Chapter 513: Victor Enters the Adventurers Guild

Victor Enters the Adventurers Guild

Evelyne hesitated for a moment before following Victor.

"All right, Master. I’ll come with you."

Her voice was calm, though a hint of curiosity slipped through.

Victor glanced back at her.

"Good."

With that, he continued down the road.

His long black hair swayed gently as he walked. His golden eyes remained fixed on the distant city. Beneath his golden jacket, his black shirt still bore faint traces of the battle he had just survived.

Evelyne followed a few steps behind him.

She couldn’t help watching him.

There was something unusual about her master.

He had just emerged from a deadly battle. His body had suffered serious injuries, and the encounter had pushed him into a situation where even the slightest mistake could have cost him his life.

Yet here he was, walking toward the city as if nothing particularly important had happened.

Most people would have needed several days to recover. Some might have spent weeks nursing their injuries.

Victor, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to move on.

It was almost ridiculous.

Evelyne had seen plenty of powerful people in her life. She knew what genuine strength looked like. She also understood how much effort it took to reach that level.

But Victor was different.

Sometimes, she wondered whether he even understood the meaning of taking things easy.

Or perhaps he understood it perfectly well and simply didn’t care.

Her curiosity eventually got the better of her.

She quickened her pace and caught up with him.

"Master, can I ask you something?"

Victor turned his head slightly.

"Go ahead."

"What are you planning to do at the Adventurers Guild?"

"Take some quests."

Evelyne blinked.

"Quests?"

"Subjugation quests."

She stared at him for a moment.

Then her gaze drifted toward his body.

"Master, you only just recovered from your injuries."

"I recovered enough."

He answered so casually that Evelyne was left speechless.

She had expected at least a little hesitation. Perhaps some acknowledgment that fighting again so soon wasn’t the wisest decision.

Instead, she got four words.

I recovered enough.

Evelyne looked at his face, hoping to find some indication that he was joking.

There was none.

Victor continued walking as though the matter had already been settled.

She let out a quiet sigh.

"Of course you did."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Honestly, why had she even bothered asking?

Trying to convince Victor to rest seemed about as useful as asking a mountain to move out of the way.

Once he had made up his mind, there was very little chance of changing it.

And Evelyne had a feeling that this particular decision was no different.

She decided not to argue.

For now, at least.

The two continued toward the city, leaving the ruined cavern behind.

As they moved farther away, the entrance gradually disappeared from sight. The destruction left in the wake of the battle was swallowed by the surrounding landscape.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The road grew busier as they approached the outskirts of the city.

Merchants guided their carts along the main route. Adventurers returned from expeditions with weapons strapped to their backs and dust clinging to their clothes. Ordinary citizens traveled between nearby settlements, carrying baskets, bundles, and other goods.

There were voices everywhere.

Wheels rattled against the road. Horses snorted as their owners urged them forward. Groups of adventurers chatted about their recent exploits, while a few complained loudly about the poor rewards offered for dangerous quests.

It was a world away from the silence surrounding the ruined cavern.

Yet Victor barely paid attention to any of it.

His thoughts remained elsewhere.

More specifically, they remained with Fean.

The memory of their battle continued to linger in his mind.

Not because he regretted killing him.

Victor had no regrets about that.

Fean had stood in his way, and Victor had done what was necessary to survive. There was nothing to be gained by dwelling on the death itself.

What bothered him was something else.

Fean’s power.

Victor had felt it firsthand. That strength had been far beyond what he had initially expected.

And there was something deeply unsettling about it.

Fean’s power hadn’t seemed to belong entirely to him.

There had been another presence behind it. Something that had changed the entire nature of their confrontation.

Something that had forced even Victor’s past incarnations to take the situation seriously.

The Universal Emperor.

Just thinking about that name made Victor’s expression grow colder.

His fingers curled slightly at his sides.

He needed more strength.

Not tomorrow.

Not next month.

Now.

He couldn’t afford to waste time.

As things stood, he was still the weakest among his incarnations. No matter how much potential he possessed, potential alone wouldn’t save him when he came face-to-face with someone stronger.

If he challenged the others in his current state, the outcome was obvious.

He would lose.

And Victor despised that possibility.

He had no intention of walking into a battle knowing he would be defeated before it even began.

If he wanted to stand among the strongest, he needed to close the gap between himself and the others as quickly as possible.

Whatever it took.

Evelyne noticed the subtle change in his expression.

The faint smile she had been wearing disappeared as she studied him.

"Master?"

Victor turned toward her.

"What is it?"

"You seemed lost in thought."

"Nothing important."

He dismissed the matter with a simple answer.

Evelyne wasn’t entirely convinced.

She had walked beside him long enough to recognize that something had caught his attention. His expression had changed for only a moment, but that brief glimpse had been enough to tell her that his thoughts weren’t as peaceful as he wanted her to believe.

Still, she knew better than to push him when he clearly didn’t wish to talk.

"All right," she replied.

She turned her gaze toward the road ahead.

"If you say so."

Victor offered no further explanation.

And Evelyne didn’t ask again.

Soon, the city gates came into view.

The towering entrance stood open, allowing merchants, travelers, and adventurers to pass freely through the main road. Guards stood watch on either side, occasionally stopping suspicious-looking travelers for a brief inspection.

Victor walked straight through without slowing down.

Evelyne followed close behind.

Neither attracted any particular attention from the guards, and they soon found themselves among the bustling streets inside the city.

Their destination wasn’t far away.

The Adventurers Guild stood along one of the busiest streets, housed in a large building that was difficult to miss.

A massive wooden sign hung above the entrance.

Even from outside, the sounds of lively conversation spilled through the open doorway. Laughter mingled with arguments, and the occasional clink of mugs could be heard over the general commotion.

Victor approached the entrance and pushed the door open.

The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere began to change.

At first, nobody paid much attention to the newcomers.

The guild was busy, after all. Adventurers came and went throughout the day, and there was little reason to interrupt a conversation every time someone entered.

But then a few people glanced toward the door.

Their conversations continued for another second.

Then they began to falter.

One adventurer stopped halfway through a sentence. Another lowered his mug without taking a drink. A group gathered near a table turned to look, their attention drawn by the striking appearance of the man who had just entered.

Victor.

His sharp features and long black hair made him stand out immediately. His golden eyes were even more noticeable, carrying a peculiar intensity that was difficult to ignore.

He was undeniably handsome.

The sort of man who could attract attention without making any effort to do so.

Yet the eyes of the people inside didn’t remain on him for long.

They shifted toward the beautiful woman walking beside him.

Diana.

Her long black hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders, contrasting with her vivid red eyes. She wore a black-and-red gown that moved gracefully with every step.

There was something about her presence that made people instinctively cautious.

It wasn’t merely her beauty.

Her gaze carried a quiet, dangerous intensity. She didn’t need to glare at anyone or deliberately display her strength. The feeling she gave off was enough to make even experienced adventurers think twice before approaching her carelessly.

Several men who had initially considered striking up a conversation with her changed their minds almost immediately.

One quietly turned back toward his companions.

Another suddenly found his drink far more interesting than the woman standing near the entrance.

They weren’t necessarily afraid of Diana herself.

At least, not yet.

What truly caught their attention was the woman following behind her.

Evelyne.

The moment they recognized her, their expressions changed.

Everyone in town knew who Evelyne Elmhart was.

Her name had become well known throughout the region. She was a powerful noblewoman, an accomplished swordswoman, and someone whose reputation had been built through genuine ability rather than mere family prestige.

There were few people in the city who hadn’t heard of her achievements.

She had even challenged the strongest swordmaster in town and fought her to a standstill.

That alone was enough to earn her considerable respect.

But her reputation wasn’t the only reason people treated her carefully.

Evelyne was a marquis.

And she wasn’t the sort of noble who remained safely behind the walls of her estate, leaving others to handle everything on her behalf.

She possessed real power, both as a warrior and as a member of the nobility. In practice, she was also one of the people responsible for governing the town.

That made her someone most people preferred not to offend.

Adventurers enjoyed a certain degree of freedom.

They could travel across different regions, accept dangerous quests, and make a living without being tied to the ordinary rules that governed the lives of common citizens.

Some even developed the mistaken impression that their profession placed them above everyone else.

But freedom didn’t mean a person could do whatever they pleased without consequences.

There were still people they shouldn’t provoke.

Powerful nobles were among them.

And Evelyne Elmhart was certainly one of those people.

The men who had been considering approaching Diana quietly abandoned the idea.

Nobody wanted to invite unnecessary trouble into their lives.

After all, even if Diana hadn’t been accompanied by Evelyne, approaching a beautiful woman without considering the circumstances could be a dangerous mistake.

And if anyone actually dared to harm Diana, the consequences would have been considerably worse than offending a noblewoman.

They would have died.

Victor, however, seemed entirely unaware of the attention surrounding him.

Or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

He didn’t look toward the adventurers watching him. He didn’t acknowledge the whispers beginning to spread through the room.

His attention remained fixed on the reception counter.

Without hesitation, he walked straight toward it.

Diana followed silently, her expression unchanged.

Evelyne came after them.

By the time the three reached the counter, most of the nearby conversations had resumed. Even so, a few curious gazes continued to follow their movements.

Victor paid none of them any attention.

The receptionist looked up as he approached.

She was a young woman who appeared accustomed to dealing with adventurers of every kind. Judging by her composed expression, rude customers and troublesome quest requests were hardly new experiences for her.

A professional smile appeared on her face.

"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. How may I help you today?"

Victor reached into his belongings and placed his adventurer identification on the counter.

"I want all the available subjugation quests for a B-rank adventurer."

The receptionist glanced down at the identification.

Then she looked back at him.

"All of them?"

"Yes."

For a moment, she wondered whether she had misunderstood.

Perhaps he meant to ask for a list of available quests so he could choose a few later.

That would have been perfectly normal.

But Victor’s expression gave her no reason to believe that was what he meant.

She picked up his identification and examined it more carefully.

B-rank.

That was a respectable rank. A B-rank adventurer was far stronger than an ordinary newcomer and could handle many dangerous tasks that would be beyond the capabilities of lower-ranked adventurers.

Even so, there were limits.

Some subjugation quests were designed for groups. Others required specialized abilities or careful coordination between several experienced adventurers.

And then there were the monsters that simply weren’t meant to be hunted alone.

A high rank didn’t make someone invincible.

The receptionist returned her attention to Victor.

"Sir, some of these quests are intended for multiple adventurers."

"I know."

His answer came without the slightest hesitation.

She paused.

"You intend to complete them alone?"

Victor nodded.

The receptionist stared at him for a moment.

She had dealt with reckless adventurers before. Some were young men eager to prove themselves, while others were veterans who had grown so confident in their abilities that they no longer understood the meaning of caution.

Victor didn’t seem particularly excited or boastful.

That almost made the situation more concerning.

He spoke as though taking on every available subjugation quest was the most ordinary thing in the world.

The receptionist glanced at his identification once more.

Perhaps he had some exceptional ability that wasn’t reflected in his rank.

Perhaps he was simply overestimating himself.

Either way, she couldn’t just hand him a stack of dangerous quests without at least offering a warning.

She drew a breath and leaned forward slightly.

"Sir, I understand that you’re a B-rank adventurer, but some of these targets can be extremely dangerous even for experienced parties. I would strongly recommend choosing a few suitable quests first."

Victor looked at her.

His expression remained calm.

The receptionist hesitated under his golden gaze, but she forced herself to continue.

"Taking on too many subjugation quests at once can be a serious risk. If you could tell me a little more about your plans, I might be able to recommend something more suitable for you."

Victor remained silent for a brief moment.

Then he opened his mouth to reply.

The receptionist quickly added one final warning.

"Sir, perhaps you should reconsider before—"