Gravity Mage with Level-Up System

From MC’s perspective:

The dean’s words lingered in the air, calm and final.

“Vincent, now you can go. I hope we will meet soon,” he said, his eyes heavy with unspoken implications.

I nodded, thanking him once more for his guidance, but the weight of his tone stuck with me. The formality of it all left me uneasy, yet I pushed the thoughts aside. With a deep breath, I turned and followed Elder Galvin, who stood waiting, his expression unreadable.

Together, we made our way swiftly to the transportation area. The sound of our footsteps echoed in the vast hallway, but my mind was elsewhere, racing through the events of the past few days.

We arrived at the landing bay where a sleek, specially-designed aircraft awaited us, its engines humming quietly. It gleamed under the artificial lights, looking like something straight out of a dream—or a nightmare, depending on how one saw it.

Elder Galvin gestured towards the craft, his silence more comforting than words. I climbed into the back seat, the soft leather cushioning me as I settled in.

Galvin took the controls, his movements precise and methodical. Without a word, the aircraft began to rise, slowly at first, then faster as it ascended above the ground, the academy’s towers shrinking beneath us.

In seconds, we pierced through the academy’s airspace, moving so fast that no one would even know I had left. The academy was already a distant blur, and for a brief moment, a strange sense of freedom washed over me.

No one knew. Not yet. But soon enough, rumors would spread. It would take time for the truth to reach them, but by then, it would be too late. I was gone.

…

Meanwhile, far from the academy, in the shadowy alleys of the Capital, a different storm was brewing.

Stacie Sharpe, the Poison Master Wizard, sat in a dimly lit room, her fingers drumming on the table. Her face, usually a mask of calm, was tight with frustration. She had been waiting for news of Vincent Carey, but so far, there had been nothing—no updates, no reports, no sightings.

It gnawed at her insides, the silence. Her instincts screamed at her to act, to lash out, to poison those around her just to release the tension that coiled within her chest like a viper ready to strike. But she held back, knowing full well that to act now would expose her position.

Her thoughts drifted back to the intel she had received from the Shadow Skull intel unit, an underground network renowned for its ability to gather secrets. They had been keeping a close eye on Vincent Carey ever since he had arrived at the academy, feeding her constant updates.

As far as she knew, Vincent had no reason to leave the academy. There had been no red flags, no unusual movements. So why was her gut telling her otherwise?

Still, she trusted the Shadow Skull’s reports implicitly. They had never failed her before. If Vincent had left, they would know. And yet, something felt off.

As her frustration grew, she took solace in one fact: she wasn’t the only one after Vincent Carey. Other factions had shown interest in him too, and that made her job easier. If he did emerge from the academy for any reason, they would surely get to him first, weakening him before she made her move.

Unless… unless something drastic happened, like a threat to someone close to him. But even that seemed unlikely. No one knew much about Vincent’s family, let alone their whereabouts. Whoever they were, they were as well-hidden as Vincent himself.

Stacie leaned back, her eyes narrowing. For now, all she could do was wait. The Shadow Skull would send word soon enough, and then… then she would strike.

…

Time passed, and the special aircraft, piloted by Elder Galvin, smoothly glided through the skies, cutting through layers of clouds as it neared its destination. Unbeknownst to them, the sleek craft had been spotted by spies from the neighboring countries, their watchful eyes always attuned to any unusual movements across the borders.

With quick precision, they marked the direction the aircraft was heading, their minds racing as they realized the path led towards the barren region—a wasteland, desolate and devoid of mana, a place where no wizard dared to linger.

This wasteland was notorious. Wizards, even from enemy nations, avoided it at all costs. The land itself seemed hostile, sapping mana from any who strayed too close.

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To remain there for too long was dangerous, perhaps even fatal for those who relied on mana to sustain their power. Its reputation alone kept it free from the usual prying eyes. Yet, here was an aircraft heading straight for it, causing murmurs of confusion among the spies.

But Galvin remained unaware of the growing interest from outside forces. His focus was purely on the mission at hand. After a smooth descent, they arrived at the entrance of the safe passage.

The barren land stretched out before them like a graveyard of lost magic, the air still and heavy with an unnatural silence. Galvin carefully landed the aircraft on the cracked, dusty ground. The moment the aircraft settled, the oppressive stillness of the place became palpable, as though the land itself was waiting for something to happen.

I stepped out of the aircraft and felt the emptiness in the air around me—the lack of mana here was unsettling, like stepping into a void. Elder Galvin followed, his sharp eyes scanning the area for any potential threats, though we both knew none would come here, not willingly.

With a steady hand, Galvin reached into his cloak and retrieved an elegant, gleaming Silver Storage Bracelet. The craftsmanship was impeccable, with intricate runes etched into the surface.

This wasn’t just any bracelet; it was a high-grade storage artifact, one coveted by wizards for its immense space and rarity. Most storage items could carry a few essentials, but this bracelet? It could house entire fleets. You could park more than five aircrafts inside with room to spare, a luxury few could afford.

He handed the bracelet to me, the silver glint catching the pale light of the barren sky. I slid it onto my right wrist, feeling the cool metal settle against my skin. With a simple thought, the aircraft vanished from sight, absorbed into the storage space of the bracelet as if it had never existed.