After passing through the wall, Colt immediately noticed the building ahead, where a crowd of masked people had gathered.
It was likely the auction house. Most major cities had one. Lofpus had two.
Only one of them was legal. This wasn't it.
Inside, everything was sold—from rare artifacts to living people.
But Colt had no business there. Not yet.
He kept walking until he reached a busier area, where stalls lined both sides of the road. Masked vendors hawked their wares like merchants in a bazaar.
Colt strolled slowly between them, scanning each stall as he passed.
Auction houses often had decent items, but nothing truly useful to someone like him. Even the most legendary relics on display were little more than toys in his eyes.
Here, though, he might find something valuable.
The masked sellers were usually just locals or travelers with access to the black market.
Their wares weren't prestigious enough for auction, but every now and then, someone brought something rare—either because they didn't get it appraised properly, or they had no idea what it really was.
Not today, though. Nothing seemed important in these stalls.
Just as Colt turned to leave, he sensed movement within a fifty-meter radius. Someone was sprinting toward him from a side road.
A quick scan told him the person wasn't dangerous, so he didn't react—at least not right away.
Then he heard a voice shout, "Let me through! I'm coming!"
It was a girl.
He glanced back and stepped aside to let her pass, but she still collided with him.
Colt made it look accidental, like he'd noticed her too late and couldn't dodge in time. No one seemed to be watching, but habits were habits.
The girl kept running, never even glancing back.
Even though she was wearing a mask, Colt saw the face behind it easily—gray hair, no other standout features.
She seemed to be around his age, though.
Did I see her somewhere before? He wondered. Then he shrugged it off.
"This way!" someone yelled.
Two men appeared, wearing suits and intimidating masks. They ran straight toward Colt.
"Did someone come through here?" one of them asked.
Colt pointed down the road where the girl had gone. He didn't know the story, so he had no reason to lie.
Maybe she was a thief. Maybe not. Either way, it wasn't his problem.
The men rushed past him without another word.
With nothing gained from the black market, Colt turned and made his way back to the inn.
---
Colt was already level 337.
At that point, gaining levels was nearly impossible.
Normally, one could grow stronger through either training or killing, since both granted life force. But that approach stopped working once a bottleneck was reached.
When Colt hit level 349, simply gathering life force wouldn't be enough. He'd also need proper training and insight to break through.
Of course, that training and insight could be gathered before reaching the bottleneck naturally.
So, mindlessly killing monsters until level 349 wouldn't do any good.
Not that there were many monsters roaming around that could give him experience anyway.
The ones that could were far from here, and for now, leaving the city wasn't an option.
Not that he wanted to, either.
Up to this point, he'd always found a way to advance his level, one method or another.
But when he broke through from level 299 to 300, he had exhausted every resource and bit of training material he possessed.
He also didn't have a master who could give him insight or materials.
That was why he wanted to enter the academy. Even if everyone there would be far weaker than him, it didn't matter.
He didn't need more power.
There was still knowledge to gain.
Some of the lectures might offer new insights, and the academy's grand library was a treasure trove in itself.
And that would help him level up in the future.
Especially the headmaster. If I can get his attention...
For eighteen days, Colt made research part of his routine in Lofpus City. He checked the libraries, bookstores, and training grounds.
He even snuck into the nobles' northern district, but found nothing useful there.
He could sneak into the academy, too. But he didn't think it was needed.
He had time before level 350, so he would just go there when he entered the academy.
And now, it was the day of the exam.
---
"Did you hear? The second prince is apparently here too!"
"Of course he is. This is the best academy in the world."
"I heard he's strong. Want to go see him? Do you know where he'll be taking the exam?"
Colt was heading toward the academy entrance when he overheard a group of girls chattering about the second prince.
Of course he's here...
Just like the innkeeper had said, there was a crowd moving in the same direction, commoners hoping for a shot at the academy.
He still wasn't sure how they planned to filter so many applicants in just a day, especially without dragging the exam out for a week.
Soon, he arrived at the massive iron gate marking the edge of the academy district.
It stood wide open, likely just for the entrance exams. Normally, you had to pass through a magic array to get in.
The academy district was practically the size of a town. He wasn't at the academy itself just yet.
Still, he noticed strong individuals scattered throughout the area, even though all the shops and workspaces were closed today.
They looked like they were just going about their business, but Colt could tell—they were watching.
Finding it odd, he narrowed his eyes, scanning for traps or hidden enchantments.
Then he smirked.
Of course.
There were multiple paths leading to the academy.
Anyone could take whichever road they wanted, though some took longer than others.
Colt had chosen the shortest route—but it was also the trickiest.
Invisible, wall-like barriers stood at random points on each path.
They weren't meant to stop people. Just to test them.
Well, one could still hit their head or body.
No matter which path you picked, you'd eventually run into one.
But the shorter your path, the more invisible barriers there were.
It wasn't about strength. These barriers weren't meant to be broken.
They were there to see who could detect and avoid them.
For most applicants, it was a basic awareness test.
But for Colt, it was an opportunity.
He saw two ways forward without altering his route.
One was to force his way through—but these barriers were cast by magicians at least level 100. That kind of brute force would blow his cover instantly.
So that left only one option...