Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Numerous prominent Magi from the Southern Federation and countless distinguished Magi from all over the Acadian Empire made their way to Ravenfell to take part in the Grand Magus Tournament and to witness the grandeur of the Dark King.

But the man in question was relentlessly working himself to the bones deep underneath the City of Sails, trying to uncover what could possibly be the greatest conspiracy to have ever ensnared this continent.

Adam had been studying the runes in the cavern underneath the vampire's lair for exactly a week now.

During that time, he had made great progress in several areas—three, to be more precise.

First, he had now deepened his understanding of rune magic by leaps and bounds. Second, he had greatly forged ahead in his arcane path.

Meaning, the advancement he had made in this cavern in one week was greater than what he would have made if he practiced mindfulness above ground for one month straight!

The density of mana in the cavern was simply that astounding. It continued to gush out of the portal, but strangely enough, it was contained within the cavern.

Not a single speck of it leaked outside.

Thirdly, and most importantly, he had now understood—more or less—what the Cult of Bones was planning.

And the conclusion he had arrived at was highly concerning.

Adam stood before the dark portal with his hands crossed and a deep frown etched on his face. His gaze seemingly pierced through the veil and landed on the world on the other side.

This cannot be allowed to happen!

He turned to the runes carved on the wall. The complexity and the efficiency of it were mind-blowing. He couldn't help but come to admire the prowess of whoever it was that carved these runes.

And he had enough reasons to believe that it was none other than the Cult Leader.

After studying the runes inside the cavern, he learned that they focused on the School of Summoning. Furthermore, they also served to stabilize the portal and prevent the mana coming from inside from leaking above ground.

The difference in mana density between this cavern and the vampire's lair above was like the difference between night and day.

It's serving as the fuel to keep the portal activated, to fully form, Adam thought to himself.

If the mana disperses, the portal will take much longer to form and completely stabilize. But… how was the Cult Leader able to create this portal?

The knowledge and the resources required for it are astronomical.

Could it be… Yes, that must be it! There's no other explanation. He must have had external help!

And considering where the portal led, Adam was certain who had helped the Cult Leader.

Just what was the Cult Leader promised? For him to go to such great lengths?

Adam sank into deep thought, wondering what could cause a man as powerful and knowledgeable as the Cult Leader to resort to such means.

Regardless of his intentions, that man was not only Adam's enemy but an enemy to the entire world.

The raven-haired youth's expression darkened. He needs to be stopped! No matter what!

As he walked around the edges of the cavern, running his hand across the surface of the wall, a plan started to form inside his mind.

It was an enormous plan and required the utmost finesse and secrecy. But if he was able to pull it off, he just might be able to save a lot of people.

After studying the runes etched on these walls for a week straight, he learned that this place—Hannes City—was but a cog in the wheel.

A part of a greater whole!

He surmised that just like this cavern, this vampire's lair, this city… There were five other places in Tron that served the same purpose.

Meaning, if Adam's speculations were right, then there were six portals located throughout the planet!

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became of what the Cult Leader was planning.

These portals… these must be scattered all across the planets, he thought with a grave expression.

These six portals around the planet, and the rune magic surrounding these six portals… It's like a grand runic formation enveloping Tron!

He began to pace around the portal, thinking of several possibilities, and coming up with solutions. One by one, he started to discard the solutions and started thinking of new ones.

After several hours, he finally came to a conclusion. His eyes darted around the cavern, from the portal to the runes on the walls, as if he were weighing the pros and cons of his plan.

"Yes, yes," he mumbled to himself. "It seems doable, but…"

His gaze drifted to the complex geometrical patterns on the wall, his eyes narrowing into slits.

These runes were already so difficult to comprehend despite my knowledge of rune magic. To alter them without alerting that man… I would need more knowledge!

And I cannot do it alone. I need a team of people I can trust…

But who?

His expression turned dark, and his eyes flashed with conflicting emotions.

After realizing that there may be a possibility that Headmistress Godfrey might be working with the Cult of Bones, Adam felt lost and helpless.

He was now up against an insurmountable opponent, and the people he trusted and once looked up to could very well just be pretending to be his allies, waiting for the right chance to stab him in the back.

He didn't know who to trust.

Once the seed of doubt was planted in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder about another possibility.

Several years ago, when I had sent a letter to the Brotherhood's headquarters in Ulier, asking them about their research on the advanced runes found in this tunnel…

My request was rejected.

After that, I sent a letter to the Mana Vortex Magus, the dwarf who had visited Ravenfell, Krummor Grimmriver, and asked him to help me with this request.

But his access was also denied.

Adam's expression grew extremely solemn, and his heart gradually turned cold.

At the time, I thought the value of these advanced runes found in the tunnel was so great that the Brotherhood didn't allow him or Krummor Grimmriver to study it, he thought.

But after what I've come to realize since coming to Hannes City…

A terrifying possibility emerged in Adam's mind.

What if the Cult of Bones has already planted one of their own… among the Twilight Brotherhood's upper echelon?