CHAPTER 36: BACK TO THE ACADEMY

It was a day’s journey as Team Seven made it back to the sea port, with the target being held by the leader, Ma Feng. They arrived at the port to see the ship that had brought them to the kingdom.

"The Kingdom of Sidra was quite fun... It pains me I didn’t get to explore!"

Walter’s voice was heard as he slowly approached the ship. Leonardo followed him from behind while Ma Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to face both Crystal and Ashley, who remained standing.

"Aren’t you guys eager to return to the academy?" Ma Feng asked the girls, but they both frowned at him. Ashley spat on the ground and proudly walked toward the ship’s direction.

"Scarlet Academy is wack to me, though. Why would you think I’d miss such a school? Sometimes, I prefer seeing it set ablaze rather than staying there," Ashley said as she walked away from the scene.

"What about you, Crystal Rendevor?" Ma Feng asked, flashing a bright smile at her. Crystal immediately frowned. She felt a certain emotion she shouldn’t be feeling, and that only made her angrier.

"Don’t talk to me," Crystal ordered as she walked away.

Ma Feng sighed as he stared at his teammates entering the ship. The supervisor was already waiting for them on board when Ma Feng approached the ship last to board.

Immediately after entering the ship, he handed over the treasure to the supervisor, who marked it for them. The ship began to sail again, heading toward the direction of Scarlet Academy.

The information Ma Feng had was currently enough, and he was determined to fish out every damn secret of the academy. He was going to locate that Black Dragon he had always been seeing in his visions.

Thinking about all these things excited him the most, and he smiled.

Ma Feng slowly turned to see Crystal staring at him. Immediately their eyes met, but Crystal quickly looked away to avoid eye contact, which caused Ma Feng to smile. He knew Crystal was really deadly, and he was cautious of her!

VIOLET: NOTICE, I FORGOT TO INFORM YOU BUT WE WERE ONCE WATCHED BY A DEMON LORD. EVEN THOUGH I COULDN’T RECOGNIZE THE MAGICAL ESSENCES, IT’S SURELY A DEMON LORD!

"A Demon Lord? Isn’t it too early for me to face a Demon Lord whose magical level is above five hundred? Sure, it could be possible once I tame most of these curses, but for now, I am still weak," Ma Feng said to himself.

VIOLET: IF I MAY ASK, WHAT DO YOU REALLY PLAN TO DO WITH THE DRAGON KNIGHTS YOU CREATED? ARE YOU PLANNING TO USE THEM AGAINST THE WORLD OR JUST TO HAVE FUN?

"The Dragon Knights? To be frank, I don’t even know... I only see them as having much potential to help me grow. Besides, I would like to attack both the Underworld and the light of the academy."

"Staying in the academy without any conflict or war isn’t fun at all. Rose and Xi Jing both have great potential. Besides, I haven’t seen Xi Jing’s artifact yet... I have no idea what it really is," Ma Feng said.

"And there is Romeo and Beatrice... Beatrice is smart, and Romeo has the tendency to grow stronger than ever. His flower magics are no joke... I can feel it. And Jude—he is an A-rated assassin."

"They are all useful to my cause, but I must be cunning," Ma Feng said.

"I have been alone all my life. It still surprises me that I have friends. I never really wanted friends to begin with. They will all betray me in the end," Ma Feng said as he took a deep breath.

The wind blew eerily as he smiled. Ma Feng looked up to see birds flying in the air. Sometimes, he wished to just show his true self to the world, let the world see he is a dragon—but that would be a grave mistake.

The Scarlet Academy despises dragons, and they aren’t afraid to show it. He would be killed if he faced the Five Fingers and the entire members of the Punishers. Ma Feng knew that too well.

While he planned on becoming the strongest, he wouldn’t let himself be killed because of a mistake. He would be very careful this time around, not fully trusting those he calls friends. He was all alone in this world.

---

Unknown

While dark fogs covered the air on certain mountain grounds, the air reeked of darkness. A man was spotted standing on a mountaintop, dressed in a black robe, facing the emptiness in the air.

Footsteps were heard from behind when a man with a clown’s mask on his face appeared beside the mysterious being standing on the mountain cliff. You could feel the tension in the air.

"You are back? How was the mission?" the man in the black robe asked.

"The mission was a failure. Just like Demon Lord Vergo predicted, his will won’t be destroyed by our hands. Our A-Level magical monster we summoned was easily destroyed," the clown answered.

"Easily destroyed? By him?" the man in black robe asked as he slowly turned to face the clown. Both were powerful beings. Just the magical essences emitting from their bodies were the reason behind the fogs.

"No, not by him, but by something mysterious he summoned. I’m not too sure about it, but I believe it’s a curse—one of those mythical creatures of darkness lurking in the depths of the Netherworld," the clown said.

"A curse? Curses are high-level demon-class creatures. It’s extremely rare to have a curse summoner in this era. Not even Demon Lord Vergo can perfectly summon a curse. That kid must be dealt with," the man in black robe said.

"And how do you intend we deal with him?" the clown asked.

"He is still a student, and Scarlet Academy is remotely controlled to avoid beings like us from interfering with its works. Declaring war against the academy means we will be waging war against the Sterling Federation."

"Do you still have connections with the students of that cult?" the man clad in black robe asked.

"You mean the Luminous Society, right? Then you are correct. I still have connections with them. Do you want me to put them to work?" the clown asked, slowly tilting his head toward the mysterious man in black robe.

"Anything that pleases Demon Lord Vergo is fine by me. The Luminous Society is said to be a popular organization in the dark world of the academy. It will be just fine to use them," the man in black robe said.

"Very well... I understand you. I’m quite surprised you still chose to remain the loyal dog to the Demon Lord. It’s quite funny," the clown said as the mountain cracked heavily and began to shake vigorously.

"Yes, I still remain a loyal dog to Demon Lord Vergo, and that’s the reason why I am currently stronger than you. Don’t make me further angry... Clown!" the man in black robe said, and the clown giggled loudly.

"Yeah, you are right... You are stronger than me currently, but not for long," the clown said.

He stretched forth his hand and snapped his fingers. An undead monster bird came down from the sky, and the clown jumped from the mountaintop onto the back of the undead monster bird.

"Who knows, I might be stronger than you in five years’ time or more. But I will do as you asked. I will turn the Luminous Society against the student Ma Feng," the clown said, and the bird immediately flew away.

"The student... Ma Feng! I will remember that name."

The Man in the Black Robe said as he immediately closed his eyes. The dark fog thickened, and he couldn’t be seen in the light. He totally vanished alongside the fog when thunder clapped tremendously!

Meanwhile, the students were still on the ship heading back to the Scarlet Academy. They could see the other third-year students coming back from their missions on their own assigned ships.

Ma Feng smiled as he took in the chilled air into his lungs. He folded his arms while staring at the Scarlet Academy from miles away. His eyes were ten times better than those of regular humans!

But with a magical eye, a human might be able to see as far as Ma Feng can see, although it depends on the level of magic and essences imbued in the eyes. Still, everything has its own risks!

"Violet... We are already getting to the academy. Prepare the curse summoning skill... I will be taming as much as I can. I have a feeling something is about to happen, and besides... it’s not a good feeling."

"But instead of being afraid, somehow I am smiling... It’s just like I’m too excited to feel this pressure. The chaos that’s about to be unleashed... it makes me happy," Ma Feng said as he began to smile.

"What the hell is wrong with this freak... Why is he smiling?" Ashley Edan’s words brought him back to reality as he slowly turned to face her. Immediately, he gazed at Ashley... and his stomach began to rumble.

"Oh, I forgot... I am very hungry!" Ma Feng said as he fell asleep on the ground!

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