The wolf suddenly lost its balance.

Its massive claws slid violently across the frozen ground as layers of ice cracked beneath its weight. The unexpected loss of footing disrupted its momentum for only a brief instant, yet for someone like Victor, even a fraction of a second was enough.

His eyes sharpened immediately.

An opening.

Without wasting a single moment, Victor stepped forward and swung his sword with full force.

Slash!

The blade cut deeply across the Flame Wolf’s side, leaving behind a long wound as blood splattered across the icy battlefield. The impact forced the monster several meters backward.

However, Victor’s expression darkened almost instantly afterward.

The damage was far from enough.

Even though his weapon possessed Adept Rank power, the creature before him remained a genuine C Rank elite monster. Its body had been tempered through endless battles and mutations. The durability of such a creature was monstrous beyond reason.

The wound looked severe, yet it failed to truly cripple the beast.

The Flame Wolf quickly regained control of its footing before releasing a furious roar that shook the surroundings.

Violent flames erupted from its body like an exploding volcano.

The entire frozen field melted rapidly beneath the overwhelming heat. Steam rose into the air while chunks of ice evaporated within moments.

Victor immediately retreated.

The battle continued.

Time slowly passed beneath the ruined sky.

One hour.

Then another.

Victor continuously exchanged attacks with the monster while desperately trying to survive its relentless assault. Every movement demanded complete concentration. Every mistake could easily result in death.

The Flame Wolf’s speed remained terrifying despite its massive body. Its claws could tear through concrete like paper while its flames constantly distorted the battlefield around them.

Victor suffered greatly throughout the battle.

By the end of the second hour, he had only managed to land seven proper strikes upon the monster.

Seven.

And none of them were fatal.

During one failed dodge, the wolf’s claws suddenly swept toward him faster than expected.

Victor barely managed to shift his body.

However, the attack still tore deeply into his left arm.

Blood instantly flowed down his hand while intense pain shot through his nerves.

Victor jumped backward rapidly before stabilizing himself several meters away. His breathing had already become rough and uneven.

Sweat mixed together with blood across his face.

The wolf stared at him viciously while growling continuously.

Victor lowered his sword slightly.

Then he suddenly sighed.

"I am not a swordsman," he muttered quietly.

"Trying to fight a C Rank elite monster directly with a blade is simply foolish."

He understood his own weaknesses very clearly now.

Although his physical abilities had improved tremendously, he still lacked the instincts and techniques possessed by true sword masters. Against ordinary enemies, overwhelming power could compensate for those flaws.

However, against a monster like this, every weakness became obvious.

The Flame Wolf roared furiously once again before charging toward him at terrifying speed.

Its burning claws ripped apart the ground beneath its feet.

Victor slowly raised his head.

This time, the hesitation inside his eyes disappeared completely.

His expression turned cold.

"Die, you damn bastard."

The instant those words left his mouth, violent mana fluctuations exploded into the sky.

Far above the battlefield, a massive lightning eagle suddenly materialized from countless arcs of electricity.

The creature resembled divine judgment descending from the heavens themselves.

The Flame Wolf instinctively stopped moving.

For the first time since the battle began, fear appeared inside the monster’s eyes.

Then the lightning eagle descended.

Boom!

Blinding lightning exploded downward like heavenly punishment.

The Flame Wolf was completely shredded apart before it could even scream. Its massive body instantly disintegrated beneath the overwhelming destructive force.

The entire battlefield fell silent afterward.

Only the faint crackling of lightning remained within the air.

Victor collapsed heavily onto the ruined ground.

Every muscle inside his body screamed in exhaustion.

Prolonged combat had already pushed him close to his limits. Even breathing felt difficult now.

He quickly cast a healing spell upon himself while blood slowly stopped flowing from his injured arm.

Warm light covered his wounds as the flesh gradually regenerated.

Afterward, Victor sat cross legged on the destroyed battlefield and slowly closed his eyes.

He began meditating quietly.

Several minutes later, Victor finally opened his eyes again.

The sharpness within them had become noticeably different.

Then he slowly stood up.

Instead of returning to rest, he immediately turned toward another dangerous region deeper within the ruined city.

He wanted another battle.

While fighting the Flame Wolf, Victor had realized something extremely important.

His combat instincts were sharpening rapidly under life and death pressure.

Every second of that battle had carried the possibility of death. The constant tension forced his mind and body to evolve continuously during combat.

It was dangerous.

But effective.

Victor looked toward the distant ruins with calm determination.

Then he walked forward again.

...

Fifteen days later.

Victor stood atop a tall abandoned building while cold wind swept through the ruined city around him.

His appearance had changed considerably during the past two weeks.

His body now carried a stable and confident aura completely different from before. The immaturity that previously existed within his movements had almost disappeared.

Now he radiated calm confidence as though any situation could be handled without panic.

The countless life and death battles had tempered him rapidly.

Victor quietly observed the transparent screen floating before him.

[Physique: 300]

A faint smile appeared on his face.

During these fifteen days, he had continuously fought elite monsters using nothing but close combat and swordsmanship. The repeated battles had pushed his body beyond its previous limits again and again.

As a result, his physique improved tremendously.

Victor clenched his fist slightly.

He could clearly feel the explosive strength hidden inside his body.

"Let’s comprehend another element," he muttered quietly.

He slowly sat down at the edge of the rooftop.

Moments later, his grimoire appeared before him while glowing faintly beneath the evening sky.

This time, Victor selected the water element.

The pages of the grimoire slowly flipped on their own while streams of information flooded into his mind continuously.

Hours passed silently.

Victor remained motionless the entire time while comprehending the structure of water based magic.

Ten hours later, his eyes suddenly opened.

[Ding! You have comprehended Intermediate Water Manipulation.]

Victor exhaled slowly afterward.

Another elemental branch had successfully entered intermediate rank.

Without wasting additional time, he stood up once more.

He wanted another fight.

The thrill of constant battle had already become addictive.

Victor calmly walked toward the edge of the rooftop before casually stepping forward.

His body immediately dropped from the tall building.

Wind roared past his ears as he freely fell through the air.

His black hair floated wildly behind him while his expression remained completely relaxed.

His plan was simple.

He intended to activate a wind spell moments before landing.

However, just as he descended closer to the ground, Victor’s instincts suddenly screamed in warning.

The earth below him split apart violently.

A dark opening appeared beneath the street while an overwhelming suction force instantly locked onto his body.

Victor’s eyes widened.

"What the hell—"

He immediately attempted to activate wind magic.

Unfortunately, the suction force was far stronger than expected.

The wind spell barely slowed him at all.

Victor was dragged downward violently before crashing heavily onto a metallic floor far beneath the earth.

Boom!

Pain spread across his body instantly.

The opening above him rapidly sealed shut afterward as though nothing had happened.

Victor groaned slightly before quickly casting another healing spell upon himself.

"Ouch..."

After stabilizing his injuries, he slowly stood up while observing the darkness surrounding him.

He snapped his fingers lightly.

A small flame appeared above his palm and illuminated the area around him.

However, the moment the surroundings became visible, Victor froze completely.

His eyes widened in shock.

"What... is this place?" he asked quietly.