Victor took out several healing potions from his storage ring and drank them one after another without hesitation. A bitter medicinal taste spread across his tongue while the warm energy of the potions flowed through his body rapidly. Beside the healing potions, he also consumed a high grade antidote that was specifically designed to neutralize toxins. He initially believed the poison would disappear within minutes and that his injuries would recover naturally afterward.

However, reality proved far crueler than his expectations.

Even after thirty full minutes had passed, the poison inside his body showed almost no signs of weakening. Instead, the blue discoloration spreading across his skin became even darker. Veins bulged beneath his flesh while his heartbeat accelerated to an alarming degree. Each pulse felt violent enough to rupture his chest from the inside.

Victor’s eyes widened as cold fear crept into his mind.

"This is bad."

The assassins themselves had only possessed mediocre strength, yet the organization behind them clearly stood on an entirely different level. The poison coating those daggers was not something ordinary people could obtain. It had most likely been extracted from high grade poisonous monsters whose venom could kill even powerful awakeners.

Victor immediately forced himself into a cross legged position despite the agony tearing through his body. Sweat covered his forehead while sharp pain spread through every muscle and organ. He gritted his teeth and began circulating mana throughout his body with absolute concentration.

"I have to burn the poison away or I am dead."

The antidote had only slowed the poison slightly. It had not truly neutralized it. Meanwhile, the toxic particles continued spreading aggressively through his bloodstream toward his liver, heart, lungs, and other vital organs.

Victor inhaled deeply before channeling his combined elemental mana directly toward the wound.

The eight elemental energies merged together and circulated through his blood vessels in a violent stream. Among them, the light and water elements possessed powerful restorative properties capable of healing damaged flesh and stabilizing internal injuries. At the same time, the fire, lightning, and darkness elements contained destructive attributes that could annihilate foreign substances.

Still, Victor quickly encountered another problem.

He could not precisely identify the poison particles hidden within his bloodstream. Without accurately locating them, he could not destroy them efficiently.

The moment that realization surfaced in his mind, a familiar mechanical notification echoed inside his consciousness.

[Ding! Unparalleled Comprehension has been activated.]

[You have created a spell: Mana Sense.]

[Mana Sense: Detects all entities and energy fluctuations within range.]

[Current range: 20 meters.]

Victor’s pupils contracted slightly.

Without wasting even a second, he activated the newly created spell and focused entirely on his own body. Instantly, the internal structure of his body appeared vividly within his perception. It was as though he had gained the vision of a microscopic scanner capable of observing every detail hidden beneath his flesh.

The poison particles drifting through his bloodstream became clearly visible.

Tiny dark fragments spread aggressively through his blood while corroding tissues and damaging organs wherever they passed. Some had already begun invading the liver while others spread toward the nervous system.

Victor immediately responded.

A brilliant burst of light erupted from his body as enormous amounts of mana surged through his veins. The combined elemental energy swept across his bloodstream like a destructive tidal wave. Wherever the mana passed, the poison particles disintegrated rapidly under the overwhelming elemental pressure.

The process was effective, but it was far from quick.

Victor remained motionless while carefully controlling the elemental balance within his mana. If he lost concentration even briefly, the destructive energy could damage his own organs along with the poison.

Time passed slowly inside the silent dungeon.

At some point during the purification process, a wolf monster quietly approached Victor from behind. The beast had been drawn toward the scent of blood lingering in the air. Its crimson eyes stared at Victor greedily while it crept closer with silent steps.

Victor himself never noticed the creature.

However, the moment the wolf entered the twenty meter range of Mana Sense, his body reacted automatically.

Several sharp metal spikes erupted violently from the ground and pierced straight through the monster before it could even leap forward. The wolf released a painful howl before dying instantly. Moments later, its corpse vanished into particles of light and left behind a monster core on the ground.

Victor continued cleansing the poison without interruption.

Three hours passed.

By the time Victor finally opened his eyes again, at least fifteen monster cores were scattered around him. During the purification process, more than forty wolves had entered his detection range and died before reaching him.

Meanwhile, the blue discoloration covering his body had completely disappeared.

The poison particles were finally gone.

Victor exhaled deeply while exhaustion covered his face. Although he had survived, he clearly understood how terrifying the poison truly was. If another person had suffered the same attack, even someone thousands of times stronger than him, survival would have been nearly impossible.

The reason was simple.

Destroying the poison required the simultaneous use of multiple elemental attributes working together with perfect precision. Ordinary mana alone could never eliminate those toxic particles completely.

At the same time, the combined restorative effects of the light and water elements had healed most of his injuries. Torn flesh regenerated rapidly while damaged organs slowly returned to normal.

Victor slowly stood up and released a relieved sigh.

Now another problem stood before him.

Should he leave the dungeon immediately?

If more assassins were waiting outside, then stepping out carelessly would result in instant death. In his current condition, he could not confidently face another coordinated ambush.

Victor narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"I should comprehend the space element first. There is a spell called Short Distance Teleportation. If I sense danger outside, I can escape instantly."

The dungeon system itself was merciless.

When a group entered a dungeon that matched the highest capacity of that dungeon, there were only two ways to leave the dungeon. Either the dungeon had to be cleared completely. If 14 died and one survived, he would have to clear the dungeon alone or had to endure ten full days before new people could enter again. During those ten days, the dungeon would continuously refresh its monsters every three hours.

For ordinary people, such rules were horrifying.

For Victor, however, it was the perfect opportunity.

He needed time to grow stronger.

"I will clear everything except the boss room first. After that, I can continue strengthening my body."

A faint smile appeared on his face as determination returned to his eyes.

However, outside the dungeon, the atmosphere had become incomparably heavier.

Hundreds of people had already gathered near the dungeon entrance, including Diana and Elyndros. Numerous reporters, military personnel, and experts remained focused on the live drone footage being broadcast across the area.

The footage clearly showed the black hooded assassin raising his middle finger toward the surveillance drone after sending his assassins inside the dungeon. Beneath the hood, his visible white teeth formed a mocking grin that carried unmistakable provocation.

The message was obvious.

Humanity’s newest prodigy was already dead.

Diana silently watched the footage while clenching her fists so tightly that blood began dripping from her palms.

Four hours had already passed.

Attempts to send novice rank fighters into the dungeon had all failed because the dungeon still recognized living occupants inside. That meant someone remained alive.

The problem was that nobody knew whether it was Victor or the assassins.

Suddenly, an apocalyptic aura exploded outward from Diana’s body.

Boom!

The terrifying pressure descended upon the entire area instantly. Reporters collapsed to the ground while coughing blood violently. Even experienced soldiers lost consciousness under the overwhelming aura.

Elyndros himself staggered before falling to one knee.

His eyes widened with horror as he looked toward his granddaughter.

"Diana, control your pressure immediately or everyone here will die!"

However, Diana no longer appeared rational.

Her normally gentle blue eyes had turned completely crimson. Her blue hair floated wildly around her while destructive energy distorted the surrounding air. At that moment, she resembled a harbinger of doom rather than a human being.

Elyndros immediately released his own aura in an attempt to suppress hers, but the difference between them was overwhelming.

"Emergency situation! Call the Sages immediately!"

An urgent signal was transmitted through his communicator at once.

Diana suddenly disappeared from her position.

The next moment, she appeared directly in front of Sebastian and grabbed him by the throat before lifting him effortlessly into the air.

"You were assigned as his guardian, were you not?" she asked coldly. "Then how did filthy rats manage to come near him while you were still alive? Your only purpose was to protect him."

Sebastian’s face turned pale.

Diana tilted her head slightly while tightening her grip around his neck.

"Where is the organization located?"

"M Mistress, please calm down," Sebastian said desperately while struggling to breathe. "I truly do not know anything."

His heart pounded violently inside his chest. He had never imagined that the Demonic Princess possessed such terrifying emotions toward Victor.

Diana’s grip tightened further.

"You have thirty seconds."

She did not threaten him further because no threat was necessary.

At that exact moment, five enormous auras descended behind Diana simultaneously.

"Sweety, calm down first. We can still think of a solution," Lyria said carefully.

Diana ignored her completely.

"Capture her immediately," Lyria ordered the others grimly. "If she loses control, the empire itself may be destroyed. I never expected that boy could affect her emotions to this extent."

The six Sages moved instantly alongside Elyndros.

"Stay away from me!"

Diana roared furiously.

A supreme pressure erupted from her body like a natural disaster. The six Sages were blasted backward violently before crashing into the ground with tremendous force.

Then Diana floated slowly into the air while still holding Sebastian by the throat.

A second later, both of them vanished completely.