Strongest Mage with the Lust system

Max looked to the side and a man in blue robes, leaning his back against a rock, looking at him with a strange look in his eyes, that, for some reason, gave him goosebumps.

But soon, his brows furrowed because when he walked by, he hadn't sensed his existence at all. Even though he wasn't actively using his mana sense, he still should've sensed his presence since he was so close, but he didn't and this made him realize another problem: His senses also seemed to have dulled. 'No, that shouldn't be the case since I can sense everything in the surroundings except him.' Thinking this, he closed his eyes and spread his mana sense out. This time, he could 'see' a hazy figure leaning against the rock.

'So he can hide his presence? No wonder I couldn't sense him before.' Max heaved a sigh of relief. If his senses were also dulled, it would've meant his all other attributes–that he enhanced with lust points–were also weakened. Fortunately, that was not the case.

"Oh?" Durden frowned in confusion when, instead of greeting him, Max closed his eyes. But when he felt his mana sense scouring the place, he realized what he was doing.

A playful smile appeared on his face and he muttered, "You want to sense me? That isn't easy, kid. My concealment spell isn't something a four-star mage, not to mention a three-star mage like you can see through."

But just a moment later, his smile froze on his lips and his eyes widened in shock, "WHAT?!"

Max opened his eyes when he heard his shocked shout and asked, looking calm, "What?"

Durden couldn't regain his composure. He was proud of his concealment spell and knew even five-star mages wouldn't find him if they didn't specially look for him. Although Max specifically looked for him, he was no five-star mage, but he still found him. So how could he not be shocked?

Whoosh!

Like a ghost, he appeared in front of Max, looked him dead in the eye, his expression extremely serious, and asked, "How did you do it? How did you find me?"

His serious expression left Max surprised. But he soon realized just like how it was a big deal to 'find him', it was the same for him, but for completely different reasons.

Thinking this, he smiled and extended his hand, "Hello, you must be Durden, right? I'm Max. Thanks for helping my group earlier."

"Yeah, it's fine. Now can you tell me how you sensed me?" Durden asked, after shaking his hand.

"Of course. Let's walk and talk." Max said and started walking away. Durden followed and repeated his question once again.

Seeing how anxious he was, Max shook his head and smiled. "You don't have to be so anxious. There is no problem with your concealment spell. In fact, it is very powerful."

"Then how did you see through it?" Durden felt a little relieved when he heard that, but was still anxious. Since Max could see through it, there was a possibility others also could. So, he had to know how he did it so he could take preventive measures.

Max thought for a moment. He knew his mana sense was strong because of his high intelligence stat. But he couldn't tell him about it. Even if he did, he wouldn't understand.

Seeing him become silent, Durden thought Max didn't want to tell him his secret. This made him frown. Although it was understandable and he couldn't force him, he couldn't give up on it either. So, after taking a deep breath, he said, "If you can tell me how you did it, I'll owe you a favor."

Max's eyes flashed when he heard this and nodded, "Alright. The reason I can sense you even when you are using your concealment spell is because my mana sense is stronger than others'. I don't know how much stronger it is exactly, but it's definitely stronger than peak three-star mages, and if I'm not wrong, it should be stronger than ordinary mid-stage four-star mages."

"Stronger than mid-stage four-star mages, huh?" Durden repeated his words and fell into deep thought.

This surprised Max because he had thought Durden would be shocked to hear it. After all, it was or should be shocking for a peak three-star mage to have a mana sense comparable to mid-stage four-star mages. However, Durden didn't even seem surprised.

Max's expression gradually turned solemn because he realized this guy wasn't ordinary and he might really have some hidden motive to stay with them.

Just then, he saw Ella coming back. Her shoulders were slumped downwards, and she wore a sad expression, looking extremely pitiful. Whoosh!

Seeing her like this, Max felt a peng in his heart. He then ignored Durden and rushed over to her. "What is it? Why do you look like that?" He asked.

Ella raised her head and looked him in the eye. "Sir Max, although you weren't wrong, you shouldn't have said all those things to her. If you were in her position, I'm sure you would've acted just like her, if not worse." Max's heart clenched when he noticed her gaze no longer had that gentle look. Right now, she looked at him as though she was looking at a stranger, and this made his blood run cold.

Suddenly, he took a deep breath, stepped forward and, before she could react, pulled her into his embrace.

This left Ella stunned. Before she could react, he spoke up, "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have done that."

Ella was dazed. She never expected him to apologize to her like this. Before she could come to her senses, he broke the hug and asked, "Where is she?"

"There… at the valley entrance." She answered without thinking.

"Okay. You go, rest. I'll bring her back." Nodding, he rushed away, quickly disappearing from her sight.

"This guy… he is too much, isn't he?" Durden arrived beside Ella and said. He was displeased that Max left while he was in his thoughts.

Ella acted as though she didn't hear him and continued looking in the direction he left. This made Durden's lips twitch as he cried out in his heart, 'Fuck! Everyone is ignoring me. I'm a five-star mage for god's sake.'