The Blue Sky Kingdom organized a grand celebration to honor those who had successfully joined top-tier academies.
At the same time, it served as an opportunity to host the Magic Masters, Grandmasters, Archons, and high-ranking knights in a well-prepared and luxurious setting.
Almost everyone present could see through the king's intentions.
It was a calculated move, an attempt to build connections and strengthen influence.
However, no one blamed him.
If anything, most of them knew they would have done the same if given such a rare opportunity.
Meanwhile, the academies themselves paid little attention to the celebration.
Their focus remained elsewhere, as they had already begun sending detailed reports back to their respective headquarters regarding the talents they had recruited.
The night was lively.
Music, laughter, and conversation filled the air.
Alyssia, however, was the busiest among them all. Her father continuously introduced her to various powerful figures and magic grandmasters from different academies.
"How pitiful she looks," Gerald said with a light laugh as he watched from a distance while standing beside Daniel.
Daniel smirked as he took a sip of his drink.
"Heh… do you know how many people would kill to be in her position right now?"
Both of them continued enjoying the feast and drinks as they observed the scene.
It turned out that Alyssia had also invited all the members of their former alliance, which caused several other candidates to sigh in envy.
For Davi and Russell, this was likely their first real celebration… at least one they could clearly remember.
Not long after, Alyssia finally made her way over to them, and the group gradually became more familiar with one another.
Conversations flowed more freely.
Laughter grew louder.
The atmosphere became increasingly relaxed as they discussed their future paths, academies, and expectations.
***
Meanwhile, in a private lounge within the king's palace…
A completely different discussion was taking place.
Present were several Grandmasters, the Magic Archons Draith and Alzareth, top-ranking knights, and Old Man Frank.
The king himself was absent, as his status as a Magic Master did not qualify him to be part of such a meeting.
At that moment, the knight sent by Zi Mou to retrieve Davi was giving his report regarding what he had observed in the Bonecradle Range.
"That is extremely strange…" Grandmaster Halver said slowly. "You're saying you didn't encounter any beasts, yet you still felt a fatal threat equivalent to a Class 2 beast?"
The knight let out a breath.
"It wasn't a beast," he said. "Whatever is inside that cave… that is where the danger came from."
He paused before continuing.
"Besides, it's unheard of for a region as dangerous as the Bonecradle Range to be completely void of beasts."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"That's not all," the knight added. "I reported this directly to Grand Commander Dufus. He personally went to investigate."
At that, all eyes turned toward Dufus.
After all, it was he who had called for this urgent meeting.
Grand commander Dufus spoke calmly.
"If my speculation is correct, then a mutation has occurred at the core of the Bonecradle Range."
He paused.
"One that caused the beasts in that region to be… absorbed."
Boom.
A heavy silence followed.
Absorbed?
That was far worse than simple death.
"Does that mean the mutation is feeding on their energy?" Lady Stacy asked, her expression turning serious.
"That is the most likely explanation," Dufus replied. "But that's not all."
He continued…
"When I entered the cave, I encountered a few low-level Class 2 snakes. However, as I went deeper… I found piles of corpses."
He paused again.
"After examining the bone structures, I concluded that some of them belonged to Class 4 beasts."
At that moment, Archon Alzareth's expression changed.
There were records within the International Council of Mages of similar occurrences.
And they all pointed to one possibility.
"The birth of a dungeon…" Alzareth said quietly.
Archon Draith nodded slightly.
"So… a dungeon is about to form?"
Dufus sighed.
"That is the most likely conclusion. Judging by the scale, it shouldn't be a high-tier dungeon yet. However, it is still too advanced for this region, most likely a mid-tier low-level dungeon."
Lady Stacy frowned.
"That is still far too high for a place like this. The strongest here is only a Magic Master, equivalent to a Class 3 beast. Even the king himself barely meets that level."
Dufus nodded.
"Exactly. But that's not the real problem."
He looked around the room.
"All of this happened within a very short period, between the Illusion Maze exam and now."
That statement caused everyone's expression to change.
Such speed…
It was unnatural.
"At this rate," Dufus continued, "it could evolve into a high-level low-tier dungeon much faster than expected."
Now, everyone understood the gravity of the situation.
After all, the beast taming exam had previously summoned beasts from the Bonecradle Range.
If a dungeon was forming there…
The implications were dangerous.
Lady Stacy spoke again.
"This may also be related to that location that is about to open. Even residual energy from such a place could cause drastic changes… even in a remote region like this."
At that moment, Dufus' eyes widened slightly.
"…That makes sense."
He exhaled.
"Regardless, we cannot stop the formation of the dungeon. The best we can do is monitor it."
He turned toward Alzareth.
"I'll leave that to you."
Alzareth nodded.
"The International Council of Mages will send someone to observe its development."
Dufus then added,
"However, there is something else that puzzles me."
He paused briefly.
"That blind young man… Davi."
"The beasts in that cave should have killed him. Yet he entered, and came out without a scratch."
The room grew quiet again.
It was a detail they had nearly overlooked.
Alzareth spoke calmly.
"You can rest assured. The ICM will keep a close watch on him for any irregularities."
Dufus nodded.
"Good."
He stood up.
"I've said what I needed to say. I've also found a few promising talents, so I'm in a good mood."
With that, he turned and left.
Soon after, the others also began to disperse, each lost in their own thoughts.
***
The celebration eventually came to an end.
Davi and Russell returned to their inn after saying their goodbyes.
Fortunately, this was their last night… their stay would expire by the next day.
After taking their baths, the two brothers sat facing each other in silence.
Davi knew.
This was unavoidable.
"So… do I ask again," Russell said, "or do you still not want to say?"
His gaze was steady.
He had already sensed it.
Davi's abnormal strength… his strange behavior…
It couldn't simply be explained by their origin.
There had to be something more.
Davi remained calm.
He had already prepared for this.
"…I'll tell you part of it," he said.
Russell didn't interrupt.
"As you know, my latent ability is to devour nen. But after awakening it… I lost control over nen instead."
He paused slightly.
"That's probably why I can't even be properly classified as a mage."
Russell nodded.
"I noticed that."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But how does that explain you running off?"
Davi replied,
"I felt something… a pull. I can't fully explain it, but it felt like it could help me understand my ability better."
Russell narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…And did you find what you were looking for?"
Davi nodded.
"Yes."
He reached into his pocket first, carefully masking the movement… before taking out the rusted key from his storage space.
Russell examined it briefly.
"I don't see anything special about it," he said. "It looks like it could crumble at any moment."
Davi sneered inwardly.
If you knew that failing to obtain this would have cost you your life…
He didn't say it aloud.
"Well," Russell said as he handed it back, "if you believe it's important, then keep it. It might be useful in the future."
Davi paused.
He hadn't expected Russell to accept it so easily.
Even with only half the truth.
"…I see."
Russell then smirked slightly.
"Speaking of the future… next time we meet, you won't be my match."
Davi chuckled.
"Then you better train hard." His tone sharpened slightly.
"I won't let you catch up." The two brothers shared a brief laugh. But both of them understood. This wasn't just a casual goodbye.
They would be walking different paths now.
It might be a long time before they met again.
***
Soon, the night passed… Morning arrived.
And with it, Departure!