Chapter 104 (2/2)

What’s going on? Vincent couldn’t help wondering. Isn’t he just a Magician’s Apprentice? Isn’t he a talentless weakling with no future? How is it possible for him to cast a Level-3 spell?

Vincent had always been putting on airs around Link, but this time, his was so impressed with him his jaw almost hit the ground.

Link ignored the gatekeeper’s searching gaze and ordered the Wind Fenrir to crouch down. He then turned to Herrera and said, “Ladies first.”

Herrera was extraordinary nimble because of Cheetah’s Agility. With swift movements, she handed her letter to Vincent.

“Remember, hand this letter to the dean!” said Herrera.

The letter was just a precaution in case they failed to track down Bale or if something unexpected happened to them. The academy would then have some clues on how to find them.

“Ah, yes, yes…I will.” Herrera’s orders finally roused Vincent back from his daze.

Herrera then jumped onto the Wind Fenrir and Link followed her, sitting behind Herrera. Link telepathically controlled the magical beast. In a swift movement, the Wind Fenrir got up and rushed out at a terrifying speed.

Whooosh!

Link and Herrera had to hold on to each other tightly to stay on the beast. It would’ve seemed like an intimate position in normal circumstances, but Link of course had no indecent thoughts in his head, as it was filled with thoughts about Bale instead.

Bale must know that there are so many powerful people in Springs City who could easily hunt him down – even the dean is there. Bale might as well just surrender himself if he was to flee there. If I was him, would I choose to hide in Springs City? Link contemplated.

And the answer was absolutely not. If Link was on the run, he would head to the Free Trade Confederation in the South instead, for there were many countries there and each country had their own laws that could not interfere with each other. Although the countries of the confederation were independent, they could also be chaotic – and that made the place ideal as a hideout. Bale would not have any problem taking cover there.

Still, they couldn’t rely on Vincent’s statement alone to determine Bale’s whereabouts.

“Magic Trails!” Herrera cast a powerful tracking spell.

Magic Trails

Level-4 Spell

Effects: Detects traces of magic in the environment. It is capable of discerning even the most minuscule remnant of magic.

After the spell was cast, the road ahead of them lit up, and the band of light appeared along the King’s Lane, stretching all the way into the distance.

Herrera was overjoyed to see the band of light.

“Great, so Bale didn’t use concealing spells to hide his own magic trace!”

This trail was, after all, the Mana that his body emitted.

Link controlled the Wind Fenrir to follow the light trail all the way, and after about 20 minutes, the road forked into two. There were signs on each of the forked paths – the one on the right read Springs City, and the one on the left read Mist Basin.

Curiously enough, the magic trail wasn’t heading towards Springs City, but went straight to the North towards Mist Basin instead.

Link wasn’t surprised. This made complete sense based on the information they had so far. What he didn’t expect was how surprised Herrera was.

“What’s going on?” she remarked, “Is Bale connected to the Dark Trails in Girvent Forest?”

Herrera had been investigating the dark trails in the Girvent Forest for some time now. She even asked for Link’s help more than half a month ago. Her inspection had yielded results recently. She had found that the Dark Trails were most concentrated in the north of the forest – where the Mist Basin was.

Soon after Herrera finished her sentence, a notification popped up.

Bale had fled the academy.

Completed mission: Expose.

Player rewarded with 40 Omni Points.

New Mission Activated: The Mysterious Mist Basin.

Mission Details: Investigate the Dark Trails in the basin and search for the missing Bale.

Mission Rewards: 60 Omni Points.

Good grief, it was obvious just by reading the notification how perilous this mission would be. The biggest threat lay in the environment of the basin itself.

Link had great confidence in himself if he was to face an opponent head-on. But the basin was dense with vegetation and the thick white fog would greatly reduce his vision – this created the ideal condition for an ambush. Bale would most probably not confront them directly. What’s more, it’s possible that he had accomplices hiding with him there. To fight against a Level-6 Master Magician in this condition, when everything was working Bale’s favor was truly a deadly mission.

If they rushed into it without any plans, there’s a good chance that they would be charging head on to their certain deaths.

Even though Link now had 100 Omni Points and even had the Domingo crystal with him, he was still hesitant in accepting this mission. At least not for now, when he had no support except Herrera.

But then, something unexpected happened.

“Let’s pursue him! I can sense that something big is lurking under the surface here. We must not let Bale escape!” said Herrera, with no hesitation at all.

“Wait, shouldn’t we go back and get more people to help us?” said Link, so surprised that the Wind Fenrir came to a standstill.

“No, we’re running out of time. This is the only chance we have to seize Bale. We must at least go there and scan the place and gauge the situation. The moment we sense anything disconcerting, we’ll retreat immediately.”

Herrera was well aware of the danger, and she made her decision having taken it into account.

Link considered it for a while, and finally nodded.