One after another, Alex repeatedly cast the four Tier-5 Dark Magic spells Aurora had taught him, carefully refining his control over each spell with every attempt.
Spell mastery wasn't something that could be rushed. However, his enormous mana pool allowed him to cast continuously without stopping to recover, while his SS-Rank Dark Magic affinity made mastering Dark Magic significantly easier than it would have been for an ordinary mage.
Even so, increasing the mastery of four separate Tier-5 spells proved far more difficult than he had anticipated.
By the time a day and a half had passed, all four spells had advanced from F-Rank mastery to C-Rank mastery.
Alex stared at the updated information displayed by the System before letting out a disappointed sigh.
"I thought it'd be faster."
Aurora, who had been quietly watching him practice the entire time, couldn't help rolling her eyes.
"You're impossible."
Alex looked at her in confusion.
"What?"
She folded her arms across her chest. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous what you just accomplished is?"
Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Most mages spend several months reaching that level of mastery with a single Tier-5 spell. You improved four of them in just a day and a half."
She paused before narrowing her eyes.
"And you're calling that slow?"
Alex scratched the back of his head awkwardly and smiled bitterly.
'Maybe she's right.'
Still, he couldn't help wanting to become stronger as quickly as possible.
The ancient secret realm waiting ahead was filled with too many unknowns for him to feel satisfied with his current strength.
Since there was still some time remaining, Alex decided to spend it practicing another spell. This time, he chose his only Tier-6 Ice Magic spell,
Alex cast it again and again.
By the time he finally stopped, however, the spell's mastery had advanced by only a single rank—to E-Rank.
"It's harder than I expected."
Aurora nodded as though she had expected nothing less.
"Tier-6 spells are on an entirely different level. The higher the tier of a spell, the more difficult it becomes to truly master. Don't expect them to improve as quickly as low-tier magic."
Alex wasn't particularly surprised. If anything, the result had simply confirmed his expectations. He glanced at the clock mounted on the wall before slowly exhaling.
"It's time."
Sherry should have already left the academy and begun making her way toward their rendezvous point.
His preparations were as complete as they were ever going to be.
With that thought, Alex left the central building and quietly made his way toward the academy gates, taking the first step on his journey to the ancient secret realm.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
The ancient ruin wasn't located anywhere near civilization.
Its entrance lay deep within a vast expanse of unclaimed wilderness, far beyond the borders of Lunar City and even the Ashkart Kingdom itself.
The closest nation to the ancient ruin was a small country known as Gedland.
Anyone wishing to reach the ruin first had to travel there before continuing the rest of the journey through the wilderness beyond Gedland.
The region was considered a true no-man's-land, inhabited only by monsters and countless unknown dangers. It was precisely because of that hostile environment that almost no one had any reason to venture so deeply into the wilderness.
The ancient ruin itself lay hidden within a secret realm concealed in that desolate region.
Since the surrounding land was completely uninhabitable and held neither strategic nor economic value, no nation had ever laid claim to it. For countless years, the area had remained untouched, its existence unknown to the outside world.
That only changed when Sherry's parents, together with a team of explorers and researchers, uncovered clues pointing toward the hidden secret realm.
Driven not by wealth but by the desire to uncover the mysteries of an ancient civilization, they organized an expedition and ventured inside.
More than three years had passed since then, yet not a single member of the expedition had returned.
Alex couldn't help but think about how little information they actually possessed. Aside from the approximate location of the entrance and the mysterious key Sherry had discovered, they knew almost nothing about what awaited them beyond the gate.
Ruins weren't exactly unique in this world; scattered across the land were countless remnants of long-forgotten civilizations, each hiding its own secrets—some containing priceless treasures, powerful inheritances, or knowledge lost to time, while others offered nothing but death and disappointment.
Unlike dungeons and labyrinths, however, ancient ruins were rarely explored.
Most adventurers preferred dungeons and labyrinths, where both the dangers and rewards were relatively well understood. The stronger the dungeon or labyrinth, the greater the potential profit, allowing experienced adventurers to judge whether the risk was worth taking.
Ancient ruins were different, for no one could predict what lay beyond their entrances—an expedition could spend months, even years searching for one only to find nothing of value, or disappear without leaving behind a single trace.
For that reason, ruins attracted far fewer people.
Those who sought them were usually researchers, historians, archaeologists, and explorers driven by curiosity rather than profit. It was also why the secret realm Sherry's parents had discovered remained almost completely unknown, with very few people even aware that it existed.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
As he made his way toward the Teleportation Center, Alex took out his phone and checked the latest message Sherry had sent him.
Since he was sharing his live location with Elena as part of their agreement, Sherry had done the same with him. That way, once they reached Gedland, finding each other would be simple.
A small smile appeared on Alex's face after reading the message. Sherry's airship had already entered Gedland's airspace and was expected to land within the next few hours.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan. They had deliberately chosen Gedland as their rendezvous point instead of meeting anywhere within the Ashkart Kingdom.
As long as Alex remained inside the kingdom, there was always a chance that someone might recognize him or discover that he had left the academy. Once he crossed the border, however, those risks would be greatly reduced.
Before long, Alex arrived at the Teleportation Center and headed directly toward a separate corridor reserved exclusively for VIPs.
Teleportation channels connecting different places normally operated on fixed schedules. Even if someone wished to travel immediately, they would have no choice but to wait until the next scheduled activation.
Traveling to Gedland was no exception. In fact, there wasn't even a direct public teleportation route connecting Lunar City to the country.
Ordinary travelers first had to teleport to the capital before transferring to another channel bound for Gedland, and that international route only opened twice each week.
Fortunately, Sherry hadn't needed to worry about any of that. By sheer coincidence, an airship bound for Gedland had been scheduled to depart on the very day she left the academy, allowing her to begin the journey without unnecessary delays.
Alex's situation, however, was completely different.
After presenting Alicia's VIP pass, a staff member immediately led him into a private teleportation chamber.
Unlike ordinary passengers, VIPs weren't bound by fixed schedules. A dedicated teleportation channel could be opened exclusively for them upon request, provided the destination maintained diplomatic access and the necessary teleportation infrastructure.
Naturally, such a service came at an enormous cost.
The fee for opening a private teleportation channel was well over ten times higher than using a regular scheduled route, making it a luxury affordable only to the wealthiest individuals or those with exceptional status.
To Alex, however, the greatest advantage wasn't the convenience.
Because the Ashkart Kingdom and Gedland maintained friendly diplomatic relations, holders of high-level VIP passes could travel through these private channels without undergoing the lengthy identity verification required of ordinary travelers.
His journey would simply be recorded as that of an authorized VIP, allowing his identity to remain hidden from almost everyone.
Back on Earth, the difference was much like flying on a commercial airliner compared to boarding a private jet.
One followed a fixed timetable alongside hundreds of strangers, while the other departed whenever its owner wished, offering a level of speed, privacy, and anonymity that ordinary travelers could only dream of.
Less than an hour later, Alex stepped out of the teleportation gate and into Gedland. Alicia's VIP pass had shortened what would normally be a journey of several days into less than an hour.
Although it was a small nation, it was still bustling with activity. The atmosphere was noticeably different from that of Lunar City, with unfamiliar architecture, foreign accents, and a steady flow of merchants and travelers moving through the streets.
Alex didn't linger.
Following the directions they had agreed upon beforehand, he made his way toward the designated meeting place near the edge of the city.
He had only been waiting for a few minutes when a familiar figure emerged from the crowd.
"You made it." Alex said with a smile.
"I did." Sherry gave a small nod.
Although they had carefully planned everything in advance, neither of them could truly relax until they had successfully reunited.
"Did everything go smoothly?" Alex asked.
She nodded again. "Mm."
Alex glanced at the time before looking toward the city gates in the distance.
"We should get moving."
Sherry naturally agreed, and the two of them wasted no further time before heading toward Gedland's western gate.
Unlike the heavily fortified checkpoints within the Ashkart Kingdom, the security here was noticeably more relaxed.
When they reached the checkpoint, Sherry calmly presented a pass she had prepared long ago, and after one of the guards gave it a brief inspection and a simple nod, they were waved through with a curt, "You may proceed.", the entire process lasting less than a minute.
Stepping beyond the massive city gates, Alex instinctively looked toward the distant horizon.
According to Sherry's map, they still had another two to three days of travel before reaching the hidden entrance to the ancient ruin.
Only then would their true journey begin.