CHAPTER 500: CHAPTER 248: BURIED BENEATH_4

To suppress magic addiction, they had to destroy the Magic Power web, along with all research data related to it. These were considered forbidden knowledge, and anyone who dared to access this forbidden knowledge would drown in an endless craving for Magic.

And here was where the people of the First Epoch researched the Magic Power web. They lived in seclusion, reducing their material needs to the bare minimum, devoting everything they had to Magic.

This is another secret buried within the academy, one which even the tutors seemed unaware of.

Even if they were aware, they were strictly forbidden to enter.

Therefore, the Mole Club must be disbanded, otherwise, sooner or later, a student would accidentally discover the maze’s existence, just like him.

Recently, an anomaly occurred deep within the maze.

An indistinct echo, and... an irresistible thirst for forbidden knowledge!

Franky’s gaze grew more determined; the tragedy of the First Epoch must not repeat, however, dismantling the Mole Club was far more challenging than he had imagined.

Curse that evil Lindong, curse those tests. When he attempted to return to the club as a teacher, the door refused him.

The door seemed to see straight through his heart, knowing that his intentions were no longer pure and that he came with ill intentions.

Franky later scoured the academy’s library almost entirely but still could not uncover what spell Lindong used, let alone try to break it.

Genius?

No, he had every reason to suspect that Lindong had been here before.

Not only had she been here, but she had also accessed that forbidden knowledge, which perfectly explained her achievements in elemental shaping Magic.

Thinking of this, Franky deliberately increased the volume of his footsteps. He followed the direction of the echo and said coldly, "I already see you, stop hiding."

His response was a natural silence, even the echoes paused for a moment.

"Violating school rules, trespassing into forbidden grounds, your crime is doubled."

As Franky spoke, he ventured further into the maze, "Even your family can’t save you this time."

The slender figure hiding in the shadows curled up as if instinctively.

What to do? What to do? What to do?

The student wearing a masquerade mask felt icy cold, he could hear the footsteps drawing closer and could see flickering light spots not far away; it wouldn’t be long before Professor Franky would drag him out from the darkness.

"Foolish, arrogant, ignoring school laws and regulations."

Franky walked while enumerating the student’s transgressions.

Only members of the Mole Club would be foolish enough to break into such a place, merely to satisfy their idle curiosity. He sensed the presence of a figure, whoever this student hiding here was, his hiding skills were not sophisticated.

His breathing and the disordered magic power, caused by anxiety, exposed his location.

In the blink of an eye, Franky had reached the student’s side, holding a lantern glowing faintly, illuminating the student’s face.

"Now, let me—"

Franky had already prepared a list of all the school rules the student violated, along with a lengthy list of punishments. However, upon seeing the mask and the look of terror in the young man’s eyes, his slightly arrogant tone abruptly stopped.

The fear in the student’s eyes began to reflect upon him.

In an instant, countless thoughts surged through Franky’s mind. Over the years, he had never ceased learning, yet no Magic could explain what he was witnessing now.

He saw himself.

More accurately, it was himself several years ago, when he, while avoiding a teacher, mistakenly entered the maze.