Victor was sitting behind Rudi, who was driving the scooter steadily through the wide and brightly lit streets.
This world was extremely high-tech. As Victor observed his surroundings, he could see hovering cars gliding smoothly above designated lanes, autonomous drones flying in organized formations, and massive digital billboards flashing vibrant advertisements. Many of those displays featured top-ranked dungeon hunters along with detailed accounts of their recent exploits.
"Head of the Ashford family, Sage David Ashford has cleared the S-rank Red Dungeon with his team, which appeared in Manhattan City."
"The 13th Sage, the youngest Sage in the history of Ethereum, Sage Diana Morningstar will appear in front of the public tomorrow."
"Youngest prodigy from the Windsor family, Grey Windsor has become an Elite Warrior at the age of 21. He will become the captain of the 9th squad of the Federation Army."
Victor listened to the news in silence as the scooter moved forward. Ethereum was the name of this world.
It was a massive planet, roughly ten times the size of Jupiter. The star system contained two suns, casting an unusual but steady light across the landscape. Victor could not determine whether he was still in the same universe as before or if he had been transported somewhere entirely different.
"Humanity has not entered the cosmic system yet. That is a good thing. I can become powerful enough before some extraterrestrial entity comes to threaten us," Victor thought with a faint smile.
[Ding! The ten fire spells have merged. You have comprehended Basic Fire Manipulation.]
Victor was genuinely surprised. According to the theories he had studied, only individuals with a potential value of ten could merge all ten spells and gain basic elemental manipulation. He had read about it in books, but he had not been certain whether it would apply to him, especially since he possessed affinity for multiple elements.
Basic Fire Manipulation granted complete freedom. It allowed the user to shape fire according to their own will instead of following fixed spell structures. It also made it easier to comprehend other fire-element spells, including those dropped by monsters.
Yes, monsters in this world dropped items in the dungeon, and among those items were spells and skills.
However, those dropped spells did not increase combat power in the same way as the ones recorded in a grimoire. If someone wanted to use them effectively, they had to comprehend them independently, which was a slow and tedious process without any visible gains.
Most individuals with a potential value of five or higher did not waste their time on such inefficient methods. They preferred to rely on their grimoire. Those below that threshold had limited options and often depended on these external spells to expand their arsenal.
Even though it was a tedious process for most people, those who had basic elemental manipulation often purchased and studied these spells, since they could adapt any basic elemental technique. Victor knew all of these lesser-known details from his extensive reading.
"I suppose I will start comprehending the water element as soon as possible," he thought.
"Victor, we have arrived," Rudi said as the scooter came to a stop.
Despite the advanced state of technology, vehicles like this scooter still existed for those who could not afford modern alternatives.
Victor stepped down and looked at the shop. It was closed, and there were no servants present to manage it.
He sighed quietly.
Rudi placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"The first floor has two rooms. Go and place your belongings in one of them. I will set up the shop and bring breakfast. Do not worry. I will handle the shop. You should focus on your spells. I will be relying on you to bring materials from the dungeons," Rudi said with a steady smile.
Victor nodded, feeling reassured.
They opened the shop, and Victor went upstairs without delay. He had no intention of wasting time. He needed to enter the dungeon as soon as possible to earn money. The shop alone, especially in such a remote location, would not be enough to sustain both of them.
He chose a room and placed his suitcase near the bed. The room was simple, containing only a bed and a table. He cleaned the space carefully, replaced the bedsheet, and adjusted the pillow covers.
After finishing, he sat cross-legged on the floor.
His grimoire appeared before him.
The eleven pages that had previously contained individual fire spells had vanished. Now only a single page remained, labeled:
"Basic Fire Manipulation."
Victor tested the ten spells he had learned earlier. He found that he could still manifest them easily.
"Good. Now I will focus on the next elemental spell."
The first spell he selected was "Water Bolt," which launched a concentrated stream of water at a target.
He read its description and explanation carefully.
Then he closed his eyes and began to comprehend it. Based on his previous experience, he expected the process to be simple.
[Ding! Unparalleled Comprehension activated. You have comprehended the basic spell "Water Bolt."]
Blurgh.
The moment the notification ended, Victor spat blood onto the floor.
[Ding! User is not strong enough to control two elements. Attempting to use multiple elements will severely damage the body.]
"Damn," he said under his breath.
His earlier expectations collapsed immediately. He had thought he could comprehend ten elements in ten days, break through on the eleventh day, and surprise the entire world.
"It seems I overestimated myself. Nothing comes that easily. I will need to train my physical body first."
He checked his current condition.
[Physique: 8 (A healthy normal person has 10)]
"Even after taking that pill, my physique is still low. I should begin training immediately."
Without hesitation, he started doing push-ups.
He intended to follow a strict routine inspired by Saitama, consisting of one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day, continuing until his body could no longer improve.
"1… 2… 3…"
He continued counting steadily.
"11."
By the eleventh push-up, his arms already felt numb.
He forced himself to continue and reached fifteen before his muscles refused to respond.
At that moment, a warm energy began circulating through his body. The numbness faded quickly.
Within seconds, he felt capable of continuing.
"What? My mana can be used like this as well?"
He immediately checked his status again.
[Physique: 8.0015]
"So ten thousand push-ups equal one full point. I wonder how far this method will take me before it stops working."
He resumed his exercise.
This time, he reached sixteen before the numbness returned.
After thirty minutes, he completed his first set.
"100."
Although the mana restored his strength repeatedly, a dull soreness remained in his arms.
"Now for sit-ups."
He followed the same pattern, performing as many repetitions as possible, pausing when necessary, allowing his mana to restore him, and continuing again.
After completing one hundred sit-ups, he moved on to squats.
Ninety minutes later, he was breathing heavily, his entire body covered in sweat.
He had completed the internal exercises.
[Physique: 8.03]
Each type of exercise contributed same amount of strength but strengthening various muscle groups.
"Victor, I have brought breakfast," Rudi said as he entered the room.
He paused when he saw Victor's condition.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I am training. My body is too weak," Victor replied.
Rudi nodded thoughtfully.
"That is true. If you had normal strength, I would have taught you some non-elemental martial arts. These techniques place significant stress on the body and help it grow stronger over time. The younger generation in the family begins practicing them from an early age. Your situation was different because of your illness."
Victor's eyes lit up with interest.
"Do you have any of those techniques with you?" he asked. "Perhaps I can start learning them after I become an apprentice and take that strengthening pill."
His tone was calm, but there was clear determination behind it.
He had already understood something important.
If he wanted to control multiple elements and rise above others in this world, strengthening his body was no longer optional. It was necessary.