After enjoying Cat's Tail Tavern's signature drinks, the four companions each went their separate ways.
Victor Wang approached a group of unsuspecting Cryo Slimes. A spark, a swirl—small slimes burst apart in an instant. The two larger ones became hostile and struck back: one went for a body slam, the other charged straight at him.
Victor calmly dodged, holding a half-burned branch in his left hand, then swirled fire again to fully melt their Cryo armor.
He hadn't used elemental catalysts like this since breaking the sword seal in Dadaupa Gorge, where he'd once gathered Mist Flowers, Flaming Flower Stamens, and Electro Crystals for Swirl combos. But afterward, he stopped—because carrying them was a pain.
Even post-harvest, the materials retained elemental properties: ice froze his waist, flames overheated it, and electro jolted him in places no man wants to be jolted. Pure torture.
"But it is super convenient… can't be lighting fires mid-fight every time…"
Once the two large Slimes lost their armor, what little reasoning they had made them retreat to regenerate it—only to be ruthlessly cut down.
That was the fate of pure elemental lifeforms. They might withstand a Cryo Archon's ultimate, but not the chaotic force of other elements. Their shattered remains scattered across the clearing like a frozen battlefield.
Most fragments began dissipating quickly—far faster than Hilichurls did. Simpler composition, perhaps? Victor couldn't help comparing the two.
In the end, only a few lingering pieces remained—Slime Condensate.
These were proof for the commission requester. They were also valuable goods: alchemists, medics, even cooks bought them up, but alchemists had the highest demand—either for potion crafting or as elemental reagents.
Victor pocketed the goo and moved to his next target: the "No Honor Among Thieves" bounty.
This batch of Treasure Hoarders was all new faces. They hadn't prepped any alchemical aids either. Victor decided to go easy—no elemental attacks, just body strength and protection.
Eight of them surrounded the seemingly average youth, eager to teach him a lesson.
But even without fancy powers, Victor's body was a cut above. Though he took a few cheap shots at first, as the brawl dragged on, he adapted. Soon he was weaving between them like a dancer—left hook, right jab, uppercut—and dropped the entire group.
...
On the third day of Valley of Remembrance, Barbara didn't come along.
Bennett finally completed his full 4-star Maiden Beloved set. Victor completed his 4-piece Tiny Miracle—albeit all 3-star quality. Eight Circlets of Logos made him wonder if Bennett's luck was contagious. Seriously? Eight crowns?
Still, artifact upgrades aside, Victor fought three intense duels against opponents equal to his strength. It was real combat—raw and rewarding.
Before they split, Bennett invited him and Fischl to lunch at the Good Hunter. Sounded like he had something to celebrate.
Victor finished his commission and entered the Good Hunter's indoor dining area for the first time. It was spacious—eight large round tables on the first floor alone.
Bennett waved him over enthusiastically. He had reserved half the floor. Three tables were already filled with older men—most sporting at least half-white hair.
As Victor approached, one of them greeted him warmly. "I know you! Bennett said you helped him recover his first real treasure. Thanks for looking out for the boy!"
Others turned their attention toward Victor too.
Looking out for him? Honestly, Bennett's luck had improved since they started hanging out…
"Bennett's a good friend. This is the least I could do."
Once seated, Fischl, Lumine, Paimon, Kaeya, Barbara, and a stranger arrived in succession.
Only then did Bennett announce the occasion: after over 400 days of accumulating commission credits, he had finally reached the rank of Senior Adventurer.
For a career adventurer, this promotion was as prestigious as passing the Knights of Favonius' trials.
The uncles burst into cheers. One wiry old man with fully white hair raised his drink. "Thank you all for taking care of our Bennett!"
The rest of the meal was filled with joyful banter.
Victor had no idea Bennett had just ranked up. As it turned out, Fischl was only an IntermediateAdventurer herself.
She'd started later than Bennett, and while her raw combat power had skyrocketed her through the early ranks, reaching Senior Rank required defeating high-level bosses like the Cryo Regisvine. Even a prodigy like her had to grind the numbers eventually.
Victor's own adventurer spirit sparked a little hearing that.
After a round of dishes and goodbyes, Victor, with both Bennett and Lumine present, decided to register for a combat trial to rank up.
Defeating a Whopperflower was now child's play.
To his surprise, Rein the Greatsword Guy—the same man who'd supervised his first trial—insisted on tagging along again.
"Uncle Rein, I already have two witnesses."
"You think I'm doing this for Mora?" Rein's grizzled face broke into a grin. "Just tagging along. No charge."
"You really got time for this?"
"Getting old. Gotta stay inspired by the young blood."
To accommodate Rein, they rented a cart and rode out to a known Whopperflower spot.
It was a Cryo Whopperflower. Too tough for wind blades to break its shield before it could finish charging. So, Victor lit a campfire before engaging.
The rule was: must defeat it solo for the rank-up to count. Bennett couldn't help—even with something as simple as lending a torch.
This flower was clearly more mature than the last one he'd fought. Bigger. Already emerged from camouflage, standing tall in an open meadow.
Sensing Victor's approach, it dove underground and re-emerged in a blink. Half a second later, it gathered Cryo energy across its petals and started spinning like a blade fan.
Victor raised his sword to block, sparks flying as ice clashed with steel.
Before it could continue, he launched a sword strike to its face. It didn't dig deep, but it left a gash—blueish liquid oozing out.
So much for elemental attacks. Raw swordsmanship was more effective here.
The flower burrowed again, relocated, then fired a wave of giant Cryo spikes—each as tall as Bennett.
Victor dodged fluidly. "Strong attack, but too repetitive," he muttered.
Even Treasure Hoarders had better tactical variety.
The flower tried again. Same trick. He kept dodging and slicing.
In under two minutes, it had taken more than a dozen hits. Its vitality dropped.
Finally, it curled inward to recharge.
Victor reached toward the fire, summoned a burning ember with a gust, and swirled it—shattering the Cryo shield before the recharge finished.
Stunned, the flower went limp. Victor wasted no time, striking it down.
He pulled out a glass vial to collect its nectar, then shared half with Paimon.
Free flower juice in hand, Paimon grinned from ear to ear. Sometimes, simple pleasures were best—eating, drinking, and saving Mora.
Victor found himself a little jealous.
"Guess this means you're Intermediate Rank now. You've got a bright future," Rein said on the ride back.
"You flatter me, sir. I'm still a nobody."
"The more modest you are, the more I believe in your future. Shame you don't wield a greatsword—I'd teach you some of my personal moves."
"Shame indeed."
They chatted away the trip.
Back at the Guild, Katheryne confirmed the result and updated Victor's Adventurer's License:
Intermediate Adventurer — Achieved.