Far from Lucan’s landing site, four figures stepped out of the portal. They were not wearing the White Dove Academy uniforms, but tight-fitting black leather robes.Their faces were covered by masks, leaving only a pair of eyes that radiated murderous intent.They were an elite hunting team hired by the surviving elder of the Stones Family. The elder was willing to drain the last of their wealth to take revenge on Lucan.“Damn portal,” cursed one of the figures, who had fallen onto both hands while fighting back nausea.“Hold back those pathetic groans of yours, Rork,” ordered the man standing at the front. He had a terrifying scar stretching across his left eye. “Don’t forget that we are currently in a dangerous, unfamiliar territory.”The man was Kraven, a High Mage-level assassin whose reputation kept the nobles of the capital from sleeping peacefully.“This Soul Disguise Talisman really works, Boss,” muttered another assassin while touching the silver talisman on his chest, which

The air temperature rose drastically as Lucan ventured deeper into the outskirts of the Volcanic Region. The trees disappeared, replaced by black rock cliffs streaked with flowing lava. The air felt suffocating, filled with the smell of poisonous sulfur.Lucan covered his body with an extremely thin layer of water Mana to protect his skin from the heat. He was just about to walk past a narrow canyon when a shout stopped him.“Stop right there, rookie!”Four White Dove Academy students jumped down from the rocks, blocking the exit of the canyon. Their uniforms were dark red with shield emblems. They were senior students from the Hall of Loyalty.“Senior, look who we’ve found!” exclaimed one of the sharp-faced students, pointing his sword at Lucan. “The lucky brat from the Hall of Purity!”The group’s leader, Garrick, was a young man built like a bear. He stepped forward, holding a massive axe in one hand.“Excellent. He’s delivered himself right into our hands,” Garrick laughed loudly,

Lucan decided to stop at a fairly well-hidden obsidian cave. The place was sufficiently safe from the reach of other volcanic monsters and isolated by black rocks that radiated geothermal heat.Without wasting time, the young man snapped his fingers toward the four corners of the cave. He set up an aura-concealment formation and a sound-dampening formation to ensure that not even the slightest energy fluctuation could leak outside.After making sure everything was safe, Lucan summoned the gigantic cocoon of fire from inside his spatial ring.The object slowly floated down onto the obsidian floor. The cocoon, which had previously glowed a brilliant golden color, was now pulsing very weakly.The intense heat radiating from it had dropped drastically, and its color had dimmed to a pale red, indicating that the essence of the Volcanic Fire Dragon Core inside it had been completely depleted.“Fry, are you still hungry?” Lucan teased casually as he crouched in front of the cocoon whose flam

Hysterical screams and the sharp clashing of weapons shattered the silence that usually prevailed over the ancient place. Dozens of White Dove Academy students from various Halls ran around aimlessly, trying to find a way out of the canyon.However, no matter where they ran, they always ran into the pitch-black walls erected by the assassins from the Shadow Sect.Corpses in white, red, and blue uniforms lay scattered across the dusty ground. Blood pooled everywhere, spreading a nauseating stench that made their stomachs churn.“My hand...!” screamed a third-year student from the Hall of Virtue. He crawled across the ground with one arm severed before a black dagger pierced his throat, silencing his screams forever.“Don’t scatter! If you run off alone, you’ll only become easy targets!” Victor roared as he swung his Wind Lament Sword to deflect a barrage of daggers flying out from behind the shadows of the rocks. “Form a circular formation right now! Protect the healers in the center o

Dozens of corpses lay scattered in a horrifying state. Their blood seeped into the dry soil of the Fallen Stone Valley, where it was absorbed.The remaining academy students now sat weakly after witnessing Kraven turn into a mist of blood.“C-could... could we still survive?” whispered Sarah, a student from the Hall of Fame, her voice trembling.Gideon shook his head, not knowing how to answer. Because Gideon’s reaction was not what she had hoped for, Sarah began sobbing uncontrollably.“Don’t cry so loudly. Do you want to attract his attention?” hissed the student beside her in a panic. He hurriedly covered Sarah’s mouth with his own trembling hand.Although he could hear the students crying behind him, Lucan did not care at all. He casually examined one corpse after another.“What is he doing?” Gideon whispered to himself. “Does he want to loot the corpses?”This time, Gideon’s guess was correct. Lucan took the spatial rings belonging to the assassins and calmly slipped them into hi