Victor entered the dungeon and immediately began hunting monsters across the first floor.

The forest stretched endlessly beneath the artificial sky while thick roots twisted across the ground like giant serpents. Horned wolves prowled between the trees in groups, their glowing eyes filled with violent hunger after detecting fresh prey entering their territory.

The first wolf lunged toward Victor with a savage roar.

A blazing fireball instantly condensed above his palm before shooting forward at explosive speed. The attack collided directly against the monster’s skull and detonated violently. Flames swallowed the wolf’s upper body before the corpse dissolved into particles of light completely.

A faint blue mana core dropped onto the ground afterward.

Victor picked it up casually before continuing deeper into the forest.

Another wolf rushed toward him from the right side.

Victor rotated his mana circulation immediately and switched elemental attributes without hesitation. Sharp wind blades condensed around him and sliced outward instantly.

Blood sprayed through the air as the wolf’s body separated into multiple pieces midair. However, before the remains even touched the ground, the corpse vanished into glowing particles as well.

Another mana core dropped nearby.

Victor continued walking deeper into the dungeon.

For every kill, he deliberately changed the elemental pathway he used. Fire transformed into water. Water shifted into lightning. Lightning became metal. Then darkness. Then light. He continuously forced his body to adapt under real combat conditions.

Every elemental transition placed strain upon different sections of his mana pathways. His muscles tightened repeatedly while faint tearing sensations spread beneath his skin each time he forcefully altered mana attributes.

Yet instead of frustration, Victor felt satisfaction.

His body was adapting faster than expected.

A horned wolf suddenly descended from above with claws aimed toward his throat.

Victor pointed upward instinctively.

An earth spike erupted violently from the ground and pierced through the wolf’s stomach before pinning it against a nearby tree trunk. The monster released a final painful howl before dissolving into light particles moments later.

A mana core dropped beneath the tree.

Another wolf appeared silently behind him.

Victor did not even turn around.

Lightning exploded from his fingertips like a violent serpent and pierced directly through the monster’s skull. Burnt flesh cracked apart before the corpse disappeared into particles instantly.

Victor exhaled slowly.

The battlefield remained strangely clean despite the constant slaughter because dungeon monsters vanished shortly after death. Only scattered mana cores remained across the forest floor as proof of battle.

After nearly half an hour of continuous hunting, Victor had already cleared most of the entrance region. Dozens of monsters had died beneath different elemental spells while several mana cores filled his storage pouch.

The strain upon his body had become obvious by now.

His breathing grew slightly heavier while pain spread continuously through his mana circuits. Tiny tears had already formed within several pathways because of the constant elemental transitions.

However, compared to earlier experiments, the discomfort had noticeably decreased.

Victor noticed it immediately.

"It is adapting faster than expected."

A faint smile appeared across his face.

Meanwhile, outside the dungeon, two guards remained stationed near the massive green portal.

The surrounding area had become relatively quiet after temporary restrictions were placed around the dungeon entrance. Most hunters avoided approaching the location carelessly now.

Several minutes passed peacefully.

Then a hooded figure slowly approached from the distance.

The man wore a loose black robe that concealed his entire body beneath darkness. Even his footsteps produced almost no sound against the stone path.

One guard frowned immediately.

"Hey. This dungeon is restricted right now. Come back later."

The hooded man remained silent.

Then he casually raised one hand.

A strange dark fluctuation spread through the air.

The expressions of both guards froze instantly.

Before either man could react properly, their eyes rolled backward and their unconscious bodies collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The hooded figure lowered his hand slowly.

At the same moment, fourteen assassins emerged silently from different shadows nearby.

Every single one wore black combat gear designed specifically for stealth and rapid assassination. Their faces remained fully covered while sharp killing intent leaked faintly from their bodies.

Most importantly, all fourteen radiated peak Novice Rank mana fluctuations.

Even among trained killers, this was an extremely dangerous force.

The hooded man quietly stared toward the portal.

"Kill him and commit suicide," he ordered coldly. "Returning alive is out of the question."

The assassins immediately bowed deeply.

"Your wish is our command, Master."

Their voices sounded completely emotionless.

The hooded man remained silent briefly before speaking again.

"You already know the dungeon restrictions. Fifteen individuals maximum. Apprentice Rank and Novice Rank are the highest realms allowed inside. So kill him and commit suicide after entering the boss room."

One assassin stepped forward slightly.

"If resistance becomes troublesome, are we allowed to damage the body?"

The hooded figure nodded once.

"It no longer matters. Victor Walker must die today."

The atmosphere became colder instantly.

Even these assassins did not dare underestimate Victor anymore after watching the public broadcast earlier.

An eight elemental genius.

A monster capable of comprehending spells at absurd speed.

If someone like that continued growing freely, countless future power structures could collapse entirely.

The hooded man slowly turned toward the portal again.

"Victor Walker..." he muttered beneath the hood.

His voice carried faint killing intent.

"No other prodigy is necessary for our plans. You should die."

Moments later, his body dissolved into darkness completely.

The fourteen assassins immediately entered the portal one after another before disappearing through the green portal.

...

Deep within the dungeon forest, Victor continued hunting while moving toward the deeper sections of the fifth floor.

The monsters roaming this region possessed noticeably stronger mana fluctuations compared to earlier areas. Several horned wolves charged toward him simultaneously from different directions.

Victor raised one hand.

A blazing fire lance condensed instantly before exploding forward like a meteor. The attack pierced through the first wolf before detonating violently inside its body. Flames spread outward before the monster dissolved completely into particles.

Then he suddenly paused.

His wind sense detected faint disturbances behind him.

Almost simultaneously, his earth sense picked up multiple controlled vibrations moving beneath the ground.

Victor narrowed his eyes slightly.

Without changing expression, he quietly activated Dark Sense.

Fourteen humanoid silhouettes instantly appeared within his perception.

All of them moved through shadows with terrifying discipline while slowly surrounding him from multiple directions.

Victor’s lips curved upward faintly.

"Assassins?"

A cold light flickered within his eyes.

Instead of tension, excitement slowly began rising inside him.

He had expected enemies eventually.

What surprised him was their speed.

"They truly want me dead badly enough to attack inside a dungeon in the capital of the empire. Man, humans are too greedy."

Victor almost laughed softly.

Then he continued hunting deliberately as though he had noticed nothing.

A horned wolf rushed toward him from the left side.

A water spear condensed instantly and pierced through the monster’s throat before freezing surrounding flesh solid. Ice spread rapidly across the corpse before the monster dissolved moments later.

Meanwhile, the assassins silently approached closer.

Their movements remained flawless.

Not a single unnecessary sound escaped them. Their killing intent stayed tightly suppressed while their mana fluctuations barely leaked outward at all.

Victor observed everything through Dark Sense carefully.

"Professionals."

A normal awakened would already be dead without realizing danger existed.

Unfortunately for them, Victor possessed too many sensory spells simultaneously.

Soon, the assassins entered attack range.