Viktor's Resolve (Seeking Recommendation Votes~)

"Fuck off!" It was nothing more than an ordinary curse.

But at that moment, it landed like a bomb in the crowd.

Everyone was stunned.

Whether it was the two Piltover aunties, the passing teachers and students, or the crowd of students lined up behind her—everyone's gaze froze on Lina:

How dare she?

A student, how dare she?

"You... what did you just say?" The two aunties finally snapped out of it.

First shock, then indignation, and finally they lashed out in fury: "Say it again!"

"I—" Lina's flames of anger were choked back.

Damn it. She'd been impulsive.

Even if these two aunties were just ordinary school staff, the lowest-tier Piltover citizens, she still couldn't afford to provoke them.

Sigh. Why couldn't she learn? It was this same impulsiveness that had gotten her on Caitlyn's bad side in the first place.

"Go on? Why aren't you talking?"

"Let everyone see what kind of people you really are!"

The scene fell dead silent.

Not just Lina—the students around her all wore grim expressions too.

Some of them silently glared at the aunties, holding back their anger.

Others shot Lina reproachful looks, as if blaming her for cursing and tarnishing their reputation in Piltover.

"Hmph!" The aunties glared at Lina, who stood speechless. "Apologize to us!"

"Apologize loudly, right here, or this isn't over!"

Lina's body trembled; her temper was about to boil over again.

"Too scared to own up, huh?"

"Fine. Let's see how tough you really are."

The aunties plopped back into their seats and pulled the stack of stationery back down:

"I'm putting this out there—"

"If you don't apologize, these notebooks and pens aren't getting handed out!"

"You?!" Lina's eyes widened in fury.

The students behind her also couldn't hold back their outrage:

This was too much.

They were already students of Piltover University, the pride of everyone's eyes.

Yet two ordinary Piltover aunties could toy with them so easily—a notebook and a pen were all it took to keep them standing there, getting lectured.

"These supplies are the school's gift to us," Lina finally snapped again. "What right do you have to just decide not to hand them out? Even if I'm in the wrong, you have no right to deny the others their supplies!"

"Oh?" The auntie just sneered. "So cursing people out makes you right, huh? I said no handout, so no handout. If you've got the guts, go complain to the professors!"

"A bunch of beggars. Who's afraid of who?"

The crowd stirred again.

The two aunties had unknowingly riled up every student's anger.

They were furious, humiliated.

They all wished they could curse out loud like Lina, let it all out.

"Everyone!" Lina could feel the anger of her fellow countrymen. That emotion fed back into her, pushing her to do something no student had ever dared before: "Let's go file a complaint!"

"You... what did you say?!" The aunties' faces turned ugly.

Because they knew deep down—if that many students actually complained, they'd be in serious trouble.

Their arrogance had only worked because they'd counted on these people not wanting to make waves.

And Lina seemed to sense the enemy's weakness, saw through their paper-tiger facade. So she jumped onto the library steps, raised her arm, and rallied her countrymen:

"Fellow students! Is this the first time they've humiliated us, made things hard for us?"

"We're all students of Piltover University—future scientists, future engineers! Why should we put up with their insults? Just because they're Piltover citizens?"

"She said to go complain—so let's go complain! I don't believe the professors who teach us to seek truth would side with them!"

Lina's words swept through like a gale, igniting a wildfire.

Nearly every student was burning with rage.

They remembered the shame of being gawked at like animals while waiting in line; the contempt in the aunties' eyes as they handed out supplies; and countless other similar moments.

And so they reached the peak of their fury—

Then nothing happened.

No one said a word.

Lina, who had jumped onto the steps in a burst of excitement, became the awkward clown of the scene instead.

"Why?" Lina was bewildered.

Those two aunties had clearly been afraid, so why wouldn't anyone else step up?

Weren't they all pretty good at infighting?

Back in their hometown, they could kill someone over a loaf of bread.

How had they all turned into this once they got to Piltover?

"Alright, alright, Lina." Not only did no one back her up, but an acquaintance tried to calm her down: "Take it easy, don't make a scene!"

"Yeah. Stop it. If you get expelled, it's all over."

"Classmate Lina, you might as well just apologize. Don't waste everyone's time." A few even complained to her: "There are so many teachers watching here. If this gets out, it'll look really bad."

"..." Lina was completely speechless.

She stumbled down the steps, wanting to meet the eyes of her fellow townsfolk, but their gazes kept dodging hers.

Those two ordinary Piltover aunties had won.

They looked at Lina smugly, their eyes full of contempt, signaling her to bow her head and apologize.

"I..." Tears welled up in Lina's eyes: "I'm... sorry."

"Louder! Can't hear you!"

"I'm sorry."

"No energy! Do it again!"

"I..." Lina nearly bit through her silver teeth.

The students present clenched their fists one by one, heads lowered, not daring to watch this humiliating scene.

Still, no one did anything.

Only Lina was apologizing: "I'm sorry, I—"

"You're not wrong!" Suddenly, a voice rang out nearby.

Someone actually did something.

Someone couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward.

"Who?!" The aunties glared in the direction of the voice, as if ready to drag out this troublemaker too.

But the person who stepped out from the crowd wasn't a student.

It was a middle-aged man leaning on a walking cane and carrying a briefcase. He looked like a teacher.

"It's you?" Lina's eyes lit up.

It was none other than the Professor Viktor she had been longing to see!

"You... you came?"

"I came specifically to find you, Lina." Viktor replied calmly.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Of course I knew." Viktor looked at the long line for "relief."

Over a decade ago, when he was still a student, he had been one of the people in this long line.

Back then, the ones sitting at the table weren't these two aunties.

But it wasn't much different.

Viktor had endured it for a few years back then, let it go, and thought he had forgotten. But now, seeing this, he realized he hadn't forgotten a thing—it was all still there.

"You two should apologize to classmate Lina."

Viktor looked coldly at the two aunties.

Then he turned his head to address all the students present:

"Apologize to every student here."

Some of the students recognized Viktor, but most didn't know who he was or how formidable he was.

So almost no one dared to echo him, or even show any expectation.

As if they were afraid Viktor would call out their identities, shout them loud and clear, loud enough for all of Piltover to hear.

"Ah..." Viktor sighed inwardly.

He saw his past self, saw countless silent people.

Viktor couldn't help but grip his briefcase tighter—inside it was Li Wei's article.

It seemed his suspicions were correct.

This article shouldn't be seen only by him.

It also needs to be seen by these people, and even by all the suffering souls across Runeterra!

Viktor quietly steeled his resolve, his gaze growing even colder.

That made the two Aunties start to panic: "You—who are you?"

"What right do you have to make us apologize to these people?"

In the past, Viktor would have stayed silent, keeping a low profile—so low that he wouldn't even speak his own rightful titles.

But now, he was different.

"Who am I?"

Viktor slowly stepped onto the platform Lina had just stood on, looking at all the students present:

"I am Viktor, colleague of Professor Jayce, student of Headmaster Heimerdinger, the second inventor of the Hextech core, lifelong honorary professor at Piltover University, and deputy head of the Hextech Applied Research Group."

A string of heavyweight titles came crashing down, nearly terrifying everyone.

The two Aunties' faces instantly turned pale.

But they never expected—nor did anyone else—that Viktor's final, crowning title would be:

"I am also—"

"A Zaunite!"