"Don't worry." Lumine held Paimon back.
The Cryo Regisvine gave a dazed shudder and slowly rose again—it hadn't felt like it had crushed anything.
"Your body's so thick… can't blame me for squeezing in a hiding spot, right?"
Its body was thick—even its thinnest "neck" was broader than Victor Wang's shoulders.
Victor was dangling from the ragged hole left by the Erosion Blast. His right hand clutched a slick but firm "vein," suspending him mid-air. He let himself slide down—the crater where the root core had once been lay just beneath.
Sensing a pesky insect crawling on it, the Cryo Regisvine turned that side toward the ground and slammed downward.
Victor immediately let go, falling from a height of six meters. If he got hit directly, he might be reduced to pulp—or maybe not.
But he wasn't about to find out.
Gripping the Wentian Sword in his right hand, he released a full-force wind blast. The recoil threw his body off balance in mid-air, flipping him from a back-down to a sideways spin. He landed right side first, just brushing past the crashing Regisvine's face.
The crater was within arm's reach!
"Erosion Blast!!!"
Blood burning, Victor couldn't help but cry out.
He was starting to understand the thrill of battle.
Just as the Regisvine stirred to retaliate, Victor plunged the blade into the crater. Its body trembled, then collapsed again. The "face" flickered erratically.
Now unable to channel elemental energy properly, the Regisvine was bleeding Cryo force, and its hardened body softened—allowing the Erosion Blast to bury itself deep.
One step back.
Two.
Three.
BOOM!
The basketball-sized Erosion Blast exploded inside its body, splattering blue sap and slippery fragments. The Regisvine's face dimmed completely, only its body convulsing slightly.
Victor stepped in to check. Its root interior was completely rotted through, with only some tougher outer skin still intact.
"Rest in peace."
With the enchanted Wentian Sword, he finally severed the Regisvine's root.
To single-handedly slay a massive, powerful enemy—an indescribable rush surged through him.
Three seconds later, the Cryo Regisvine's body dissolved into twinkling lights. Its face, however—a chunk of solid ice—remained behind as a half-meter-long, oval Cryo Crystal Chunk. It was cool to the touch, but emitted no residual elemental energy.
Footsteps approached behind him—Lumine and Ryan.
"That's the biggest Cryo Crystal Chunk I've ever seen."
Victor turned to Ryan and asked, "What can it be used for?"
"Core for some machines, medicinal material, alchemy ingredient—or even decoration. Either way, you're now qualified for senior adventurer."
"Yeah." Victor and Ryan exchanged a glance, something unsaid passing between them beyond Lumine's notice.
"Time to head back! Anyone wanna race again? Last one to Mondstadt's a little pup!"
"Me!" Paimon shot her hand up. "And I think the winner should get a prize!"
"Oh? I like the sound of that." Ryan stroked his chin. "So, what should the prize be?"
"The others buy the winner one dish each! I'm signing Lumine up!"
Lumine's eyes curled into crescent moons as she grabbed Paimon's cape, clearly ready to give her a flick on the forehead.
"I'm in too! Anyone else?" Ryan whistled, glancing sideways at Victor.
"...I'll join—if you carry the Cryo Chunk."
"Done!"
Ryan hoisted the Cryo Crystal and dashed off. "The race has already started!"
...
"Victor, congratulations on becoming a senior adventurer. If it's convenient, I can update your Adventurer's License now."
"No problem. Go ahead. I'll drop this Cryo Chunk off at the inn and be back to collect it."
"Alright."
Lumine, Ryan, and Paimon were already ordering at the Good Hunter. Unsurprisingly, Victor came in last—but at least he hadn't had to carry the huge chunk all the way.
After retrieving his updated license, he ran into Bennett and Fischl returning from a mission and invited them to join for a simple rank-up celebration.
"You've improved so fast!" Bennett smiled sincerely, scratching his head.
Fischl looked slightly conflicted, her left hand supporting her right elbow as she struck a dramatic pose with one hand partially covering her face. "Shadow… this Prinzessin must admit you are a formidable foe. However, such mildly aggressive flora and fauna would scarcely warrant a mention in the royal gardens of my domain."
"What the young miss means is that there are far more dangerous monsters than the Cryo Regisvine. One must remain cautious."
"I shall remember your words, O noble Prinzessin."
After everyone parted ways, Victor found himself once again in a sunless alleyway.
"So, am I officially in the North Wing now?"
"Of course. Only a few days and you're already up to speed—impressive!"
"Tell me more. About the organization. About the Combat Hunters."
"Heh… that's all part of newbie training. But first, you need a codename. Everyone in the organization uses codenames."
"Are there any rules?"
"Hmm… initially, everyone used bird names. But there are too many members now, so it's no longer mandatory. You can pick freely."
Birds? Because the organization's called the "Wing"?
Victor lit up—naming was an art. A name carried meaning, intentions, essence.
He turned to Ryan. "What's your codename?"
"Gryphon. Mondstadt's branch leader is 'Night Owl,' and Liyue's is 'Lark.'"
Night Owl? That's probably Diluc… So, the North Wing really is that underground intel network in the northern continent. Then who's Lark in Liyue? Someone I don't know yet?
As for my codename… I'm the undying… so if it's a bird, it should be…
"Has anyone taken Phoenix?"
"Mm-hmm."
"What about Fenghuang?"
"Any common bird name you can think of—it's already taken."
"Tch… How about Kun or Kunpeng?"
Since nothing undead-themed remained, he'd go with something symbolizing transformation. Like the mythical fish turning into a mighty bird—just like him, evolving from seven elements into a new being.
Ryan paused. He knew Kun was a great fish and Peng a mighty bird, but didn't know what Kunpeng was. Still, no one had claimed the name.
"Sure, you want that codename? We don't allow changes later."
"Positive!"
"Alright, Comrade Kunpeng—let me explain the organization in detail.
"Our group was originally called 'Wing.' It was founded five thousand years ago, but had very few members then. Around five hundred years ago, due to certain events, it split into North and South Wings. That's when the North really began expanding.
"While we started as a regional split, North Wing agents now span all of Teyvat. There are just more of us in the north. As for the South Wing—we've had no contact since the split. No one knows what happened to them."
"There really is a South Wing?"
"Yep. But no East or West Wings. The full names were 'Wing of Ascension' for the North and 'Wing of Descent' for the South—but everyone just says North and South now."
Wing of Ascension… Wing of Descent…
Ryan pointed to himself with his thumb.
"I'm a special operative—mainly responsible for recruiting new talent. In Mondstadt, I keep an eye on Vision holders who haven't joined any official faction. You know Sidney, right? He was my previous watch."
"But I did join the Knights of Favonius!"
"Pfft. Who actually takes honorary knights seriously? That's just a formality—a bit of mutual courtesy. Not full-time.
"And don't get me wrong—I passed on Sidney because of his character. In our line of work, no one wants a scumbag on the team."
"He… yeah…"
"Sure, he's shaping up now, but he's already with the Knights. Too late."
"What about Lumine? Is she part of the organization?"
Ryan shook his head slowly. "No idea why, but the Wingmaster gave a direct order: we may interact with her—but never recruit her."
"Wingmaster?"
"The master of the Wing—or rather, its founder."
"Founder? When was this order given? Has she been alive for five thousand years?"
"Longer. The Wing's founding was five thousand years ago—but who knows when she was born?"
Victor's heart thumped wildly. Another ancient anomaly. He tried to ask carefully, "Then the organization must have a lot of intel about Khaenri'ah's fall five hundred years ago, right?"
Ryan's grin turned stiff. "Didn't expect you to be into ancient history. But the truth is—we have no records before five hundred years ago. Maybe we had too few members back then… or maybe the South Wing took it all."
Five hundred years ago.
Khaenri'ah fell. Battle Technique Hunters were founded. The Wing split. Celestia went silent. The Cryo Archon began her rebellion…
What the hell happened five hundred years ago?
Damn that South Wing!
"Wait—if the Wingmaster's always been around, she must know the truth, right?"
"You're something else. Just joined, and already thinking about the Wingmaster. But I'll be honest: no one's ever seen her. She only communicates one-way."
"Seriously? That's not very approachable."
"Heh! Maybe if you lead us to destroy the Abyss Order and the Battle Technique Hunters, she'll grant you an audience?"
That tiny spark of hope flickered through Ryan's complete disbelief.