"A Bronze rank 2 light rune?" Ignatius looked at Wei incredulously. "For an Iron student?"
"I lost the bet," Wei looked physically ill while explaining. "It's official, there's a new digger beetle evolution."
The Director's eyes returned to the numbers on his desk, scanning them for the hundredth ti. Final-year students with elite beasts and years of experience reported similar amounts. But a first-year child? With the historically weakest beast?
"Luck should have limits," Ignatius muttered, massaging his temples. The figures danced before his eyes, defying all logic and experience. His hands trembled slightly as he set down the report. "This is ridiculous."
Wei shifted uncomfortably before the Director's desk, his usual confidence shattered. "That must be it," he insisted, though his voice lacked conviction. "So relative of his must have stumbled upon it by dumb luck and sohow communicated it to the kid by…"
The Director was about to silence Wei's poor attempt at rationalization when urgent knocks on the door interrupted first.
"Enter," Ignatius had barely finished speaking when he felt it, a mana disturbance. A wave of power emanated from the depths, strong enough that even without a perception-specialized beast, he could sense it crawling across his skin.
Mayo burst in, her usual maidenly composure completely abandoned. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were wide with urgency. "Director, we have problems. The prince Julius's three special guests might be in danger."
The Director visibly tensed.
"The 6 new 'students' went to investigate," Mayo continued, "but if we're facing sothing of the last intruder's level..." She let the sentence hang in the air, heavy with implication.
Ignatius understood imdiately. Six Bronze rank 1 or 2 agents, no matter how well-trained, could hardly survive a Gold rank opponent. The power gap was simply too vast.
"Their best option is to try to recover and retreat upward," Mayo explained, her hands clasped tightly before her. "Bring the battle to you."
As if confirming the gravity of the situation, perception auxiliaries began arriving alongside several combat masters.
Their reports were similar, they had sensed a significant energetic disturbance beneath the academy. But there was a crucial difference, one had detected an abyssal energy signature below the school, if only for a mont.
"Evacuate the students," Ignatius ordered as he rose from his chair, his movents sharp and decisive. "Standard protocol, sa routes as last ti."
From a hidden compartnt, he retrieved the lightning hawk Julius had sent, a direct communication line with the prince.
The bird glowed, its feathers crackling with electricity. Using the mana lines of standard communicators in the castle would have taken longer to reach the prince.
He quickly wrote on a special parchnt: "Possible second abyssal intruder of Gold level. Luna, Liora, and Larissa potentially in danger. Six agents in recovery action. Request imdiate response."
The hawk snatched the ssage and shot through the window, its speed so high it left a trail of sparks in the air. It was their fastest form of communication besides the castle's scarce communicators, which were slightly less private. The bird would reach the castle in seconds.
He strode toward the door, followed by several battle teachers and the most experienced perception auxiliaries.
The "designated location" for intercepting high-level threats had been established after the last attack, an area specifically designed to minimize collateral damage and maximize the advantage of the many combat teachers and new guards.
'It can't be,' he thought as they moved swiftly through the corridors. 'Yino can't have that many Gold rank agents already. If they had that level of power...'
If Yino truly had that many warriors of that caliber, they wouldn't need infiltrations and furtive attacks. They could simply invade directly.
"Director," one of the perception auxiliaries approached as they continued toward the interception point. "The energy... it's different from normal. More... intense."
Ignatius frowned. Different? Had Yino sent sothing worse than a Gold agent?
Soon the hallways would be filled with evacuating students, the remaining teachers directing the movent.
'Let the girls be safe,' the Director thought as they reached their position. Another wave of power interrupted his thoughts. This ti it was undeniable, sothing was happening in the depths of the academy.
♢♢♢♢
Ren's arms maintained a firm but careful grip around the girl, one hand covering her eyes. Min and Taro tensed upon recognizing her, but Ren didn't hesitate.
"Why were you following us?" he whispered near her ear, keeping his voice low in the crystal chamber.
The girl shivered at the whisper. She didn't seem frightened, but rather... embarrassed?
Her mind raced through options, she could manifest her beast, use its special characteristics...
With Ren's grip on her eyes leaving one arm partially free, she drove her elbow back toward him. But her strike t an abdon hard as diamond.
The girl internally cursed, fighting through the pain not to scream.
Could he really be that hard there?
"Don't even try," Ren warned softly, the hydra's defense manifested in his torso.
The girl decided she had no choice but to manifest her beast then. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire
"I told you not to try," Ren insisted.
His free hand settled on the girl's stomach, and suddenly she felt sothing extraordinary, her mana flow distorted, like a river whose course had been subtly altered.
The transformation was interrupted…
She held her breath, surprised.
Only three people she knew could perform such precise disruptive control without causing damage: her father and two of her older brothers. It was a technique that required a deep understanding of mana flow and exceptional control.
"Last chance," Ren insisted. "Either cooperate, or to protect ourselves I'll have to threaten you to tell everyone your secret."
The girl's heart raced. 'My secret?' she thought frantically. 'Which one? Does he know about...?'
Ren guided her toward the tal door, practically carrying her to maintain control. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, referring to the ancient structure.
"I can't see anything," she responded, trying to keep calm. "You're covering my eyes, rember?"
Ren was about to respond when his mushrooms pulsed in warning.
Several presences were approaching rapidly.
"Damn," he muttered. This was supposed to be a mont like no other to make his discovery down here, but it seed many had the sa idea for so reason...
His eyes scanned the ancient door, and an idea ford in his mind.
"Sorry about this then," he whispered to the girl before sending a precise mana pulse through his hand. The cousin let out a small whimper when she felt the internal pinch of her flow being manipulated harshly.
"The numbness in your flow will only last a few minutes," Ren explained as he began pressing different points on the door. "It's better that you can't use mana for now... You're going to accompany us."
His fingers moved with precision, following the pattern he had perceived when he first touched the door. It was like playing an invisible lody, each point needing exact pressure at the exact mont.
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