Elydes

Chapter 280 - Shady Affairs

Instead of charging straight into the house, Kea shielded herself behind the entrance of the cramped alley to study the building. The camouflage blended her features in the shadow of the worn boards behind her.

“I can check if he’s in the house with Mana Sense,” Kai said. Hallowed Intuition buzzed among his thoughts, the danger mild and indistinct.

“Don’t,” Kea snapped toward him. The abrupt movement highlighted her figure before her skill could reassert itself. “This is my investigation. If he notices you, he could destroy any evidence or run.”

“I’m not an amateur,” Kai pressed his lips. “He won't feel a tickle unless he’s a yellow mage.”

“There are wards to detect Perception skills. Can you get through those?” Her skepticism made clear it was a rhetorical question even before she deactivated her skill to arch an eyebrow.

I probably can.

While exploring the ruins of the Hidden Sanctuary, he had often run into arrays that reacted to Mana Observer—some even to the weight of his gaze. He hadn’t been able to get past them, but when being detected was the difference between survival and the ravenous jaws of a beast, he had quickly learned the art of subtlety.

Still, he couldn’t be completely certain to pass unnoticed without knowing his opponent’s abilities.