Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

William knew he had to tell Lincoln what had happened, but he decided to omit Ben's identity as a summoned hero. It wasn't something he felt comfortable revealing, as it could also expose his own secret.

Instead, he simply said he had encountered a man pursuing a fugitive and explained what he knew about Malkor—that he was a dark mage planning to perform a ritual with Ron.

Professor Lincoln listened intently, his concern for Ron evident. However, he felt a glimmer of hope knowing they had someone else on their side.

"And you trust this... Ben?" Lincoln inquired, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

William nodded firmly. "Yes, I do. For now, we need to continue searching for Malkor, but Ben said he would try to contact us in a few days."

"Alright..." Lincoln said, pondering the situation. "And William, let's keep this between us for now, shall we? I think the other students might panic if we tell them about another unknown person and...ritual sacrifices."

Indeed, it wasn't ideal to share this information with the other students. William felt many of them lacked the mental fortitude to handle such news, at least not in their current state.

"Agreed," William confirmed. "We'll keep this to ourselves for now."
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After their conversation, they returned to the makeshift camp near the magic academy construction site. When the other students saw William, they were overjoyed, sighing in relief.

"William! What in the world happened?" Marcel exclaimed, embracing his friend.

"Lincoln and I were attacked," William explained, "and I ended up getting lost. But I'm back now!"

No one pressed William or Lincoln for further details. They could see William was physically injured, lending credence to his story. Moreover, they were preoccupied with the search for Ron.

William was relieved. It seemed none of the students were harboring suspicions or demanding a more detailed account of what had happened. Since they wanted to keep things secret, this was a welcome outcome.

All the students, including Professor Lincoln, continued searching for Ron, while William retreated to his cabin to rest. He felt weak after the day's events; falling from his flying mount and enduring a blow to the head had taken its toll. He needed time to recover.

Asura, his demonic sword, spoke up, "Was that guy really one of the heroes? He certainly seemed like it, but I had no idea they summoned heroes here in the past too. Intriguing, isn't it?"

"Indeed," William agreed. "And it seems people aren't that familiar with the heroes here. I wonder if the same person or group who summoned me also summoned him. Could it be the same order of mages that Elric was a part of?"

The mere thought of Elric ignited a fury within William, causing him to clench his fists. Elric had banished him, treated him like dirt, and he would never forget it.

"I don't know," Asura replied, "but we can investigate in the future. I think searching for information about Elric's order of mages might be easier here in the past than in the present. You might encounter less danger here."

Asura's suggestion made perfect sense, and William was determined to seek more information. However, that was a task for the future. At present, he had far more pressing matters to attend to.

William remained in his cabin, resting and eating, but he couldn't bear to stay idle for long. He yearned to rejoin the search and find Ron, and not just find him, but also put an end to the dark mage Malkor's interference with their plans for the magic academy.

Driven by this resolve, he emerged from his cabin, ready to seek out the others. But the moment he stepped outside, he froze. A figure cloaked in black stood staring at him from across the clearing, partially concealed by the shadows of a nearby tree.

William blinked, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. But the figure didn't vanish.

He initially thought it might be one of the students or even Professor Lincoln, but as the person approached, he realized it was a stranger.

"Malkor?" he ventured, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

The man's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He lowered his black hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a long beard, tired eyes ringed with dark circles, and a scar across his left eye.

"How do you know my name?" Malkor demanded, his voice laced with suspicion. "You shouldn't..."

According to Ben, he had followed Malkor to the island without the dark mage's knowledge. Therefore, William shouldn't know who he was.

Thinking fast, William fabricated a plausible story. "I've heard of you before," he said, feigning familiarity. "You performed some gruesome rituals near the town where I lived."

Judging by Malkor's reaction, he bought the story.

"Ah, I see," Malkor said with a smug grin. "You've heard of my art. Beautiful, isn't it? I'm just waiting for the right moment to do the same with your friend... the one I recently acquired."

He was referring to Ron. "Why are you here?" William asked, trying to maintain his composure. "I thought you were in hiding."

Malkor let out a harsh laugh. "Hiding? Why would I hide? None of you stand a chance against me. That professor of yours... I doubt he could last five minutes in a serious fight."

Malkor was indeed a powerful mage. Despite the widespread loathing for his dark practices, his strength was undeniable. William knew that if he tried to confront Malkor, he wouldn't stand a chance.

He discreetly checked the timer on his SSS-ranked skill. It still showed several days remained before he would be pulled back to the present. He couldn't use that ability to escape this situation.

"Professor Lincoln is quite skilled," William countered, attempting to sow doubt in Malkor's mind. "I think you'd find him a formidable opponent, not the pushover you seem to believe. And don't forget the other students; they would join the fight, too."

Undeterred, Malkor continued his slow advance. William desperately sought a way to halt his approach or, at the very least, instill some fear in him, but his efforts proved futile.

Without his flying mount, escape seemed impossible. There was one option left, but William was reluctant to resort to it.

"Trying to scare me, young one?" Malkor sneered, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "Some unforeseen circumstances arose, and I find myself needing another participant for my ritual. Luckily, I stumbled upon another student here in the encampment."

The situation was growing increasingly dire. William backed away, but there was nowhere to run.

Asura's voice echoed in his mind. "I can help you unleash the full demonic power within you. There's a chance you might die or suffer permanent damage, but it's better than the 100% chance of death if you face this guy alone!"

It was a tempting offer, and William didn't dismiss it. If he could hold out for a while, perhaps even injure Malkor slightly until Lincoln returned to the camp, it might just work.

But before he could make a decision, a figure appeared to his rescue. Ben descended from the sky, landing between William and Malkor.

For the first time, fear flickered across Malkor's face. "You?" he sputtered, his voice laced with disbelief. "How did you find me here?"

"Did you really think you could hide forever?" Ben chuckled, a confident glint in his eyes. "It was only a matter of time before I found you."

The two knew each other well, and Malkor was acutely aware of Ben's superior power. His confident demeanor evaporated, replaced by a desperate urge to flee. He backpedaled, frantically searching for an escape route.

But Ben wasn't about to let Malkor escape. He had been on the island for a while, lying in wait, hoping for the right moment to find Malkor and either kill him or bring him back as a prisoner.

This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He hadn't expected Malkor to leave his hideout so soon and seek another student to sacrifice in his macabre dark magic ritual.

Malkor acted quickly, conjuring a smokescreen of dark energy—the same energy he had used to knock Lincoln and William from their flying mounts.

Under its cover, Malkor fled into the forest. William, seeing Ben standing motionless, exclaimed, "Are you going to let him get away?"

Ben chuckled. "Don't worry. He's already trapped in my illusion magic. He'll be back shortly."

And as if on cue, Malkor reappeared from the forest after about thirty seconds.

"What the devil?" Malkor exclaimed in confusion. "I was running in the opposite direction!"

Why was he back where he started? Malkor quickly realized he had fallen victim to one of Ben's many mysterious magic spells.

"These blasted illusions!" Malkor roared, hurling a ball of black fire towards William and Ben. "Why don't you fight fairly?"

The ball of black fire flew over toward them. William thought of running, but Ben acted first. He would soon show Malkor the reason he was one of the summoned heroes.