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Emery and Magus Xion made their way into the Darkness Institute. And just like the last time they went here, Emery passed through several tunnels and staircases until they finally reached the destination. A majestic-looking cliff with a grey palace standing on top of it

As they climbed the staircase that reached out to the palace entrance, Magus Xion turned his head to the side to talk to Emery, who was behind him. "Remember Emery, be respectful and only talk when being asked to do so. No matter what she says or wants later, just bear with it and maintain a respectful attitude. Do you understand?"

Looking at the seriousness on his master's face, Emery quickly nodded his head, "Yes, master. I understand, you don't need to worry."

Magus Xion then turned his head back and added, "If you could earn her favor, you basically already halfway into the privileged class. So, once again, be respectful."

Right as Magus Xion finished saying that, the two of them finally arrived in front of a giant dark wooden door. Emery could see a pair of decoration figures made of stone depicting unknown monstrous creatures at the sides of the door.

Ignoring the intimidating statues, Magus Xion swiftly reached out for the metallic door knob and slammed it hard a few times, causing sharp sounds to echo through the air.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Master! It's me, your disciple, Xion!"

After waiting for a few seconds, the massive door slowly opened by itself. As Emery stepped into the palace, his eyes were instantly greeted by the sight of a massive hallway that stretched into the far distance.

Magus Xion swiftly entered the already opened door and stepped into the grand lobby, followed by Emery. The magus stood in the middle of the hall, without any intention to open his mouth. Hence, Emery could only wait beside him.

The two of them were waiting in silence when a loud ear-splitting scream could be heard from another door inside the lobby.

"W-What is that, master? Should we go and check it out?" Emery quickly asked

"No, no! Don't worry, Emery. Just wait here. That's her… chamber."

Emery asked again, confused. "Then shouldn't we go and check her?"

Magus Xion only kept his silence, showing he already said what needed to be said. Therefore, Emery shook his head and sat down again.

A few minutes later, the door where the scream originated was opened, attracting the attention of Emery and Magus Xion. A pale-skinned beautiful female magus quickly came out of it. Seeing the figure, Magus Xion swiftly knelt in front of her, followed by Emery.

The female magus didn't say anything and just walked right towards them. Emery saw her heels coming closer and stop right before them. The magus slowly touched his chin and lifted his head to face her.

The beautiful magus face was so close to Emery's that he could vaguely smell the pleasant fragrance emanating from her. After all, there were only a few inches separating them.

Emery could vividly see the crimson pupil in her wistful eyes that were currently staring straight at him, examining him. Her red cherry lips down to her voluptuous form, Emery could see them all. However, one thing caught his eyes the most, exceeding and causing him to ignore all those beautiful aspects, was the blood mark under her lips.

As the two of them locked gaze, Emery felt the grand magus' stare seemed able to reach into the deepest parts of his mind and body, nothing could escape it. She then broke the gaze and walked around the kneeling Emery in a circle.

"I have to say, I am impressed with your last fight... But don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about the part where you turned into a filthy dog. I'm talking about the darkness spell you used in the fight."

The grand magus stopped in front of Emery and stretched her finger forward. Emery could only stare as her finger inched closer and touched his forehead. And suddenly, a rush of energy seemed to course through his body, causing it to jolt mildly all over.

"Your darkness core is pretty compelling… I see…"

The grand magus turned around while saying, "Come and see me again when you reach rank 7." She then walked away before stopping and glancing at the kneeling Magus Xion, who was ignored, "Oh, and Zion, take good care of this acolyte." After saying that, she swiftly went back to her chamber.

The encounter with Grand Magus Zenonia was definitely a short one, but it was a very intense experience.

The two of them swiftly made their way out of the palace, passing through the long hallway and exiting the already opened entrance door. They then proceeded to head towards Magus Xion's residence, which was not far from there.

The Darkness Institute itself was situated under the cliff of a mountain by the sea. Hence, the two of them walked through the mountain terrain passing through dark woods. As they walked, the previously silent Magus Xion finally opened his mouth.

"Actually, I am surprised my master took an interest in you, Emery. But still, this is a really good opportunity for you. After all, Grand Magus Zenoia is one of the top grand magus of the academy. Moreover, she is close to reaching the Supreme Magus realm."

Upon hearing that, Emery was shocked. Even Lord Izta, who was a renowned combat magus champion, was having so much difficulty to break through into the Grand Magus realm. Hearing about Grand Magus Zenoia almost reaching the Supreme Magus realm certainly showed her power.

Emery then suddenly realized Magus Xion looked a bit distracted, "What's wrong, master?"

"Someone has been following us for a while now." Magus Xion said softly, still keeping his stoic expression.

Emery quickly became alarmed when he heard that. Before he could say anything, Magus Xion suddenly leaped towards a direction and went into the trees. While surprised, Emery swiftly gave chase to his master.

After a minute of running, Emery finally catched up to Magus Xion and found him just standing between two trees. As he approached Magus Xion, the magus turned towards him and said, "It's quite amazing. I can't really pinpoint their location. Either he or she has a higher realm than me or has a very good ability. However, from the looks of it, they are already gone."

Emery became a little worried knowing the perpetrator could hide himself from a magus.

"Who could it possibly be?"

Checking his surroundings once more, Magus Xion said, "I have no idea. They could be checking you or me… But don't worry about it, Emery. I can somehow feel their intent, and it didn't feel hostile. It could probably be one of your new fans." The magus casually said laughing.

Alas, there was no way for Emery to be casual about this. He immediately casted [Nature Sense], but didn't perceive anything from it. He felt extremely silly to have thought his spell would bring better effect than an official magus.

However, before he could follow Magus Xion, who already walked away first, Emery suddenly remembered another skill he had, the Fey Wolf's innate skill [Wild Hunt].

When activated, Emery was able to sense a certain unique smell and nothing else. Before he could tell Magus Xion about this, the magus beckoned him with a loud shout, "Come on, Emery! Let's forget about this. We don't have all day. Let's go!"

Trying not to think too much about the smell, Emery swiftly ran to Magus Xion.

To be continued