A day had passed, and now it was the last day of class for the week—which also meant tomorrow would be Zane's duel with Arlo.
Because of that, Zane planned to train longer than usual today. He also intended to duel with Vale first, to get a feel for what it was like to fight someone seriously.
As soon as their classes ended, Zane and Vale immediately returned to their dormitories.
Although Vale was still puzzled by what Zane had told him the night before, he was slowly beginning to piece things together. Still, he found it hard to believe.
Where had Zane even found such a place? Locations overflowing with mana were typically far from the city, deep within uninhabited wilderness. That meant Zane had to have ventured into the forest alone to find something that rare.
Vale had already asked all the obvious questions last night—how Zane had discovered the place, how much mana he truly possessed to pull off a teleportation spell, and more.
Of course, he knew Zane had an unusually large amount of mana capacity, which was pretty understandable. He was a Thaleward, after all. Members of that bloodline were known for their immense magical reserves.
Vale had also come up with a theory: maybe Zane was cursed because he was the son and the grandson of two of the strongest mages in humanity.
But that didn't fully add up. Eris, his older sister, didn't seem to suffer from the same thing. She was thriving.
Naturally, Zane had already answered most of these questions. Yet something still felt off. Zane claimed he had fought low-ranking monsters to gain experience, and while wandering the forest, he stumbled upon the magical site.
But that didn't make much sense either. The forests near the Kingdom of Ashveil were constantly patrolled by hunters. It seemed impossible for Zane to find such a place without venturing far beyond the city's outskirts.
Which meant... Zane must've entered a remote, rarely-explored part of the forest.
And that only made things more confusing.
Why would Zane go somewhere so dangerous on his own?
'This is making my head hurt...'
"Hey, Vale. Come here."
Hearing Zane's voice, Vale turned his head and replied, "Huh? Oh, right."
The two of them sat down across from each other, back to back, both of them crossing their legs as they got into position.
"Velrath, we're ready."
Although Zane could now cast the teleportation spell entirely on his own, he chose not to. He didn't want to waste too much mana—especially since he would need it for the intense training ahead.
Moments later, a magic circle formed beneath them, and a beam of light shot upward.
...
Vale looked around in awe as the teleportation completed. This was his first time being teleported, and the feeling was both strange and exhilarating.
'Zane really managed to cast that spell? Just how much mana can his mana core actually store?'
Zane glanced at Vale and saw his dumbfounded expression. He could already guess what was going through his friend's head. He hadn't told him yet that it was Velrath, not him, who had cast the teleportation spell.
But now wasn't the time to explain that.
"Vale, let's go," Zane called.
"Huh? Go where?"
"To the place I told you about last night."
"Ah, right."
Vale followed, still looking around. He had never been in such a thick, ancient-looking forest before. It was almost intimidating in its silence and age. The deeper they went, the more it felt like stepping into another world.
Even though Zane had warned him they'd only teleport near the magical site to save mana, Vale still hadn't expected the forest to look this dense—this untouched.
He felt a chill crawl up his spine. The whole place gave off the kind of eerie feeling you'd expect from places where high-ranked monsters roamed.
'Zane actually wandered into a forest like this? He's insane…'
'I knew he was desperate to get stronger, but to think he'd explore such a dangerous area just to fight monsters...'
'Let's just hope we don't run into anything nasty out here.'
Zane motioned for Vale to follow, and Vale did so, keeping close behind as they made their way through the forest.
Zane wondered just how far they were from the capital. Judging by how wild and ancient the forest appeared, they had to be a good distance away.
It also explained why Velrath had taken so long to return back then. This was where he'd been?
The two of them continued deeper, brushing past thick vines and weaving between enormous trees, until finally, the forest began to open up.
The change was subtle at first, but Vale quickly noticed it.
The trees were spaced further apart. The sunlight was able to peek through the canopy. And the oppressive, heavy air began to lighten.
As they stepped into the clearing, Vale couldn't help but gape in disbelief.
To think this was the same jungle they had entered just minutes ago.
"Woah..."
He paused, then asked, "Is this the place you were talking about, Zane?"
Zane had told him that the forest would begin to clear up the further they walked. But seeing it for himself was still shocking.
Vale scanned the area, marveling at how different it looked. It was serene. Almost too serene.
'Strange... there aren't any monsters here at all.'
'Maybe that's how Zane got this far into the forest. No threats in this section.'
Just as Vale was deep in thought, Zane suddenly turned to him and said, "Hey, Vale. Don't ask anything—just follow me."
Vale blinked in confusion. "Huh? Why?"
But Zane didn't respond. Instead, he pushed past the thick wall of leaves in front of them and disappeared through the greenery.
Vale stood there, stunned. But after a brief moment, he sighed and decided not to ask more questions. Not yet.
He stepped through the dense curtain of leaves—and immediately froze.
His eyes widened as he took in what lay before him.
"N—no way..."