The SUV hummed quietly to life before rolling out of the parking space and heading toward the main gate of the Crimson Tower.Neither the engine nor the tires made much noise.
For several minutes, no one spoke.The city unfolded before them.Towering skyscrapers of steel and glass dominated the skyline while countless office buildings, shopping centers, and apartment complexes stretched into the distance. The roads bustled with traffic, pedestrians crowded the sidewalks, and autonomous buses moved steadily through their designated lanes.
High above the streets, flying cars glided through the sky in an orderly fashion, each following an invisible route.
Kelvin watched them for a while before turning toward Kenny.
"Instructor."
"Hm?"
"Wouldn't it be faster if we flew?"
The question caused the others to look up as well.It was something they had all been wondering.Kenny kept his eyes on the road.
"It would."
A brief silence followed.
"But we aren't."
Noah blinked.
"Why?"
"Because Investigations happen on the ground."
Kenny answered simply.The answer was simple, yet none of them questioned it further.
Although flying cars had become the primary means of transportation for those who could afford them, they weren't designed to move freely through the skies.Decades earlier, countless accidents had plagued aerial travel as vehicles crossed paths at different altitudes and directions. The solution came in the form of Artificial Mana Ley Lanes vast invisible pathways that stretched across every major city.
Rather than roads built on the ground, they formed highways in the sky.
Every flying vehicle contained a Mana Navigation Core capable of detecting these ley lanes. Once connected, the vehicle synchronized with the route, maintaining its position, speed, and direction while greatly reducing the mana required for flight.
Millions of vehicles could travel overhead simultaneously without interfering with one another because each ley lane functioned as its own separate aerial highway.
Free flight still existed, but only outside densely populated cities or under special authorization. Within city limits, every licensed flying vehicle was expected to remain on the designated ley lanes.
Meanwhile, on the streets below, ordinary vehicles continued to serve an equally important purpose. Not every journey required the skies, and for investigations like theirs, the ground was where every clue began.
Silence settled over the vehicle once more.Kelvin continued watching the orderly streams of flying cars overhead.A few minutes later, Aiden leaned forward between the seats.
"So..."
"When are you going to tell us what this mission is about?"
Kenny took another drag from his cigarette before exhaling through the half-open window.
"There are two."
The answer immediately drew everyone's attention.
"One is mine."
"The other..."
He glanced at them through the rearview mirror.
"is yours."
The atmosphere inside the SUV subtly changed.Kelvin shifted his attention away from the passing scenery.
"Our first mission?"
Kenny nodded once.
"A magic beast attack."
"It broke out seven days ago."
"Coconut Grove."
Noah's playful expression disappeared.
Marcus frowned slightly.Even Sofia, who had remained quiet for most of the journey, lifted her eyes from the window.
"A magic beast..."
Aiden repeated quietly.
"Seven days."
The number lingered in everyone's mind.
It was Marcus who finally voiced what they were all thinking.
"If it happened seven days ago..."
"why are we only going now?"
Kenny remained silent for several seconds.
"The reward."
The answer only confused them further.
Noah tilted his head.
"The reward?"
"It was ten thousand."
Kenny's voice remained as calm as ever.
"It's fifty now."
No one spoke.They didn't need Kenny to explain what he meant.Sorcerers accepted missions for many reasons.A mission left unattended for days would naturally become more valuable.
The government had initially offered ten thousand for the mission.Seven days later, after the death toll continued to rise and the district remained under quarantine, the reward had increased to fifty thousand.
Mission rewards didn't remain fixed. When a mission went unresolved for too long, the government would increase the bounty in hopes of attracting stronger sorcerers. More often than not, that worked but it also meant ordinary people paid the price while the reward climbed.
Unfortunately...
The reward wasn't the only thing that increased with time.So did the number of casualties.
Nearly fifty residents had died before the Miami Relief Response Team finally arrived with specialized magitech equipment. Instead of attempting to eliminate the magic beast themselves, they established a massive containment perimeter around the affected section of Coconut Grove, sealing every entrance and exit.
With the district isolated from the rest of the city, all that remained was to wait.
Sooner or later...A team from either the Crimson Tower or the Azure Tower would accept the mission.
Kenny flicked the ash from his cigarette out of the window.
The SUV gradually slowed.Ahead of them, dozens of police vehicles had cordoned off every road leading into the district.
Blue and red emergency lights flashed continuously.Beyond them stood a shimmering barrier stretching from one end of the street to the other, enclosing the entire quarantined area.
Lined up outside the perimeter were satellite vans, camera crews, reporters, and curious civilians kept back by rows of barricades.Every camera turned the moment the crimson-colored SUV rolled to a stop.
Rows of police cruisers blocked every road leading into the district, their emergency lights flashing endlessly. Steel barricades stretched from one end of the street to the other, keeping hundreds of curious civilians at a safe distance. Officers moved back and forth, maintaining order as members of the Miami Relief Response Team made final checks on the massive shimmering perimeter that enclosed the entire district.
It looked less like a neighborhood...and more like a city under siege.Kenny switched off the engine.
"We're here."