The Golem Mage

Luckily, Lucas Blade wasn't lying when he claimed to know James' whereabouts in seclusion.

Alec lightly knocked on the door, careful not to disturb James, as mages despised being distracted during their seclusion, especially for trivial matters.

However, Alec had been overthinking the situation.

When James asked who was at the door and Alec responded, James seemed genuinely happy and quickly invited him inside.

The rest of the group waited patiently outside while Alec entered to meet James and discuss the purpose of their visit.

With their original target lost, everyone's attention turned to Lucas Blade.

"Why are you all staring at me like that?" Lucas asked, a hint of worry creeping into his voice.

He realized they might be planning to confront him together, even though they were on his master's peak.

However, they were only at the outer region of the peak, and the disciples of Lucas' master at the Outer region wouldn't be able to match the Gordon clan in strength.

Lucas knew this from his previous encounters with two members of the Gordon clan.

Furthermore, the area was sparsely populated, with few people around, which added to Lucas' unease.

"I'm just trying to understand why you chose an instructor. There were other great instructors who wanted to mentor you, so why did you give it all up to study under an instructor?" Agnes stepped forward, voicing the question that had been bothering her the most.

"It's simple," Lucas replied confidently.

"I follow the path of the Blade, and those great instructors who approached me have no expertise in the way of the sword or other Blade. To me, they were just Mana mages without any specialization."

"So, I wouldn't learn much from them, But my instructor, on the other hand, is one of the most esteemed swordmasters in the northern kingdom," Lucas explained, his pride evident in his voice.

"His only flaw lies in the fact that he comes from a lesser clan and had a hard time breaking through to the High Mage rank without any support."

" By the time he achieved that rank, he felt he had exhausted most of his potential, That's why he hasn't entered the Tier 8 Mage realm after all this time," Lucas explained with a twinkle in his eyes.

This revelation took Agnes by surprise, even though she had suspected something about Lucas before.

She could swear she saw genuine respect in his eyes when he talked about His New Instructor, realizing that the instructor had managed to win the heart of a mage from an ancient clan like Lucas solely through his sword techniques. It was a clear testament to the instructor's skill.

As usual, Agnes had done her research and discovered that the Blade clan held significant power as an overlord in the central kingdom, much like the Blaze, Zero, and the Dragonmir clans in the northern kingdom.

Before Agnes could ask further questions, Alec and James emerged from inside.

James greeted them and went to gather his crew, while Alec and his group waited.

When they finally returned, Alec noticed two new members.

"Meet Grace and Gabriel our new members, The good news is that they are both Tier 4 mages, and With them joining our group, we've become stronger than before," James introduced them to Alec and the rest of the group.

Alec quickly took James aside, and Agnes cast a water barrier around them before Alec started speaking with concern.

"When did they join your group? Do you know their intentions? How could you casually allow two Tier 4 mages, who are in the same realm as you, to join our group?"

" Have you forgotten what happened with Kethra?" Alec bombarded James with his concerns, reminding him of their previous encounter with Kethra, who was still not dead.

One of the reasons they invited James was because he was also a Tier 4 mage, providing them with firepower.

The second reason for choosing James was his experience as an adventurer, which surpassed their own.

They believed he could provide guidance and help them avoid making mistakes.

Moreover, Alec was uncertain about how other groups would behave towards them as Terran's disciples.

Given their predicament, he decided to choose James again because they needed assistance.

Alec was certain that many adventurer groups would refuse to join them, considering the potential consequences if the Gordons were to meet an untimely demise, due to there affiliation to Terran.

They would want to steer clear of any implication.

"Don't worry too much," James reassured Alec.

"Grace and Gabriel joined our group due to specific circumstances, They were assigned to us by my master after we lost the other mages. According to the regulations, only five mages cannot form an adventurer group, they are only filling the numbers."

"And you don't have to worry about them messing up," James added confidently.

"They are my master's junior direct disciples, just like Lucas."

Perplexed, Alec asked, "What do you mean by 'direct disciples'?"

"Oh, I forgot that your master doesn't have a large number of disciples. As a result, he might not adhere to the same hierarchy."

" Most instructors are responsible for hundreds of mages," James explained.

"It's not feasible for them to personally watch and take care of all of their disciples. As a result, they select individuals with the most potential or those they deem worthy of their direct teachings," James elaborated.

"These selected disciples are known as direct disciples, and among them, the strongest is usually designated as the chief disciple, There can only be one chief disciple for each instructor or great instructor," James clarified.

"The only way to challenge and replace the chief disciple is to become stronger and defeat them in combat. It's that simple," he concluded.

"The rest of the disciples are divided into inner region and outer region, based on their talent, and receive teaching once in a while. That's the classification. But don't worry, Grace and Gabriel are only tagging along because my master wants them to gain experience."

" since They recently transferred to him from another instructor, so this might be their only stint with us. No need to worry as we would get a new member soon," James reassured Alec.

As James concluded his explanation, he gave Alec a reassuring pat on the back.

Alec turned towards Agnes, and nodded towards her, and she canceled the water barrier that had surrounded them.

"Now that everything is settled," Alec began, addressing the group.

"I want to make something clear. We are heading into the Abyss Realm, and our mission is clear. We are going there to gain battle experience and make profits. The loot will be divided equally, fifty-fifty, between both teams."

Alec stated this to ensure that even the Wild adventurer group was aware of their intentions before they departed.

"Wait, you guys are going to the Abyss Realm? Take me along!" Lucas interjected, expressing his desire to join their mission.

"I want to fight and witness the strength of the Abyss race in that space passage."

Arthur was the first to object, exclaiming,

"There is no way he is coming with us, Alec!"

"Say what?!" Lucas shouted as both he and Arthur butted heads in a moment of confrontation.

Lucas and Arthur engaged in a heated exchange of words.

While Alec turned to Agnes, seeking her opinion.

"What are your thoughts, Agnes?" Alec asked, waiting for her response.

"I believe he should be allowed to come," Agnes said, placing her hand on her chin as she pondered. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire

"He is not a pushover, and he is stronger than most in our group, He would be a valuable addition, especially since he also enjoys battling."

Alec turned to Brandon, asking for his input. "What about you, Brandon?"

"Whatever you guys agree upon is good with me," Brandon replied, slowly caressing his covered sword.

" and I do think he would be a great addition to the team as well."

"Okay then, it has been decided. Lucas will join us!" Alec declared.

"What? Don't I get a say in this too?" Knight protested, only for Agnes to tap him on the back.

"I see you are in need of more beating," Agnes remarked, reminding Knight of the valuable item he possessed.

"Don't forget that you still have something they want, Don't give them a reason to vent their anger on you now."

Knight shivered at the thought, recalling his daggers back when no one was looking, They transformed back into their tattoo form, before slowly disappearing into his hands.