With his mana dispersed within a one-kilometre radius, Alex experienced a heightened perception of the world. Anything capable of interacting with mana became remarkably clear in his senses, including both mages and warriors.
This was the method he employed to track down the mage who had escaped using a spatial spell.
The majority of warriors remained oblivious to Alex's ability, and thus, his sudden disappearance caught them off guard.
Chitra, Karthi, and the elderly man began to meticulously scan the area, hoping to detect Alex's presence. Each held their motivations: Chitra sought to uncover the reason behind his arrival, while Karthi and his guardian wished to ascertain whether he truly belonged to their tribe.
—
Having swiftly teleported away, Alex's attention shifted towards a small, run-down hut situated on the outskirts of the city.
Despite its aged and unkempt appearance, it concealed something ominous within. This very hut marked the last known location of the vanished mage that had slipped beyond Alex's senses.
Alex carefully surveyed the surroundings, determined to unravel the mystery behind the mages' disappearances.
A solitary entrance granted access to the hut. No guards stood watch, and no discernible mana signatures emanated from within. Alex was unable to determine the cause of the mage's sudden vanishing.
"They may have taken precautions to conceal the mana signature within the hut. There is more to this humble structure than meets the eye. I must proceed with caution," Alex pondered suppressing his anger.
"I should begin my investigation by employing my mana," Alex decided, slowly extending a slender thread of mana towards the hut.
The ethereal strand levitated over the floor, infiltrating the interior of the hut.
However, the moment it breached the hut's boundary, it vanished, consumed by an unseen force, eluding Alex's senses as to its nature.
Startled by this, Alex's apprehension heightened.
However, he resolved to trust his instincts and take action instead of hesitating.
Without wasting a moment, he conjured a blazing fireball and propelled it into the sky. Just as before, his intention was to invite the Tier-5 warrior and the others to pursue him.
Alex held a firm belief that they would comply and follow him to the designated location, spurred by their curiosity.
As expected, the fireball that blazed in the sky quickly caught the attention of the others. They begin to follow Alex's footsteps to approach the hut.
Without wasting a moment, Alex disregarded any lingering doubts about the possibility of it being a trap. His primary concern was locating the child before any harm befell them.
As he stepped inside the hut, his gaze fell upon an open door leading to a cellar. In the dimly lit room, the cellar door stood out as the sole noteworthy feature.
Approaching it with caution, Alex carefully opened the door, revealing an underground passage shrouded in pitch-black darkness. The air within the passage felt stagnant and humid, assaulting Alex's nostrils. Reacting swiftly, he pinched his nose in response to the unpleasant odour.
Resolute in his purpose, Alex ventured into the passage. He ran as fast as he can towards the other end.
As he progressed further, the air quality deteriorated, worsening with each step. A putrid stench of decay permeated the tunnel, causing his thoughts to spiral.
"Did something die inside?" A troubling notion infiltrated his mind. Whatever lay at the end of this subterranean pathway was undoubtedly something far from benign.
"Drip… Drip…" Water droplets dripped from the ceiling falling onto the muddy floor. It created a sombre ambience as he walked through it.
To his dismay, Alex realised that his mana sense was completely obstructed. Any mana he emitted from his body was swiftly absorbed by the surrounding walls, preventing him from utilising his mana sense.
While observing this phenomenon through mana vision, Alex's attention was drawn to a sprawling rune formation that extended throughout the passage, resembling the intricate roots of a tree.
These runic roots avidly absorbed the mana he released, fortifying themselves in the process.
This phenomenon felt oddly familiar. Just like the runic chain that bound him when he was previously imprisoned by the evil organisation and the first elder of the ice phoenix tribe.
'Shit, I can't use teleport.' Alex realised it too late.
Still, he ventured forward unafraid of the possible danger.
He had recently broken through to a master mage. And his physical strength with mana augmentation was similar to a tier 4 warrior. Unless an extremely powerful tier 5 warrior appeared before him, he had the confidence to protect himself.
Even if a group of tier 4 warriors attacked him simultaneously, he could barely hold on with his higher mana level.
The only thing he had to fear was the familiar runic chain that can prevent the use of mana and energy.
—
After a minute of traversing the underground passage, Alex arrived at the other end. The putrid stench of decay assaulted his senses as he approached the conclusion of his journey.
A faint glow guided Alex as he entered another room, only to be confronted by a ghastly sight. Strapped to an operating table was a child, with half of their internal organs scattered across nearby tables.
It was a bone-chilling sight that destroyed Alex's composure. He had now realised what the dead decaying thing he was smelling was.
The horrible odour was being emitted by the corpse strapped on the operating table. The familiar purple flesh among the displayed organs enlightened Alex as to what might have transpired in the dimly lit room.
Blood splattered across the walls and floor, along with the restraints that bound the lifeless body, painted a harrowing picture.
In the depths of his being, Alex could almost hear the anguished screams and cries of the child, subject to the horrifying torment of being vivisected without anaesthesia.
Whoever did it was worse than a human. Alex affirmed his thought as he observed the room in detail.
"CLAP…CLAP…CLAP…" A sudden clapping sound snapped Alex out of his thoughts.
Alex's eyes narrowed as the figure in black robes emerged from the shadows, sarcastically applauding his efforts. The individual had been observing Alex's every move, and the implications were unsettling.
The black-robed figure's presence seemed to confirm Alex's suspicions—this person was likely responsible for the gruesome experiments on innocent victims.
"Where is the child?"
Maintaining his composure, Alex inquired about the whereabouts of the child, his tone betraying no hint of fear or hesitation.
"I must applaud you for your dedication, white-robed man. You were even able to hamper my plans. Even after using valuable teleportation tools, you still found me."
Unfazed, the figure responded with a hint of disdain, highlighting Alex's audacity in daring to question him after intruding into his abode.
"You have nowhere left to run. The other warriors are following me. They will reach here in just a second. If you want to live, hand over the child to me right now."
The calm attitude of the man was forcing Alex to rethink his approach. So, he decided to negotiate even after knowing the horrible things this man has done. Currently, the child's safety was more important to him than anything else.
"HA AH HA HA…" The black-robed man laughed after hearing Alex. "You have yet to realise your plight!" The man exclaimed. "No one is coming to help you." He declared in a proud tone.
"The underground pathways are built on top of an ancient runic formation to make a maze structure. Not even the tier 5 warrior of the Divine Butterfly Tribe can look at it lightly. The only way she can reach here is by destroying the entire formation.
"Which would at least take hours." The black-robed man said before laughing once more. Paying no heed to Alex's warning.
"Still, do you dare to be confident?" he inquired, slowly revealing his face. As he removed the hood, a middle-aged face with distinct Western features came into view. Apart from a small scar near his left ear, his appearance appeared unremarkable.
His lips were curled upwards in a derisive smile.
His arrogance was obviously displayed in his manner. He paid no heed to Alex's threat, even resorting to revealing his identity in public. It seemed like he was sure that Alex, the white-robed man would not escape from his clutches.
"Black-robed man, who are you?" Alex finally asked, attempting to buy himself some time. The man standing before him was unlike anyone he had encountered before. Arrogant and boisterous, he seemed eager to speak without restraint.
Alex hoped to extract valuable information from this individual while also diverting his attention.
"Kain. My name is Kain," he declared with pomp. "You may recognise me as the leader of the Spider Gang, or perhaps as a humble servant of the Divine Eye. It's better if you don't call us the black-robed men anymore." Mocked Kain.
"The Divine Eye?" Doubt was evident in Alex's voice.
"HA HA… I forgot that not even you know our name. The Divine Eye is our one and only lord. We, those who wear black robes are his faithful servants. We are called the Divine Arm."
Finally, the name of the evil organisation that eluded Alex was revealed by Kain.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m