After taking the Cursed Qi pill, Raze knew he had a limited amount of time with all of his mana. He had already overexerted himself, especially in the state that he was in.
There was one fact he had to come to terms with, and that was, he was unable to beat the current head with the state he was in.
It was hard for him to swallow; he had used his trump card, his magic, but it wasn't enough. With what mana he had left, he decided to escape.
Using his wind magic, he covered up his tracks in the sand and pushed himself further than he could go, but there was a problem; he had run out of mana once again.
He found himself at the edge of a new town, filled with houses made of sandstone and a river that ran through the center of the living area.
'She wasn't even hurt by everything that happened, I'm sure that the Clan Head will catch up to me in no time. Even if I hide, I won't be able to beat her,' Raze thought.
Thinking about this, an idea clicked in his head. Maybe he couldn't beat them, but there were others he had met and knew that they could, that were far more powerful he had come across.
'I can escape this place and return the same way I did in the underground assessment. I have the coordinates to the cave in the Demonic Faction… and if I want to return here I can do the same as well, but I need mana, I'm completely out.'
Looking in his hand, there was another option; it was a regular mana pill that Raze currently held. He had just taken the cursed one; if he was to take another pill to restore mana after, then the blowback would be quite large.
'I remember the pain I had when using the astral projection skill. It felt like I was about to faint, my whole head was splitting apart, but I have no choice.'
Drawing the magic circle on the ground, Raze got to work. Sure, he could just use a portal and escape from this situation completely, but he wanted to make Feebie pay for putting him in the situation he was in now.
He didn't want to let her go. After finishing up, the magic circle, the pill was taken, and he was off.
Feeling the effects of having used a second pill, Raze was in incredible pain, but he was determined to move further and further.
He couldn't waste his time, and he was finally outside the room where the rest of the Crimson Crane were present.
The door slid open, and all members were focused on the one who had just entered. When they saw the man enter, they thought it was quite the young student.
He oddly had white hair, but none of them recognized the person who had entered.
"I'm… the Dark Magus, and I've come to ask for that favor."
After hearing these words, the laughter and cheerfulness in the room had become incredibly quiet. They looked at what they thought was a simple student in front of them, and tried to match it up with the words he had spoken.
"The Dark Magus… this is him, wait, it can't be right?" Lilly asked.
None of them had seen the true face of the Dark Magus. He would always wear the dark robe when he was around them, and the effects of the dark robe shrouded the face of the certain individual.
There was one trait of the Dark Magus that they had managed to spot a couple of times, and that was his white hair that would peek through once in a while.
"The Dark Magus was a kid, the one that defeated the middle stage warrior, and made this, how is that possible!" Kizer thought, holding his sword.
It wasn't just that, through the sound of silence, they could hear the person in pain. With each breath, it felt like he was struggling and hurting.
He was currently covered in sweat as well, so they were a little hesitant.
"Do you think this is him, it could be someone just trying to trick us," Cronker whispered.
"It has to be him; he asked about the favor," Alba replied. "Reno, what are you doing, hurry up and see to him."
Rushing over, Reno was using what he had at his disposal to help Raze, but as he approached, even in the state that he was in now, Raze pushed his hand away and took the items rather than them being applied to him.
'That's the Dark Magus alright… he acts just like him,' Reno thought.
Raze went ahead and took the Qi pill, as well as the strange liquid that was given to him. He had joined the others at the table.
He felt a little better, but his head still felt like it was trying to split itself open. It made him wonder, what would happen if he was to take more pills while he was in this state.
Would it be certain death, would his brain just give out on him? It was an effect he didn't know about since he hadn't tested it out.
Reno was still concerned about why the Dark Magus was breathing like so after the medicine, but he assumed, if there was one person that would know how to improve his condition, wouldn't it be himself.
Just what happened to him, and what life did the Dark Magus live, outside that of what he did with the Crimson Crane?
Some of the other members couldn't help but continue to stare at the Dark Magus. With him wearing his dark robes, he was so mysterious to them before.
They wondered what type of person was hidden behind, and some had guessed that he might not even be human.
He did do non-human-like things after all, but now he just looked like a weak child.
"You have come to us in this state, and judging by your strength the person who has done this to you isn't weak," Alba commented. "And you have decided to request that favor now of all times, do you mind telling us what this is all about?"
Raze was still breathing slowly.
"I think his throat is damaged; it's hard for him to speak, just give him some time," Reno stated.
Right after, Raze lifted his hand and held onto his throat.
"I'm being targeted; my life is being targeted," Raze answered.
"Oh, so you want us to simply protect you from this person, or get rid of them?" Alba asked.
Raze shook his head.
"Remember, our promise, that I was to take charge of the Crimson Crane, as if it was my own," Raze replied, and took in one deep breath.
"I want the Crimson Crane to come with me, and help me fight against the Dark Faction's Pagna Academy."
Immediately, everyone's heart felt like it had skipped a beat, as their eyes had widened. Just what reason did the Dark Magus have to do such a thing?
And just as Cronker had said, this favor was beyond that of which she had imagined.
