Chapter 429: Buried

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.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

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.