Magus Supremacy

"Ah." Grey softly muttered as he stepped through the portal along with Thalos, causing the swirling circle to snap shut behind them.

"I feel like we have more time before the meeting starts, so let me just get straight into hunting." Grey said as he glanced at his hand and noticed two fingers adorned with faint Ki rings.

He stopped seeping his Ki into one of the rings, and slowly, his brown hair began reverting to its natural crimson color, mostly hidden under the robe.

'Much better. I'm tired of keeping up the fake hair disguise. My natural crimson hair will be the identity of the Supreme Magus. For the Supreme Yun Warrior, kek! Time will tell.' he thought, taking a step forward.

A loud growl immediately interrupted him, and the same beast from a few days prior leaped toward him with a feral glare and bared fangs.

"Wind blade." Grey softly spoke as he snapped his fingers loudly. A sharp whoosh sounded as a long, translucent sword of wind burst forth, slamming into the beast's head with effortless precision.

BAM!

The beast collapsed with a heavy thud as Grey calmly walked over, crouched down, and began dissecting it, extracting its core, which instantly vanished into his storage pendant.

'I have so many beast cores now. I need to find a much greater use for them than just opening portals. Wait! Hang on!' Grey thought, glancing at an almost bored Thalos.

"Yo! You told me that the sword I got as part of my rewards… your master actually created it?" Grey asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah. I helped gather some of the raw materials, including the beast core of a Divine-ranked beast." Thalos replied.

'Hmm. I wonder if Thalos' master also kept a book on crafting weapons. That could be really helpful.' Grey thought, standing upright and beginning to walk away.

"Maybe we should head over to the building we last met them in. They are probably waiting for us." Thalos suggested. Grey nodded, and with that, they set off.

__

Meanwhile, in an abandoned building of the crumbled city—half of it reduced to rubble—four men loitered inside, seemingly waiting for something.

"How sure are you that he will show up, Dame?" One of the four, a lean young man named Finnor, asked, frowning.

"Yeah, I feel like he might not come," said the second man, short in stature, known as Braylen, or Bray for short.

"Trust me, he will come. I have this feeling that he will." Dame replied, his gaze fixed on his hands, which held the gift he had carefully prepared for the Supreme Magus.

"You better be right. And what even is it with that worn-out book in your hand?" Talon asked, eyeing the slightly tattered volume in Dame's hands.

"I don't know. Found it lying around and felt like it would be the perfect gift for him." Dame replied with a shrug, rubbing his hair nervously.

Click, click, click!

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the crumbling hall, and the men immediately went on guard. But upon seeing who entered, their tension eased slightly, a mixture of relief and curiosity flashing across their faces.

Grey and Thalos had arrived, stepping cautiously into the building, their movements silent yet deliberate. Grey's crimson hair peeked slightly from beneath his hood, and Thalos' stoic expression betrayed nothing, though his eyes scanned the surroundings like a hawk ready to strike.

"Here we go," Grey muttered under his breath, a sly grin curling on his lips. He knew this encounter would be interesting, and perhaps it would reveal more than just a simple meeting.

"Told you he would come." Dame whispered to the others beside him before turning to the figures in front of him. "Thank you for coming, Supreme Magus."

That's right. The new entrance had been made by Grey and Thalos.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Quit the pleasantries and get straight to business." Grey said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Rude." Finnor mumbled under his breath.

"Right." Dame chuckled as he strode forward, a slightly worn book held in his hands. He presented it to Grey, who stared at it with a raised brow.

"What's this?" Grey asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"A gift for saving my friend's life. It's not much, but it is quite valuable. It's a book on some ancient techniques from our family, though I haven't been able to read it myself." Dame replied with a nervous chuckle.

Grey cautiously took the book, his eyes wary, before flipping it open. The moment he laid eyes on the cover, a jolt of recognition hit him.

"H…hold on! You said you couldn't read this. Why?" Grey asked, his voice sharp with curiosity.

"Well, it's written in a strange, unknown language that I do not understand. To be honest, it was just gathering dust back at home. I thought maybe you could find a use for it, or perhaps even sell it for a few coins." Dame said casually, shrugging.

'Th…th…this is too valuable to sell!' Grey thought, staring at the cover and the title:

<Introduction to Magic Craftsmanship and Magic Circles.> Just to be sure, Grey flipped through the pages slowly. To his growing excitement, he began understanding the contents. It was a comprehensive manual on crafting weapons, tools, and other items using magic, especially magic circles.

'Hold on! If he couldn't read it, this isn't a language from this world. Could it have been written by Thalos' master instead? The gargoyle did mention his master crafted my sword. Damnn!' Grey thought with glee, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"I hope you do find a use for it," Dame said, bowing slightly.

"I feel bad for asking this, but I need a favour from you." Grey suddenly spoke, causing Dame to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

"If it's in my power, I will do it." Dame replied confidently.

"I… we need a place to stay for a week. We aren't from around here, so we need somewhere to rest peacefully. I promise it will be worth your time. After a week, we will return to where we came from." Grey explained.

"Hmm." Dame mumbled, stroking his chin thoughtfully before shrugging. "That isn't a problem. I can arrange it, but for that, we need to return to my faction… the Noxarian Faction."

"Alright." Grey nodded, and with that, they all exited the building, heading toward the portal.

Soon enough, they walked through it, the swirling portal still remaining open behind them, leaving the city silent once more.