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

"What did you say?" Alex, staring at a communication device, questioned with a frown.

"...Margaret is missing," the voice, albeit hesitant, replied.

"And what happened to the eye on her?" He asked, his frown deepening.

"We couldn't find any traces, sir."

Alex ground his teeth as he heard those words.

After all, he knew what those words meant.

It meant the person was dead, but their body couldn't be found.

'Fuck!'

He cursed, having an idea of who it could be.

His anger wasn't for Margaret. She was a heroine. He knew she would survive. The worst that could happen to her was getting mental trauma.

Of course, Alex wouldn't let that happen, but what enraged him was the death of his subordinate.

The guy who died was one of the few people under his command whom he couldn't expend. He was a guy whom Alex had known from his childhood—someone from the awakening incident.

The children from that incident were now high-level executives in Alex's organization.

Yes, the organization wasn't large, but it was enough for Alex to control areas like an academy or spy on his targets.

The best thing about the people of this organization was that they were all under the effect of the slave seal. They could become the best sleeper cells—like Natasha.

Alex had lost one of those people now, and it inflamed him.

Without thinking deeply about it, he decided to move.

His first stop would be the fifth peak.

It was true that he knew who was behind all this, but it never hurts to be extra careful, and he would do just that.

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

The Fifth Peak.

The forest of the fifth peak was as quiet as always.

The sound of birds and insects calling could be heard as the trees swayed under the gentle breeze.

The leaves rustled while the sunlight filtered through them, falling on the ground filled with dry leaves. It was a scene to witness, making one wonder if this forest was as dangerous as it was said to be.

Right now, Alex was in front of the same forest, staring inside.

Rustle!

A soft rustle echoed right after Alex stepped into the forest, making him turn toward the source.

"It's been a while, Elaria—"

His words got stuck in his throat as he saw who it was. Unlike the stag he was expecting, it was a beautiful girl with green hair and eyes.

What took his voice away, however, wasn't that it was a girl but the fact that she was naked.

Her skin was pale, making it seem like she had never been in sunlight. Even the rays of sunlight that fell on her seemed to reflect.

Her eyes, full of curiosity and innocence, kept staring at Alex, unaware of how her supple breasts bounced every time she swayed.

"...what is this?" Alex, after a pause, asked, taking a deep breath.

"Hm?" Elaria, however, tilted her head to the other side. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you in this... form?" Alex repeated his question, and Elaria finally nodded in understanding.

"Oh, this?" Pointing at herself, she gave a small smile. "I tried to transform into human form, and I could do it without a problem."

"Why did you transform into your human form?"

Alex's question made her eyes shine bright as she replied, "I was going to meet you in a while, but I sensed you and came here."

"Don't tell me..." Alex held his head, exhaling through his nose, "...were you going to look for me like that?"

Elaria, confused, frowned. "Yes. Is something wrong?"

By now, she understood something was wrong. Although she didn't understand human culture, she knew how to read emotions.

She could tell Alex felt weary by looking at her, and it wasn't normal.

"Yes," Alex nodded as he stepped closer to her. "In the human world, no one walks naked. Not even the beggars."

'Sophie, buy me a blanket,' he called out to Sophie inwardly, and Sophie did what he asked.

[It's in the inventory.]

"Why?" Elaria, however, couldn't understand the logic. "I stayed naked before, but you never said anything, so why now?"

"It's... complicated." Reaching close to her, Alex summoned the blanket, dragging it over her as he replied. "We don't show our naked bodies to someone unless we love them."

Elaria, feeling the blanket's softness, curiously studied it before she turned back to Alex. "What is love?"

"That's also... complicated." Alex rubbed his chin. "Love has a different definition for everyone. But don't worry, you will know when you love someone."

"How so?"

Elaria, like always, was curious about new things.

After all, she knew nothing of the world. The only thing she knew was how to survive.

Alex, on the other hand, smiled at her question. "That's the magic of love. You never know when it strikes you, but when it does, you know."

Elaria tilted her head to the other side, about to ask another question, but Alex raised his hand, his gaze turning serious.

"I came here for a reason, Elaria," he said, making Elaria sigh. "Of course."

She knew he had come for a reason, but somewhere in her mind, she hoped he would come just because he wanted to meet her.

Then, before Alex could even tell her what the reason was, she asked. "Is it because of the recent death in the forest?"

As soon as he heard those words, Alex's eyes sharpened. "Yes."

"I wanted to know what the ones who attacked and got attacked looked like," he added.

Elaria, nodding, waved her hand, and roots sprouted from the ground, forming humanoid shapes.

Alex's eyes flashed with cold as he saw his subordinate's figure, and soon Damien, Margaret, and his subordinate's figure formed as well.

"This girl was kidnapped," Elaria pointed at Margaret's figure before turning to Damien's, "and he was the one who kidnapped her."

"He was the one who was killed," she gestured at Alex's subordinate's figure before turning to Damien's subordinate's figure, "and he was the one who killed him."

For a while, Alex said nothing, staring at the figure of Damien's subordinate as if memorizing the guy's face before he nodded.

"Thank you."

"If you are thankful," Elaria, sensing that he was about to leave, voiced out. "Teach me about human culture so I can leave this forest."

Alex paused, and after a thought, called out to Sophie again. 'Sophie, could you?'

[Of course,] she replied instantly, and a bright flash appeared, making Elaria squint her eyes.

"Hello, Elaria."

The stag heard a voice before its vision returned, and when she could finally see, Sophie could be seen standing in front of her.

"She's Sophie," Alex said, pulling Elaria's attention. "For now, I would like you to learn from her. Once I'm done with my work, I'll come to you."

Elaria frowned, glancing between Sophie and Alex, who nodded at each other. 'What's this annoying feeling?' She wondered but soon waved that thought away, observing Sophie, who smiled at her.

"Shall we?" Sophie asked, and after a short stare-down, Elaria nodded her head, leading Sophie into the forest.

Alex, looking at that, turned around and left.

With his powers elevated, Sophie could now maintain her physical form for around two hours, and although it wasn't a lot of time, he was sure she would take care of Elaria in that time.

Soon, however, he shook his head, sharpening his mind as he needed to focus on the problem at hand because it was his fault this was happening.

It wasn't completely his fault, but in a way, he was responsible for it because it was his interference with the plot that changed everything.

Normally, Margaret would've been roaming around with Ben, the protagonist, and even if Damien were to attack them, Ben would somehow have managed to do something about it.

But due to Ben's fight with Keryu, another protagonist, he was seriously injured, the reason being the toll on his body.

Now, he was in the medical ward, being treated and ordered to have bed rest.

This period left Margaret, who was constantly under the threat of being captured by Damien, vulnerable.

Alex had missed this point.

He was supposed to prepare for it, but he forgot about Margaret.

Maybe because he had left her for Ben, letting her be his responsibility, he forgot what had happened to her in the original plot.

Now, Margaret was bound to suffer because of him.

Of course, that would only happen if he couldn't stop something bad from occurring.

It had been less than a day since she was kidnapped, so Alex was sure that she was still being treated nicely.

Damien might be a sadist, but in whatever twisted way it was, he did love the ones he captured.

The torture only starts when they start resisting him, which Alex was sure Margaret wouldn't do so soon. She would still be looking for good in Damien, so she would somehow try to justify his actions herself.

That would buy Alex enough time to find a way to rescue her while letting Damien know the consequences of harming people he shouldn't.

Before that, Alex needed to wake the protagonist up.

He needed Ben to take the brunt of everything while he moved in shadows, taking care of things the way he wanted.

For the first time, Alex would use Ben as a cover to commit a crime.

After all, Ben, the protagonist, would somehow get away from any situation. No matter what kind of problem he got into or was blamed for, he would come out safe.