Chapter 510: No way to contact Dame!
Chapter 510
"Huh? Again?" Gunther asked as he stared at Grey and Thalos standing in front of him.
Grey had just come in and declared that he was leaving for a certain mission which, as usual, Gunther was not supposed to know about.
"Yes, we will surely be back before the assessment for the tournament begins." Grey replied with a firm nod, his tone steady even though his heart was beating faster than normal.
"You better, otherwise it would be disastrous." Gunther added with a slight frown on his face as he stood up and stared directly at Grey. His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped lower, heavy with warning. "I don’t know what you are doing, young man. I don’t know where you’re headed or what secret you’re keeping from me.
And I don’t know if I’m making a mistake or not by helping you, but I sure hope as hell that I don’t regret it. Do not make me regret it. Otherwise, I would forget you have affiliations with the Cromwells and send you on a journey of no return."
The way and tone he delivered these words caused Grey to gulp loudly as he instinctively took a step back. A trickle of sweat cascaded down his face, his body reacting to the suffocating aura radiating from Gunther. It was clear that the man was not just a leader but a predator who could crush him in an instant if he wished.
"But anyway, let’s head back to the forest so you can leave." Gunther suddenly shifted his expression, calm once again, as he exited the room while motioning for the duo to follow him.
"That guy is dangerous and strong." Thalos whispered under his breath, his voice almost trembling.
"Are you telling me? I can already sense it." Grey replied quickly as the two followed behind, neither daring to slow down.
After a few minutes of walking, they finally found themselves back at the forest. With a sigh that sounded more like a warning, Gunther left them alone. Grey and Thalos exchanged a glance before beginning their descent down the cliff, heading for the cave that would take them back to the Noxarian faction.
Getting down to the base of the cliff after five minutes, they began navigating through the fog-covered area. The mist clung to their skin like damp hands, and every sound of rustling leaves felt like a threat lurking just out of sight. Still, they pressed forward until at last, they managed to reach the cave.
Not wasting any time, Grey got down on his knees and began drawing the magic circle that would connect them to the cave in the Noxarian faction. When he was done, he pulled out his pouch, took a yellow pill, and placed it carefully at the heart of the circle. With steady hands, he ignited it with his mana.
A few seconds later, the circle flared with light and expanded into a swirling portal. Without hesitation, the two stepped through. The portal snapped shut with a faint pop, leaving the cave behind.
Moments later, in another dimly lit cave, the air ripped open as the portal spat Grey and Thalos out. They steadied themselves as they landed, scanning their new surroundings cautiously.
"So what now? We don’t really know anybody in the Noxarian faction, nor do we really know who Dame is. How do we contact and find him now?" Thalos asked, frustration laced in his voice, while Grey rubbed his temples in deep thought.
"Shit. I didn’t think this through at all. We should have gotten a communication device or at least left some kind of marker. But it slipped my mind." Grey admitted, his frown deepening as he stared around the cave.
"So what will we do? We can’t just go around asking who Dame is. There’s no way we can find him in a faction this huge. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack." Thalos added.
Grey stopped pacing, a sudden smirk curving across his face. His eyes gleamed with a spark of mischief and confidence.
"We can’t go around looking for him, right? But we can at least bring him to us." Grey muttered with a wide grin as he dashed to the corner of the cave and began drawing another circle.
"What do you mean? What are you planning on doing?" Thalos asked, a nervous edge in his voice as a feeling of dread washed over his chest.
Within a minute, Grey finished the circle. Mana flowed into it, and a new portal yawned open in the dark cave. Without hesitation, the duo stepped through.
A few seconds later, in an abandoned, dark, and gloomy city, the portal tore open and spat them out. The air reeked of rust and rot, the buildings looked like skeletons of stone, and shadows lingered in every broken alley.
"So do we go to town or what?" Thalos asked warily as his eyes scanned the lifeless place, his every muscle tense. He knew that in a place like this, a beast or something worse could appear at any time.
"Nope! I would like to hunt some beasts before we go. I need their cores to power the magic circles and also craft some pills when we get there." Grey replied firmly as his sharp gaze swept across the ruins. Yet, despite the broken streets and empty air, there was no single sign of a beast.
"What happened?" Thalos asked as he noticed the frown tugging at Grey’s face.
"The beasts aren’t here yet. What’s wrong with them?" Grey muttered, scanning the shattered buildings and shadowy corners with suspicion.
"How am I supposed to know?" Thalos shrugged nonchalantly, though his hand remained close to his weapon, ready for trouble.
"Can you draw them here with your aura?" Grey asked with a raised brow, eyes narrowing.
"I can unleash my aura, but it would do the opposite of what you want. When the beasts feel the pressure of a powerful aura, they will scramble away like frightened rats." Thalos replied with a click of his tongue, sounding annoyed.
"Okay, let’s try this instead." Grey said as the air suddenly shifted. The wind stirred at his feet, building rapidly until it grew louder and fiercer, howling across the abandoned city like a raging storm. Dust lifted off the cracked ground, swirling around him as if pulled by invisible hands.
Without hesitation, Grey thrust his arms outward, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Aerius Ultra!"
The wind erupted with a violent blast, bursting outward in a devastating wave. The explosion echoed across the distance, rattling walls and sending debris tumbling. The sheer force carried for miles, like a thunderclap announcing his challenge.
Drawing his Ki to sharpen his hearing, Grey tilted his head. Faint at first, then clearer—the deep guttural growls of beasts echoed back. One, two, five... no, nearly a dozen, and they were racing toward his location at full speed. A feral smile stretched across his face.
"Quick one, Thalos." Grey muttered as he lifted his hands. His pendant flared with light, and in a shimmer of energy, his robe appeared. He swung it smoothly over his shoulders, the fabric snapping in the wind as if alive.
But he wasn’t done. The pendant gleamed again, brighter this time, and with a sharp flash, his sword materialized in his grip. He tightened his hold on the weapon, the blade humming faintly as though eager for blood.
"How many beasts do I need to kill before the boss shows up?" Grey asked, his eyes locked on the shadows rushing closer.
"Huh?" Thalos muttered with a raised eyebrow as he spotted the first shapes emerging through the gloom. "About a hundred or so."
"Great then." Grey smirked, the excitement in his voice unshakable. "Let’s get to work!"
With that, he stomped down hard, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he exploded forward. A thunderous bang rang out as he propelled himself like a cannon shot, closing the distance between him and the approaching earth-ranked beasts.
The monsters roared, their glowing eyes burning through the mist as they charged in response.
"I wonder what this fool is planning." Thalos muttered with a deep frown, his arms crossed as he stood back, watching Grey dive headfirst into battle with reckless confidence.