I Can Only Cultivate In A Game

Amara stood just behind him with her fox summon floating nearby.

"You need backup," she said firmly. "We're coming with you."

Victor's eyes narrowed.

Danny and Amara were strong, but he wasn't about to let them risk their lives for him.

"This is not that type of party..."

With both hands, he grabbed the metallic edges of the torn opening—

And forced them shut.

Danny and Amara shouted in protest. Their hands grasped the edges as they tried to push back out.

But Victor was too strong.

Using his raw strength, he pressed the metal back together, forcing the torn parts to bend inward, sealing off the only exit.

"Stay put!" Victor shouted.

"Victor, you bastard!" Danny roared while pounding on the inside of the barrier. "Don't do this alone!"

"Victor!" Amara's frustrated voice rang out frantically.

Victor took a deep breath and forced himself to ignore them.

His fingers ached from bending the metal, but he didn't stop until he was sure—

They couldn't follow him.

For a moment, the yelling continued.

Then—silence.

Victor's heart twisted painfully, but he refused to look back.

They would be safe inside.

He couldn't risk their lives for his own selfish mission.

Taking a deep breath, he turned away—

And leapt off the top of the barrier.

As he fell, he angled his body and activated Wind Dash mid-air—

A powerful burst of air exploded beneath him, softening his descent as he landed on the empty streets below.

The moment he hit the ground, the silence swallowed him whole.

Victor's breath slowed as he stood still and surveyed his surroundings.

The city was dead.

Not a single car moved.

No voices, no distant chatter—just eerie silence.

Only the faint echoes of battle rumbled in the distance... the sound of explosions and steel clashing....

Victor swallowed hard; "First city wide emergency since that time... but I'm not a kid anymore..."

Victor pulled out his phone, swiftly navigating through his GPS.

He tapped the last known location of the Molten Wastes Mining Site.

A red marker flashed on the map, indicating his destination.

---

Estimated Distance: 22.4 Miles

Estimated Time on Foot: 4 hours

---

'Wind Dash should cut the time by a whole lot,' Victor's eyes narrowed as he made an analysis.

"No time to waste."

He gripped his phone tightly, then bolted forward.

With Wind Dash activated, his feet barely touched the ground. His speed tripled as he shot down the abandoned streets like a bullet.

The city's empty roads, desolate alleys, and signs blurred past him as he pushed forward, focusing only on the red marker ahead.

The battle was raging on the outskirts, and he could hear the roars of Berserkers, the incantations of Mages, and the metallic clash of Warriors engaged in combat.

But he didn't stop.

His father was waiting for him.

And he was going to get him back.

No matter what.

■■■

■■■

Meanwhile, the Molten Wastes Mining Site had become hell on earth.

Smoke filled the air, the ground had split open, and molten rivers carved through what was once a thriving mining operation.

Bodies of miners—some charred beyond recognition, others torn apart—littered the ground.

The scent of burnt flesh wafted across the surroundings.

Screams echoed from the depths of the cavern, but no one was left to save them.

Until—

A blazing figure dropped from the sky, landing with a thunderous impact.

A single Mana Defense Officer had made it to the battlefield.

Commander Felix Ardent—Warrior Division.

His mana-infused armour reflected the sunlight as his long silver hair whipped behind him while he unsheathed his broad-bladed greatsword.

His Warrior System Interface materialized as lines of holographic text scrolled rapidly across his vision.

---

[ SYSTEM BOOST: BLAZING RESOLVE ]

Strength: +150%

Speed: +100%

Defense: +120%

Endurance: Unlimited for 5 Minutes

---

"Let's see if you bastards can bleed," Felix growled while gripping his sword tightly.

The Drakenar warriors turned toward him instantly, almost like they recognized his presence.

Then, they charged.

Felix met them head-on.

His blade sang through the air, slicing through the first Drakenar's midsection, sending molten blood spraying as the warrior roared in agony.

A second lunged with its claws raised—

Felix twisted to evade and brought his greatsword around, severing the arm at the elbow before slamming the pommel into the Drakenar's jaw, shattering it instantly.

BOOM!

The sheer force of his blows sent shockwaves through the battlefield.

But there were too many of them.

For every Drakenar he felled, three more took its place.

Felix's breath soon turned heavy. Soon his body was covered in bruises and burns as the battle wore on.

His armour was dented, and his sword dripped with molten blood.

He needed reinforcements.

But the Mana Defense Corps were already spread too thin.

The city was under siege, and the officers were fighting on multiple fronts.

Felix gritted his teeth before slashing down another Drakenar, sending its magma-infused head rolling across the ground.

He glanced toward the collapsed section of the mine, where he knew the remaining miners were trapped.

"Damn it… I need backup!"

But no one was coming.

---

Deep beneath the wreckage, a group of miners huddled together in a concealed chamber—a hidden section of the mine that only someone intimately familiar with the tunnels would have known about.

And among them was Mr. Revenant.

Victor's father.

He had guided a handful of survivors into this place, moving through the chaos undetected.

The walls were thick and reinforced by natural rock formations that had gone untouched by the mining drills.

It was the perfect hiding spot.

But not all of their colleagues had made it.

The screams of dying men and women still rang through the cavern.

A younger miner clutched his head with a terrified expression while trembling. "They're… they're all dying out there."

Another shut his eyes tightly as if trying to block out the horror.

Mr. Revenant whispered, "Stay quiet. If we draw attention, we die too."

Then—

One of the men peeking from the cracks in the rock gasped.

"A Mana Defense Officer!"