"Have you received any communication from her?"

"No, sir. The last time she contacted us was to inform us that she's still trying to find Wallace."

The man who asked the question was Troy, the leader of the Zairusian's delegates, and was answered by Lucian. They were now in a different location after the attack that has occurred on their previous hotel.

Max was together with Lucian as they were called by Troy in his room. The place they were staying at was now closer to the venue of the International Competition.

They still have about a week to prepare before the competition thus, making Troy hopeful that Yumi would find Wallace on time.

He was the one who picked up the letter that Wallace left so he was aware that the escapee still had plans to attend the competition.

He recalled that the letter only said he would be looking for something important in this country and it would take him some time depending on the situation.

This is the reason why he agreed to let Yumi search for Wallace and help him instead.

"Mhm, I trust her abilities to track Wallace as I personally knew her and know her tricks. But she doesn't have any responsibility to report back to me, so I'm not sure what's the current situation. Once you receive any update from her, please let me know." Troy sighed and sincerely requested. He was partially worried for the two due to the ambush they fought and would like to help in searching to make Wallace's task faster but someone was needed to stay and protect this place filled with their country's students.

"Of course. We will do so." Lucian swiftly answered. It seems that Troy was really kind as he didn't get mad despite Wallace's action.

The two guards were even more worried about the situation as they were tasked by Percival to protect Wallace at all times, but here they are, waiting for Yumi's update and guard the place to defend against possible assault from the Z company.

***

"We didn't see anyone passed over. Only Keroxes lives here." The leader answered the girl and he didn't mind that the girl ignored his question.

"Is that right? Then, please excuse me."

The young girl answered and continued to walk. She looked exasperated at the current situation. She doesn't really care about these mercenaries illegally hunting Keroxes here in Kharvatt Sierra.

She had been confident in her tracking abilities but this forest had such a high density of Mana that disrupts her ability. She could only follow the physical traces she found based on the last place she detected his presence.

The eight mercenaries didn't think that the girl would just leave at that. It's not like they wanted her to ask more questions, but they couldn't help being curious about this young girl.

Kirov glanced at his leader waiting for instruction. Unfortunately, the man was also struggling to decide on what action they should take.

Finally, after considering possible outcomes, the leader decided to get on the offensive.

"Salko, probe her." The leader ordered silently using his hidden comm. Salko was positioned on the young girl's left side just about 20 meters away.

Upon hearing the instruction from the leader, Salko unhesitatingly pulled out a short staff mana artifact.

"Imperial Command - Bind"

The staff emitted a dark blue light and surrounded the ground where the girl was standing. The ground started to shake and as if coming into life, the soil tried to trap the girl and enclose her.

Salko was only ordered to probe her and not to lethally attack, so he didn't use a high-powered gun they were using to kill mana beasts. This spell he just used was one of his best spells in terms of immobilizing unsuspecting targets.

The girl frowned at the sudden attack but didn't lose her cool. She stepped aside and dodged the attack effortlessly surprising the eight mercenaries.

No, the single-step she made covered at least ten steps in total. The leader understood that the girl wasn't normal and had probably used a high-level technique. Aside from that, he didn't felt any Mana fluctuations from her so he was really getting confused.

"Hey, I ignored you guys hunting here illegally."

The girl said unhappily. She was annoyed at the fact that these guys attacked her abruptly but she didn't show any intention to retaliate.

"You're obviously a high-tier magician, what are you doing here?" The leader replied. Everyone was now on high alert upon seeing the unscathed girl who remained calm despite the situation.

'Ahh... we shouldn't have provoked her and just continued on our mission. This girl seems dangerous.' Kirov thought. He didn't voice this out as to not affect the morale of his comrades. He backed away a bit since he also had a support role.

'Definitely not simple. She's even aware that we are hunting illegally. Maybe a bluff to scare us?' The leader thought differently. He doesn't want to have an unknown variable on their mission so he finally decided to attack her.

"Since you know I'm on a higher tier, do you really want to offend me? Tsk."

The girl asked but didn't wait for an answer. She raised her right hand and pointed at the leader. The ring on her index finger lit up a bit and this time, they felt the strong Mana fluctuations building up.

They wouldn't wait for her spell casting to finish before they acted.

"Imperial Command - Wind Wave"

"Water-Dragon Vortex"

"Fire Order - Heat Field"

The mercenaries quickly released their multiple spells to attack but it didn't reach the girl. Some even cast support spells to enhanced everyone's ability.

Kirov then shoots a bullet from his enhanced firearm and targetted the girl's body after he noticed that the magic spells didn't work.

"It's not Magic Jammer! She's definitely exhausting her Mana pool for defense. Don't stop attacking her." Kirov said on his comm to relay the information to his scattered comrades.

The heat field together with the water dragon created steam but didn't cause a problem for them as they were fully prepared and equipped their goggles with Mana enhancements. They could easily see the girl's figure using these types of equipment, they had been using this tactic to hunt Mana beasts so they were quite familiar and synchronized on their attacks as they continue to barrage her with mana spells.

Unfortunately, there was weird magic surrounding her that stops their attacks from reaching her.

"It's weird. It doesn't look like a magic jammer. Physical attacks like bullets or stones were also useless."

They couldn't think anything more as the girl seems to be satisfied now and released a wide range of Mana spell. A blue ring of light that started from her body was released and covered about two hundred meters before vanishing.

The steam was cleared and the surroundings were also revealed. The trees and ground were messed due to the eight's attacks on her. The blue light didn't seem to have destructive power but any living beings that it touched were immobilized.

"Well, this only works for these low tiers." She glanced at the eight mercenaries and even noticed six more Mana beasts that were hiding before they were affected by her Mana spell. It seems they were lurking during the battle to await the victor and steal the spoils.

'These Keroxes really have a certain intelligence.' The girl said in her mind.

She was about to call someone she knew from the guards nearby but she noticed something from the leader who was now unconscious.

"Hoo.. that tattoo..." The girl approached the leader of the eight. The man's left arm was covered with long sleeves and had gloves on but since it was tattered. She could see a large tattoo and upon fully checking, she discovered that it covers his whole left arm. She blinked and could only be sighed upon realizing the identity of the eight. She somehow expected their presence but not here in the forest.

"Z-Company." The girl frowned as she mentioned this organization's name.

***

Wallace was stealthily flying across the islands as he approached the specific island where his spaceship landed based on his memory.

"Sigh... So it really happened."

The small island that was previously desolate now had a small harbor and a single fortified ship that was docked within.

He could see several outposts that have several guards overlooking the place. Luckily his altitude allowed him to have a good view of the situation below.

He also noticed a small dome at the center of the island which was suspected where his spaceship landed.

"This is it."