After approximately two minutes, Alvis had managed to traverse an astonishing 300 kilometers, arriving at the camp. Ordinarily, this journey would have been much shorter, but his battle with Rowan had left him utterly exhausted, which had extended the duration of his travel.
Using the artifact as a guide, Alvis made his way to the location where Astrion had met his demise.
Upon Astrion's entry into the obsidian order, Alvis had immediately taken him as a disciple.
Astrion's talent was undeniable, and it was further accentuated by his possession of one of the rarest bloodlines within the human domain.
Most importantly, Astrion had the potential to become a Paragon ranked individual! He was a priceless asset to the order.
That was why Alvis had given him an artifact that could connect to Astrion's life force. The artifact was designed to notify Alvis if Astrion was ever in a life threatening situation or suffered grave injuries.
Alvis had been skeptical about bringing Astrion on this mission. But despite Astrion's value, he needed real-life combat experience to effectively harness his powers in battle. Additionally, as an extra precaution, he had asked Hugo to watch over Astrion during the mission.
'What happened? Why didn't the artifact notify me?' Alvis pondered in confusion. The artifact's primary function was to alert him when Astrion's life was in danger, yet he hadn't sensed a thing until Astrion was already gone.
Only one conclusion came to his mind: Astrion had met his end so fast that the artifact had no time to react and notify Alvis.
"But how?" Alvis asked himself. He and Ronad had fought the only person with the power to do that, Rowan.
Even if Astrion had encountered a master rank opponent, Alvis was confident in Astrion's abilities. He couldn't have died so fast that the artifact couldn't react, especially with his powerful bloodline.
After a few seconds, Alvis finally reached the scene of Atticus and Astrion's battle. He stood there, surveying the devastation their encounter had wrought. His gaze swept across the area until it settled on Astrion's severed head, lying a few meters away.
Alvis approached the gruesome scene and studied Astrion's final expression, a look of sheer shock etched onto his lifeless face.
With his heart brimming with anger, Alvis clenched his fist so tightly that his aura surged. Despite his exhaustion and weariness, the aura he radiated was still very formidable.
A grandmaster rank individual was always a grandmaster rank individual, regardless of how tired they were.
Alvis then discovered the lifeless bodies of Malora and Vorlock. It was obvious from a glance that whoever killed Astrion was the one who killed Vorlock. They were both killed with the same weapon, a very sharp one.
Swiftly, Alvis stored Astrion's severed head and body in his storage ring and turned his attention to finding clues that could lead him to Astrion's killer. After a few seconds of searching, he found something.
He observed subtle alterations in the earth in a particular area, leading into the depths of the forest. It was evident to Alvis that someone had tampered with the earth as if attempting to conceal something, likely tracks.
He swiftly came to this conclusion. It was apparent, given the circumstances. Such subtle changes would be imperceptible to most individuals, even someone like Atticus, with his heightened perception, would struggle to notice these alterations, especially in the midst of all this destruction. But a grandmaster rank wasn't a normal person.
As soon as Alvis was about to start the chase, Ronad arrived at the scene. He was much more injured than Alvin, and it took him more time to get there.
"Where did you run off to without mentioning anything!?" he asked, clearly annoyed by Alvis's decision to move so quickly, especially when he was in such a state.
Alvis, still focused on the trail he had discovered, didn't spare a glance for Ronad. He simply turned towards the tracks and launched himself into the forest, each of his colossal footsteps sending ripples through the ground.
"Bastard," Ronad muttered under his breath, offering a frustrated sigh before reluctantly following in Alvis's wake.
In the middle of the forest, a procession of young boys and girls was running through the dense woods. Towards the rear of the group, two 3rd year trainees trailed, skillfully employing their earth manipulation talents to conceal their tracks as they ran.
At the forefront of this group was Atticus, leading them through the wilderness.
They had been running for a while and were close to their destination: the Arachnix caves. Although it might have been difficult for most people to find their way to the caves, especially after just being there only once, Atticus had no such trouble at all.
"Just a bit more," Atticus encouraged the group as they continued to run. Directly behind him were Ember and Aurora, with the rest following closely behind.
Atticus had discovered something extraordinary during his stay in the Life Weapon's realm. It was a revelation he had unexpectedly stumbled upon while training. He had learned how to absorb mana while in motion.
The Atticus of today compared to his former self before entering the Life Weapon's realm was like night and day.
In the realm, his perception had significantly increased, and he had acquired a profound understanding of how to become attuned to and manipulate mana, which greatly enhanced his mana control.
The rest came naturally. Without much effort, he could sense and channel the mana from the environment into his own core.
During the few minutes they had been running, Atticus had managed to accumulate a small reserve of mana. He was well aware that they might encounter beasts in the caves, and he needed to be in a suitable fighting condition.
After a few minutes, Atticus saw what they had been searching for all this time: the cliffs.
A wave of relief washed over Atticus and the other trainees. They could finally leave the open forest and find refuge inside the caves. Smiles were already forming on their faces, and they increased their speed, eager to reach the caves as soon as possible.
But then, as if the weight of the world descended on everyone, an overwhelming aura suddenly engulfed the entire area.
Every single trainee, including Atticus, was forced to the ground, unable to withstand the oppressive aura.
Before they could make sense of what was happening, an oppressive voice boomed, sending shivers down their spines. "Who killed him?"