The burly man who'd been grabbed hadn't even figured out what was going on before, in the next instant, that massive hand hurled him away.
BOOM!
The sound of him hitting the ground exploded in everyone's ears, and the hearts of all those present trembled violently.
Before anyone could even think to say something, Viktor slightly raised his head, and his cold gaze, sharp as steel needles, seemed to stab right into their hearts.
"Scram."
The moment that word left his mouth, the thugs scattered in panic, running off in every direction.
From start to finish, not one of them dared to fight back.
Once they were all gone, Viktor withdrew the molten hand. The enormous, fiery limb seemed to melt back into his cloak and merge with him completely.
After doing this, he turned around and looked at the trembling stable master, speaking in a low, cold tone.
"I've come for my horse."
The stable master instantly understood why Viktor was here. Trembling, he straightened up behind the counter and cautiously looked the man before him up and down.
"You… how can you prove that this horse is yours? Proof… proof of identity!"
Viktor gave him a sidelong glance, as if approving of the man's courage, and said indifferently, "Viktor Clavenna. The person who left the horse here should've left that name."
The stable master quickly checked the registry, then nodded hastily. "N-no problem. You can take it."
Then he took out a pouch of coins from beneath the counter and handed it to Viktor.
"The knight who left the horse here deposited five thousand Geos. After deducting the boarding fees, this is what's left. Please, take it."
Viktor didn't stand on ceremony. He took the pouch, weighed it briefly, and pocketed it.
Five thousand Geos…
He could only say that Gwen really had no sense of money.
Leaving that much just to board a horse, it could've lived in this stable for half a lifetime.
Viktor walked into the stable and patted the strong white horse.
"Looks like you've been treated well these past few days."
The horse stretched its head out and rubbed against Viktor's hand affectionately.
He stroked the horse's smooth mane for a while, then led it out and mounted it with practiced ease.
Vega looked up at Viktor and said from his shoulder in a low voice, "With your current power, you could reach the capital in just a few teleportation arrays. Why bother riding a horse?"
Vega wasn't exaggerating. At his current level, Viktor could use teleportation magic to move freely within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.
Because now, he had already stepped into the ranks of a Saint Mage.
Nineteen years old. Fourth tier.
Had anyone in the Empire's history ever achieved such a thing?
Hearing Vega's question, Viktor chuckled lightly. "This horse isn't mine. I borrowed it. Naturally, I have to return it."
After the battle against the volcanic calamity, Viktor had gained an enormous amount of experience points.
Even before that, his accumulated experience had been enough to reach Tier Four, but he'd been deliberately holding back, not leveling up recklessly.
It wasn't until his fight with Guldon, when he earned so much experience that his EXP bar overflowed, that his level broke through uncontrollably.
[Viktor Clavenna, Lv.41]
[HP: 2000/2000]
[MP: 14,800/15,000]
He'd jumped two levels in a row, and his maximum mana had increased by ten thousand compared to before.
Although that looked incredibly strong, it didn't make Viktor arrogant.
Level 40, it was only the beginning.
His current strength still didn't match the Viktor from the later chapters of the game.
Still, in the capital, he no longer had to worry about being oppressed by anyone.
And his gains weren't just about leveling up.
A red streak of light flickered across Viktor's cloak, the mark of Guldon's power.
He had absorbed Guldon's core of flame and inherited part of his abilities.
One of them was solidifying fire elements.
Viktor could turn fire magic into tangible molten magma, even harden it into lava.
The giant molten hand from before had been a manifestation of that power, solidified through magic at will.
He could also attach that fiery core to his body, vastly improving his resistance to fire elements.
Most importantly, he could shape it however he wished.
The coat he used to wear, the one he especially liked, had been destroyed in the fight with Guldon.
So now, Viktor used Guldon's fiery essence to form the coat he currently wore.
It might seem like a waste of rare power, but for Viktor, it was perfect.
Strength was temporary. But looking cool, that was for life.
"I get your obsession with coats," Vega muttered, fluttering its wings before dropping a small, delicate hourglass pendant into Viktor's hand. "But could you explain to me what this thing actually is?"
Viktor glanced at it.
[Item Name: Exile of Erebusius (World-Class Item)]
[Type: One-time consumable]
[Effect: Causality disorder, can reverse or alter specific temporal events that should have occurred.]
Just one look, and the item's description appeared before Viktor's eyes.
World-class items, only players who achieved world-class feats could obtain them in the game.
Viktor himself had never gotten one before.
Each world-class item possessed a unique, extraordinary effect that defied the world's laws.
They could only be used once, disappearing afterward.
And they were bound to their chosen user, no one else could activate them.
That was why Vega couldn't make sense of it at all.
Defeating the world boss Guldon solo, that was undoubtedly a world-class achievement.
And since he had soloed it, it made sense that the world's will rewarded him with a world-class item.
When Viktor woke up in this world, that pendant had appeared automatically in his player inventory.
Vega, curious, had borrowed it to study, but clearly, it hadn't learned anything.
Viktor took the hourglass pendant and put it back around his neck.
"You already knew what this thing was, didn't you?" Vega asked suspiciously.
Viktor kept a poker face and replied flatly, "No idea."
Vega's feathers bristled in irritation. Honestly, it envied Gwen's ability to see through lies. It wanted that skill for itself.
Viktor gave it a mocking glance. "Don't even think about it. You're nowhere near righteous enough."
Vega wished it could peck a hole right through Viktor's skull. "No wonder everyone finds you so damn annoying."
———
The capital that night was unusually quiet. Moonlight crept softly across rooftops.
Outside Viktor's study balcony, a figure crossed through the silver glow and slipped in through the window.
Liya leaned against the desk, staring at the moonlight, lost in thought.
Leon jumped in after her, pulling down his hood to reveal his sharp elf ears.
"Miss Liya, I followed Duke Levi's butler for a week. I can confirm the money transfer was made by the duke's household steward."
"The steward has no reason to provoke House Clavenna. I believe it was Duke Levi's own order."
Liya smiled faintly when she heard his report, a touch of mockery curling her lips.
Under the moonlight, her face looked especially cold.
"At this point, Duke Levi can barely protect himself. Whether he did it or not no longer matters."
Leon blinked, confused. "What? What happened?"
Liya traced her fingers along the dark wooden desk, speaking slowly.
"Recently, the mages who went to Mount Vesuvius jointly petitioned the Emperor, accusing Duke Levi."
"The charge: that the duke tried to kill all the mages present."
Leon couldn't make sense of it. How could Duke Levi do something so reckless, something that would tarnish the Empire's reputation?
"But he did."
"Duke Levi admitted it. As the commander of the battle magic unit, he deliberately stopped maintaining the spell formation."
"If the volcano had fully erupted, every mage on-site would have died."
Leon frowned. "But didn't the volcano not erupt in the end? Why are they still accusing him?"
Liya just laughed softly, shaking her head. "You really don't understand the human world."
"To those noble mages, their own lives are all that matter."
"And the man they trusted most, Duke Levi, betrayed them at the most critical moment. It doesn't matter that the volcano didn't erupt; the fact that he abandoned the formation is enough to damn him."
"They were just lucky. Something stopped the eruption that day. But what if it hadn't?"
Her eyes flashed with a faint light.
"Then it wouldn't have been just the mages, tens of thousands of innocent civilians below would have died too."
Leon finally understood.
But Liya still found the humor in it.
"It's a shame, though. All these mages are too busy impeaching the duke to come buy potions from me."
"I was hoping to make a good profit before Viktor got back."
Leon noticed her lowered gaze, she truly seemed to regret the missed opportunity.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but stopped himself.
So Liya reached out, tapped him lightly on the head, and smiled.
"You're about to say, 'Don't wait for him anymore,' aren't you? That Viktor's not coming back?"
Leon didn't answer, but his eyes betrayed him.
"There's a saying among humans: 'Good men die young, while the wicked live a thousand years.'"
"Viktor's the latter. Unless someone drags his corpse to me personally, I'll never believe he's dead."
"Never."
Leon wanted to say more, but then suddenly sensed a powerful and familiar presence, right at the door.
Her ears twitched, and Liya noticed immediately, it was her signal that someone was approaching.
"It's Viktor's aura! He's back!"
"See?" Liya's smile bloomed. "I told you he wouldn't die."
Leon lowered her head, pulled up her hood, and nodded.
Then, cloaked in stealth, she silently leapt out the window.
Moments later, a servant's startled voice came from outside the door.
"Master… you... you've returned?"
"Mm. Take this horse and feed it well."
"Yes, right away!"
Footsteps approached, then stopped abruptly.
The study door creaked open.
Liya leaned lazily against the desk, smiling at Viktor.
"Welcome home."
Viktor nodded blankly, stepped into the study, glanced left and right…
Then fixed his gaze on her.
"You're hiding someone."
"..."
Liya's smile froze, and then slowly fell apart.
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