Journey to Become the Zenith

The Lesson Written in Pain

”Sana, Livia, Humer! Attack Victor from the distance using magic, support Eon!”

Hearing Brinda’s sharp command, the three finally snapped out of their hesitation and moved.

The air shifted.

Mana gathered.

Boots scraped against dry soil as they spread out, instinctively forming distance. The field, silent just moments ago, began to hum faintly with tension—like the calm surface of a lake before something breaks through.

Eon didn’t wait.

With a low grunt, he surged forward, axe in hand, his massive frame cutting through the air like a charging beast. Each step pressed deep into the ground, dust rising behind him in short bursts.

Victor didn’t move.

Not even an inch.

He stood there—relaxed, upright, golden eyes half-lidded as if he were watching children play rather than facing an attack.

That... irritated them more than anything.

Behind Eon—

Brinda and the others began casting.

Fire ignited first.

A compact sphere of flame condensed in Brinda’s palm, her fingers curling slightly as she shaped it with practiced ease.

At the same time—

Sana formed a sharp Ice Spear, pale mist coiling around her arm.

Livia followed, her Earth Spear rising from the ground with a grinding sound, dense and heavy.

Humer lagged just slightly behind.

Not slow—

But not sharp either.

Victor saw it.

Noted it.

Filed it away.

The spells launched.

Fire first.

Then ice.

Then earth.

Each one different.

Each one imperfect.

Each one revealing something.

Victor’s lips curved slightly.

There it is.

The difference.

Brinda’s fireball reached him first—fast, controlled, clean.

Without hesitation, Victor raised his hand.

Mana flowed instantly—smooth, dense, precise—coating his fist like a second skin.

Then—

He punched forward.

The fireball shattered on impact.

Not exploded.

Not deflected.

It simply... ceased.

Dispersed like it had never existed.

The mana holding it together was crushed, overwritten by something stronger.

Behind it—

The other attacks arrived.

Two Ice Spears from Sana.

One Earth Spear from Livia.

Victor moved.

Not fast.

Not flashy.

Just... right.

He caught both ice spears with his bare hands.

Frost crackled against his skin, trying to bite, to freeze—but his mana burned through it instantly.

Then—

His leg snapped out.

A clean kick.

The earth spear shattered mid-flight, fragments scattering harmlessly.

But in that exact moment—

Eon arrived.

His axe came down with force.

A heavy, brutal arc aimed to split Victor in half.

Victor leaned.

Just a slight sway to the right.

The blade passed through empty air.

Before Eon could recover—

Victor’s hand shot out.

He grabbed Eon’s wrist.

At the same time—

His foot hooked behind Eon’s leg.

Then—

He pulled.

Hard.

The giant lost balance instantly.

His weight betrayed him.

He slammed face-first into the ground.

The impact echoed across the field.

Dust rose.

Silence cracked.

Victor didn’t even look at him.

Because—

Humer had already closed in.

Too close.

Way too close.

His hands trembled slightly as he formed the spell—

”Burst Flame!”

A large, unstable mass of fire gathered in front of him, crackling with chaotic energy.

Victor’s eyes flicked toward him.

Disapproval.

Clear.

Immediate.

He grabbed Eon’s fallen body and shifted it slightly behind him.

Then—

He stomped.

The ground surged upward.

A thick wall of earth rose instantly, dense and solid.

Humer’s spell crashed into it.

The explosion shook the wall—

But it held.

Barely.

Humer’s eyes widened.

Before he could react—

Victor kicked the wall.

The entire structure tore free from the ground and launched forward.

Humer froze.

Too slow.

Too shocked.

The wall slammed into him.

He hit the ground hard, breath knocked out of his lungs.

”Idiot...” Victor muttered under his breath.

Then—

The sky flickered.

Mana gathered above.

Victor’s gaze lifted instantly.

Ah.

Finally.

”Lightning!”

A bolt tore through the sky.

Fast.

Violent.

Precise.

Brinda.

Victor moved before it even formed.

He stepped aside—

The lightning struck where he had been a fraction of a second ago, leaving scorched earth and a lingering crackle in the air.

He didn’t pause.

Didn’t slow.

He moved.

Straight toward Brinda.

Fast.

Too fast.

Sana and Livia panicked.

They stepped forward instinctively, bodies moving before their minds caught up.

They couldn’t cast.

Too late.

So they chose the only thing they could do.

They stood in his way.

Victor’s expression didn’t change.

But something in his eyes shifted.

A flicker.

Approval.

He slipped past them—

Two precise strikes.

One to each of their necks.

Clean.

Controlled.

They collapsed instantly.

Unconscious.

But unharmed.

Even so—

They had bought time.

And for someone like Brinda—

A second was enough.

”Earth Wall.”

The ground erupted around her.

A protective dome formed, thick layers of earth sealing her inside.

She exhaled.

Just a moment.

Just one more second—

Victor reached the wall.

He didn’t stop.

Didn’t analyze.

Didn’t hesitate.

His fist drove forward.

The wall shattered.

Not cracked.

Not weakened.

Shattered.

Pieces exploded outward.

Brinda froze.

Their eyes met.

There was no escape.

No time.

No trick left.

Her shoulders dropped slightly.

”I give up!”

Silence returned.

The wind carried dust across the broken ground.

Eon groaned somewhere behind.

Humer lay still.

Sana and Livia were unconscious.

Victor exhaled slowly.

Then—

...

After the three people who fainted woke up, Victor looked at the group who faced him and sighed.

Not angry.

Not disappointed.

Just... tired.

”I wasn’t expecting much...”

His voice was calm.

”But it’s much worse than I anticipated.”

The words landed heavier than any strike.

”The two beginner mages were the only ones who went beyond what I expected.”

His gaze shifted to Sana and Livia.

Though they stood weakly, still recovering, they straightened instinctively.

”Even though they were weaker than the rest of you...”

A small nod.

”The two of them actually used their bodies to give Brinda more time to cast her spell.”

A pause.

”Good.”

The word was simple.

But it hit them harder than praise.

Their chests tightened slightly.

”...Thank you,” Sana whispered.

Livia nodded quietly beside her.

Victor didn’t linger.

His gaze moved on.

”Aside from the two of them...”

His eyes hardened slightly.

”The three of you were a disappointment.”

Eon’s jaw clenched.

Brinda blinked.

Humer looked down.

”I was expecting you, Eon and Brinda, to have better skills than this...”

Victor stepped closer.

Slow.

Measured.

”...seeing as you two used to be the feared bosses of the Northern and Southern districts of Fantom City.”

His tone sharpened.

”Yet you couldn’t fight to your full potential.”

His eyes locked onto Eon.

”Especially you.”

A step closer.

”You were actually holding back on me.”

Eon’s fingers tightened.

His breathing grew heavier.

”How insulting...”

Victor’s voice dropped.

”And also laughable.”

The words cut deep.

”A weakling such as yourself shouldn’t be holding back.”

Eon gritted his teeth.

Not in anger.

In shame.

Because he knew—

It was true.

Brinda remained silent.

But her mind raced.

Not weak.

No.

That wasn’t the point.

Victor didn’t care about that.

What he cared about—

Was how she fought.

And right now—

She realized something uncomfortable.

She had been playing.

Calculating.

Holding back.

Trying to look good instead of fighting properly.

That... was the mistake.

Her fingers curled slightly.

I see...

Victor’s gaze shifted again.

Landing on Humer.

”I forgot...”

A slight tilt of his head.

”I never asked your name.”

Humer hesitated.

”...It’s Humer.”

”Humer... is it...”

Victor nodded once.

”Based on how you moved near me to cast your spells...”

A pause.

Cold.

”...tells me that you have no idea how to fight.”

Humer’s face burned.

”I wasn’t expecting much...”

Victor continued.

”But I at least hoped you knew the basics of fighting as a mage.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Unforgiving.

Victor turned away slightly.

”...Well then.”

His voice returned to calm.

Controlled.

Now that I got a feel on how weak you guys are, we can start training.”