Victor

Creak...

Who else could there be besides that indifferent father

Soon, a listening spell was completed

He weakly collapsed onto the dusty wooden floor, turning his eyes to the side. A few strands of hair peeked out from the torn hood, their silvery sheen glimmering in the dim light of the treehouse

Victor could not understand when he had fallen under the spell, leading to his sudden depletion of magical power. Was it after entering the treehouse, or while climbing the vine ladder, or perhaps... had he already been affected back in Mivira Town?

Some old wooden doors from years past slowly creaked open with a gentle touch, releasing a wave of putrid odor that hit the face, causing a momentary stiffening of anxious expressions

I do not want to die... At least... I cannot die before completing my revenge

The area of perception gradually expanded with the glowing sphere in the palm of the hand, spreading outwards from the treetop cabin permeated with an atmosphere of sadness and decay.

Not long after, the small wooden house built in the treetops collapsed in flames

"Hah... the art of concealment..." allows one to hide the body within the shadows, and is one of the most well-known techniques of the dark elves. In this way, the identity of the assassin becomes evident. It is the Frostwolf, a notorious assassin organization that has risen to prominence in the Duchy of Talan in recent years. Since all its members are dark elves, they are more easily recognizable compared to assassins from other organizations

In just five years, with remarkable perseverance and talent, he completed an academic journey that would typically take others twice as long. After officially relinquishing his apprenticeship, Victor declined the repeated pleas of his mentor and chose to continue his training in the capital, Jingyao

The flexible and resilient branches, reminiscent of the softness in memory, pulled him upward as he climbed. When Victor stood before the door of his home after a five-year absence, he was at a loss as to how to explain to his gravely ill mother the reasons for his departure all those years ago

The handwriting is correct; it indeed belongs to one of the few elders in the village who do not hold prejudices against themselves. It is precisely for this reason that he returned without the slightest hesitation

Since childhood, his appearance and temperament, which were at odds with those around him, not only brought unnecessary troubles but also bestowed upon him the humiliating title of "illegitimate child"

From this moment on, it is Victor Wood

In the northern part of the principality lies the vast and boundless Taia Forest. As the primary breeding and hunting ground for the war wolves, this perilous area is largely devoid of other human settlers, apart from generations of hunters who capture wild beasts for sale.

In recent days, the mentor's face has often passed through Victor's mind, appearing hesitant and indecisive, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He pulled off the short staff tied around his waist and quietly recited an incantation

Due to its proximity to Thousand Islands Bay, the climate of Talan is colder compared to other allied nations because of its more northern geographical location. Although the winds of early summer bring intense heat from the far south, they cannot alter the significant temperature difference between day and night on this island nation. The pleasantly warm days turn into bone-chilling cold at night, and due to its nature as a floating continent, the temperatures are even lower than those on the ground and on islands, creating an illusion of being in the northern land of Karla.

There is no ... ... there is no. ... ... ... there is no ...

Victor did not give his opponent a chance to breathe, urging his magical power as the wind blades advanced from the left, right, and above. Just as he successfully cornered the assassin into the dead end of the treehouse, his magical power suddenly depleted without warning, and along with it, half of the spell accumulated at the tip of his staff dissipated into shadows

It is kerosene

The intruder, who had entered someone else's home without permission, did not speak but instead held the dagger, gripped in his right hand, level with his eyebrows.

Assassin? The illegitimate child and the prodigy of magic have made Victor many enemies in the small town where he studies. It is not the first time he has been ambushed by hired thugs, but today it has escalated to a life-threatening assassin: "Which organization do you belong to?"

The lich, fully merged with its body, extended its pale fingers, and in an instant, the swift blade of wind took the life of the high-soss sheep. Blood flowed from the wound, and under the influence of magic, a portal summoning array was generated on its own.

Noticing the gray cloth bundle on the back of the sheep, the Lich reached out and grabbed it, lifting the bundle into its hand. It took out a specially made mithril badge and on the reverse side, it found a name written in both magical incantations and the common tongue.

60 kilometers to the south, 25 kilometers to the east

As the last remnants of consciousness faded away, the life of the young mage also came to an end

I apologize, this requirement was put forth by the employer, rather than stemming from my personal preference. Striving to maintain the integrity of the target's body is the final respect that the Frostwolf pays to the deceased. After all, being an assassin is not a profession to take pride in

Although the young mage possesses a talent for magic, he has not encountered any extraordinary events. He has neither contracts with magical creatures nor any extraordinary artifacts that could grant him additional power. The lich accepted this young and fresh body without facing any resistance.

The reluctance towards his mother was replaced by the hatred for his father's abandonment. The stubborn youth stepped out of the secluded mountains and embarked on the arduous journey to become a mage.

For the treehouse, highly flammable oils are excessively dangerous, and the villagers cannot and will not bring such substances inside

As doubt arose, the letter brought by the old village chief suddenly flashed into Victor's mind

After spending five years at the Alchemy Academy, he was no longer the naive boy from Buch Village. The practitioner of potion-making and various magical tools was equally adept at climbing over others to advance. Now, Victor would not believe that the absence of people in the village was due to a collective hunting expedition.

Victor was not resurrected; he was transformed into a soulless puppet corpse by a spell. The one who cast this spell was a lich from the lower realms

The alchemist, who happened to pass by, broke his leg while collecting rare plants. The boy who rescued him was discovered by an old man to have a talent for magic. After careful and repeated consideration, Victor chose to leave without a word, leaving behind a pocket containing fifty silver coins and a half piece of rough parchment with a brief message written on it

Against the biting cold night wind, a swift horse galloped out from the silent village, heading straight for the south. Behind it, a raging fire, illuminating the sky in red, consumed the entire village.

A fool who possesses magical talent, yet is completely unaware that he has been betrayed

At the moment of Victor's astonishment, the assassin clad in black moved. The slender figure darted forward like a released arrow, accompanied by the sound of rushing wind

The mother never revealed any information about the father, which only deepened Victor's disdain for the biological father he had never met. He was annoyed by his indifference and resented him for bringing him into the world without raising him

On the eve of his departure, a letter from Buch Village informed Victor that his mother, far away in the mountain village, was gravely ill. As a result, he had to alter his plans. If his mother were to die, all his efforts over the past five years would be in vain. He chose to become a mage not to achieve greatness, but solely to take revenge on the parents who abandoned him and his mother

Amidst the smoking ruins stood a figure—Victor, who was thought to be dead. His once fragile green eyes glimmered with a dark red light. Soon, this color, which did not belong to humanity, faded away, returning to their original hue

Five years of endurance, the long-held hopes since childhood, all shattered in this moment

The poison attached to the dagger corroded the skin of the entire neck into a deep black color, while also emitting a foul odor. The lich reached out and wiped his hand, staining it with the putrid smell. His bloodied hand traced a few arcs in the air, and the horrific wound on his neck immediately ceased to rot. Muscles, blood vessels, and skin healed at an astonishing speed, leaving no scars behind.

After a five-year absence, the outline of the village gradually emerged in the sunset. Victor, who had always had a poor relationship with the villagers, tied his mount at the village entrance and then directly ran towards a treehouse located on the outskirts of the settlement.

The severed tongue was placed into a specially prepared iron box, and the assassin ignited the grease poured onto the ground, with the flames spreading outward along the predetermined path.

The scythe of death that reaps lives

Who else could there be

Had it not been for an accident five years ago, Victor would have never left this hunter village for the rest of his life

A riding high-socks sheep is galloping swiftly along a narrow path in the dense forest, carrying a young man. He skillfully avoids hidden traps and mechanisms along the way, heading straight for the small village located in the treetops—Buhé

***

A mysterious voice, reminiscent of murmuring, is barely audible amidst the crackling flames. A shadow completely envelops the corpse, writhing and twisting, soon seeping into the still-warm limbs.

Suddenly, a familiar scent of decay, all too well known to an alchemist, penetrated my nostrils.

Victor shouted as he rushed into the wooden cabin

The lich and the deceased human mage share the same name, which symbolizes the firstborn for the humans of the Southern Continent, representing the first child born in a family or clan

Based on the degree of decomposition of the corpse, the mother must have died at least several months ago. Why has the village kept this hidden for so long, only choosing to deliver the letter to him on the eve of his planned departure to Jingyao?

At the moment the assassin left Buch Village, a shadow darker than the night slowly emerged from the cracks in the floor of the still-burning wooden house

Houses stood in a row, and silence enveloped Buhe Village, devoid of the noise and clamor typical of human settlements. The realization that the village where she had lived since childhood was completely deserted caused her tear-streaked face to instantly grow cold.

He squinted at the figure in black standing a few steps away—someone he had never seen before

Accompanied by a soft sound, a shadowy figure fell from the ceiling

The invisible magical energy transformed into a sharp blade, striking towards the approaching assassin. The woman supported herself with both hands and quickly rolled backward twice, evading the spell that grazed her body.

Victor Wood possesses the rare black hair and emerald-like eyes typical of the northern region. Although his perpetually displeased expression gives him an overly stern appearance, it is undeniable that he has a handsome face. In a bustling metropolis, such looks would make him the ideal dream lover for many young women. Unfortunately, he was born in a remote mountain village, where his ancestors, all hunters, had never boasted such outstanding features.

Victor unleashed the powerful light spell stored within the staff without a moment's hesitation

Suddenly, a subtle wave of air emanated from above the head

Victor Wood ... what a surprising coincidence

"Kill me, and you will naturally know the answer you seek." The voice that responded was unexpectedly youthful, and it belonged to a woman.

Once again, his hand reached for the magical pouch tied at his waist, attempting to retrieve the life-saving teleportation scroll from within. Just as Victor's trembling fingers grazed the scroll, the female assassin delivered a merciless kick, completely severing any hope.

Kneeling beside a relative whose face he could no longer recognize, Victor wept bitterly.

Mother

The complex locating spell was quickly completed through another's memory. The lich, carrying a bundle and dragging a body still stained with fresh blood, walked into the teleportation array

Ding!

The low room is in disarray, with dust covering every corner. In the corner against the wall lies a decayed corpse curled up on a wooden bed, with maggots occasionally crawling in and out, creating a nauseating sight with their revolting writhing.

At the moment this confusion arose, Victor forced out an ugly and bitter smile

Doubt and fear exploded in his mind; before Victor could devise a countermeasure, the cold dagger had already silently pressed against the side of his neck, and blood gushed forth with a tearing sensation.

Its body, like smoke and mist, moved slowly to Victor's corpse, with a heavy resentment swirling around the freshly deceased flesh, lingering for a long time

The Lich Victor was ordered to infiltrate the mid-level world inhabited by humans. After emerging from the Abyssal Sea that separates the mid-level world from the underground world, it found itself at the very edge of the Ta'a Forest, just as the human Victor was returning to Buch Village. Drawn by the intense hatred surrounding the young mage, the Lich followed him all the way to Buch Village. Before it could make its move, the young man it had targeted was preempted by an assassin lurking in the village. Fortunately, the puppet corpse only required fresh bodies, so it did not matter who was killed.

If it were not for the sudden loss of magical power, it would have been absolutely impossible to be defeated by this young woman. In his increasingly unfocused gaze, there was an unmistakable resentment as he fixed his eyes on the assassin who had just completed the assassination task. As the third-ranked assassin organization in Talan, the remuneration for hiring them was frighteningly high. Although he had offended quite a few people in the small town, it had not yet reached the point where it warranted hiring the Frost Wolves.

The territory of the Principality of Talan is not large among the hundreds of floating islands in the West Asia Alliance, but due to its status as the location of the headquarters of the Magic Association, this small principality holds a highly significant position not only within the Alliance but also across the entire continent of Mara.

I was just worried about my mother's condition and did not pay much attention. Now that I think back, there were indeed many things that seemed off. There were no patrolling sentries, and not a single person came to inquire. When did the defense of Buhe Village become so lax? There wasn't even the most basic reconnaissance.

The somewhat stiff general language reveals that a killer should not possess mercy, yet unfortunately, Victor no longer has the energy to contemplate this. Darkness has replaced the last scene in his eyes, and an illusory glow flickers at the corners of his vision. Faintly, a deep shadow can still be seen swaying in the shadows of the floor

This sudden change not only surprised Victor, but even the assassin was taken aback. By the time he retrieved a spare spell storage orb from his waist pocket, the female assassin had already vanished from sight, merging with the dark shadows behind and beneath him.

The wooden house, which has been burning for some time, begins to collapse, falling from the treetops and shattering on the damp ground

The toxic dagger, glowing with a green light, was blocked by a sturdy barrier. Victor raised his staff and whispered, "Wind Blade!"

The fire continued to burn, and the wooden houses built atop the trees collapsed one after another. With stiff steps, the lich walked across the uneven ground towards the corner from which the only screeching sound emanated. After a short while, it saw the sheep tied to a wooden stake at the village entrance. The large, round crystal was filled with terror, though it was unclear whether it was directed at the flames or at the 'master' who was no longer human.

In the midst of the flames sweeping through the entire village, the Lich found not a single living soul. To be precise, this was an uninhabited village

The faltering footsteps come to a halt before the bed, where the tender eyes from my memories always gaze towards the south with a look of longing and sorrow. Now, the two deeply sunken cavities are left with only decaying flesh. The parchment hastily inscribed five years ago is clutched in the bony palm, having long since changed color and turned yellow.

This is a placeholder text.

Although such thoughts linger in the mind, death approaches relentlessly. The last sensation in the body lingers on the jaw being forcibly pried open, followed closely by a spreading numbness in the oral cavity

Let's choose this guy...

Who is it