At this moment, Viktor was at the very bottom of the volcano, inside the sealed dimensional space.
He had his hands in his pockets, the hem of his coat fluttering in the heat waves.
A line of words flashed automatically through his mind, 'That year, I had my hands in my pockets, not knowing what an opponent was.'
A blazing pillar of fire came surging toward him. Viktor watched it calmly as a barrier instantly rose from the magic circle beneath his feet, effortlessly blocking the attack.
With countless magic arrays supporting him, he teleported and darted about, waves surging everywhere.
In Viktor's eyes, the massive boss was nothing more than a big, durable toy, fun to play with, but ultimately just a toy.
Guldon slowly raised its body, carrying what looked like a small mountain on its back.
Lava spewed out from its body, sand and stones rising with it in a sweeping storm.
The gravel pierced through his body, yet it was like hitting a curtain of water.
A splash of liquid fell to the ground; the original Viktor had already vanished.
[Tier 3 Magic: Water Mirage]
The next second, the real Viktor appeared behind the monster, a tidal spear made of water forming in his hand. He thrust it straight into Guldon's backside.
Because of the elemental counter, Guldon felt the water spear's damage intensely.
Roaring in pain and fury, it shot lava at Viktor once again.
Seeing Guldon's attacks grow even more ferocious, Viktor easily dodged the deadly strikes with invincible precision.
Whenever Guldon raised its hand, Viktor knew exactly what kind of "fart" it was about to release.
Guldon slammed both claws into the ground, an enormous fire pillar erupted from beneath Viktor's feet.
Viktor instinctively waved his hand.
[Tier 3 Magic: Water Curtain]
A thin, shimmering blue film appeared in an instant, blocking the fiery surge.
Guldon squinted at Viktor, who was handling everything so easily. It felt utterly frustrated and let out a sky-shaking roar to vent its unwillingness.
After a long period of battle, Viktor was still as relaxed as at the start.
But Guldon's health bar had only dropped by a few tenths.
Seeing Viktor handle everything so effortlessly, Vega fell into deep thought.
'To fight a Calamity-level monster to an even standstill… is this guy really human?'
Unable to figure it out, Vega gave up thinking and yelled at Viktor, "Hey! It's been hours already! You're still gonna keep fighting!?"
Hearing Vega's words, Viktor paused in thought.
He remembered the first time he encountered Guldon in the game, he and the allied players had fought it for three days and three nights.
So then…
"Let's fight for three more days."
Viktor cracked his knuckles, excitement burning in his eyes. He was truly looking forward to an exhilarating, all-out battle.
[Tier 3 Magic: Galevis's Ice Storm]
[Tier 3 Magic: Death Chant Ritual]
[Tier 3 Magic: Still Water]
Countless spells were cast from Viktor's fingertips, one after another. The magic circles flared in the air like stars beneath stormy clouds.
Vega, watching from above, was utterly shocked by the flood of spells pouring out of Viktor.
'Damn, this guy's a total freak!'
'There's no way this is the strength of just a Tier 3 mage!'
Waves of colorful energy blasts rained down, endlessly wearing away at the towering monster.
Even the surrounding cliffs crumbled under the sheer pressure.
Guldon, pummeled by so many spells, felt as if its body were being stabbed by countless needles, non-lethal, but agonizing.
Its tail suddenly whipped out, slicing off half of the narrow volcanic rim.
The huge fragment fell into the magma below, splashing upward like a fiery geyser.
Viktor stepped onto a black array beneath his feet, instantly vanishing into dark mist, only to reappear atop another intact edge of the crater, seizing the opening to keep up his barrage.
Guldon opened its fanged maw, a sun-bright fireball forming in its throat, swelling with power.
Boom!
The fireball erupted, blasting into the nearby mountainside.
The rocks shattered, smoke and ash soared skyward.
Viktor pinched another array into shape and swapped positions with an ice shell he had planted earlier.
The ice shell took the full brunt of the explosion, vaporizing instantly into mist.
[Tier 3 Magic: Ice Substitute]
All of his teleport spells were on cooldown, but the ice substitute's maximum range had been perfectly measured.
Pebbles flew past, grazing his coat.
He wasn't hurt at all, the boss's skill had just barely missed.
Viktor pressed his palms together, and behind him appeared a giant, glowing white gate.
[Tier 3 Summon: White Spirit of Malice]
At his command, the massive marble door slowly opened behind him.
A rush of white mist poured out, blanketing the entire volcano.
Vega's vision was instantly covered in fog. It screamed, "Viktor! Viktor! I'm still here! Don't let your summon attack me!"
With Vega's knowledge, it knew exactly what Viktor had summoned.
The White Spirit of Malice, friend or foe, it made no distinction.
Guldon, now shrouded in white mist, flailed its huge claws trying to disperse it.
But the fog clung to it like spider silk, no matter how it tore, it wouldn't come off.
Two withered, pale arms stretched slowly out of the mist, grabbing Guldon's head and trying to drag it toward the gate.
But as the molten beast was far too heavy, the White Spirit couldn't move it at all, so the white gate began to shake violently.
The first part of the spirit to emerge was its head, or something like a head.
Seven eyes ringed its skull, each beam of light from them making Guldon dizzy and disoriented.
Its body continued to crawl out, its lower half made of three massive serpent-like tails coiled together, covering the lava floor.
From the back of its neck, the skin split open, forcing out a third arm.
It tore out its own spine and turned it into a blade, slashing straight through Guldon's rocky armor.
Seeing the gate collapse, Viktor sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"This thing's still as reckless as ever."
The summon wasn't as strong as he was, but it could definitely take a beating better.
With the White Spirit tangling up Guldon, Viktor had the chance to pull back. Facing the monster again, he unleashed dozens of debuff spells, preparing for the next wave.
He pulled some materials from his pack and began crafting a few magic tools on the spot, tossing them at the boss.
The effects were minimal.
"Still better than nothing," Vega muttered, trying to comfort itself.
Soon, about ten percent of Guldon's health bar had been emptied.
The flames in its eyes blazed brighter, and the lava on its body began flowing faster.
Its hands became engulfed in an intense fire, and rocky spikes formed along its tail.
Viktor's eyes lit up, a rush of heat stirring inside him,
He had rediscovered that feeling of battle.
That thrill made his brain throb with adrenaline.
In this form, Guldon's defense had skyrocketed, and its skills were much stronger.
This was the true reason it was called the Molten Beast.
Flames turned into magma, covering the ground so completely that Viktor had nowhere to stand.
Even the White Spirit screamed in pain from the scorching heat of the battlefield.
"If there's nowhere to stand, then I'll make my own." Saying that, Viktor drew a square shape in the air.
With a snap of his fingers, vapor condensed into a high-density block of ice, floating in midair.
The battle continued. Viktor stood on the ice block, casting spell after spell.
———
Meanwhile, the real-world Mount Vesuvius was showing terrifying changes.
The knights had long evacuated the townsfolk at the base. Only Gwen and a few knights remained, retreating halfway down the slope to monitor the volcano for further anomalies.
Just as Gwen's instincts warned, something was happening.
They looked up at the volcano's surface, which was glowing red, steam rising from the crater as if the outer shell had peeled away to reveal the true color beneath.
"Captain! The crater's hot enough to fry iron!" one knight shouted.
Gwen's expression hardened. She turned and ordered the others, "Quickly! Report to the capital at once! Request reinforcements!"
The knights nodded and rushed off toward the town to use the magic crystal for contact.
———
[Duke's Mansion]
In her room, Erica sat on her bed, clutching a bottle of blue potion, eyes blank.
She felt like all the knowledge she'd ever learned in her life had gone to waste.
If it had been before, she would've thought paying so much money for just a few bottles of potion was an outrageous loss.
"This potion… sells for a thousand Geo?"
But now, her thoughts were the opposite.
"This thing's only worth a thousand Geo?"
She stared at the potion in her hand, dazed, her mind a complete mess.
The duke was away on business and hadn't returned home yet, but she was already dying to tell her father about this discovery.
"Duke sir, shall I inform the young lady that you've returned?" a servant's voice came from outside.
Like an excited little deer, Erica darted to the door, only to freeze at the reply she heard.
"No need. Tell her I'll be traveling for a few days and won't be returning home."
Standing by the door, Erica heard everything and stopped in her tracks.
Duke Levi, seeing his beloved daughter listening silently, smiled bitterly.
"Erica, the emperor has issued an emergency order. Reinforcements are needed."
She looked puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "Father, you're a duke, why do you have to go personally?"
The duke beckoned her over. Obediently, Erica stepped closer.
He gently patted her head and explained softly, "My dear, this isn't a small matter. All Tier 3 mages in the capital are being summoned. Even Tier 2 mages are included in the ranks."
"Since you're still young, the royal family didn't summon you."
Erica suddenly thought of Viktor, who had gone on a mission days ago.
He was also a Tier 3 mage.
And now her father was being summoned too, could they be going to the same place?
"What happened there that needs so many mages?" she asked.
Before her father could answer, she quickly said, "I'm going too!"
Hearing that, Duke Levi's face immediately turned stern. He refused at once.
"No. You're still too young, and you have classes to attend."
"I'm not a child anymore! I'm already a Tier 2 mage! If all the Tier 2 and Tier 3 mages leave the capital, the academy won't be exempt either. What, am I supposed to ask the headmaster to teach me personally?"
She knew the headmaster wouldn't easily leave the capital, he was the only Tier 4 Holy Mage in the realm, responsible for maintaining order and deterring hidden threats.
As for everyone else, Erica arrogantly yet confidently believed that besides Viktor, no one at the academy could teach her anymore.
"Even so…"
The duke hesitated for a while, deep in thought.
As Erica said, she was no longer a child.
At seventeen, she would be an adult next year.
He couldn't protect her forever. If he did, she'd never grow her own wings.
Erica had her own dreams, and at times like this, he had to let her go.
He couldn't let his excessive fatherly love clip his daughter's proud wings.
"…Fine, Erica. You may come with me."
"The place we're going is Mount Vesuvius. The Royal Knights have sent out a distress signal."
"To be precise, Mount Vesuvius may be about to erupt."
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