Manaless Mage-Chapter 324: Surprise?

Harry’s eyes narrowed.

There was no telling how the traitor would make his entrance—whether he’d come flying in, concealed with magic, or crawling through the charred rubble with the same strange shadow Adolf and his group used.

Nonetheless, Harry wasn’t about to leave himself exposed.

With a deep breath, he whispered under his breath, "Camouflage."

A ripple shimmered through his body. The air around him twisted faintly, and then—

Nothing.

He was gone.

Not even the faintest flicker of his presence remained, almost like he was never there.

[Camouflage] was one of the skills he gained after fully evolving to a manaless mage, and just like the name implied, it completely blended his presence with his surrounding.

It was a true assassin’s skill, one perfectly suited for ambushes.

Harry settled into position beside the splintered remains of a charred tree. His breathing slowed. His muscles relaxed.

’Now we wait.’ He thought.

He didn’t know the exact time it would take, but he was sure it would only be a few minutes from now.

The traitor was sure to return, to confirm the success of their mission and mislead the AMO with false information.

However, he wouldn’t find what he expected.

And Harry would make sure of that.

*

Several long, tense minutes passed.

Then—

A flicker.

Harry’s eyes locked on it instantly. A slight vibration in the air, almost like someone had taken a knife to reality and was slowly carving it open.

Crack!

A strange blue tear split the sky just a few feet above the cracked earth.

It hovered mid-air, silent, yet vibrating with a strange pressure.

Harry’s fingers tightened slightly, his body remaining perfectly still.

The tear widened. Thin lines of glowing blue light spidered outward like cracks in glass, slowly peeling apart the fabric of the world.

It pulsed once.

Then again.

The tear expanded into an oval-shaped portal, swirling with unstable energy and wisps of thick blue energy.

The very air trembled around it, warping the nearby terrain with flickering distortions that made the trees bend and twist like paper caught in wind.

Harry watched, his gaze cold.

’A spatial tear... definitely an artifact,’ he thought. ’But... an artifact that can affect space, I’ve never heard of that before.’

He narrowed his eyes further.

’And with how much mana oozing from the portal alone, it is surely a stage six artifact... or even higher.’

And stage six artifacts weren’t handed out like candy. Only the wealthiest families, the most influential guilds, or the AMO themselves had access to relics that could manipulate space.

[An artifact that tears through space...] Leon’s voice finally broke through, quiet but disturbed. [I’ve never heard of anything like it. Not even during my time. There were teleportation gates, runes... but this? This is on another level.]

’I know.’ Harry’s jaw clenched. The frown on his face deepened. ’It’s not just a high-grade tool—it’s beyond normal tiering. This thing didn’t just open space. It tore it.’

He let the thought linger for a moment, staring at the swirling rift.

The portal didn’t surge or glow grandly. It didn’t explode with light or thunder with power.

It was quiet.

And that made it all the more terrifying.

Whoever had built it knew exactly what they were doing.

Harry leaned slightly forward, still concealed, watching with razor-sharp focus. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

After a few seconds, a shape finally emerged within the portal.

At first it was just a silhouette—a blur of motion and faint ripples as the portal rippled like disturbed water.

Then, with a soft step, a figure stepped through.

He was tall, lean, and had broad shoulders.

He was putting on a long, black coat, with a small golden badge on the left side, on which was boldly inscribed Adventurer Mages Organization.

A short blade was strapped across his lower back, and a shimmering magical monocle rested over one eye, glowing faintly.

Harry’s eyes narrowed further.

He recognized him instantly.

That was Dani Okvar, a B-rank adventurer, and also the traitor in this tournament.

He was supposed to be a hero who once led a squad of rookies through a mana beast attack, saving hundreds of lives.

Because of this, he eventually got promoted from C-rank to B-rank within the AMO, earning a name for himself.

And yet—Harry had seen the truth.

All of it.

The bastard had played everyone.

Dani stepped out of the portal, his boots crunching softly against the blackened dirt. The tear behind him pulsed once and then slowly stitched itself shut, vanishing into nothingness without a sound.

Harry didn’t move.

He watched.

Dani glanced around the battlefield, eyes sweeping across the charred landscape.

His face squeezed into a frown, and he hissed under his breath.

’They said they wouldn’t damage the forest too much, and only take the Blackheart girl, but look at this... guess I expected too much from that idiot.’ He thought, palming his face in dissapointment.

Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a strange, blackened figure lying on the ground a red meters away, and the frown on his face deepened.

’Who the hell is that... did that bastard burn an innocent student to ashes?’ He thought, slowly approaching the blackened figure.

However, when he got closer to it, his expression twisted, and his eyes widened in shock.

’Is that... A-Adolf?!’ He thought, staggering back in shock.

’No... that’s not possible, he was meant to meet with me...’ He mumbled inwardly, shaking his head in disbelief.

He didn’t want to consider the possibility that Adolf had been found out and defeated by the AMO, especially since he knew his power.

The only person he felt would he capable of hurting Adolf, were mages standing at the peak of stage six... or a grand mage.

And if that was true, then he was in deep trouble!

’Don’t think like that... Adolf can’t have died... that’s just not possible...’ He thought, letting out a low sigh.

’Now... let’s just check it again...’ He inched closer to the body, even squinting his eyes to get a better view.

However, the same thing remained in front of him... and his body shook in horror.

"Surprised huh?" A voice suddenly came from behind, sending chills down his spine.