The VP’s eyes widened upon hearing Johnson’s words, and a bad premonition dawned on him. His expression turned grim as he folded his hands behind his back and glanced at the female principal standing beside him before replying honestly.
"This is very serious. If Skyler is currently unreachable, there is only one conclusion: he has disappeared due to the dimensional field that activated here a while ago."
Johnson’s expression hardened. He was shocked. Why does his son seem to get into so much danger lately?
"A dimensional field?"
He finally turned his gaze to the section of ruptured and cracked land on his right that he had previously overlooked since he didn’t sense any Evol. So, that’s why such a large part of the college grounds was damaged. The dimensional field had likely absorbed all the Evol used or present in that area.
"Why has such a dangerous and important matter not been reported to the guild?"
The VP stared at him silently. It was the old female principal who stepped forward and answered him with a grave expression.
"We have reported this matter many times, as we know that the abrupt appearance of a field of any size is disastrous. However, we have yet to receive any response."
She hoped Skyler would return alive. But it was true that the kid had ended up in such a situation because the urgent issue of the field hadn’t been resolved earlier. This could have jeopardized the entire college.
Johnson rubbed his forehead. It seemed that his decision to use the guild Lights to look for Skyler in the broadcasts was the reason the other leader of the guild hadn’t managed all the important matters. As a result, many requests were put on hold.
"Then, I apologize for the guild’s unresponsiveness. But it’s impossible for Skyler’s Evol to activate the field, no matter how small it may be, as he isn’t very strong. During the call, I heard sounds of fighting, which indicates that he was attacked, and he wasn’t the only one targeted, as I also heard another young voice alongside his."
He took matters into his own hands and asked the VP to identify which other male student, along with Skyler, had vanished so they could inform that student’s family. He also inspected the cracked area where the dimensional field had been activated.
Johnson’s jaw tightened with a headache when he found Skyler’s broken phone.
He sighed deeply and called the second leader of the guild. The call was answered, and he went straight to the point.
"Loyd, help me find which orange crystal near 4th Nowan High has sealed itself."
A startled male voice responded.
"What? Why would that happen?"
Johnson looked at the cracked ground.
"A dimensional field was activated at 4th Nowan High. It wasn’t large, but Skyler and another student got swept into it."
"What??? Your son again???"
"Just help me find the sealed crystal."
Loyd grimaced loudly. He knew that once activated, these fields transport every living being standing above them to the nearest orange crystal, which seals itself and can only be opened from the inside.
"Damn, I’m not sure if I should say it’s fortunate that all the crystals in Nowan City are either Novice or Epic tier. However, why did Skyler get involved in this mess? Why was the field that was dormant activated? Find the reason before coming back."
Johnson walked toward his car.
"I know the reason. I believe he and the student with him were attacked by villains since Robert is missing. Track his phone and send someone to look for him."
A sigh came from the other side.
"Your son sure is attracting a lot of trouble lately, like a damn magnet. It’s not like he even has anything of value on him... But why are you so calm this time?"
Johnson settled into the car, wondering if the gems and crystals his son had counted as valuable, and then chuckled softly.
"Skyler is not weak. He spent thirty days in that treacherous place and came back. So, how is it possible for him to fall now?"
"Haha, you are right. Anyway, I will make sure this news doesn’t spread. Your son is already famous; we wouldn’t want him attracting more unwanted attention."
The call disconnected. In the evening, Johnson and Riya stood on the rooftop of a building, facing the floating orange crystal, twice the size of a human. Stairs had been created to reach it, but it had sealed itself, preventing anyone from entering.
Riya murmured with a grim expression.
"Fortunately, it is a Novice tier crystal."
They were worried, but unlike the last time, they weren’t panicked and were quite calm.
As long as Skyler avoided the villains who attacked him and found and destroyed the core of the crystal, he would find an exit.
As for the other student with him, they had discovered his identity. But his mother, who answered the call, ended the conversation by saying, ’Whatever, it’s not like we care.’
Loyd, dressed in a dark combat suit, arrived behind the couple. He was a good-looking man with a tall and muscular build.
"Tsk, you two. I will place a Light here to keep an eye on this crystal. Many crystals in the city need immediate clearance. We need to clear them before any of them turn red, shatter, and spawn monsters."
"Let’s go!"
Johnson and his wife were in combat suits, so they nodded. Suddenly, Riya asked.
"Why hasn’t the crystal where Sky was transported been cleared for so long that it turned orange? Usually, Novice tier crystals are cleared by public Lights. We just need to handle the Epic tiers."
Loyd stopped in his tracks. He looked nervous, but he didn’t hide anything.
"Well, I don’t know if it’s true or not. But a public Lights team that entered this crystal reported seeing a massive white snake with red eyes inside the dimension. No one died, but since the team was gravely injured, the guild prohibited the public from entering. I was supposed to clear this crystal, but who knew this would happen."
Riya’s brows knitted together.
"A white snake...?"
***
In a different part of Nowan City, far from the scene, a young man in casual clothes, with short dark hair and striking silver eyes, scanned his surroundings.
"Why isn’t he back yet? Was I too late?"
Zack frowned as he glanced back at the old, worn-out two-story house behind him. He had left the academy and arrived here via the quickest route available, which was ’teleportation portals’ created by the space elementist at a hefty price.
Only to find just one person: Charles Mahson. A villain from the early part of the book ’Fate of Eldoria,’ who fell in love with one of the protagonist’s harem members due to the kindness she showed him when he was kicked out of his house. Only to die a miserable death at her hands.
"His involvement in the story was minor, and Max never met him. However, he was one of the few characters I sympathized with in the book, so I didn’t want him to die at the hands of that two-faced, insane witch."
Zack muttered and reserved a hotel near Charles’s home to wait. However, even after nightfall and into the next day, the person he was waiting for never showed up.