Journey to Become the Zenith-Chapter 86: Shadows Moving in Different Directions

Shadows Moving in Different Directions

Victor moved swiftly along the dirt road leading east, the wind brushing softly through his black hair as the distant trees thickened ahead.

The entrance to Mystery Woodland waited somewhere beyond that horizon.

Behind him, the bodies began to blur in his mind. He moved on without pause.

Far heavier thoughts filled his head these days.

A slight narrowing of Victor’s gold-flecked eyes came with each step forward.

Lane stood first, then Clara stepped close, Videl right behind them.

Fear never touched his face, even when word came of killers on their trail.

Just that his way of showing it looked different. Still, the feeling was there.

Yet his grasp of their power shaped everything. Still, knowing what they could do changed how he moved ahead.

Lane isn’t weak.

A sudden image rose - her steady gaze, the quiet way she moved. Stillness lived in how she carried herself, each gesture measured. He saw it again without trying.

Lane stayed silent most days, calm like still water. His face gave nothing away, never a flicker of what he felt inside. Stillness wrapped around him, heavy but steady.

But beneath that calm exterior existed someone terrifyingly capable.

Victor knew it better than anyone.

She had trained under him.

Listened to him.

Followed his methods without hesitation.

The assassins that targeted her were supposedly the weaker group.

And she also had Clara with her.

Victor allowed himself a faint smile.

Those poor fools.

Clara might appear refined and composed most of the time, but beneath that polite academy-girl attitude was someone who understood battle.

Someone who knew how to read danger.

Someone who could react quickly.

Lane and Clara together were more than enough to deal with ordinary assassins.

No.

Victor wasn’t worried about them.

Not even slightly.

But Videl...

Victor exhaled slowly.

Unlike Lane, Videl would most likely face the stronger group.

Even the assassin leader had admitted their boss was going after her.

An advanced-rank swordsman.

An intermediate-level mage.

Victor rubbed the back of his neck as he walked.

Still...

If Videl couldn’t handle that level of opponent...

Then her dream of becoming the strongest hero would remain nothing more than a childish fantasy.

Victor respected her ambition.

But ambition without strength meant nothing.

His golden eyes sharpened.

You need to prove it yourself, Videl.

Strength isn’t given.

It’s earned.

The road ahead darkened slightly as the tall trees of Mystery Woodland began to appear more clearly in the distance.

Victor’s thoughts shifted again.

To something heavier.

The Saulon Family.

Albion’s family.

Victor’s expression grew colder.

The fact that Albion had already hired assassins meant one thing.

The Saulon Family was not an honorable noble household.

Victor had lived through too many lifetimes to misunderstand this type of behavior.

A proud noble child gets humiliated.

He runs crying to his family.

The family retaliates.

Not through honorable duels.

But through shadows.

Assassins.

Schemes.

Dirty tricks.

Victor sighed quietly.

Predictable.

Still...

There was one problem.

Victor stopped walking briefly.

He stared toward the distant forest.

I don’t know how strong they really are.

Based on the information he had gathered earlier, noble houses ranked Earl and above usually had powerful protectors.

Warriors equivalent to S-rank adventurers.

Sometimes even stronger.

And they didn’t just rely on individuals.

They had soldiers.

Private armies.

Victor’s current strength wasn’t weak.

But he wasn’t as strong as he had been in his past life.

His body was still young.

His mana channels were still maturing.

Even with Diana, the spirit of the scythe, supporting him—

Victor could probably defeat an S-rank adventurer.

But anything beyond that...

He wasn’t confident yet.

Victor clenched his fist lightly.

I need to get stronger.

And quickly.

There was only one reliable method available right now.

Dungeon Cores.

The beating heart of newly born dungeons.

Something he personally referred to as the heart of a young dragon.

Those cores contained dense condensed mana.

Absorbing them would accelerate his growth dramatically.

Victor’s eyes glinted faintly.

That’s why I need Mystery Woodland.

The wind rustled through the forest ahead.

The deeper he went—

The more dangerous things would become.

Victor smiled faintly.

Good.

Danger is exactly what I need.

------------

Meanwhile — Fantom City

A quiet back alley stretched between two rows of stone buildings.

It was narrow.

Dim.

Only thin rays of sunlight filtered down from above.

Several bodies already lay scattered across the rooftops.

Lane lowered her bow slowly.

Another assassin fell from the rooftop with a dull thud.

That was the last one.

Her arrow had pierced straight through his throat.

Blood dripped quietly onto the alley floor.

Clara stepped forward, her blonde hair swaying as she glanced at the corpse.

"...That was the last one."

Lane didn’t answer immediately.

Her dark eyes scanned the rooftops carefully.

Making sure no one else remained.

Only when she was certain did she relax her stance slightly.

Clara sighed.

"You didn’t leave even one alive."

Lane turned toward her.

Her expression remained calm.

"He aimed killing intent at me."

Clara crossed her arms.

"Yes, I noticed that part."

Then she gestured at the corpses.

"But we could’ve questioned at least one of them."

Lane shook her head lightly.

"No."

Her voice remained quiet.

But absolute.

"Victor told me something."

Clara raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Lane lowered her bow slightly as she answered.

"It doesn’t matter if it looks like a child..."

"Or a pregnant woman."

"Or even an old man."

She paused briefly.

Then finished calmly.

"As long as someone directs killing intent toward you..."

"...kill them."

Clara stared at her for a moment.

Then she sighed.

"...That really does sound like something Victor would say."

Lane simply looked back toward the rooftops.

The wind brushed softly against her long black hair.

Clara studied her quietly.

"You weren’t even surprised they attacked you."

Lane shook her head slightly.

"No."

"Victor expected it."

Clara blinked.

"He did?"

Lane nodded.

"He said someone might try something soon."

Clara groaned softly.

"Of course he did..."

Her fingers pressed into the sides of her head. A slow circle moved just above her eyes.

"That idiot really walks around like he’s inviting trouble."

Lane gave no reply at all.

Yet her silence on his actions spoke just as loud.

Yet her voice came through low,

"He always wins."

Clara looked at her again.

There was no doubt in Lane’s voice.

Just calm certainty.

Clara shook her head and smiled slightly.

"...You trust him a lot."

Lane’s eyes softened faintly.

"Yes."

Then she glanced toward the road leading out of the city.

"...He’ll be fine."

Clara followed her gaze.

Far away—

Beyond the city walls—

Victor was already approaching the dark boundary of Mystery Woodland.