Emil POV

Emil made sure to extend his senses as far as possible. He didn't want anyone sneaking up on them. Stealth was key; if they could get close enough and through the barrier without being noticed, they would have a much better chance of succeeding.

Yet he didn't think he needed to go that far. He looked over to where young Julius was walking ahead, his lips pinched. He already had a feeling that the boy was hiding some of his abilities. Still, upon hearing what the boy had done while saving the villagers, Emil was starting to understand why the Shattered Winter School had felt so comfortable sending just the boy.

Singlehandedly taking out an entire group of bandits wasn't something a Tier 3, not even a talented one, would be able to accomplish. Jakob had even mentioned that his team and Julius had a minor confrontation, commenting on how oddly confident the young Tier 3 appeared when facing them all.

The tracking mark Julius placed on the Tier 4 he allowed to escape was just another surprise. Julius had obliged Emil's request to see the mark firsthand, and while he hid his shock, inwardly he was stunned.

He didn't know many people in Tier 4 who had the control and willpower to create such a mark. The finer manipulations needed to make such a construct were unbelievably complex in the first place. He didn't know many people who were able to adjust the frequencies of the mana so that it mimicked the target's own mana signature with such precision. It required an exceptional mana and aura sense to pull off.

In Emil's experience, people specialized in certain aspects of mana control. Some were very good at engraving mana, which is why they went into enchanting. Some were good at mana sensing and decided to go down scouting or analysis paths. For example, he was good at pulling apart constructs and enchantments.

He grew up right off the coast and spent most of his childhood working on boats. Learning how to tie knots became second nature to him, and that translated to his mana control very well. He treated each construct or enchantment like a knot and carefully found the correct end of the string to unravel.

However, there was a very scant number of people who were skilled in so many aspects of mana that Julius showed. Add that to the healing abilities he had seen and heard about the boy, and Emil found himself curious why there wasn't a group guarding this young prodigy.

If he were one of the instructors of Shattered Winter School, his eyes would have never left the boy.

He suddenly paused and frowned.

Wait, how do I know that nobody is keeping an eye on him? Letting such a talented young prospect travel alone this far out in the wilderness doesn't seem normal, Emil realized. He wasn't able to sense anything, but someone might have been keeping an eye out for Julius.

Emil was out of practice ever since he retired from adventuring, so he couldn't tell for sure. His senses weren't the same as they used to be. Less polished and more rusty than he would have liked, considering their current situation. The recent attacks from the bandits only reminded him that he should have kept up with some of his training.

He clenched his fists tightly. He had gotten weaker, and it had cost people their lives. Lives that he or the families who suffered would never get back. He made a vow to do better in the future.

He calmed himself down and focused on what lay ahead. Julius was escorting them to the entrance of the mountain he had found. However, Emil had to hold back the baffled scoff as he took some of his focus to examine the boy's movements.

Each step the boy took was well thought out and avoided all of the traps before Rasmus or Emil had to intervene. Emil was beginning to believe that the boy had some extraordinary perception skill; his awareness of the environment was way too good—just another ability on the growing list of shocking revelations.

As much as he wanted to go over to the boy and sate his curiosity, he maintained his focus on his domain. It was because of his domain that they wouldn't be noticed. It was a little tricky, but he managed to conceal their presence. When the time came, he should be able to navigate through some of the more comprehensive traps and the final barrier.

It didn't take them long for that issue to become apparent. However, after a quick examination of the traps, Emil felt confident that his domain should be able to conceal them from the activation conditions of the traps. And sure enough, it was. He felt a prodding sensation around the area of his domain, but he made sure not to make any sudden moves with his mana or aura. The trick was to pretend as if he didn't notice the traps. The enchantments often worked because they could detect reactionary movements of mana or aura rather than sensing people.

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Eventually, they all arrived at the entrance of the mountain. There were guards that Julius had noted earlier, and just like he said, they were lazily horsing around. That was good news for them, and Emil took this time to examine the barrier.

The barrier was slightly different from the traps. It was just like he initially thought; he didn't know he would be able to do the same thing he just did moments ago. However, he believed he should be able to unravel the barrier for long enough so that they could slip in undetected.

He went up to the very edge of the barrier, making sure to keep a piece of his attention on the guards just in case they decided to look over in their direction. Then he began his work. To his concern, the enchantment wasn't so simple.

It just reaffirmed that there was someone quite skilled behind this Frost Bear Clan. Likely a Tier 5.

Thankfully, the barrier didn't seem like it was made to keep out Tier 5s. Its primary focus was to conceal and mislead the perception of those within its influence.

After a couple of minutes of concentration and sorting through the trapped threads, he eventually found a safe little string to pull on. He motioned his hand over to the rest of them and had them gather close to him. Once they were ready, he carefully unraveled a small portion of the enchantment.

The barrier in front of him flickered for a brief moment, and he had to prevent one person from going too soon. Only when a small stable gap appeared, he nodded, and they all crossed the barrier.

His body was tense as he intensely observed the barrier for any reactions or signs that it had been tampered with. Fortunately, it appeared he had succeeded, and without wasting any time, they all slowly made their way toward the entrance.

One of the mages that were along with them activated an illusion spell to hide their approach. The man's skill wasn't the most subtle; any person with decent mana perception would be able to sense it, but Emil used his domain to prevent it from leaking out, which helped a lot and made it much more effective.

They didn't disturb the guards and slowly made their way past them. None of the guards were Tier 4, so he wasn't too worried, but it was better to be careful.

Once they walked through the entrance, they found themselves walking down a tunnel that was dimly lit by some mana lights.

A few minutes later, they exited the tunnel and were welcomed by a vast cavern. At the center of the cavern was a large, flat, arena-like structure. From what he could tell, it was a training space. They slowly snuck their way down the steps. The construction of the area was quite impressive. It was clear that someone with a dedicated building skill had formed this area.

"Do you still sense the mark?"

The young man glanced back at Emil. "Yeah, it is still up ahead."

Emil nodded but noticed the boy seemed much more wary than he had just moments ago. It had him thinking that the boy had sensed something.

"What is it?" He asked Julius.

Julius shrugged. "I am not sure. But something feels weird."

Some people might have dismissed these comments, but Emil immediately let his mana flow through his body. He didn't want to be caught unprepared.

Julius had already told them that it was possible that the bandits had found the mark and were planning an ambush. So Emil was already on guard for that possibility.

He was glad he had done so because it seemed his actions had triggered a reaction. He felt a flare of mana around them. He condensed his domain and formed it into a sharp point. Then he used his domain to try to rip apart the barrier before it could form.

Unfortunately, he was met with resistance from someone else's willpower. He felt another person's will join his and smash into the person activating the barrier. This new willpower was different as well.

The willpower lacked the obvious refinement one would expect from a Tier 5. But there were aspects of it that were terrifying to sense.

Death, fire, and destruction. And hints of something else. It was almost like…

Ruin.

The addition of this power enabled Emil to quickly take control of the battle of wills, and he pushed back. He was so close to disrupting the barrier, but alas, he was a second too late. The barrier snapped into place with such force that the cavern shook. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling, along with many larger boulders.

The opposing Tier 5 didn't have to withstand Emil's will for long, but just long enough for the barrier to establish itself. The barrier was standard in many ways that he was familiar with. There were anti-space wards interwoven throughout the entire structure, which had a passive disruption effect.

This was only possible because they had entered the barrier's effective zone on their own. They had been led into an ambush, and Emil couldn't say he was that surprised.

What he was more worried about was the sudden burst of mana he felt come from the cavern walls around them. It was only then that he understood these bandits' true plan. They were trying to bury them under the mountain.

He had no idea how these bandits had noticed them or Julius's mark, but there was no time to worry about that. They were going to have their hands full pretty quickly.

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