This incident soon passed through the mouths of everyone, that the so-called trash of the Walker clan had publicly humiliated Haron Carter.
The story spread rapidly, exaggerated at every retelling, until it became a subject of both disbelief and fascination. Those who had once dismissed Victor began to reconsider their judgments, while others refused to accept the narrative and insisted that there must have been some hidden trick behind it. Regardless of their opinions, his name was now circulating in places it had never reached before.
After eating a hearty meal, Victor went to find a space pouch. However, when he heard the price of one hundred thousand dollars for even the lowest-grade version, he immediately withdrew with Rudi. He decided that he would purchase it at a later time, when his financial situation became more stable.
"Rudi, I will not return tonight. Do not wait for me," Victor said to Rudi while he was driving the scooter.
Rudi turned his head slightly, his brows knitting together in concern. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"I have some business," Victor replied, offering no further explanation. Tonight, he intended to leave the city and enter the forest.
There was a high-tier E-rank green dungeon located deeper within the forest.
That particular dungeon was his target, as he had conducted prior research on it and determined that it offered both risk and opportunity.
F-rank hunters did not usually venture into that area, especially not during the night when danger increased significantly.
"I hope some overpowered individual is not waiting there out of boredom," Victor thought cautiously, his mind remaining alert to unpredictable threats.
Soon they reached the shop, and Victor prepared himself with his wand and armor before leaving once again.
"Can basic wind elemental manipulation allow me to fly?" he wondered, attempting to push currents of air beneath his feet.
The effort proved partially successful, as it enabled him to leap higher than usual, yet it failed to sustain him in the air.
"It appears that basic mastery will not suffice," he thought with mild disappointment.
Soon he exited the city and began running toward the direction of the forest.
The distance was approximately twenty kilometers from the city, and Victor utilized wind manipulation to enhance his speed considerably.
He estimated that it would take him one hour to cover twenty kilometers, which represented a significant improvement compared to his previous capabilities.
However, the terrain and the density of the forest slowed him down slightly.
Two hours later,
Victor finally arrived at the deeper region of the forest.
The dungeon was inhabited by wolves, and it consisted of fifteen floors, making it a challenging yet manageable location for his current level.
As expected, there were no hunters present in the vicinity.
The silence of the forest felt heavy, interrupted only by distant rustling and the occasional cry of nocturnal creatures.
However, Victor's eyes suddenly widened.
Approximately five hundred meters away from the green portal, there was a white portal.
His heart skipped a beat.
White dungeons were the most dangerous, as their rank could not be determined from the outside.
"I should leave. If this is a C-rank or higher dungeon and a dungeon break occurs now, I will be finished," Victor thought, his instincts urging immediate retreat.
Yet before he could act, someone suddenly fell out of the white portal.
Moments later, the portal vanished completely, indicating that it had been cleared by the individual who had just emerged.
Victor hesitated briefly before approaching the fallen figure.
From a distance, he could tell that it was a woman, and she was not moving at all.
"Is she dead? Did she clear the dungeon alone, or did she have companions who perished inside?" numerous questions raced through his mind as he drew closer.
When he finally stood before her, he froze.
The moment his eyes fell upon her face, Victor felt as though an electric current had passed through his heart.
The woman was the very embodiment of beauty.
She possessed an ethereal elegance that seemed almost unreal.
Her skin was pale and luminous, carrying a soft radiance even under the dim light of the forest. Her features were exquisitely delicate, with a symmetrical harmony that appeared sculpted rather than born. Her ocean-blue hair flowed around her like liquid silk, strands shimmering faintly as they caught the ambient light. Her eyebrows were finely shaped, complementing eyes that, even while closed, suggested a depth as vast as the sea. Long blue lashes rested against her cheeks, and her lips held a natural softness that required no adornment.
There was an otherworldly serenity about her appearance, as though she did not belong to the mortal plane at all.
"How can someone be this beautiful? Is she an angel?" Victor swallowed, struggling to steady his thoughts.
Then his gaze shifted, and he noticed a deep gash across her abdomen that he had failed to see earlier.
"Damn it."
He immediately knelt beside her and examined the wound more closely.
It was severe, extending deeply into her body, and there were multiple additional cuts scattered across her form.
She had clearly lost a significant amount of blood.
Victor sat beside her and activated his healing spell.
Under normal circumstances, this spell worked flawlessly on himself, restoring injuries with remarkable efficiency. However, he had no certainty regarding its effectiveness on wounds of this magnitude.
As the healing water entered her body, Victor suddenly felt an immense pull on his mana.
It was as though a black hole had formed within her, drawing in his energy without restraint.
"What is happening?" he thought, alarm rising within him.
[Ding! The target is far too powerful for the caster. There is a possibility of excessive mana drain, and the caster may lose consciousness.]
"Mana drain? That does not exist in my dictionary. I will heal this angel even if it takes days," he resolved firmly.
Six hours later,
Sweat poured down Victor's face in continuous streams.
Although his mana reserves had not been depleted, the constant flow of energy through his body had begun to strain him severely.
His muscles ached, and his breathing had grown uneven.
Yet he refused to stop.
He could see that the wound was gradually closing.
"Good," he thought with determination.
By this point, Victor was certain that he had expended an amount of mana equivalent to casting two thousand basic spells consecutively. It was insane to even think of. How powerful was this woman?
Another hour passed.
Finally, her wounds were fully sealed, though her consciousness had yet to return.
"Probably 100% mana depletion," Victor reasoned.
He considered transferring some of his own mana to her, but his entire body resisted the idea, warning him of imminent collapse.
"It would be better to take her to a hospital," he concluded, then glanced at her torn clothing.
Her fair skin was visible through the damaged fabric.
Without hesitation, he removed his armor and covered her with it.
Afterward, he fashioned a veil using his own clothes, ensuring that her face remained hidden.
He understood that if ordinary people were to witness such extraordinary beauty, it could lead to undesirable consequences.
Carefully, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her like a princess, and began running toward the city.
Despite his exhaustion, he maintained a steady pace.
Soon, he arrived at the hospital and entered without delay.
The nurses quickly recognized the urgency of the situation and assisted him.
"Do not worry. We will handle everything from here," one nurse assured him.
Victor nodded faintly.
However, the moment he handed her over, his own body finally gave in.
He did not even have the opportunity to use his healing spell on himself.
As he staggered, on the verge of collapse, he forced himself to return to the shop.
With great difficulty, he reached his room and collapsed onto the floor.
He had no intention of undergoing medical examinations.
He did not know what they might discover if they analyzed his condition.
…
Inside the hospital, the nurses transported the woman on a stretcher toward a private room.
During the movement, the veil covering her face slipped aside.
At that moment, the chief doctor of the hospital happened to be passing through the corridor.
His gaze fell upon her face.
"Stop," he shouted sharply.
"Yes, sir?" the nurses halted immediately.
"What happened to her? How did she come here?" he demanded, a look of horror spreading across his face.
"A young man brought her in and then left. It appears to be a case of mana depletion," one nurse explained.
The doctor's expression turned pale.
"Oh no… if anything happens to her, we are finished. Blackwind City is finished. The kingdom is finished. Even the empire might not survive the consequences," he muttered, his voice trembling.
"Sir, what are you saying?" the nurses asked, confused and alarmed.
"Leave. I will handle this personally," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.
He immediately took out his communication device and contacted several individuals.
Within five minutes, the entire Blackwind City was in motion.
Patriarchs from every powerful family and members of the federation rushed toward the hospital.
And that was only the beginning.
The disturbance spread outward like a shockwave.
Because the thirteenth sage, Diana Morningstar, was lying unconscious in a remote, insignificant city of the Great Sun Empire.