Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 1340 - 1340: Underfang (Part 2)

The twenty students, along with the four teachers, descended from the flying bus, their feet landing softly on the wide stone path outside the guild house. Waiting for them at the entrance were five members of the Underfang, all dressed in those distinctive, slightly crimson-colored robes. But one man stood out from the rest, taller and broader, with a commanding presence and a dark, rugged beard that shadowed the bottom half of his face.

Unlike the others, he wore a tailored blazer over his robes, looking both professional and formidable, as if he belonged in a boardroom just as much as on a battlefield. He appeared to be in his forties, and his eyes watched the students with a mixture of curiosity and authority.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Guild Master Bronto,” Luka said politely, stepping forward and bowing. Bronto returned the gesture with a respectful, if brief, bow of his own.

“It’s good to see your students here,” Bronto replied, his deep voice echoing slightly. “So, these are the best of the best from your academy, right?” He cast a keen gaze over the assembled group, sizing up the line-up of students.

Some of the students couldn’t help but look past Bronto, their eyes wide as they took in the grand guild house and the other mages training off to the side. Others fidgeted nervously, clearly out of their element, while a few remained laser-focused on the introductions and everything happening right in front of them.

“Yes,” Luka said with a hint of pride. “The aim is to finally give these students some real experience on a portal outing. Most of them dream of joining great guilds like yours one day.”

Bronto chuckled, leaning back slightly, and his chest seemed to swell with pride at the compliment. “Very well,” he said. “We’ll take them to the portal room immediately. Everyone, follow me, and don’t let yourselves get distracted or fall behind.”

The group followed Bronto and the five other Underfang members inside the sprawling guild house. The Underfangs positioned themselves around the students as they walked, one at the front, one at the rear, and the rest flanking the group on each side. Their careful arrangement didn’t escape Raze’s attention.

They’re treating this more like an escort than a simple student tour, Raze thought, casting a sidelong glance at Liam.

“Right,” Liam muttered under his breath, thanks to the system’s awareness. “It’s almost like they’re trying to hide something.”

When they finally arrived, Raze half-expected Bronto to show them around the guild, perhaps even give a tour of the famous facilities, or at least show off a few demonstrations of their magic. The other students seemed to be expecting the same, remembering stories from last year when previous students had come home raving about the tour and the shows of power.

But none of that happened. Instead, Bronto led them straight to the portal room without so much as a glance at the rest of the guild.

The portal room itself was a large, mostly empty space, its white walls shining under magical lights. In total, there were six portals lined up inside, each framed by swirling runes and watched over by two guild members standing at attention. It was standard protocol, security, not just for the portals themselves, but for anyone who might try to use them.

Raze leaned in toward Safa, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “Can you do me a favor?” he whispered. “Can you use your God Eyes in this room?”

Raze’s mana control was impressive, even among other mages, he could sense things that would go unnoticed by most. But compared to Safa’s God Eyes, his perception was nothing. She’d be able to see if anyone was hiding something, or if there was more to the portals than met the eye.

As she activated her God Eyes, the world seemed to shift around her. She peered at the swirling energy of each portal, her vision able to pierce through layers of mana. Most portals had a low, steady aura of mana radiating around them, normal, stable, nothing out of the ordinary. But one portal was different. Its mana swirled and fractured, breaking apart and scattering like wild lightning.

“What exactly am I looking for?” Safa whispered, keeping her voice low so as not to draw attention.

“Just tell me what you see, quietly,” Raze replied, glancing around. He didn’t want to risk using a silence spell here, not when the guild leader could be watching. Bronto, after all, was probably a six-star mage if he led such a powerful guild. Although Raze had already faced the strongest six-star mage he knew, he doubted any would be stronger, but caution never hurt.

Suddenly, Redrick, the least formal of the teachers, piped up. “Oh, are you not going to show us around the guild?” he asked with genuine excitement. “I was hoping to see some demonstrations, maybe a few performances. You know, back in my day, I was quite the star in my own guild.”

Bronto listened to Redrick ramble, a polite smile playing at his lips. “Usually, we would,” he said, “but we’ve been quite busy and our schedule is tight. The world is changing quickly, as you know, it’s the same for us. Things are hectic everywhere.”

“We understand,” Luka said quickly, stepping in to prevent Redrick from saying anything that might harm their fragile relationship with the Underfang. When the Underfang had first approached Wiliton Academy, offering to partner with them, it had felt like a stroke of luck, a golden opportunity. Wiliton had been off the radar for years, able to rely only on lesser-known or minor guilds. With the big guilds focusing on the central academies, any change felt like a sign that fortune was finally turning for Wiliton.

Whatever the reason, the academy needed to make sure their relationship with Underfang stayed strong.

“Alright, since everyone is here, I suppose I should explain a few rules to your students, since it’s their first time entering a portal, right?” Bronto asked, his gaze sweeping over the group.

As the teachers checked on the students, making sure everyone was accounted for, Safa continued her low-voiced explanation to Raze, describing every detail she could see. The scattered, broken mana around one portal was especially strange, the residue looked recent, as if whatever happened had taken place not long ago.

“I see,” Raze murmured, piecing things together.

“What does it mean?” Safa asked quietly.

“It’s normal for portals to leak mana around them,” Raze explained. “That’s how we open them, mana and crystals working together. But the scattered, fractured mana you see around one portal and in the room, that’s not coming from any of these active portals. The portal itself looks normal to you, right?”

Safa nodded, her eyes focused.

“What it means is, they’ve been completing portals, defeating dungeon bosses, and creating new portals in their place. If you can still see that much mana residue, it must have happened recently.”

****

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