Sense of Crisis

The acolyte who was stuffed with the flyers had no idea what was happening.

As for the acolyte in the cloak, his face was covered by a hood. He turned around and walked in another direction as if nothing had happened.

Watching the man leave, Dave began to doubt the so-called "gray table".

An unknown organization that stuffed flyers into other people's pockets... And the strange way Millie approached him...

He couldn't help but look down on the so-called " grey table ".

Even so, Dave held back his curiosity and did not chase after the cloaked acolyte as he watched him disappear into an alley.

He only raised his head and looked at the shop at the entrance of the alley.

The door of the shop was tightly shut, but the sign on it was still there.

[Carina's Grocery Store]

Then, he looked at the road sign beside him.

"Number Thirty-Two."

"As expected."

It was the address on the card Millie had given him!

Taking a deep breath, Dave turned to the next stall as if he had never noticed the shop or the sign.

"Grey table?"

Recalling the contents of the card, Dave sensed that something was wrong.

He couldn't tell exactly what was wrong.

However, he had a feeling that this organization called Gray Table was not as simple as it seemed.

"But... Since they acted so casually, their nature should not be too bad.

"Otherwise, they would have been wiped out by the school long ago."

Dave made a reasonable guess.

Since Millie dared to give him the card directly, and these people dared to send out " small advertisements ", then at least this " Grey Table " was not the kind of target that would be attacked by the academy.

Otherwise, an organization that only consisted of acolytes would never be able to run rampant under the academy's nose.

Thinking of Millie, a certain string in his mind suddenly seemed to snap.

Dave realized something in horror.

Ever since she gave him that piece of paper, it seemed that he had never seen that female apprentice named Millie again...

Thinking about it carefully, he realized the other party seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth and never appeared again!

Perhaps it was because the other party did not have much of a presence, but none of the acolytes seemed to have noticed it.

It was as if everyone had forgotten about her existence.

And Dave only noticed this fact when he thought about the gray table and the other party's name!

It was understandable for the apprentices to skip classes for a day, but skipping classes for a few days in a row…

If they couldn't keep up with the progress and failed the assessment, then it would be a death sentence for a level 3 acolyte.

Unless…Something unexpected had happened.

Moreover, this situation where he did not notice the other party's existence at all…It was as if he and the others had been influenced by someone else…

Dave's calm breathing suddenly quickened.

Realizing that something terrible had happened, he turned his head slightly stiffly.

His expression and actions did not reveal his nervousness, but his footsteps were much faster. He quickly left the market and walked to the other side of the crowded area.

..

"Pigeon seems to have left."

Opposite Carina's Shop 32, Shop 43's [Abyss Heart] was also closed.

The door was tightly shut, revealing only a few barely visible cracks.

A few figures with their faces hidden in the cloaks sat behind the gaps.

They were holding something that looked like a metal tube in their hands. They were pushing it through the gap and observing the situation outside.

After confirming that the target had left, they put down the metal tubes in their hands.

The acolyte who Dave had just seen with the flyer was walking in.

He walked into Carina's Shop at Number 32, but for some reason, he was now on the opposite side of the street.

He casually threw something down and said in a low voice.

"It's a pity that he didn't come over."

"As the mole said, the pigeon is a lot more careful than we thought."

His voice was very hoarse. It was unknown whether it was intentional or natural.

"After all, he's an official acolyte that a Mage has taken a fancy to."

A tall figure said slowly.

"But... No matter how cautious he is, it is a pity since he is only a level 3 acolyte."

"The thirty-second level…Those old fellows wouldn't go there."

"Can you tell why he came to the market?"

".. It seemed like he was only here to buy something. Before I appeared, he didn't deliberately check the shop's number. Instead, he kept looking at things like potion formulas."

"If that's the case, send Coyote and the others. Remember, make sure he is alone and safe before taking action."

"Yes."

"Is there anyone else behind the pigeon?"

"I don't think so. Otherwise, Gray Fox wouldn't have come back in one piece."

"Are you sure?"

".. Sorry, uh, I'm sure there shouldn't be anyone following him…."

Only then did the tall figure turn his head to the other side in satisfaction.

"What about the mole?"

"There's no news for the time being. She might have been caught, but don't worry, and she definitely won't leak anything."

"Let me say this first. It is best for you all to act quickly. At the latest, it will be next month. If you delay any longer, we will not be able to hide it…"

"Don't worry. It's a sure thing."

..

Dave hurried to the other side of the market.

Millie's disappearance made him feel a sense of danger for his life for the first time since he entered the academy.

In addition to that, he had a vague feeling that this was not a coincidence!

He didn't dare to stay any longer. After walking around, he walked into a shop. When he came out again, there was already a potion formula in his pocket.

This was his original purpose for coming to the market that day. At the same time, he also had a cloak on his body, wrapping himself tightly.

He walked into another shop and came out a few minutes later with another cloak.

Dave kept changing his disguise until he hid in a shop with the most people.

After bribing the owner of the counter with the price of a magic stone, he successfully sneaked out from the back door of the shop.

This place led directly to a road outside the apprentice market. There were not many pedestrians on the street.

On the way, Dave cast Shadow Possession on himself.

This acolyte-level spell could reduce the presence of the target while slightly increasing the sensitivity of the target's movements.

Then, without stopping, he ran straight towards the stairs.