Another grueling hour passed in the suffocating depths of the Whispering Woods.
Leon Bright's breathing was ragged, sounding like a broken bellows. His cheap iron sword was chipped and stained with the corrosive green blood of acid-centipedes. Behind him, Tim and Mark were barely walking, leaning on each other, their faces pale as sheets.
But then, the dense, thorny underbrush suddenly gave way.
"We... we made it," Leon gasped, his bloodshot eyes widening in absolute, manic joy.
They had stumbled into a hidden, perfectly circular clearing. Unlike the rotting forest around it, the air here was pure and sweet. In the very center of the clearing, bathed in a single, ethereal ray of moonlight that miraculously pierced through the thick canopy above, grew a breathtaking magical plant.
It was a flower that seemed to be carved from glowing, translucent blue crystal. Tiny, sparkling specks of mana orbited its petals like miniature stars.
The Starbloom Herb.
"The heavens..." Leon fell to his knees, dropping his sword. Tears of pure, unadulterated relief washed tracks through the mud and dried blood on his face. "The heavens haven't abandoned me! I knew it! I am the chosen of the Light!"
He could already see it. He would consume the herb. The excruciating pain in his chest would vanish. His S-Rank Light mana core would not only heal but evolve. He would return to the Academy, challenge Victor Nightshade to a life-and-death duel in front of the entire Empire, and brutally execute the dark mage! He would reclaim his pride, his status, and the Saintess's gaze!
"Leon... get the herb... let's go..." Tim cried weakly, collapsing against a rock.
"Yes," Leon whispered, pushing himself up with a mad grin. "My destiny."
He took one step toward the glowing blue flower.
THUMP.
The entire clearing trembled. Small rocks bounced off the ground. The sweet air was instantly overpowered by a thick, metallic stench of blood and apex predator pheromones.
THUMP. THUMP.
From the pitch-black mouth of a cave situated directly behind the Starbloom Herb, a massive silhouette slowly emerged.
It was a bear, but it was three meters tall, standing on its hind legs. Instead of fur, its entire body was covered in thick, interlocking plates of metallic gray armor. Its massive claws dug deep trenches into the solid stone floor with every step. Its eyes glowed with a violent, merciless crimson light.
"An... an Iron-Hide Bear?!" Mark screamed, his voice cracking into a high-pitched wail. He scrambled backward, his injured leg giving out. "That's a Tier-8 Novice Magical Beast! Leon, we can't fight that! It's suicide!"
The beast let out a deafening roar that generated a physical shockwave, blowing Leon's matted blonde hair back.
Leon's heart pounded violently, his cracked core screaming in agony. But the Starbloom Herb was right there. It was literally a few meters away. If he ran now, he would be a cripple forever.
"We have no choice!" Leon roared back, his eyes widening with sheer fanaticism. He picked up his chipped sword. "Mark, Tim! Use your binding spells! Distract it! I'll take the front!"
"Are you insane?! We're going to die!" Tim shrieked.
But the bear was already charging.
The battle that ensued was a brutal, one-sided massacre. The Iron-Hide Bear was a walking tank. It completely ignored the pathetic, low-tier wind blades and fireballs that Mark and Tim desperately threw at it.
BAM!
The bear's massive, armored paw casually swatted Tim's desperate rock-shield aside. The chubby boy was launched through the air like a ragdoll, crashing into a thick tree trunk with a sickening crack of breaking ribs. He slumped to the ground, unconscious and bleeding from his mouth.
Mark shrieked and tried to run, but the bear slammed its foot into the earth, sending a spike of earth magic shooting through the soil that impaled Mark's calf.
"NO!" Leon screamed.
Relying entirely on his 'Protagonist Intuition' and sheer, adrenaline-fueled willpower, Leon dodged under the bear's next swipe. He channeled his fractured Light mana into his sword. The pain in his chest was so intense he almost blacked out, but the blade glowed with a blinding white light.
Slash!
He struck the beast's armored chest. Sparks flew, but the blade only left a shallow white scratch on the metal.
The bear roared in annoyance and backhanded Leon.
Leon flew backward, tumbling through the mud. His Academy uniform was torn to shreds. Three deep, bloody claw marks tore across his chest. He coughed up a massive mouthful of blood, his vision swimming with black spots.
Is this it? Leon thought, his vision blurring. Will I die here? In the mud? While Victor Nightshade sleeps in a silk bed?
NO!
A hidden reserve of energy—the classic 'Plot Armor' of a protagonist pushed to the brink—exploded within him.
Leon forced himself to his feet. He saw his opening. The bear was roaring, its head tilted upward. Its left eye was unprotected.
"This is my moment!" Leon screamed, his eyes burning with absolute, defiant glory. He gathered every single drop of his remaining life force, his blood, and the last sparks of his Light mana.
His body glowed like a dying star. He leaped high into the air, aiming his glowing sword straight for the bear's vulnerable crimson eye.
This was the comeback! The triumphant return! The strike that would slay the beast and secure his destiny!
"FOR THE LIGHT!" Leon roared, thrusting his sword downward with everything he had.
He was inches away. The bear hadn't reacted in time. Victory was absolute.
But then...
Swish.
The shadow directly beneath the massive Iron-Hide Bear suddenly twisted, expanding abnormally.
From the absolute darkness, a figure materialized seamlessly, as if stepping through a door.
It was Victor Nightshade.
He didn't look like he belonged in a battlefield. His black and gold uniform was completely immaculate. Not a single drop of mud or sweat marred his aristocratic features. He looked utterly bored.
Victor didn't draw a weapon. He didn't chant a spell. He didn't even look at the desperately leaping protagonist above him.
Victor simply raised his right hand.
Dense, terrifying S-Rank Shadow Sovereign mana coated his pale fingers, forming a pitch-black, tangible blade of pure darkness. With a casual, almost lazy upward thrust, Victor pierced his hand directly into the soft, unprotected flesh beneath the Iron-Hide Bear's jaw—its only true weak point, straight into its brain.
CRUNCH.
The dark mana exploded violently inside the beast's skull.
The Tier-8 Iron-Hide Bear, a monster that had nearly slaughtered Leon's entire group, didn't even have time to roar. Its crimson eyes instantly went blank.
The massive beast died on the spot, its brain completely liquefied by the Abyss. Its towering body collapsed forward, hitting the dirt with a massive, ground-shaking thud.
Because the bear had suddenly dropped dead and collapsed forward, Leon, who was still mid-air in his glorious, glowing leap... hit nothing but empty air.
Without his target, Leon's momentum carried him awkwardly forward. He tumbled through the air, his Light mana fizzling out pathetically, and crashed face-first into the muddy puddle right next to the dead bear.
He slid through the muck, coming to a halt directly at the tips of Victor's impeccably polished, custom-made leather boots.
The clearing fell dead silent. The roars, the magic, the desperate struggle—all of it vanished, replaced only by the gentle rustling of the leaves.
Victor calmly pulled a pristine white silk handkerchief from his breast pocket. He elegantly wiped the small speck of beast blood off his fingers, dropped the soiled silk onto the dead bear's carcass, and gracefully stepped over the massive body.
He walked up to the glowing blue Starbloom Herb, crouched down slightly, and effortlessly plucked it from the earth.
"W... What...?"
A weak, pathetic croak broke the silence.
Leon dragged his face out of the mud. His mind was completely, utterly short-circuiting. He couldn't process what he was seeing. He slowly raised his bruised, bloody face, looking up at the towering, elegant figure of the Duke's heir holding the glowing blue flower.
Victor held the Starbloom Herb up to the moonlight, admiring its ethereal glow, before tossing it up and catching it playfully in his palm.
"A Tier-8 beast," Victor sighed, shaking his head with a look of mock disappointment. He finally looked down at the bleeding, broken protagonist at his feet. "And you struggled this much, hero? You even got your little friends' bones broken for it. How tragic."
"VICTOR!!!"
Leon shrieked.
It wasn't a roar of anger. It was a sound so full of sheer despair, hatred, and absolute, soul-crushing brokenness that it didn't even sound human. It sounded like a wounded animal being skinned alive.
Why?! Why is he always here?! Why does he always take everything from me in the final second?!
Leon scrambled in the mud, dragging his broken body forward, desperately trying to grab Victor's pant leg with his bleeding fingers. "Give it back! That's MINE! The heavens meant it for ME! Give it to me!"
Victor didn't even flinch. A subtle wave of dark mana pulsed from his leg.
BAM!
The invisible force kicked Leon squarely in the chest, launching him ten meters backward. Leon crashed hard into a mossy boulder. His collarbone shattered with a loud snap, and he spat out another mouthful of black blood, completely unable to stand up.
Victor looked at the protagonist, who was now weeping uncontrollably in the dirt, clutching his chest, a completely broken shell of a man.
Victor let out a low, magnetic, incredibly dark chuckle that chilled the entire forest.
"Leon, Leon, Leon," Victor said softly, walking slowly toward the weeping boy, his violet eyes glowing with predatory amusement. "I must thank you. Truly. You navigated the traps, you found the path, and you even kindly exhausted the guardian beast for me."
Victor stopped a few feet away, looking down at Leon with the ultimate gaze of aristocratic condescension.
"You make a rather excellent hunting dog. Good boy."
[Ding!]
[Host has perfectly executed an Ultimate Kill Steal! The Protagonist's destined encounter has been successfully plundered!]
[Protagonist's Dao Heart has suffered catastrophic damage! Plot Armor severely weakened!]
[Reward: +4,000 Villain Points!]
Listening to the incredibly sweet sound of the system prompt, and watching his Villain Points skyrocket past the 10,000 mark, Victor placed the Starbloom Herb into his spatial ring.
His cold gaze then shifted from the weeping Leon to the terrified, bleeding lackeys, Tim and Mark, who were watching the entire scene in absolute horror.
"Now," Victor smiled, a smile that promised absolute ruin. "Let's see if your loyal followers still believe in your 'Light'."