The sword descended.

For a brief instant, nothing appeared to happen. The laboratory remained completely silent as everyone stared toward the cage.

Then a thin crimson line slowly appeared in the air.

The line stretched forward with terrifying precision. It passed through the reinforced mana barrier, crossed the containment cage, and sliced directly through the body of the Fire Elemental Ape.

The attack had been so fast that none of the six sages could fully comprehend what they had just witnessed. Even their enhanced senses had failed to track the movement.

For several seconds, absolute silence filled the laboratory.

The gigantic ape remained standing motionless inside the cage. Its burning red eyes were still fixed on Victor. From the outside, it appeared completely unharmed.

The sages exchanged uncertain glances. Had the attack failed?

Before anyone could speak, a thin line suddenly appeared across the center of the ape’s body. The next moment, its enormous frame split perfectly in half.

A fountain of blazing blood erupted from the corpse.

Victor reacted immediately. He had no intention of allowing even a single drop of blood to be wasted. The blood of an S Rank elemental creature was extremely valuable. According to Nova, only a tiny fraction of it could eventually be refined into true essence blood.

He estimated that fifty liters of blood would likely yield only five milliliters of essence blood, perhaps slightly more if he was fortunate.

Without hesitation, Victor threw a space ring toward the corpse. A powerful suction force emerged from the artifact. The blood pouring from the ape’s body changed direction instantly and flowed into the ring like a crimson river. Not a single drop touched the laboratory floor.

The ape never even managed to roar. Its life ended before its mind could process what had happened.

The six sages stood frozen in place. A historic moment had just occurred before their eyes. A novice realm mage had slain an S Rank monster with a sword. Not through a complicated spell. Not through a forbidden ritual. Not with the assistance of an army. He had simply swung a sword. There was nothing more absurd than the scene unfolding before them.

Arthur’s mouth opened slightly as he stared at the corpse. For several seconds he struggled to find words. Then his expression twisted.

"Victor, you little bastard," Arthur shouted. "Do not give this old man a heart attack. At least warn us before you do something this ridiculous."

His voice echoed throughout the laboratory. Surprisingly, none of the other sages disagreed. In fact, they felt Arthur’s reaction was perfectly justified.

Victor scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Well," he said, "I got this weapon from the ancient spaceship too. If I continue supplying enough mana to it, it can eventually be capable of killing even Sage level beings."

Arthur simply snorted. The old sage no longer knew what to say. At this point, every conversation with Victor seemed determined to challenge common sense.

"Then stop talking and finish your work," Arthur replied. "Those old bones are already exhausted."

Victor nodded. "Yes, sir."

He immediately walked toward the next containment cage.

Inside stood a massive tiger covered in emerald fur. Five long tails swayed behind its body while green wind mana surged around it like a hurricane.

The moment Victor approached, the creature reacted. A terrifying wind slash erupted from its body and crashed directly into the mana barrier. The containment cage absorbed the attack, but maintaining the barrier required constant energy from the sages.

Elyndros, who was currently supporting this particular cage, suddenly coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. The attack had not broken the barrier, but the strain had still injured him.

Victor did not waste time. He raised the sword. "Slash."

The crimson blade descended. The tiger died instantly. Its body split apart before it could launch a second attack.

Victor calmly collected every drop of blood using another space ring.

After finishing, he moved toward the next cage. Inside stood an Earth Bear. The creature possessed a body resembling a small mountain. Thick layers of rocky armor covered its skin while earth mana radiated from every movement.

The bear released a deafening roar and charged. Victor swung his sword once. The result was identical. The massive beast collapsed immediately. Its blood was collected.

Victor proceeded to the next cage. A Water Serpent coiled within the containment field. Blue scales reflected the laboratory lights while streams of water floated around its body.

The serpent opened its mouth and unleashed a concentrated torrent capable of crushing steel. The attack never reached Victor. One slash cut through the spell. The second cut through the serpent itself. Moments later, its blood joined the growing collection inside the space rings.

The process continued.

A Metal Swift Manticore attempted to attack with razor sharp metallic spikes. A Thunder Hawk filled the laboratory with violent lightning. A Light Elemental Butterfly unleashed dazzling waves of radiant energy. Finally, a Dark Elemental Shadow Cat emerged from darkness itself, moving so quickly that ordinary mages would have been unable to perceive it.

None of them survived. One after another, Victor eliminated every monster. Each battle lasted only a few seconds. Each corpse was harvested with precise efficiency.

By the time he finished, the laboratory had fallen completely silent once again. The sages no longer looked shocked. Shock required the ability to be surprised. That ability had gradually disappeared over the course of the day.

Victor stored the final space ring and turned toward the six exhausted sages. He bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your help, Sages. I will be leaving now. There are still many preparations I need to make. You should all get some rest."

After speaking, he turned around and left the laboratory. The heavy door closed behind him.

For a long time, nobody spoke. Elyndros, Lyria, Merlin, Magnus, and Karion remained standing exactly where they were. Their expressions resembled people who had just witnessed a ghost.

The silence persisted for nearly a full minute.

Finally, Elyndros released a long sigh.

"I have made a decision. From this day forward, I am no longer going to treat Victor as a normal human being."

Nobody argued. Nobody laughed. Nobody even questioned the statement.

Elyndros continued. "Doing so places too much strain on my blood pressure. From now on, he is an alien as far as I am concerned."

The others nodded unconsciously. The description felt surprisingly accurate.

Elyndros snorted. "Tomorrow he could tell me that he intends to kill the Elemental Sovereign himself. And honestly, I would not even be surprised anymore."

After saying those words, he walked toward one of the healing pods positioned along the laboratory wall. The transparent chamber opened automatically. Elyndros stepped inside. Moments later, the pod closed around him.

The remaining sages exchanged weary looks before moving toward their own healing chambers. Today had been exhausting in ways none of them had anticipated.

Meanwhile, Victor arrived at the enormous research hall that had been prepared by the Federation. He had specifically requested this room for magical experiments and future projects. Arthur had approved the request immediately.

The room was vast enough to contain entire buildings. Countless magical formations were engraved into the walls to prevent accidents.

Victor stepped into the center of the chamber.

"Nova," he called.

The small fairy appeared on his shoulder. "What now?" she asked.

Victor lifted one of the space rings. "Tell me how to extract the blood essence."

Nova nodded. "Wait."

Suddenly, space distorted. A massive furnace materialized in the center of the room. The structure stood nearly ten meters tall and was covered in countless ancient runes. Victor immediately sensed that it was no ordinary artifact.

Nova pointed toward it. "This furnace can operate using many different energy sources. It can be fueled by fire, light, spirit energy, mana, cosmic energy, and several other forms of power. However, spirit energy, mana, and cosmic energy are the most effective fuels."

Victor listened attentively.

"You simply pour the monster blood into the furnace and continuously supply mana. The refinement process will require approximately one day. When it finishes, the essence blood will remain."

Victor nodded. "Understood."

Without delay, he opened the first space ring. Nearly fifty liters of Fire Elemental Ape blood flowed into the furnace. After sealing the lid, he placed both hands against its surface.

Immense mana erupted from his body. The furnace immediately activated. Ancient runes illuminated one after another.

Nova watched carefully. A thoughtful expression appeared in her eyes.

"I want to know exactly how much mana this boy possesses. This furnace consumes more mana every minute than many legendary spells require to cast."

Victor had always been a mystery. The more she observed him, the more questions appeared. She wanted answers before deciding whether he truly deserved the inheritance left behind by her master.

Hours passed. The furnace continued operating. Victor never stopped supplying mana.

One hour became two. Two became six. Six became twelve.

Even after twelve hours, the flow of mana remained astonishingly stable. At that point, Victor consumed ten mana potions simultaneously. He still did not fully trust Nova. Caution remained necessary. So he needed to fool her.

Unfortunately for him, the display was already more than enough. Nova stared at him in complete disbelief. The furnace’s consumption rate was terrifying. Yet Victor had maintained it for half a day without collapsing.

Her shock gradually transformed into certainty.

Finally, she lowered her head.

"Master," she whispered silently. "I do not need to investigate further."

A complicated expression appeared on her face. "He has already proven himself."

She looked toward Victor once more. "He is more than qualified to receive your inheritance."

A faint smile appeared in her eyes. "When this refinement process is complete, I will give it to him."