Chapter 10: The Unseen Plan

The room was dimly lit by the faint glow of the academy's enchanted lamps, casting long shadows across the stone walls. Ancient runes adorned the floor, shimmering with a faint, almost imperceptible energy. A large wooden table stood in the center, littered with scattered scrolls, half-finished potion bottles, and arcane tools, remnants of the academy's research. The air smelled of ink, parchment, and the faint metallic tang of mana-infused artifacts.

The Dean's expression hardened as he stood by the table, the weight of Logan's words pressing down on him. Despite the turmoil in his mind, a reluctant agreement tugged at his thoughts. With a final, resigned nod, he accepted Logan's words. He had little power here. Logan had already won, and there was no turning back now.

"What do I have to do then...?" The Dean's voice trembled slightly, betraying his internal conflict, but the uncertainty in his gaze was unmistakable.

Logan sat before him, his posture perfect, eyes glinting with unshakable confidence. His presence alone seemed to fill the room, exuding an aura of power that dwarfed the modest surroundings. The room suddenly felt colder, the shadows seemingly drawn closer as he spoke.

"You just have to go to different planets and collect their World's Principles," Logan said, his voice calm but carrying the weight of inevitability.

The Dean blinked, his mind still struggling to catch up with the overwhelming task. The floor beneath him felt uncomfortably solid, the weight of the moment heavier than ever. "How can I go to different planets...? And even if I went there, how can I defeat their strongest person...? I'm only a 7th Circle Mage. If someone is an 8th or 9th Circle Mage, there's no way I can win against them..."

Logan's gaze was unwavering, his expression slightly amused at the Dean's doubts. The ambient hum of the magical energy in the room seemed to pulse with his words, making the air feel thicker, charged. "You don't have to worry about traveling to different planets because I'll teach you that. And you'll defeat all your opponents by yourself. You may be weak compared to me, but for almost all the strongest individuals on other planets, you are stronger than them..."

The Dean swallowed hard, the gravity of Logan's words settling deeper into him. "How can you say that...?"

Logan's smile was faint but chilling. He leaned forward, and the air seemed to hum in response, as if the room itself was attuned to his presence. "I know you are a mage, and a mage has a disadvantage in close-range combat, but you have none. If I were to truly duel with you, there's a 50-50 chance that I might lose because, right now, I have only physical power that surpasses human limits, a cultivation level of the Heaven Realm, and one circle of Mana Heart..."

The words hung in the air like a heavy fog, and the Dean's mind raced. Logan's power felt so incomprehensible, so vast that the very thought of it made the Dean question the nature of their world.

"But... What does that mean for me?" The Dean was on the verge of collapse under the weight of it all.

Logan's smile deepened, his eyes gleaming with a darker understanding. "Even if there's a 50-50 chance, you'll never be able to defeat me because I know your weaknesses, but you don't know mine... You may also be defeated by someone else because you don't understand the Planet's Principles..."

The Dean's confusion deepened. "Planet's Principles...? By that, you mean the World's Principle...?"

Logan raised a hand, almost as if to silence the air itself, and then spoke in a voice that seemed to resonate with the very walls around them. "No, both are different. Planet's Principles are the fundamental properties of the planet itself—things that define its energy, its power. The World's Principle, however, is concerned with the growth of the planet. If someone with evil intentions takes it, they might try to stop or even reverse the planet's growth."

The room seemed to shudder slightly, as if the walls themselves were reacting to the mention of such forbidden power. The Dean's mind, already overwhelmed, struggled to process the implications of Logan's words.

"If what you say is true, then why are you taking the World's Principle from the planets...?" The Dean's voice was a whisper now, as though afraid the very walls might be listening.

Logan's gaze became piercing, his words deliberate. "To go to the Middle Realm. And you don't have to worry about your planet—or any other planet—because I'm going to connect all the realms..."

The room grew colder still, and the magical hum in the air became almost oppressive, pressing down on them both. The Dean felt as though the walls were closing in, the very air thick with the weight of Logan's ambition.

"How will you do that? And even if you complete it, how can you say that the upper two realms won't interfere with us lower realms...?" The Dean asked, barely able to keep his voice steady.

Logan's eyes narrowed, the ambient magic around him intensifying. "By forming an army that no one will be able to defeat and placing someone like you at its head, so that you can control them. At the top, I'll be commanding you all. Now, enough chit-chat. I'll be transferring you all the magnetic fields of the planet and breaking your language barrier..."

The Dean felt the power shift in the room, and he could almost hear the magnetic fields of the planet vibrating in response to Logan's words. His stomach twisted with the realization that his fate was no longer his own.

"What...?" he whispered, his mind reeling.

Logan's command was firm, unwavering. "Sit down, cross-legged, and focus."

The Dean complied, but the tension in the room was palpable, as if the air itself was charged with impending change. Logan, too, sat before him, his eyes focused on the task ahead.

But just as the energy between them reached its peak, the sound of a door crashing open echoed through the room.

The professors of the academy barged in, their faces a mix of worry and anger. The stone walls seemed to tremble with the force of their entry, and the glow from the enchanted lamps flickered in reaction.

The Dean and Logan turned their attention toward the doorway, their gazes meeting the professors'. The room fell silent as the two figures—one calm and composed, the other lost in confusion and disbelief—stared back at the group.

End of Chapter 10