Professor Aster paced around his room with a sweaty forehead.
He gazed at the Communication crystal present on the table opposite him. A figure of a woman wearing a long black shirt with grey pants could be seen on the projection hovering above the Crystal.
“I just need to stop him for a minute right?”
He said while swallowing his saliva. Thick beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he knew even a single mistake would cause him to lose his life.
The long-haired woman inside the projection looked familiar. She was the new assistant assigned to the Librarian after careful consideration.
She scoffed when she saw Aster’s pale face.
“If you are going to act like this you will get caught for being suspicious even before I did something! Just do as I said I will face all the consequences.”
Aster took a deep breath and nodded. He could see the woman was already half crazy from the look in her eyes. He didn’t know why she was doing such a suicidal mission but he didn’t care as long as all this didn’t impact him.
“Alright.”
He cut the connection of the communication crystal and left the room, heading straight toward the student’s hall.
While walking, he arranged his poster and tidied his clothes. A serious and nonchalant expression appeared on his face as he looked around like nothing happened a while ago.
After a few minutes, he appeared at the field present behind the Student hall.
He gazed at the students standing on a side before he focused on Geroge who was standing opposite to the students with Elder Elaze and Professor Liam.
When the Teleportation Array was ready, George waved his hand toward the students while walking.
“Step in the Array.”
His voice was deep and the students instantly moved to stand inside the Array one by one but George stopped midway because someone called him from behind.
“Sir.”
He turned around with a frown as he looked at the approaching figure. Elder Elaze and Professor Liam stopped as well as they gazed at the individual who appeared out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, Kyle heard Professor Aster’s voice he stopped for a second but Nine pushed him toward the Teleportation Array.
“Hurry up. Wait… Why is your back so cold.”
Kyle stepped back with a nonchalant expression and raised his hands to avoid the topic.
“Alright, Alright… I am moving.”
He entered the Array with the other students. One of the blue-robed professors who was checking the Array before stopped and entered the Array with the students.
They all waited for the Vice Principal to step inside the Teleportation Array.
Nine rubbed his hands with a smile.
“I am excited but inwardly I am freaking out! We are going to fight face-to-face all the other Academies!”
Alec touched his shoulder with a solemn expression.
“Don’t worry we will save you if you are near death.”
Nine slapped his hand away with a dark gaze.
“Hump! I can beat all those who will challenge me!”
The grey-haired twins from the third year looked at the group of first-year juniors with amused expressions but Blane the second-year student who was standing behind them looked at Nine with a narrowed gaze. He still hasn’t taken his revenge on Nine!
Kyle chuckled slightly at Alec and Carcel because they were doing their best to ruin Nine image in front of the seniors.
Even though he looked focused at Nine and the others his gaze was fixed at the Vice Principal because he was having a nagging feeling at the pit of his stomach.
His nervous eyes looked at the place where the strange woman was standing a few minutes ago but he didn’t see anyone.
‘Where did she go?’
His sentence was answered with a familiar sensation that enveloped his body. White particles gushed out from the Array surrounding the dumbfounded students.
Kyle’s eyes widened and he gritted his teeth because he wanted to step out from the Array but it was too late. With the remaining willpower, he hugged Bia and the last thing he heard was the miserable shrieks from the students standing beside him.
On the other hand, when Aster called out to the Vice Principal.
“Aster? What happened?”
George said with a frown. He was busy so he wondered why the latter stopped him so urgently.
Aster wore a serious expression, as he took out a plaque from his storage ring.
“Sir, I just received the news. More than five students have gone missing after leaving the Academy!”
His voice was grave as he showed a D-shaped wooden plaque to the Vice Principal.
George’s eyes narrowed when he saw the plaque, it was given to the Professors who were in charge of the mission hall in their free time. Aster continued after getting George’s attention.
“At first, I thought they would return after completing their missions that’s why I didn’t bother with them but even after a whole month there is no news about them.”
Liam grabbed the plaque from his hand with a frown.
“Who are they? The names of the missing students. Did you check their mission location, maybe they suffered while fighting or worse…”
His words trailed off as he knew they couldn’t protect each student after they left the city around the Academy.
George sighed and opened his mouth… but his eyes contracted the next second when he sensed the movement of mana behind him.
He turned around frantically with a deadpan expression and his eyes instantly narrowed into a slit as he saw the Teleportation Array had been activated without his permission.
“Who did it!”
George shouted but he knew he didn’t have time that’s why instead of looking for the culprit he leaped into the sky. The ground rumbled beneath him.
He stretched out his hand within a second.
“Contract!”
A vein appeared on his forehead as he tried to stop the Teleportation Array that was already activated.
Even for an Array master, it was very hard to stop a Teleportation Array that was activated because it could cause damage to the ones who were present inside the Array.
Under George’s anxious expression, the ground beneath the Array cracked and a huge hole appeared. The Array which was brimming with white particles split into many different parts.
Loud and painful shouts of the students rang out in the field as some of them were injured but it was too late because the remaining half of the students with the blue-robed Professor disappeared within the Array.
George’s eyes darkened as he saw the remaining injured students lying on the ground.
“No way!”
He shouted. How could this happened under his watch? His heart trembled with anger as the mana inside his body seeped out.
Professor Liam cursed and hurriedly dashed forward to give healing potions to the injured students.
George’s bloodshot eyes locked on the only person standing at the end of the field.
“That woman! stop right there!”
He vanished and grabbed the neck of the fleeting young woman.
“You did…?”
His question was cut off when the woman in his hand snickered with a mocking expression. She already planted an Artifact that could change the Teleportation Array coordinates in the ground last night, the only thing she needed to do was to activate it but for that to succeed George had to stay away from the Array.
She bit her tongue and killed herself while gazing at the angry Vice Principal with a satisfied expression.