The distance between Helvar and Dunvale wasn’t too far, but the journey still took about two hours.
To speed things up, Victor summoned another bird monster and used it as their ans of transportation.
"Look—that’s Helvar!" Jason pointed ahead.
Everyone turned toward the silhouette of the city. Clouds covered part of it, making the view slightly blurry.
Slowly but surely, the city ca into clear view.
"Yes, that’s Helvar," Leina said with a small nod. "To avoid being seen by the enemy, Victor, descend two hundred ters before we reach the city."
Victor nodded and lowered the monster’s altitude.
Not long after, the monster landed safely, and the four of them dismounted.
The monster flapped its wings once more before flying back into the sky.
"The city of Helvar feels a bit gloomy. Is it just ?" Jason asked with a frown.
Leina shook her head. "It’s not just you. I feel it too. The atmosphere is shrouded in sadness, despair, and other negative emotions. The situation seems worse than we thought."
Her beautiful face darkened. As a mage, she could perceive things others could not.
It felt as though a giant face hovered above the city, smiling down at the four of them.
"Let’s go," Leina said, her expression serious.
The four of them walked toward the city with careful steps.
The gates of Helvar were enormous—about four ters tall. Yet, there was no one guarding them.
Jason clenched his right hand. A golden aura burst from his body before gathering around his fist.
He tightened his grip and punched the gate, smashing it to pieces.
Jason turned and smiled at Leina, Victor, and rlin.
"Hehehe! Look! Am I aweso?" He rubbed his nose smugly.
rlin, Leina, and Victor: "..."
"You idiot!" Leina gritted her teeth and struck his head. "Have you been training so much that your brain stopped working?"
"Ouch!" Jason groaned, rubbing his head. "What are you doing? Why are you hitting ?"
Leina grew even angrier and continued hitting him.
"We ca quietly so the enemy wouldn’t know we were here! And what did you just do? You made a ss!"
She kicked Jason as he lay on the ground, curling up to protect himself.
"Ahem!" rlin coughed and quickly pulled Leina away from Jason. "All right, Professor Leina, there’s no need to be so angry with Professor Jason. The truth is, our presence may already have been discovered by the enemy."
His words eased Leina’s anger, though not completely.
She was still panting as she rubbed her forehead.
"What do you an we’ve been discovered, rlin?" she asked weakly.
rlin released his hold on her and explained with a resigned tone, "Didn’t I ntion earlier that the mayor of Dunvale City is a spy sent by the Dark Tunnel Organization? He must have inford his comrades that we were coming. So, trying to arrive quietly was pointless."
Victor, who was helping Jason to his feet, nodded in agreent.
"What rlin said is true. I’m certain they’re waiting for us inside and have prepared an unexpected trap," he said seriously, pushing his glasses up as he stared at the silent city ahead.
Leina’s expression turned solemn. After hearing rlin’s explanation, everything made sense.
She glanced at Jason with a hint of guilt, though she was unwilling to apologize first.
Jason wasn’t upset. After all, it was his reckless action, even if it hadn’t caused any real harm.
"Alright, let’s go in," she said.
Leina stepped into the city, followed by rlin, Jason, and Victor.
The mont they entered, a cold wind swept over them. The somber atmosphere wrapped around their bodies like a heavy blanket.
All four felt their hairs stand on end. Leina raised her hand, and a faint white light imdiately enveloped their bodies.
At the sa ti, the gloom and goosebumps slowly faded.
They continued forward, observing their completely deserted surroundings. Houses, shops, and even hotels looked dilapidated and neglected.
It felt as though the city had been abandoned for decades. In reality, not even a month had passed since it was destroyed by the organization.
"Professor Leina, Professor Jason, and Professor Victor, I have an idea," rlin said as he turned to them. "How about we split up? I’ll search the south, Professor Leina the east, Professor Jason the north, and Professor Victor the west. That way, we can look for any survivors. What do you think?"
Leina frowned and imdiately refused. "No, that’s impossible. How could I leave you alone? If you run into those people and get captured, the Academy Head will kill ."
Jason and Victor nodded in agreent.
"She’s right, rlin. It’s better if we stay together," Victor added.
But rlin remained firm. "Trust , Professors. I have a way to survive their attacks. My master left a mythic-grade cloak and a legendary-grade magic staff."
As he spoke, rlin took the cloak and magic staff out of the system storage and showed them to the others.
The three of them were stunned. Mythic- and legendary-grade artifacts were extrely rare and valuable.
Although Linda and rlin were master and disciple, giving away two artifacts of such value was sothing none of them had expected.
rlin put on the cloak and felt its extraordinary power, as if attacks from soone at the Third Spirit Core level could not harm him.
"Still, leaving you alone..." Leina was about to speak again when Victor suddenly stopped her.
"It’s okay, Leina. Trust rlin."
Leina turned toward him hesitantly, and Victor t her gaze with a reassuring look.
"I’ve placed my insects near him. If rlin is in danger, I’ll sense it imdiately. And you should understand why the academy head allowed him to co along, right?"
Leina fell silent. Of course she understood—it was to train rlin while assessing his abilities at the sa ti.
Although Linda hadn’t said it outright, anyone perceptive could grasp the intention.
In the end, Leina’s last line of defense collapsed, and she gave up on holding rlin back.
"Alright, I understand. But be careful, okay? If you’re in danger, contact imdiately through the communication bracelet. I’ll co to you at once. Understood?"
rlin smiled faintly. "Understood, Professor."
After exchanging a few more words, the four of them split up in the directions rlin had indicated earlier.
Once the other three disappeared from sight, rlin’s smile returned as he called out, "Lyserra, co out."
Buzz!
Lyserra appeared out of thin air and landed on top of his head.
rlin picked her up and hugged her close.
"Lyserra, help locate those people," he said.
Lyserra nodded. She opened her small mouth, and a wave of ultrasonic sound spread across the city.
Monts later, she pointed ahead. "I sense many people there. It seems they’re being held captive."
rlin gently patted her head.
"Good. Thank you for your help."
Without hesitation, he activated his wind magic. His feet slowly lifted off the ground, then his body shot forward in the direction Lyserra had indicated.
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