Maverick observed the two men closely, not just with his eyes, but through his Magical-Sense. When he sensed their emotions had become unstable enough, he began the real interrogation.

The sound that filled the room was distorted, heavy—unnatural. It didn't sound human at all.

"Name!"

The two men instinctively turned their heads toward the voice. The figure before them seemed to have grown taller, more imposing. Their minds, overwhelmed by fear, barely registered the words.

"NAME!"

The voice boomed, louder now, filling the space with a heavy presence.

"B-b-b... Benjamin... my lord..." the younger man stammered, his voice trembling with fear.

The older man, hearing the younger's response, found his own voice. "Samuel... my lord. S-s-Samuel Sameer..."

With Legilimency active, Maverick confirmed the truth from their thoughts. He probed deeper, delving further into their minds to uncover more about their identities.

Samuel, an Egyptian local, was a wizard in his fifties, a man who had reached his limit—unable to grow any stronger and lacking significant talent. With no better-paying job opportunities and limited options, he took the easiest way out, joining the mysterious group of traffickers, lured by the promise of money.

Then there was Benjamin, the younger of the two. Ali had been right. Benjamin was indeed a mutant, though not a particularly powerful one—just slightly stronger than an average human at his peak, with the unique ability to detect other mutants within close proximity.

He was a cruel and greedy young man, barely in his thirties. He used his unique ability to track other mutants for traffickers, showing no remorse for the suffering he caused. Unlike the magical community, which had its own governance and laws in each country, the mutants were scattered and disorganized, left to fend for themselves. As a result, the disappearance of any random mutant went unnoticed, causing no immediate reaction or concern.

Though Maverick was not one of them, he came from a world where racism—against anyone, for any reason—was a concept deeply loathed and instinctively rejected. Every cell in his body recoiled at the idea of exploiting others for profit.

This alone was enough for Maverick to decide that Benjamin should disappear, not to mention the other crimes—murder, rape, and more—that he had committed. The situation he was in now made him relive the horrific things he'd done, and Maverick had a clear, unwavering image of the kind of creature he truly was.

Samuel and Benjamin watched in growing horror as the shadowy figure's eyes glowed with an ominous red light, locking onto theirs. The intensity of the gaze felt suffocating, as though it could pierce straight through them. The air seemed to grow thicker, the flapping of wings louder, each beat echoing like a countdown.

Before delivering a merciless beating to the two filth, Maverick needed to find something that could lead him to the people behind them. The answers were hidden in their minds, and he would extract them no matter the cost.

"Tell me," he began, his tone deliberate, "are you involved with the missing children? The Half-bloods... the veelas, werewolves... mutants?"

Samuel flinched, his gaze dropping to the ground as if he could escape the weight of the figure's eyes. His jaw trembled, sweat dripping down his forehead, but he remained silent. His lips pressed tightly together, betraying the fear that churned within him.

Beside him, Benjamin's resolve crumbled under the pressure. "W-we're just scouts!" he blurted out, his voice shaking. "We grab targets, that's it! We don't know anything..."

Maverick took a slow step forward, the illusion around him changing ominously. Shadows rippled across his form, giving the impression that he was growing larger, darker, more menacing. His voice, low and cutting, broke the heavy silence.

"Who were the ones behind yesterday's attempt to kidnap the Half-blood Veelas?" The voice was calm yet razor-sharp, slicing through the oppressive rhythm of flapping wings.

Benjamin's breath hitched, his words tumbling out in a trembling stammer. "J-just... random mercenaries, my lord... I swear, we'll never do it again... please, just let us go."

Maverick's crimson gaze remained steady, unblinking, slicing through the feeble excuse as if peeling back their very souls.

"You," the figure said, with the voice cold as ice as it raised a hand to point at Samuel. "Who do you answer to?" The demand came cold, leaving no room for evasion.

Benjamin's eyes flicked toward Samuel, silently pleading for him to speak, to cooperate. But the older man kept his gaze fixed on the ground, refusing to look back. Instead, his hands clenched into fists, the chains around his wrists rattling in the suffocating silence. His lips trembled as he finally forced out words, his voice hoarse and barely audible.

"Orders come through... intermediaries. Just names and locations," Samuel admitted, his voice shaky. "We pay dark wizards desperate for money and give them the targets." He swallowed hard, his eyes flickering toward Maverick for the briefest moment before darting away. "There's a witch. She calls herself Ruby..."

As Samuel spoke, Maverick delved into the older man's mind, sifting through every fragment of information that could lead to the true masterminds behind the scenes.

For now, one thing was certain: these two were merely middlemen, slightly higher up the ladder but still just intermediaries. They, too, passed on names to other desperate souls willing to carry out the dirty work.

Neither Samuel nor the mutant Benjamin possessed any real strength, and even the mysterious witch Ruby failed to impress. Samuel was merely a magus, and Ruby, though a stronger magus, was still just that—a magus.

The dark figure's gaze sharpened, its crimson eyes locking onto Samuel. "What else? How do you contact her?"

Maverick needed to find this witch who supposedly held some influence in the group. If anyone could lead him to the boss, it would be her.

Samuel shook his head weakly, his entire body trembling. "I don't know. I swear I don't know!" His voice cracked, and he looked down at the ground. "We only hear from her when there's a job. If we fail or talk..." He stopped, his breathing growing shallow as fear overtook him.

"She'll kill us," Samuel finally whispered, his voice breaking. "Or worse... they will."

Maverick leaned closer, his glowing eyes locking onto Samuel's. His voice dropped, low and cold. "Who are they?"

Samuel froze, his lips twitching as if struggling to form words. He opened his mouth but hesitated, his fear of the unknown forces behind him matching the terror of the figure in front of him.

"I—I can't..." Samuel stammered, his voice trembling. "There... There's a Marquis behind them... Please... you don't know how powerful he is..."

"And what rank," the figure asked slowly, its voice as cold as ice, "do you suppose I am?"

Before either man could respond, a suffocating pressure spread outward, emanating from the shadowy figure and enveloping the two captives. It felt like the weight of a mountain pressing down on them, a tsunami of raw energy hammering against their very spirits. Their trembling bodies bent forward under the crushing force, their heads slamming onto the cold, unyielding ground.

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"K-King...?" Samuel managed to choke out through gritted teeth, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. In all his years, he had never encountered an Arch-Magus, those seven beings whose sheer presence was said that could paralyze magus like himself with nothing more than a glance.

Although he had never experienced the domineering presence of an Arch-Magus before, his subconscious told him this was it—the crushing sensation of utter insignificance, like a worm crushed beneath the weight of a towering mountain. The overwhelming force pressed down on him so completely that he could barely stay conscious.

Benjamin, his so-called partner, collapsed the moment Maverick released his dominant spirit. Maverick had extracted everything he needed from the mutant's mind, and he felt no sympathy as he crushed the man's spirit.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Maverick's two acquaintances were feeling the effects of his momentum, struggling to keep their composure.

"Fuck!... You said the boss was a Great-Magus..." Aisha panted, sweat dripping down her brow. Her hand gripped the sofa tightly as she fought to remain upright.

Beside her, Ali looked equally strained, his breaths shallow and uneven. He forced himself to speak, the words coming out in strained gasps. "I... I never asked. I saw him using Magical-Energy Manipulation, so..." He gasped for air, his body trembling. "I assumed he was..."

Let's rewind time a little to clear up the confusion of why and how our protagonist ended up here.

It had been one year and two months since Maverick began his travels, starting from Australia, just as planned. He spent a few weeks there, learning magic and studying their magical culture. When he felt he had absorbed enough, he moved on to the next country.

He traveled to India, where he learned valuable magical knowledge, especially in healing, along with rare spells and rituals that granted unique abilities. He also studied India's unique alchemy and potions, picking up skills that helped him progress the two talents quickly.

After India, Maverick traveled north—first to Pakistan, then Indonesia, the Philippines, and finally China. He spent about two weeks in each country, but in China, he discovered a treasure trove of magical knowledge. The country's magical world offered unique combat magic that complemented his Magical-Energy-Manipulation and provided deep insights into alchemy, particularly runes and warding.

By the sixth month of his journey, Maverick found himself in Russia, one of the few places where an Arch-Magus resided—someone who could possibly rival his teacher.

By now, his Magical-Energy had increased by 300 units, going past 1200. Even more importantly, he now had nearly 4000 points saved up and ready to be invested.

Instead of seeking new knowledge in Russia, Maverick chose to fly north to a desolate, remote area where he couldn't sense any intelligent life. His flight was made in complete secrecy, using his suit's camouflage mode and his own magic suppression to ensure there was no chance of detection. And yes, he flew—no broomstick involved. The moment the new year arrived, Maverick replicated the Extraordinary-Characteristic of his overpowered broomstick, gaining the ability to fly and maneuver in the air at speeds far faster than sound. It was all thanks to the system's miracle, and he didn't bother questioning the principles behind it.

Far to the north, after days of careful scouting, Maverick chose a secluded spot in the mountains as the location for his breakthrough. Unlike his previous rank-up to Magus, he knew that a physical phenomenon would occur during this transition, which is why he had picked such a remote spot.

He invested nearly 1900 points into his magical energy, pushing his total to 3000—just the "bottleneck" that most Magus would reach before breaking through to the rank of Great-Magus.

The intense magical fluctuations from his breakthrough affected every living creature within a half-kilometer radius. Unfortunately, the few polar animals that lived nearby were not spared—most fell unconscious, and some even died from the overwhelming energy.

As for Maverick himself, the process was painful beyond what he had experienced during his rise to Magus. The agony lasted for nearly half a day, but once it was over, he felt completely rejuvenated, as if reborn.

His appearance remained unchanged, but the feeling within him was exhilarating. He felt a power greater than he had ever known, making him briefly entertain the thought of challenging his teacher. However, he quickly dismissed the foolish notion. Maverick knew that, even at his new rank, he was no match for the Arch-Magus.

His magical energy grew from 3000 to over 4000, absorbing ambient magic during his breakthrough.

But it wasn't just the increase in magical energy that had changed. Maverick had gained new abilities, just as he had suspected. The system now displayed two new talents: Space Affinity, a power his teacher had used, and Dominant Spirit, a skill he had only heard of from Edward, though he had no real understanding of it.

Both talents were marked as beginner proficiency, which was no surprise. At this level, he lacked the knowledge and experience to use them effectively.

Maverick understood that these talents could typically only be properly used after advancing to the rank of Arch-Magus. This was the usual, much like how Magical-Energy Manipulation and Magical-Sense—talents unlocked at the Magus rank—could only be effectively utilized by Great-Magus or higher.

Without a second thought, he spent 220 points to push both talents to advanced proficiency, then new memories and instincts seamlessly merged into his mind, granting him mastery and years of experience in the two skills.

A few days later, after adjusting to his breakthrough and new abilities, he followed the same routine as in other countries, exploring the wizarding community and gaining new knowledge. In two weeks, he completed everything he needed and moved on, traveling west toward the Middle East. He started in Saudi Arabia, then moved on to Morocco, where he first met his Middle Eastern confidant.

Ali was not just a wizard but also a werewolf. Maverick was never one to judge anyone—wizard, creature, or otherwise—based on first impressions. This wasn't his first encounter with werewolves, and he quickly noticed something unusual about Ali. Unlike other werewolves, who often carried an air of malice and dark emotions, Ali seemed different. There was no trace of the usual hostility lingering around him.

Curious, Maverick decided to keep an eye on Ali. He followed the man for two weeks, observing his actions and even peeking into his surface thoughts. The more Maverick watched, the more he liked what he saw, leading him to investigate Ali's past.

What he discovered left him deeply impressed. Ali's behavior showed discipline and strong morals. He had accepted the hardships life gave him without bitterness or despair.

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Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 77 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic