I Am A Wizard Who Can Travel Between Earth And The Other World-Chapter 57 - 59 Ashden Guild (2)

Marcus, the man with the sharp gaze, was the appointed leader of the upcoming ruin expedition.

According to the law set by the Five Great Houses, any exploration of ancient sites required the presence of at least three mages. This wasn't a rule of Marcus's making, nor was it the Tree Guild's decree.

It was an edict passed down by the most powerful families, with no explanations given.

Furthermore, one of these three mages had to be a representative from one of the Five Houses. Normally, this posed no issue for the Marcus Guild, which employed three mages of their own. However, fate had intervened—two of the guild's mages were currently away on assignments in other cities.

The Five Houses had agreed to send one of their own, but that left Marcus in desperate need of a third. And not just any mage.

The candidate had to meet a minimum threshold of power and capability.

Marcus's search was proving fruitless.

Finding someone with the right qualifications on short notice was almost impossible. Anxiety began to creep in—opportunities to explore ruins were rare, and if he let this chance slip away, who knew when another would arise?

That was when he received word of a new mage. According to reports, this individual had intervened in a violent feud between Astra Pharmaceuticals and Merentil Pharmaceuticals. Rumor had it that the mage had single-handedly defeated both Ruben, a formidable third-circle mage from Merentil, and the infamous Alaric, a defensive powerhouse known for his near-impenetrable barriers.

Even if half the rumor was true, the mage would be more than qualified for the expedition. Defeating Ruben alone might not have met Marcus's standards, but overcoming Alaric was another matter entirely.

Alaric's abilities were notoriously troublesome for mages. Marcus wasted no time and sent the formal request.

Still, doubts lingered. He couldn't help but wonder if he should have conducted a more thorough assessment.

But when he heard the mage was coming to the guild in person, he quickly arranged a meeting.

Now, standing before Marcus, were two figures.

Neither of them resembled a mage. At first glance, they appeared to be ordinary enhanced humans—individuals gifted with non-magical abilities. Marcus frowned in confusion. Could this be a disguise? If so, why go to such lengths to suppress their magical core?

The tactic puzzled him. To project the appearance of an enhanced human, one would need to spread their mana across their entire body, a constant and inefficient process unless they were using enchanted tools.

Probably using a magical artifact, Marcus thought.

Curiosity got the better of him. Fortunately, the guild's headquarters was imbued with a special kind of enchantment.

Within these walls, it was easy to extract information from others, provided one had access to the right magical codes. Marcus lightly touched the ring on his finger, activating the enchantment.

Invisible tendrils of mana extended toward Gin, seeking to unravel his hidden presence. But to Marcus's astonishment, the magic was abruptly repelled.

He sensed it?

Marcus's eyes widened slightly in admiration.

The extraction spell was exceptionally subtle, designed to evade all but the most heightened senses. Yet this stranger had detected it instantly.

Intrigued, Marcus pressed on, amplifying the magic. This was a war of attrition, and he had the advantage.

The enchantment embedded in the building granted him limitless access to mana, allowing him to continuously deploy the probing spell.

His opponent would have to expend energy to repel it, and eventually, their reserves would be depleted.

With a calm expression, Marcus observed Taesu. But Gin, unfazed, deflected the invasive magic without breaking a sweat. The repetition of the attack made the pattern predictable and easy to counter. Though aware that Marcus might attempt a more cunning approach, Gin saw no reason to remain passive.

He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Two deliberate strides brought him within range for domain expansion.

The ambient mana around him began shifting, forming intricate patterns that stretched toward Marcus. This space, saturated with the building's information-blocking enchantment, had already been partially analyzed by Gin, making it easier to adapt the domain to his advantage.

Mana surged outward, embedding itself in the flow of surrounding magic. Gin's patterns pierced through the enchantment, gradually revealing more of the hidden architecture. His eyes gleamed with amusement as the veil lifted.

Finally, Marcus's mana core came into focus.

The man possessed a formidable amount of energy, his attributes manifesting almost immediately in Gin's awareness: lightning, penetration, reflection, and enhancement.

Four attributes? Impressive, Gin thought. He had never encountered someone with so many innate properties. Of course, the true challenge lay not in possessing them but in wielding them effectively in battle.

The two men stood in silence, their locked gazes betraying the unspoken contest of wills. Mana clashed invisibly between them. Jay, meanwhile, grew increasingly uneasy.

"Uh... Director Marcus?" he ventured nervously.

Marcus finally broke eye contact and turned to Jay. Despite his polite acknowledgment, the threads of mana he had extended toward Gin did not cease.

"Ah, please, have a seat," Marcus said, gesturing to the chairs.

With a quiet smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Gin lowered himself into a seat.

The real battle had just begun, though only the two of them were fully aware of it.

Marcus gestured to the sofa across from him, his sharp gaze not wavering as he spoke.

"Please, have a seat."

Jay nudged Gin's shoulder, signaling for him to sit as well. Gin obliged, still maintaining the invisible domain of magic he had cast earlier.

Though he had already gleaned much of Marcus's magical signature, his work wasn't finished. With a portion of his mind, he anchored the domain while dedicating another to analyzing the building's arcane patterns.

The entire structure was saturated with magic—complex and interwoven like a living network.

If Gin could fully decode these patterns, he could rewrite them, bending the building's defenses to his control.

It would be akin to seizing the entire information network of the guild. Of course, such a move would only succeed if the building had no countermeasures in place.

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Marcus's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Gin with growing curiosity.