Avan was there, completely confused. In that open green plains area, there was no one near him. "Area Search." He invokes a spell and a large surge of mana emitted out of his body. Only traces of small molecules of mana appeared from the plants and the animals that were all around him.
He cancelled out the spell with no luck. He reached out his hand, "Materialize." And a bow made of blue mana appeared. He grabbed it with both of his hands and aimed it at the sky. He opened up his subspace inventory and grabbed one of the flares that was given to them before they went on their journey.
He pulled back and shot it up in the sky. A deafening sound echoed throughout the forest and a bright red light. The animals began to run away in terror.
Avan casted body enhancement magic on himself and jumped on top of the trees and saw several flashes of flares along the vicinity. And he only found one flare that's the same as him.
He opened up his subspace once more and grabbed a staff. It was made out of a living tree wood. Each time mana brushes up against it, it begins to throb like a heartbeat. "Argus gave me this... He thinks I don't know about it huh."
It was the Staff of Avarice. It was included in the forbidden chambers of books that he once read. It seeps in an extremely large abundance of mana and then multiplies it by half of that mana. Its a complete 50% increase in mana gain.
"In itself its a perpetual motion machine of mana." But such magic isn't used as mana is infinite in the world. Even if the world were to suddenly run out of mana, this staff was going to be its own saving grace.
Schaffer giving this treasure of the academy means that, Avan became the treasure of the academy. "In those several months, I've grown incredibly different haven't I."
Avan spun the staff and punctured it into the ground. Tree roots from the nature around him grew around his body surrounding him. Avan felt his body be broken apart piece by piece, but its painless. The roots dragged him down in the ground.
As he resurfaced, the roots broke away from him and found himself in front of a different place where there's a uniformed Viribus Academy student.
"Hello?" She asked.
Avan opened his eyes and saw Verlyn in front of him. "Verlyn, have you fond anyo-" As if by mere instinct, he felt running away. The fear that struck in his heart was that of a moment, but something that he wouldn't be able to forget.
He reached out to Verlyn and shoved her down the ground. A flash of light by the mana molecules from the distance shot an arrow that managed to broke the sound barrier.
Avan's hands were pierced by this arrow and as soon as it hit the ground, a giant magic circle appeared. Chains began to appear as it latched around Verlyn and Avan's bodies. "You didn't search for the area?" He complained as he looked at Verlyn. "Damn it, I should've looked as soon as I got here."
His hands were bleeding all over the place as he tried to cover it. Verlyn was simply speechless at the view that she was seeing and couldn't believe what was happening.
"Our first hunt of the game. Kids from Viribius eh?" A man jumped out of the trees and revealed himself. A white colored uniform, a jacket with the symbol of their academy in his breast pocket. The symbol of a wolf. The apex predators. "Had a good run? Three minutes and you're gone. Pretty pathetic really if you ask me. Well, I'm not really one to judge since I've been just hiding. Goodbye." He aimed his bow at Verlyn and released it.
"Shi-" Avan shouted as he tried to break free.
The uniform Verlyn was using suddenly reflected the arrow. She let out a single tear, completely shocked by the situation. She waved her hands around and invoked, "F- Flash!" A bright light emitted from Verlyn like a flashbang, temporarily blinding and deafening Avan and the man who attacked them.
Avan gritted his teeth, "This is enough time." He closed his eyes and delved deep into the magic circle and broke its very core. It took exactly three seconds and Verlyn and Avan got out.
Avan still blinded and deafened, grabbed Verlyn and tried to run, he then felt something in the wind, immediately pushing Verlyn down back to the ground and himself. The sound of a metal hitting the wood. Two seconds pass and the temporary blindness and deafness disappeared.
As soon as Avan opened his eyes, he saw the man a meter in front of him, dashing in full speed with his daggers. His red eyes flickered under the shade.
Avan ducked, "Force!" And pushed Verlyn and the man away. He opened up his subspace and brought the staff back in there and brought out a giant sword that only knew weight.
"A greatsword user? Let's see if you can still see me you damn muscle-head!" He dashed to the left, and to the right, as if creating an afterimage. Only to reappear above Avan for a downward plunge.
Avan swung his sword upwards, going from a rotating full circle, hitting the man and the ground behind him. The ground somehow shook from that power. "..!"
"Heavy..!" The man changed his grip into a backhand grip and disappeared in the air, to reappear behind Avan.
The man lunged his dagger only for Avan to deflect it with his armored gauntlets while holding the sword with his other hand. "..."
"Seems like you're all about that power. You can't swing that thing unless you're using both of your hands." He smiled and began to jump around the trees, occasionally shooting his bow and lunging it with his dagger.
Avan was looking for him among the trees. He was too fast for him to follow. He plunged his sword down at the ground, "Shatter!" The ground seemingly broke and dust flew upwards.
"Wrong choice."
Avan heard that from his left ear, as if it was passing him. He looked back and saw the man inches away from Verlyn's neck.