that was terrifying! If anyone had discovered I'm actually completely powerless, I would have been torn apart by that mob."

Thinking about the mechanical voice that had saved her life, she whispered tentatively, "System? Are you there?"

The electronic voice responded immediately: "Present, Host. How may I assist you?"

Realizing the system was actually real and willing to communicate, Seraphina felt a surge of excitement. "Oh my goodness! I actually have my own supernatural support system! This is amazing! If it weren't for you today, I would have been beaten to a pulp!"

The system replied with what almost sounded like exhaustion: "Please do not celebrate prematurely, Host. The emergency intervention required to save you has completely depleted my energy reserves. For your continued safety, you must acquire equivalent supernatural materials to replenish my power immediately."

"Energy reserves? What kind of materials do you need to recharge?" Seraphina asked, her excitement quickly turning to concern.

"Current scans indicate that the academy's medical wing contains suitable restoration materials. Please proceed to the infirmary immediately."

Following the system's guidance, Seraphina made her way quickly to the medical wing and pushed open the heavy wooden doors. Inside, she found an elderly doctor in a white coat sitting behind an antique desk, absorbed in reading a leather-bound tome.

Upon seeing her enter, Seraphina instinctively reverted to her cold, untouchable persona—a reflexive defense mechanism she was still learning to control.

The elderly physician looked up and adjusted his wire-rimmed spectacles, taking in the sight of the ethereally beautiful young woman who had just entered his domain. He smiled warmly and asked, "Good afternoon, my dear. What can I do for you today?"

Seraphina's eyes swept across the immaculately organized medical wing, taking in rows of gleaming medical instruments and glass cabinets filled with mysterious bottles and vials. In her mind, she frantically called out to her system: "System! Tell me quickly—what exactly do you need?"

The system took a moment to scan the room before responding: "I have detected Primary Lunar Essence in this location. This substance can restore my energy reserves. Please acquire it immediately."

Her gaze fell upon the glass cabinet where numerous vials of shimmering, silver liquid caught the light like captured moonbeams.

Armed with this information, Seraphina pointed directly at the cabinet filled with the precious lunar essence, her voice as cold and commanding as winter itself: "I require that."

The elderly doctor followed her gesture and looked surprised when he saw what she was indicating. "I'm terribly sorry, young lady, but those particular substances are academy property temporarily stored in the medical wing. I don't have the authority to distribute them to students."

Seraphina regarded him with those same unnaturally pale, emotionless eyes that had made Marcus feel like an insect. In truth, she desperately wanted to drop the act and plead with him sweetly for help, but this body seemed incapable of expressing anything other than supreme arrogance and disdain.

So she was trapped in her role as the ice-cold alpha queen, unable to show any weakness or vulnerability.

The school physician, who had initially planned to simply refuse her request, found himself inexplicably unsettled by that piercing, emotionless stare. A chill ran down his spine as he hastily explained: "These lunar essences are rewards reserved for the top three students in our practice examinations. If you want one, you'll need to place in the top three during the upcoming trials."

Seeing that she continued to stare at the precious vials with unwavering intensity, the physician tried to offer some encouragement: "Don't worry, my dear. The vials will remain safely stored here in the medical wing until after the examinations are complete. Once you achieve a top-three ranking, you can return to claim your prize."

Despite his advanced age, the school physician was quite tech-savvy and spent considerable time browsing the academy's online forums. As Silverbrook's legendary 'supreme alpha,' Seraphina was a frequent topic of discussion, with threads dedicated to analyzing her every appearance and speculating about her true power level.

Naturally, the physician was well aware of her fearsome reputation.

Upon hearing his explanation, Seraphina felt her heart sink like a stone.

*Place in the top three in the practice examinations?*

*Is he completely insane? I'm a weakling masquerading as a supernatural prodigy—how could I possibly accomplish something like that?*

While everyone else believed the rumors about her incredible abilities, she knew the truth about her own limitations all too well. The gap between her reputation and reality was so vast it was almost laughable. Asking her to compete against genuinely powerful supernatural beings for a top ranking was essentially asking her to commit suicide!

The thought filled her with such dread that she quickly asked about the consequences of not replenishing the system's energy.

The system's response was swift and alarming: "Host, I am your supernatural manifestation. If my energy cannot be restored, you will remain as powerless as an ordinary human in the eyes of others, and we will both inevitably be destroyed by stronger supernatural beings."

*Well, that certainly sounds serious enough.*

Seraphina immediately abandoned any thoughts of ignoring the energy problem.

"Where else can I obtain Primary Lunar Essence?" she inquired desperately.

The elderly physician stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Lunar essence is extraordinarily expensive and rarely available through normal commercial channels. If you're determined to purchase some, you'd need to go to the supernatural medical center in the city and join their waiting list. However, I should warn you—with the Combat Assessments only three months away, there are many families trying to acquire enhancement materials for their children. You'd likely be waiting until well after graduation before your number was called."

Seraphina felt her hopes crashing down around her: "..."

Just as despair began to set in, the physician continued: "I do recall that the Regional Supernatural Training Center maintains its own supply. Students who manage to earn a place on their rankings can receive lunar essence based on their position. If you need something urgently, you might consider trying to make their leaderboard."

Seraphina nodded thoughtfully. While this visit hadn't yielded the immediate results she'd hoped for, she had at least learned valuable information about her options. The difficulty level was far higher than she'd anticipated, but it wasn't completely impossible.

After leaving the medical wing, she sighed heavily and asked, "System, given our current capabilities, would we have any chance of success if we attempted to make the regional leaderboard?"

The system's response was brutally honest: "Absolutely impossible!"

Seraphina refused to give up: "What about placing in the top three in our academy's practice examination? Surely that would be somewhat easier?"

The Regional Supernatural Training Center drew talent from across the entire county, including virtually every supernatural prodigy within hundreds of miles. But a practice examination was just an internal academy assessment! The difficulty should be significantly lower!

Unfortunately, the system remained pessimistic: "As I mentioned previously, my energy reserves were completely exhausted saving you earlier. Without sufficient power to assist you, I cannot manifest any supernatural abilities. Moreover, if these energy levels are not restored soon, your physical condition will continue to deteriorate rapidly!"

Seraphina understood the logic all too well. She and the system were inextricably linked—they would rise or fall together. There was no possibility of surviving independently.

*So what are my options now?*

*Do I really have to participate in these practice examinations?*