The Moon Thief

"P-Please wait, I'll let Lady Liessa take care of you!" The man rushed upstairs.

A short time later, a short young woman came down the stairs. This woman had blond long hair and brown eyes. The flowery dress on her made her look very elegant and glamorous.

If Heinald didn't have a strong will, he would most likely have been hypnotized on the spot.

Moreover, this woman was a Level 2 Ainsar.

"Welcome!" The woman gave him a light nod.

"As you can see…" Heinald sighed and pointed to the potions.

The trade took place after a woman named Liessa determined the effects of the potions with a special magic item.

Heinald obtained 200 Crystallized Arcana Stones from the potions he sold. After he left the potion shop, he visited many shops in the Market Square and was unable to find any material containing Spatial Energy. Materials containing Spatial Energy were extremely rare and therefore not common.

He then considered trying his luck at the Black Market.

After Heinald returned to the academy, his first job was to enter the library and began reading the books in the area open to all members there. He couldn't read all the sources quickly because there were other people around with him.

After spending about half a day in that library, he left and went to Larten's study room.

"Hello Larten!"

"Hey! Do you need something?" Larten greeted him with surprise. It was the first time he had seen him in his room since the day he had met him.

"Actually, I was going to ask you if there is a Black Market you know of." Heinald scratched his chin.

"Black Market? Looking for something special?" Larten asked.

"Indeed!" Heinald nodded.

"I suggest you first go to the headquarters of the Rasfor Trade Association nearby. If you can't find what you're looking for there, then head to the Black Market." Larten stroked his beard.

"The Rasfor Trade Association?" Heinald had seen the name of this association in a source he had read, but he did not know about them.

Larten nodded and said, "It's a very powerful association commercially. My uncle is a member of this association, I'm sure he will help you."

"Alright! I'll try my luck."

Larten gave Heinald an address and told him to go there.

After Heinald thanked him, he left his room and went to his own room. He spent the rest of the day analyzing information from the books he read in the library.

He planned to travel the next day to the address Larten had given him.

But this plan was not going to come true!

Early in the morning, Larten had summoned all the members of the Potions Division to the meeting room. When everyone gathered, he explained that some unexpected events had happened and that the academy's mines near the Dark Forest were attacked.

He was told that the two Level 2 Ainsars of the academy had been killed in that attack and the academy had declared a state of emergency. They wanted to send Ainsars from headquarters there to control the situation.

Even if there was no conflict there, Level 1 Ainsars who were there would be rewarded with 1000 Achievement Points. Level 2 Ainsars who were there would be rewarded with 3000 Achievement Points.

"Dark Forest!" Heinald felt uneasy in his mind. The Dark Forest was considered the most dangerous place in the entire continent and covered most of the continent.

The most dangerous and powerful creatures on the continent dwelt there. In particular, it was known that mighty elemental kings lived in the middle of the forest.

This forest was also the place with the most conspiracy theories.

Rumor has it that all the information about the lost millennium was hid there. This knowledge was guarded by the most powerful elemental kings.

According to another rumor, a beast was growing there that would rule all Magical Beasts and would soon attack. The Ainsar World would perish under this beast's feet.

According to Heinald, this was all nonsense. Nobody could go there, so nobody knew anything about it. Some people who like to exaggerate came up with absurd theories to satisfy their imaginations and sought them out.

That's exactly what it was all about!

Although he was restless, he certainly did not intend to miss this opportunity and decided to go there. After all, they were not going to enter the Dark Forest.

They would protect the mine, which was owned by the academy, close to the forest, so that there would be no further attacks. Moreover, as he understood, the number of Ainsars there would not be few. That's why he was going to go there, after all 3000 Achievement Points was a pretty good amount.

A few days later, a group of one hundred began to move in an airship to the northeastern part of the Dark Forest.

Since there was an emergency, the academy rented the fastest airship. After all, the faster they get there, the better. After a quick journey of about two weeks, they managed to reach the mine area owned by the academy. This mining area was a rather gloomy and frightening place due to its location. After all, this place was on the edge of the place where the most dangerous creatures lived, and it was in a corner of a immense forest.

Heinald stared at the pitch-black trees of the Dark Forest as the airship descended towards the mine. This forest seemed endless from where it started. Although his eyes could easily see far ahead, he could not see the end of this forest.

The average length of the trees in this forest was about 500 meters. Due to their size, these trees did not allow the inside of the forest to be seen. Sunlight had never entered this forest, and never would.

When the airship landed in the mine area, everyone went out and started to observe around. It was clear that there was a fierce conflict here. There were many dents and craters around, and various traces of blood were evident in places.

On the way, Heinald had learned certain things about the incident.

Magical Beasts equal to the might of a Level 2 Ainsar had attacked this mining area. The area of ​​this mine had been attacked many times over the centuries, but it was always attacked by Magical Beasts equal to the might of a Level 1 Ainsar.

But something had changed and this time Magical Beasts with Level 2 Ainsar power had attacked the mine area, the academy wanted to figure out the reason behind this incident.

Magical Beasts equal to a level 1 Ainsar's might resided in the outermost chamber of the Dark Forest, that is, closest to the border. The stronger ones lived in the inner chambers it was really interesting that these beasts left their positions and attacked.

Some academy officials thought it might be some kind of conspiracy. According to them, the beasts that attacked the mine area might not have come from the forest. Ruthas Academy could have been the target of another academy or organization.

Such events were not uncommon in the Ainsar World. After all, resources were limited and everyone wanted resources. When this was the case, conflicts naturally occurred. Organizations, Families, Alliances, and Clans would try to dominate with certain lands. If they could make good use of the resources in these lands, they would have great wealth and naturally power.

"I want everyone to listen to me!" There was a sound that shook the whole surrounding.

This voice belonged to Lord Esquis Hantfrall, a Level 3 Ainsar, one of the top ranks of the academy. No one dared to utter a word, as he was the one speaking.

"Depending on the situation, we will stand guard here for two weeks and work together to find the reason behind the attack. Remember, our aim will be to get back from here without losing any more of our friends. If we encounter another attack during our stay here, we will attack together and destroy the attackers!"

After Lord Hantfrall's speech, a total of five different units were formed. At the head of each unit would be a Level 2 Ainsar.

Naturally, Heinald was also appointed leader of a unit. Five units would stand guard around the mine area. If anything went wrong, everyone would immediately retreat towards the mine, and everyone would gather together.

Moreover, during the daylight hours, all Level 2 Ainsars would observe and search for clues in the outer chamber of the forest with Lord Esquis Hantfrall. The inside of the Dark Forest would be like night again, this decision was not for the Level 2 Ainsars, but for the Level 1 Ainsars who would be keeping watch in the mine area.

If the mines were attacked by Magical Beasts coming out of the forest, they wouldn't want to do it during the day. Since they lived in the Dark Forest, they must have been sensitive to sunlight most likely.