"What did you just say?"

Arthur’s calm voice echoed across the silent street as he stared directly at the trembling official.

The pressure in the surroundings instantly became suffocating.

The man’s face turned pale. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he immediately dropped to his knees.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, for losing my composure," the man said hurriedly while lowering his head deeply. "The boy has indeed awakened one month ago with affinity with all eight elemental attributes. His potential value is ten."

The moment those words fell, the expressions of countless people watching the live broadcast changed drastically.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Confusion.

Every emotion appeared at once.

Even Diana finally understood why Victor had been labeled as Supreme Trash earlier.

At first glance, possessing all elemental affinities sounded heavenly. However, the reality was completely different.

Ordinary magi only needed to specialize in a single elemental path.

But eight?

That was a nightmare.

Victor would need to comprehend eight times more spells than ordinary people. Every realm advancement required deeper understanding of elemental laws, spell structures, and mana manipulation.

For a normal person, such a burden was impossible.

Unless someone possessed a monstrous physique capable of supporting such comprehension speed, they would spend their entire life stuck at low realms.

Diana herself could only walk such a difficult path because she possessed a Dao Physique blessed by heaven.

Otherwise, even she would never have reached her current level in such a short time.

Lyria narrowed her eyes slightly as she observed Victor.

"How many spells have you comprehended so far?" she asked.

Victor answered honestly.

"Forty spells."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Even the air itself seemed to freeze.

Victor naturally understood that the people standing before him were extraordinary figures. The way the examiner addressed Arthur as "Your Majesty" already revealed enough.

Still, he had not imagined they were actually sages.

Meanwhile, Elyndros swallowed hard.

Across the world, countless viewers stared blankly at their screens.

Even Valkan, who had remained horrified throughout the entire time, finally showed a look of disbelief.

Did the boy say forty?

Not four.

Forty.

The number sounded so absurd that many people wondered if they had misheard him.

Arthur slowly looked at Victor with sharp eyes.

"Boy, do not joke around," he said coldly. "Do you even understand what you are saying?"

Victor blinked once before speaking carefully.

"May I know who you are first, sir?"

Arthur placed both hands behind his back as his aura naturally became imposing.

"I am Arthur Ashborn."

The moment the name entered Victor’s ears, something clicked instantly in his mind.

His eyes widened.

His breathing almost stopped.

"Wait... are you "The" Arthur Ashborn?" he asked with disbelief.

For some reason, Arthur suddenly felt very satisfied seeing that reaction.

"Indeed," he replied calmly while slightly nodding.

"Damn!" Victor exclaimed without controlling himself. "The man, the myth, the legend himself is standing in front of me? Sir, I admired you so much when I read about your achievements in history books."

Arthur’s lips almost curled upward.

Although he constantly received praise from countless people, Victor’s admiration felt strangely sincere. There was no flattery hidden behind political intentions or fear.

The boy genuinely respected him.

Arthur stood straighter unconsciously as if silently telling him to continue.

Victor did not disappoint.

"You fought alone during the Northern Cataclysm and defended three collapsing cities at once. I still remember reading about that battle. It always gave me goosebumps."

Arthur coughed lightly while trying to maintain his dignity.

Still, the satisfaction in his eyes remained obvious.

Elyndros immediately became annoyed seeing Arthur monopolizing all the praise.

"Cough. Boy, surely you have heard my name as well," Elyndros interrupted. "Elyndros Morningstar. The Crimson Flame."

Victor almost choked.

"Holy..."

He barely stopped himself from cursing.

"You must be joking, sir. How can two Primordial Rulers appear in the same place together?"

His expression became increasingly excited.

"I have read your biography too. During the Moon Empire Dungeon Break, you personally killed three S Rank Ancient Beasts and saved millions of people. That battle was legendary."

Victor’s voice carried genuine admiration.

The previous owner of this body had always admired the sages deeply. Whenever he found free time, he would read books about their battles and accomplishments.

To him, these people were living legends.

Arthur and Elyndros both maintained calm expressions outwardly, but internally they felt extremely pleased.

Then Lyria suddenly snorted coldly.

"What a pair of shameless old men," she said mockingly. "You two are practically begging a child for praise."

Arthur and Elyndros instantly looked away in embarrassment.

Lyria then shifted her gaze toward Victor.

"You must have heard about me too," she said casually. "I am Lyria Windsor. The Black Valkyrie."

Arthur and Elyndros immediately turned toward her with disdain.

So she wanted praise too.

Lyria glared at both of them fiercely.

"What are you looking at?"

Victor quickly bowed respectfully.

"It is an honor to meet the Eternal Beauty herself, Sage Lyria," he said sincerely. "I read about how you cleared multiple Red Dungeons completely alone. Honestly, your achievements sounded unreal when I first read them."

Lyria smiled proudly.

Unlike Arthur and Elyndros, she did not even bother hiding her satisfaction.

Then suddenly, Victor froze.

Something finally connected inside his head.

If that old man was Elyndros Morningstar, then...

Slowly, Victor turned toward Diana.

His eyes widened in horror.

He swallowed hard before looking back at Lyria.

"Then... is she...?"

He could not even finish his sentence properly.

Lyria’s smirk instantly widened.

"You guessed correctly," she replied while enjoying his reaction. "She is Diana Morningstar."

The atmosphere suddenly became strange.

Diana quietly looked away instead of meeting Victor’s eyes directly.

For some reason, she felt slightly embarrassed.

Everyone watching the broadcast expected Victor to panic immediately. After all, earlier he had hugged her and declared to protect her.

Most people assumed he would now apologize desperately or start groveling in fear.

However, Victor surprised everyone once again.

He calmly raised both hands.

Then he extended his index and middle fingers.

Instantly, four different elemental spells appeared simultaneously around him.

A small fireball burned above one finger.

A sphere of water floated calmly nearby.

A miniature typhoon rotated violently beside it.

Finally, a compact sphere of mud condensed near his other hand.

The control displayed was flawless.

Even Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Victor then looked directly at Diana.

"Lady Diana," he said carefully, "may I ask you something if you promise not to kill me?"

Diana’s expression became serious.

"Go ahead."

Victor took a deep breath.

"I can comprehend spells very quickly," he said honestly. "If someday I manage to reach your level... would you allow me to become your friend?"

Silence filled the surroundings again.

Diana’s face became slightly warm, though she hid it well.

No one expected such a question.

He was not asking for wealth.

Not asking for protection.

Not even asking for resources.

He simply wanted the right to stand beside her one day.

"Of course," Diana replied softly after a short pause. "I will wait for you in the Moon Empire."

Then she continued calmly.

"And since you saved my life earlier, I will grant you one wish. Tell me what you want." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The entire world exploded into excitement.

A wish from Diana Morningstar.

One of the youngest and most talented sages in history.

People watching the broadcast became restless instantly.

What would he ask for?

A legendary weapon?

Rare cultivation resources?

Protection from the Moon Empire?

Victor answered instinctively before even thinking properly.

"Please stay single for five years."

Boom.

The sentence exploded inside everyone’s minds like thunder.

Even the viewers watching remotely almost lost their minds.

"This bastard has gone insane!"

"He actually dared!"

"The audacity!"

Meanwhile, Diana’s heartbeat became chaotic again.

Lyria looked thoroughly entertained.

"He certainly has courage," she said while laughing softly.

Then she looked at Victor again.

"Are you saying you can reach the level of a sage within five years?"

Victor’s expression turned calm and confident.

"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "Not only will I become a sage within five years, I will become the strongest sage in the history of Ethereum."

His eyes shone brightly.

"I possess eight elemental affinities. That means I also possess eight times more possibilities than everyone else."

The confidence in his voice stunned countless people.

Lyria suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha! Interesting. Very interesting."

Even Arthur and Elyndros exchanged strange looks.

Normally, such words would sound arrogant beyond reason.

Yet somehow, hearing them from Victor did not feel ridiculous.

Diana looked at him quietly for several seconds.

Then she finally spoke.

"Your wish is granted."

Victor’s eyes brightened instantly.

The moment she finished speaking, she vanished from the area immediately.

Her heart was beating too wildly to remain there any longer.

Victor watched the empty space silently before his expression slowly became serious again.

"Victor," Arthur suddenly called out, "would you like to enroll in the Royal Magus Academy?"

Victor immediately shook his head.

"Sir, I need real combat," he replied honestly. "The more I fight inside dungeons, the faster I comprehend spells. I do not want to waste time sitting inside classrooms."

Arthur frowned slightly.

Before he could speak again, Elyndros stepped forward.

"If that is your concern," he said thoughtfully, "then how about relocating to the capital city of the Moon Empire?"

Victor looked toward him attentively.

"There are countless dungeons near the capital," Elyndros continued. "You would never lack opportunities to fight. Furthermore, with special authorization from us, you could enter dungeons at certain times when ordinary hunters will be prohibited from entering."

Victor’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The offer was extremely tempting.