Sector 14 was a mid-tier commercial district located just outside the Ares Academy grounds.
Normally, it was a bustling hub filled with student hunters, merchants peddling low-level mana crystals, and neon-lit cafes. But today, the streets were unnervingly quiet.
Zen walked down the pavement, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. The D-Rank suppression ring hummed quietly on his finger.
Beside him walked Maya. She was carrying a standard-issue academy scanning device, nervously clutching it to her chest like a shield. She kept glancing over her shoulder, her green eyes darting toward every shadow and alleyway.
"Zen," Maya whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "Do you feel that? It feels like... like someone is staring at the back of my neck."
Zen didn't turn around. He didn't need to.
His A-Rank spatial awareness had picked up the two massive, poorly concealed mana signatures the moment they had left the academy gates.
