The Golem Mage Chapter 1121: Beyond Normal Reason.

The instant the outcome was revealed, the three men tasked with announcing it found themselves momentarily speechless. Even the lead envoy, who normally wore a constant smile, couldn't help but let it falter as he observed their hesitation. A suspicion began to form that perhaps Alec possessed an unusual grade, one that overshadowed Takeda's.

It wasn't until they finally regained their voices and declared the result that he understood the reason for their pause.

Alec Gordons—the victor of the competition, the one he had placed in third—had somehow been assessed as an F-rank potential mage. While he didn't particularly favor Alec, he had never anticipated the boy would receive a rank lower than Dragov.

“Could he have some latent injury that worsened over time, damaging his foundation? Or perhaps he used performance-enhancing drugs, making further advancement impossible? What else could lead to an F-rank talent assessment?” the head envoy questioned the other three ordinary envoys beside him in a low voice, a tone born of shock and concern.

Although he spoke softly, in a place where everyone's hearing was enhanced and without employing voice transmission or mental concealment, his words reached everyone clearly. Alec believed this was deliberate.

Im mediately, many began to savor what appeared to be the start of Alec's downfall. The happiest among them were, naturally, the mages who had never enjoyed a cordial relationship with him, such as Liam.

Alec simply descended from the machine. He could sense the lingering shock of the onlookers, but their feelings were of no concern to him, for he knew he was far superior to an F-rank grading.

He merely walked to the side of the counter, awaiting the middle-aged man to hand over the bulk of his rewards, which had already been processed by the ordinary envoys.

Despite the man’s clear reluctance to bestow such substantial rewards upon someone who had only earned an F grade, Alec, whose day was already far from pleasant, finally lost his composure.

He met the man’s gaze directly and released a sliver of his bloodlust. Unnoticed by others, the mage before him fell into a brief trance. In this darkened state, various demonic beasts, seemingly formed from pure blood energy, assailed him, tearing him apart.

The experience lasted but a second. When the man regained his senses, his eyes met Alec’s irises, which held a faint crimson hue. He instinctively recoiled, now harboring an innate fear whenever he looked at Alec. His hands trembled as he swiftly transferred the pre-arranged rewards.

At that moment, Alec turned his attention toward the individuals seated at the table, those responsible for the grading.

“Apologies, but if you wouldn't mind, I wish to exchange my reward for something else.”

The instant they heard Alec's request, their expressions shifted. They assumed he intended to protest that his rewards were insufficient, having seen his record and noted he was the champion.

While they paid little mind to why the envoys had ranked him third, they were certain that had he displayed a higher potential, perhaps an A rank, they might have considered increasing his rewards. However, with his potential now graded as F-rank, they felt little inclination to entertain his request.

Yet, Alec didn’t wait for their response, proceeding further.

“I desire for the entirety of my awarded compensation to be evaluated and exchanged for high-tier corpses. The higher the realm of the deceased, the better. I truly do not care if they were beasts or humans—as long as they were high-rank lifeforms in life, I will gladly accept them.”

The moment they heard Alec’s specific request, genuine surprise washed over them. Any preconceived notions they harbored when he first asked to change his reward were utterly dispelled by the time he finished speaking.

“Are your abilities somehow connected to necromancy?” one of the grading mages inquired. He suspected this might explain Alec's F grade if he was a necromancer currently lacking any undead under his command.

“No. I conduct extensive experiments and dabble in various fields. Those corpses would benefit me far more than the pills. Having received guidance on cultivating the natural resources needed for crafting other pills, I see no reason to accept them now. I can obtain them later, once I possess my own territory and an alchemist.”

Observing their continued reluctance even after his explanation, Alec opted to feign ignorance and play along with the grand ambitions the ordinary envoys had previously instilled in the group.

Witnessing his earnest and energetic explanation, two of the three escorts accompanying them couldn't suppress their laughter. They clearly perceived Alec as foolish, especially given his sincere repetition of their earlier statements.

"Very well, we shall bestow upon you ten Tier 7 corpses and one Tier 8 corpse." Though their motives for granting these were unclear, the envoys were certain the loss of such bodies would have minimal impact on them.

Indeed, from their perspective, it felt akin to swindling Alec. Despite their lack of concern, they found it baffling how someone like him had triumphed in the competition. Nevertheless, they did not hesitate to exploit what they interpreted as his gullibility.

While they viewed it as deception, Alec considered it a more than equitable exchange. He was acutely aware that attempting to replicate what was offered, relying solely on ordinary alchemists and forgers with just the corpses, would likely result in utter failure.

After all, he doubted anyone possessed an eighty percent success rate in consistently creating pills or forging top-tier equipment, and this was when they only had the corpses, not the crucial ingredients or materials required.

However, his circumstances were unique; possessing the Ancient Primordial Tree meant such challenges were inconsequential. He could acquire far more than what was presented, and furthermore, amass sufficient resources to support other pursuits, such as crafting the talisman-like Astral Summoning Cards, while still forging excellent equipment.

"If that concludes your business, please step aside to allow the grading to proceed. Your new rewards will be delivered shortly," one of the men instructed.

Alec offered a smile and a nod, then moved to the side, distinct from the line of mages still awaiting their turn.

"Alec."

Agnes, Arthur, Endrick, and most of his inner circle—not the entire team, but specifically those from his clan's core group—finally managed to transmit a voice message after considerable effort. They inquired about the disposition of their individual reward allocations, and Alec's response was singular.

"Convert all of it."