Gwen Delin.

As the knight's name fell upon their ears, everyone present drew a sharp breath.

They exchanged glances and began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Hey, did she say her surname is Delin?"

"Whoa, Angus's daughter? I didn't know that old fox had such a looker for a daughter."

"You're missing the point. She's Viktor's fiancée... you know, the guy on the wanted poster."

"Damn, that ruthless bastard..."

Vladimir also seemed somewhat taken aback. He eyed Gwen quizzically and asked,

"So you're Viktor's fiancée?"

"Interesting. You're not here to drag him back for punishment, are you?"

Unlike Viktor, Gwen's name wasn't particularly renowned. Within the Northern Frontier, only the Northern Knights were familiar with her title.

Vladimir, naturally, had no recollection of her.

Gwen's face remained impassive, as if she were simply reciting facts.

"I've been informed about the situation."

Before coming here, Gwen had returned home.

Her second brother was still in a coma, paralyzed. Her father, though appearing physically unharmed, had vacant eyes and hadn't regained his senses.

Upon seeing their condition, Gwen was somewhat surprised.

She found herself calmer than she had expected.

Even though the two before her were her family.

Her emotions were neither sad nor happy.

Perhaps she was just too cold-blooded.

But she also knew that she hadn't come back for these family members who were family in name only.

Kevla had told her that their father had struck first, and Jaxu had been crippled for threatening Viktor.

Now, with Viktor's whereabouts unknown, Kevla's words alone weren't enough to convince the Northern Knights.

Naturally, they couldn't prove Viktor's innocence either.

The wanted notice was still circulating in the Northern Frontier, so Gwen needed to find him.

If Viktor had indeed intentionally harmed Angus, then Gwen would engage him in a fair and just duel.

Of course, Gwen was more inclined to believe Viktor was innocent.

She wanted to trust her sister, and she wanted to try to trust Viktor.

"I just want to find Viktor, but I can't traverse the Far North alone."

"So, you've come to us, the Pale Mage Association?"

At some point, Vladimir had stuck an unlit cigar in his mouth.

Whenever he needed to ponder something, he would always light one up.

But he hadn't lit it yet. He just looked at Gwen, his tone serious as he spoke.

"I think I get it, but..."

He glanced back at Erica behind him, then turned to face Gwen again.

"How can you prove you're Viktor's fiancée? Or rather... after everything that's happened between your families."

"Do you really think your engagement is still valid?"

Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Erica pushed back her hood and stepped forward.

"She is indeed Viktor's fiancée, Uncle Vladimir."

"Hmm?"

Vladimir shot Erica a slightly displeased look, but when she casually conjured a flame spell to light the cigar in his mouth, his expression softened into a smile.

"It's been a while, Knight Captain Gwen."

Erica curtsied gracefully to the silver-armored Gwen, offering her a smile.

Gwen couldn't help but look at the petite Erica, surprise appearing on her face for the first time.

"Lady Erica?"

Seeing this, Vladimir scratched his head in frustration.

"Tch, I didn't expect you two to know each other. Well, my question still stands."

"Viktor has killed too many barbarians for us, and your identity isn't exactly favorable."

"To be honest, it's only out of respect for Viktor that my boys here are holding back their emotions."

"As for those Northern Knights of yours, hmph, a bunch of good-for-nothings."

Gwen's expression remained unchanged, but her tone became even more resolute.

"If Viktor is proven innocent, I will personally arrest my father and Jaxu Delin, and inherit my father's position as head of the family."

"I swear on my honor as a knight to stand by my words."

As her words faded, the disdain on the faces of the Pale Mage Association members dissipated, replaced by a sense of respect.

The Pale Mage Association had dealt with these Northern Knights for over a decade and knew all too well what kind of people these self-righteous fellows were.

Though they didn't do much, these self-proclaimed righteous knights valued their reputation above all else.

Knights never swore oaths lightly.

Once an oath was made, if they failed to keep their word,

The power that sustained them would gradually dissipate.

Even if they called themselves knights, they would no longer possess a knight's strength.

Vladimir nodded.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The girl before him indeed had a very firm resolve.

As long as she inherited the position of family head, her engagement to Viktor would naturally continue.

There was no talk of breaking off the engagement.

So, until Viktor explicitly stated that their engagement was null and void, she would remain his fiancée.

"Sigh."

Vladimir let out a helpless sigh.

He had wanted to pave the way for his friend's daughter, but it seemed she wasn't helping herself.

Vladimir reassessed Gwen with a new perspective, exhaling a cloud that was unclear whether it was tobacco smoke or frost from the cold temperature.

"I agree to let you come with us. As it happens, I need you to guide us."

"But, there's one thing I want to make clear upfront."

"As a knight, don't expect the mages to protect you."

Gwen nodded silently, taking her place at the very front of the formation, her expression cold and focused.

The other team members, including Vladimir, had no further objections.

Because everyone knew that Gwen was their guide.

With her in the lead, they could avoid many unnecessary detours.

......

The interior of the temple was covered with green, protruding rocks that seemed to have no discernible pattern.

Before Viktor, several large doors trembled with a white phosphorescence.

Mysterious constellations seemed to be carved on those stone doors, emanating a powerful aura from behind them.

There were ten doors in total, arranged in a circle within the temple.

Viktor looked at the Wind Temple, calmly pondering.

In the game, there were six great temples, and this was one of them.

And within each temple, there were ten entrances just like the ones before him.

Behind each entrance, a powerful guardian watched over the temple's inner power.

The guardians' energy levels were arranged from low to high, with the lowest at level 15 and the highest at level 50.

Although the final powerful boss was high-level, their very existence limited their upper threshold, falling far short of the Calamities.

Coming back to his senses, Viktor watched as the stone giant doors slowly opened.

Accompanied by falling dust and a rumbling sound, a deep, dark passage appeared before Viktor.

A faint current of air slowly flowed outward from the passage.

Viktor calmly entered the first door.

He stepped inside, and the door slowly closed behind him.

But before the door could fully shut, Viktor had already walked back out of the passage.

His body was enveloped by a white aura, like an elf.

With each stage cleared, Viktor could clearly feel a cool energy being injected into his body.

Viktor looked at his status bar.

[Wind Attribute Power 10%]

He calmly watched as the stone door slowly opened, and strode out.

As the second door opened, Viktor quickly entered.

However, the result wasn't much different from before.

In just a short while, he walked out.

Another white aura was added around his body.

That was the power of wind.

Then, the third door, the fourth door.

He calmly traversed door after door, each time emerging with another white mist surrounding him.

Now, Viktor looked at his newly acquired buffs without a word.

[Wind Attribute Power 50%]

Finally, with the breakthrough of the first five doors, a violent gust of wind suddenly came rushing towards him.

The powerful storm made his coat flutter and rustle loudly.

The opening of the sixth door seemed to carry a different force.

He slowly walked in against the wind force, and the deeper he went into the passage, the wind force strangely decreased.

By the time the gale completely disappeared, Viktor found himself in surroundings vastly different from before.

This trial ground was much larger than the previous five stone doors, and the giant rock above was carved with part of a beast-like body.

White light illuminated the entire vast trial ground.

"As expected."

In the game, the first five doors were relatively simple and easy.

They were at a level that the vast majority of players could pass.

It wasn't until the sixth trial that the difficulty suddenly increased.

Gradually, from the surrounding rock walls, a violent gale rushed out.

The gale constantly restructured itself, visibly combining into a strange monster.

It seemed to have no physical form, surrounded by a mass of white smoke, dancing with a shapeless body.

But its arm positions were replaced by several scattered wisps of smoke, transforming into various shapes.

Spear, battle axe, blade.....

The weapons changed endlessly, fiercely attacking Viktor.

Unfortunately for it, as a mage, close combat was what Viktor feared least!

In the blink of an eye, Viktor's hands were enveloped by dense natural energy, a spear and blade appearing in his hands, burning with fierce flames.

As the smoke wisps attacked, Viktor dodged to the side and counterattacked towards the cloudy body.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The smoke shattered upon being hit, and Viktor seized the moment, spotting the orbs within the smoke strands.

The spear whipped out fiercely!

Crack!

The orb instantly turned to dust.

That wisp of smoke, having lost its energy source, began to tremble and shake in the air, dissipating into the trial ground.

As one wisp of smoke disappeared, the remaining clouds seemed to attack more fiercely.

But Viktor was now fully aware of their attack patterns.

With his rapid dodges, he avoided them perfectly.

The remaining clouds naturally couldn't escape their fate.

They were all shattered one by one by Viktor.

Viktor landed safely, dusting off his body, watching as a wisp of white smoke coiled around his body.

He remained silent, turning to walk out of the trial ground.

As the stone door opened, Viktor walked towards the next trial door.

The seventh, the eighth.

Those stone doors seemed like mere decorations, gradually broken through under Viktor's easy handling.

Vega's heart was full of confusion, until he walked out of the ninth door, this crow finally asked its question.

"Viktor, tell me honestly, how many times have you been here?"

"Why are you so proficient at this?"

Viktor didn't answer immediately, just looking towards the last stone door, calmly responding to Vega:

"I've lost count."

Standing in the temple, Viktor watched as this final trial slowly opened to him.

"Let's go."

He passed through the calm passage, arriving at the final trial ground.

This place was immensely vast, like an alternate dimension.

The azure sky looked calm and endless.

The ground beneath was covered with thick layers of clouds, white as far as the eye could see.

Countless pillars stood atop the clouds.

Viktor looked through the cloud layer at the scenery below the pillars.

Bottomless.

Viktor walked forward steadily, standing on one of the pillars.

At this moment, he seemed to be standing in the clouds, between the sky.

With his movement, in the blink of an eye.

A violent gale came rushing, blowing fiercely towards his body.

Viktor stood with his hands in his pockets, feeling the violent fluttering of his coat collar in the gale.

Finally.

A giant bird covered in white feathers slowly broke through layers of clouds, flapping the air as it appeared before him.

It had a pair of white wings like large hands, constantly whipping up gales.

Its body was covered in cyan-cloud patterns, a powerful wind elemental force bursting forth from within.

It looked down at the newcomer, its eyes full of disdain.

"Screech——!"

A roar, that fierce cry instantly echoed throughout the sky, like a clear bell.

Viktor looked at it expressionlessly, the patterns on his coat behind him slowly lighting up in two colors.

A long health bar appeared in Viktor's view.

Lv50——

"It seems the battle has begun."