My Bugged System Made Me Too OP!-Chapter 65: An arch magus?!
The area outside the adventurer guild was anything but quiet.
Voices overlapped endlessly, boots scraping against the ground as men and women moves in and out of the massive building.
Some carried weapons stained with blood.
Others dragged along sacks filled with beast parts.
A few laughed loudly, recounting their hunts, while others sat quietly at the side, exhausted from whatever battle they had just returned from.
The entire place was buzzing with activity, and chaotic at the same time.
The air was filled with the district presence of mana from the countless magi gathered there.
Then—
Crackle—!
A sharp spark of lightning suddenly tore through the air.
It appeared out of nowhere, right in front of the guild entrance.
A few adventurers flinched instinctively, their gazes snapping toward the source.
The sparks intensified for a split second, before a figure appeared from within them.
The lightning dispersed instantly.
Vanishing as if it had never been there.
And in its place stood a man.
The figure stood calmly, and covering his face was a white demon mask with two small horns at the sides.
The faint curve of its carved mouth resembled something between a smirk and a silent threat.
The people around immediately noticed this strange figure that had appeared, turning their attention towards him.
"Who is that...?"
"Did you see that just now?"
"He just... appeared..."
"Where did he come from?"
Whispers began spreading among the crowd.
One by one, they started stepping back, not daring to approach this strange person.
It wasn’t just because of the weird mask on his face, or even the lightning that surrounded him when he appeared.
What made their instincts scream was something else entirely, which was the overwhelming presence oozing out of the figure.
It pressed down on them like an invisible force, showing its unquestionable superiority.
One of the adventurers swallowed hard, his voice coming out in a whisper.
"...That aura..."
Another man beside him stiffened, his pupils shrinking slightly.
"No way..."
A third took a slow step back, his breathing becoming shallow. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"...That’s..."
His lips trembled.
"...Arch Magus!"
The words spread like wildfire.
And with it more fear.
Because everyone there knew exactly what that meant.
There were ten ranks among magi.
Ten stages that defined power in the world.
Apprentice.
Adept.
Core.
High.
Master.
Grandmaster.
Arch.
Grand Arch.
Saint.
And finally—
Supreme.
Each step was a massive leap.
A gap that could not be easily bridged.
Even reaching the level of a Master Magus was something most could only dream of, so they were very rare and at the same time respected.
But an Arch Magus?
That was an entirely different existence.
A being standing at the very peak of power in the current world.
A level most would never even witness in their lifetime.
And yet—
Right now—
Standing before them...
Was someone radiating that exact presence.
The pressure alone was enough to make weaker magi feel suffocated.
Even the more experienced adventurers found themselves tense, their bodies instinctively on guard.
No one spoke loudly anymore.
No one dared to act recklessly.
Because one thing was clear—
Whoever this masked figure was...
He was not someone to offend.
And beneath the white demon mask—
Noah smirked.
His lips curled slightly, hidden from the world.
His eyes glinted faintly behind the hollow eye sockets.
’So this is how it feels...’ he mumbled inwardly.
He could sense it.
The shift in the atmosphere, as well as the fear and intimidation oozing out from all those around.
’This is the first time I’m using Aura Mask to increase my aura rather than reduce it...’ he thought.
Yet, it didn’t cost him anything, not even a single strand of mana.
After all, the use of Aura mask was entirely reliant on the system.
’A passive skill...’ he thought, his lips curling faintly beneath the mask.
That was what made it even more terrifying.
Ever since [Aura Mask] had levelled up to level 2, its effects had changed drastically.
It had evolved.
Now, he could reduce his aura to any level he wished.
If he wanted, he could appear as nothing more than an ordinary person with no magic at all.
Or—
A weak apprentice magus, which was what he had been doing all along.
Keeping himself at the lowest possible level in order to hide his growth and mask his true strength.
He didn’t want any one paying him attention, so the secret of the system wouldn’t be exposed.
However, he could also do the opposite, which was increase his aura, and make others think he was stronger than he actually was.
Not just slightly, but by three whole ranks.
A terrifying jump in presence.
From what he truly was—
A high magus—
He could push it up.
Far beyond what anyone would expect.
Right now—
That was exactly what he had done.
He had increased his aura by three entire ranks.
From high all the way to arch magus.
’This is exactly why I chose this rank...’ he thought.
Because he knew, and understood just how much attention an arch magus would attract.
All eyes would naturally turn toward him.
And that—
Was exactly what he wanted.
Noah slowly began to walk forward.
He was simply walking calmly but kept drawing attention even as he did that.
Heads turned.
Voices dropped.
Eyes followed him.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"That’s really an arch magus..."
"What is someone like that doing here...?"
"Did he come from the capital?"
"Or maybe... another kingdom?"
No one dared to speak loudly.
No one dared to approach.
They simply watched with caution.
Because the pressure of his aura was suffocating.
Noah walked straight through them.
Behind the mask, his eyes flickered slightly as he listened to their whispers.
’They’re already overthinking it...’
Some assumed he was a wandering powerhouse.
An old magus who had travelled far and wide.
Others believed he must be someone of high status.
Someone important.
Someone dangerous.
An old, powerful magus who just stumbled into the city...
His smirk deepened faintly.
That assumption alone was enough to protect him.
After all—
In a small city like Eidbale—
Even a master magus was considered a rare existence.
Someone powerful enough to command respect and authority.
But an arch magus?
That was something else entirely.
Noah’s eyes flickered faintly.
’I wonder how they would react...’ he thought. ’...If they knew the person under this mask...Is just a teenager.’
