Baron Cullen

Soon, Karen left the study with two precious enchanted pieces of equipment and returned to the hall where the new students were undergoing their awakening ceremony, following the same route she had taken.

He met Cecilia here; she had been waiting patiently ever since she finished the test.

Although the girl has not yet truly become a mage, she has received high attention from the association due to her amazing talent in the four elements, and is therefore very excited.

Seeing her sister's happy expression, Karen temporarily put aside her concerns about the vampires and left the Mage Association with her.

On the way back, Karen, sitting in the carriage, looked out at the bustling crowds, but felt a little heavy-hearted.

First, there was the attack last night, and then today Brandon told us that the vampires are not dead, and may even be hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to make a comeback.

He knew full well that the city's tranquility was merely a facade, and that hidden dangers lurked beneath the surface.

To protect yourself and your family when danger strikes, you need to have enough strength.

Becoming stronger is the only thing he needs to do now.

...

Karen's life became regular and fulfilling over the next few days.

During the day, I participate in training at the warband's base and help members with small tasks.

When he returned home at night, he would use the power of the mysterious runes in his right eye to repeatedly study and deepen his understanding of the combat skills he had mastered, and accelerate the digestion of the remaining warrior's secret medicine in his body.

Because of his hard work in training, his conscientiousness and willingness to learn when handling tasks, and his unassuming personality and approachable manner, he quickly became familiar with most of the members of the battle group.

But the peaceful days did not last long.

In just a few days, a disturbing message spread like wildfire throughout the City of No Breath.

A horrific murder has occurred on Queen Street, where several civilians have been brutally killed!

All the deceased had their belongings intact, but their deaths were extremely gruesome, with their bellies ripped open and all their vital organs missing!

Clearly, this was no ordinary revenge killing.

The killer's target was probably those missing human organs!

Queen Street is one of the busiest commercial districts in Breathless City, and such a heinous crime has had an extremely negative impact.

The news spread rapidly throughout the city, causing widespread panic and plunging most civilians into a state of constant fear.

Lord Drano was furious when he found out, and the Knights of Breathless City were put under tremendous pressure as a result.

However, after conducting an on-site investigation, the Knights detected some residual supernatural fluctuations.

Clearly, this has exceeded their usual scope of handling.

Therefore, the Knights had no choice but to seek help from the Warband and the Mage Guild, and also invited the Order Keepers, a special organization that specializes in handling supernatural events and maintaining the city's secret order.

That day, Karen received a message from Lamont as soon as she arrived at the chapter's base.

"Have you all heard about what happened on Queen Street?" In the chapter's meeting room, Lamont's face was serious. "The murderer's methods were extremely cruel. The city lord has ordered our chapter to send people to cooperate with the Knights' investigation."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over each member of the battle group, finally settling on Karen, and he said, "You've only been here a short time, and I didn't want you to get involved in such serious cases so soon."

But you're quick-witted and attentive; going along with them will allow you to learn and grow through their experiences.

"Understood," Karen replied.

He had no objection to this.

Resource acquisition and contribution within the battle group are directly linked, so participating in various missions is an essential way for him to improve his strength.

When he arrived at the crime scene on Queen Street with his team, he found the atmosphere there to be somber.

The knights of the Order have cordoned off the area.

The leader of the battle group was a Tier 3 veteran named Olsen, and the rest were Tier 1 members, including Karen.

The leaders of the Mage Association and the Order Keepers are a third-tier male mage and a third-tier warrior, respectively.

The third-tier warrior, the Order Keeper squad leader, carried two swords on his back. His face was thin and angular, and he seemed to be a stern-faced person.

At this moment, they are leading their respective teams to conduct a more detailed investigation of the scene.

The leader of the Knights was a middle-aged man named Derek, who was said to be the captain of the fourth squad and whose strength had also reached the third tier.

His knight squad consisted of first-tier warriors and first-tier mages, who were officially knights.

At the same time, Derek saw that the warband had only sent a veteran with a group of Tier 1 rookies, among whom Karen looked rather green, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

In his view, the task force should have sent out more experienced experts to deal with such a heinous case.

"Olsen, you're here." Derek's tone wasn't particularly enthusiastic. "We've basically finished investigating the scene, but there aren't any valuable clues."

The killer was cunning, leaving no trace, and the remaining supernatural fluctuations were very weak, making them difficult to track.

Olsen was a taciturn middle-aged man.

He nodded without saying anything and began to lead the team to carefully examine the surrounding environment.

Karen followed in the group, listening to Derek's somewhat perfunctory introduction, her gaze involuntarily sweeping across the area.

There were indeed several very faint supernatural fluctuations remaining in the air.

There were knights and mages, but there was also a faint fluctuation that felt somewhat familiar to him!

Karen's heart skipped a beat.

He immediately focused his mind, and the mysterious runes deep within his right eye quietly activated, completely changing his perspective.

The chaotic aura remaining at the scene gradually stratified under the analysis of the mysterious runes.

After eliminating the scents of the investigators one by one, he focused on tracking that familiar scent that was almost fading away.

The next moment, he suddenly realized.

This familiar aura seemed very similar to the black-robed man he had encountered and who had attacked him a few nights ago!

Could this case have been committed by the man in the black robe?

While pondering, Karen continued her tracking.

Although the aura was faint, under the capture of the mysterious runes in his right eye, it was like a thread of light shimmering in the darkness, intermittently pointing in a certain direction.

"Captain Olsen!" Karen suddenly spoke, pointing to the depths of the alley where the aura extended. "I think we can expand the search area in that direction."

Upon hearing this, Derek, the squad leader of the Knights, scoffed, "We've already searched that direction, and there's nothing there."

Kid, solving cases isn't about gut feeling, it's about clues and evidence!

Olsen looked at Karen.

He knew that Karen was someone the vice-captain valued, and the last incident of the artifact being switched also proved that this kid had extraordinary potential; at least in terms of observation and temperament, he was far superior to his peers.

Thinking of this, he asked directly, "Karen, what did you discover?"

Karen naturally wouldn't reveal the matter of the mysterious runes, so she explained, "It's just a gut feeling; I sensed that there seems to be some special aura lingering over there."

Upon hearing this, Derek's face immediately darkened.

"Intuition?" His voice was filled with undisguised contempt and anger. "Baron Karen Waller, I understand your eagerness to make a name for yourself when you first join the chapter."

But when we investigate cases, we rely on evidence and clues, not some vague intuition!

Our knights have searched that direction twice already, and haven't found even a suspicious mouse!

As he finished speaking, the knights behind him chuckled softly.

Clearly, none of them took Karen, this newly promoted Tier 1 warrior, seriously.

In their view, it was somewhat frivolous for the warband to send such a newbie to participate in such an important case.

Karen did not react to this.

He glanced at Derek, then looked at Olson, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty: "Captain Olson, I wasn't just acting on intuition."

A few days ago, on my way home, I was attacked by a man in black in an alley.

That person was very strong, at least at the third level, and his attacks were extremely ruthless.

I was lucky to escape thanks to the combat skills I had just mastered and a bit of luck.

Although I didn't know what that person's extraordinary profession was, the aura he exuded left a deep impression on me.

At this point, he pointed again to the direction that the mysterious rune had captured and continued, "After careful examination, I sensed a wisp of aura that was exactly the same as that person's."

The wisp of energy traveled from the scene in that direction, though the trace was so faint it was almost imperceptible, but I trusted my senses.

Therefore, I boldly speculate that the man in black who attacked me that night is very likely the same group as the murderer in this case, or even that he himself committed the crime.

His words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, which immediately increased his credibility.

Olsen's eyes immediately sharpened.

If Karen is telling the truth, then this clue is crucial!