"Good day to you, Lord Hugh. It's urgent, and I need to verify something. Please forgive my intrusion! Do you know a young man named Felix Zeller?" Cairo asked.Hugh laughed and said, "Are you talking about Felix, our Dragon Knight from headquarters? Of course, I know him. I treat him like my own grandson. What's the matter?"Cairo drew in a sharp breath. He had considered many possibilities but hadn't expected Felix to have this level of connection. He treated Felix like his own grandson? "No... it's nothing. Please rest well." After hanging up, Cairo looked uncomfortable, coughing twice before saying, "Dragon Knight, since you have a mission to complete, you should hurry along. Don't delay it." Nodding, Felix left. Despite his frustration, Aiden could not intervene further and could only watch the car disappear. "Aiden, that young man has deep ties with Lord Hugh. There's nothing we can do." Though retired, Hugh could easily take down the Tideborne Warlord if provoked. Aide
"Dane, this doesn't feel right." Outside the manor, Ross and Dane were sprinting in pursuit of someone. "What's not right about it? That bone was super rare. Do you think I'd give it up if I didn't have to? Now that the deal's done, I need my property back. Besides, I left my mark on him. He won't get far!" Ross could only manage a bitter smile, not daring to say more. Though he had blood on his hands, this was his first time pulling something like this. After all, Felix had just saved their lives, and that tip about another Dragonspine was completely made up.Minutes later, they cornered Felix in the forest. "You seem awfully calm." Dane furrowed his brows. Felix's reaction was unexpected. The look in his eyes seemed to say he knew they would come. "Calm? I guess you could say that." Felix shrugged with a smile. While treating Dane, he had already set things up to make sure he could track this Super S-rank criminal from the Thirteen Aces. But Dane had decided to strike fi
Melissa's call came at just the right moment. Felix answered it. "Felix, there's someone named Tom here. He barged into the clinic and won't get up from his knees. He's desperate to see you. Are you free?" Tom? Felix smirked. That bastard Tom must have exhausted all other options to come crawling back like this. …At the clinic, Tom looked like a shell of his former self. "Please, I'm begging you! Remove it. I'm begging you!" Tom was on the verge of losing his mind. He had never imagined urination could ever become a torture for him. He wanted to pull out that silver needle but feared death too much. The agony was unbearable. Felix ignored him at first. Instead, he looked at Nala, who understood immediately and took Melissa's hand with a smile. She said, "Melissa, let's go shopping." "Sure." As the clinic's shutters came down, Felix took a seat. "Do you know why I agreed to see you?" Tom shook his head frantically, fighting another urge to urinate. "Please, liv
On a rainy night, a coaster bus cruised down the provincial highway. From the outside, all passengers appeared to be sleeping, creating a stark contrast with the pounding rain. Felix was among them, but he was the only one with open eyes. Earlier at the clinic, he had realized that to catch a lion, one had to enter its den. After questioning Tom, he learned that Tom had scheduled a transport for tonight, so he infiltrated the group. Tom was driving, still with a silver needle embedded in him—though a different one. This served two purposes: avoiding suspicion and making sure Tom understood that his relief was still in Felix's hands. The new needle would only cause agony once in a day when urinating. While this lifted most of his nightmare, his fate remained in Felix's control. So, he would not dare do anything rash. Before boarding, everyone had been given a bottle of liquid that quickly induced sleep. These people had not shown any fear. After all, they had each received 10,00
A smirk appeared on Yadier's face."Hah! At least you know your place! As for why we're going to such lengths—first, Felix is Dragonia's master healer. Kill him, and they lose a master who can pass down the knowledge of traditional medicine. "Second, we want to prove that Dragonia's martial arts are child's play compared to our shadowstalking techniques. Now hold that coffee steady. The show's starting." By the bus, Felix had stepped out, finding the scene oddly familiar. Ten fighters in purple combat suits surrounded him, while the driver stood at a distance with a smug grin as if victory was assured. "You must be Yadier's right-hand man. You can tell me where to find him." The driver's smile widened. "How dare you talk big even at death's door? Your confidence must come from being a martial artist, isn't it? How naive. These are ten mid-ranked shadowstalkers from our homeland. You're finished!" Felix's expression turned peculiar as he asked, "Ten mid-ranked shadowstalkers?
Yadier revealed that there was another Steele family overseer for Gray City and its neighbors, named Ollie Steele. But he had returned to Astoria the day before on urgent business. This did not diminish Felix's killing intent. Yadier had revealed plenty, which was befitting his status as a direct family member. He knew almost every operation in Dragonia. Felix compiled information about other labs and personnel, then passed it to Alistair to give to Xena as an anonymous tip. This would be enough to uproot all Steele family operations in Dragonia. But prosecuting them internationally would prove challenging. Evidence aside, cross-border politics made things complicated, so Felix decided to handle this personally. He just hoped Xena would not assign him any missions in the coming days.…"I'm coming with you!" Back at the villa, Nala's eyes showed fierce determination to accompany Felix to Astoria. "Don't complicate things. I'm going there to kill people—quite a few of them.
"Felix?" a familiar voice called out as Felix was leaving the airport. He turned, surprised. "Jack? What are the odds?" It was indeed Jack, who rushed over in a few strides. He laughed and said, "I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. If we hadn't known each other for years, I might've thought you had a twin brother." Meeting Felix anywhere in Dragonia would have been one thing, but they were in Astoria. It was incredible. "What brings you here?" Felix asked."Business! Ms. Kinsley's company is doing well. She established preliminary cooperation agreements here earlier, so I'm just here to finalize things." Felix looked around and teased, "Jack, you're supposed to be a big-shot executive now. Don't you look kind of modest here, traveling alone?" Jack threw an arm around Felix's shoulders with a laugh. "I'm keeping it low-key, you know? Besides, though I hate Astoria, experiencing their unique cultural scene is easier when you're flying solo." The mention reminded F
After about 30 minutes, Jack returned to the private room. "That was quick," noted Felix. Jack grinned. "Of course! Like I said, it's just a formality. Ms. Kinsley handled everything earlier. Actually, with Nessa busy training, I thought I'd explore some local entertainment. "Do you want to join tonight? The company contacts can arrange everything. It's totally safe—no scams." Scams? Felix found it amusing. What scammer would dare try anything with a martial arts master like himself? "This liquor's basically water. Let's make do with it. By the way, I never asked—what brings you to Astoria?" Felix glanced at him with a smirk. He joked, "I got invited by a beautiful Astorian lady." Jack scoffed. "Yeah, right. Cheers!" Just as they raised their glasses, the door slid open. Four burly men sat down rudely on both sides. Judging from their tattoos, they were likely local gang members. Jack frowned and asked, "Can I help you?" They did not respond, either unable or unwill
As soon as Chelsea's finger touched a card, it turned and displayed the number one. Hendrix immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Although there were no longer any tricks at this point, it all depended on their strengths and luck.If anyone met Chelsea in the first round, then it would definitely affect the morale of the rest of the battles. After Chelsea, several people jumped out simultaneously, including Lachlan and Felix. When Felix touched a card, it revealed the number three.Hendrix quickly frowned and looked over. There was another person he didn't want to fight—Felix.During the two days of rest, he talked a lot with Yvian. Of course, he had learned some things, like the cooperation with Lyle and Felix. This made him feel unsettled, but he didn't expect that they would meet.Once everyone had drawn their numbers, Chelsea and another player who had drawn the same number stayed on the island. The rest temporarily left the island."Begin!"The fight between the two start
Holly was right—Felix could no longer question it. He smiled bitterly as he realized he had no choice in the matter. He thought for a while before suggesting, "What about this, if you're really part of their family, come back to Earth with me after the competition. Can you do that?"Holly agreed willingly. "Of course, I'm looking for family. That isn't an issue."Once Holly left, she contacted someone. A look of astonishment flashed in her eyes as she read Felix's information."Oh? I didn't expect this guy to be so well-known! Has Star Alliance already contacted him and offered a position as the Elder of External Affairs?"Given this information, it was evident just how powerful Holly's connections were. After all, not many people in Star Alliance knew of it.Since they were offering him the position of Elder of External Affairs, it seemed that Felix had already formed the Way of Mind. Holly didn't expect someone from such a barbaric planet to be so powerful."How interesting
Felix's expression fell immediately, and he tried to push the woman away. "Are you crazy? Get out!"However, as he closed the door, the woman stopped it from shutting. "You're a contestant in this year's Rank-Ascending Competition, right? I can sense that there's someone in Star Alliance protecting you."But there are some things you can't avoid," she said. "Either you take this chance to talk to me, or I'll ask myself. It shouldn't be difficult to find out where you're from."Felix realized the seriousness of her words as he gazed at the woman. She could sense the higher-ups secretly protecting him, but at least she couldn't figure out who he was—in other words, this woman was extremely powerful.No matter her purpose, if she really went to Earth, who could stop her? Since the Rank-Ascending Competition hadn't ended yet, and with Earth still a mess, who could stop the invasion?"Fine, come in," Felix relented.The corners of her mouth curled into a smile. "Hahaha! This is the at
"The Lord?" Felix wondered. But Jerry continued, "The Lord—the deputy leader of the Star Alliance. He's one of the champions of the Rank-Ascending Competition and one of the current fighters of the Star Alliance—Tyrone Linetti, nicknamed The Tyrant."When you were on the ninth floor of the Tower of Babel, he couldn't sleep a wink."Felix was shocked by the revelation. It turned out that he had no privacy at all, even in the tower. Besides the Spirit of the Tower, Star Alliance could also observe him.Before he could respond, Jerry nodded sagely. "Yes, Lord Tyrant discovered that you've successfully condensed the Way of Mind! Otherwise, why would he tell me to recruit you personally?"Sure enough, Felix's Way of Mind was discovered."You're so young, and you'd definitely rank among the top three in Star Alliance's records," Jerry said. "Hell, you'd even be better than Lord Tyrant! That is why Star Alliance is willing to make an exception for you."They're offering you the positi
However, Felix was the only one who sat there unmoving. Julius quickly pulled him up."That's Jerry Gonzalez, one of the top three elders in the Star Alliance. You can't even fathom how powerful he is! How dare you keep sitting there?" Julius muttered.Felix hated having to worship the powerful, but there were times when he couldn't help it. He watched as Scopulus bent over in a bow, greeting Jerry respectfully. That told Felix everything he needed to know."Mr. Gonzalez, what are you doing here?" Scopulus asked warmly. However, Jerry smiled and completely ignored him. Instead, he walked straight to Felix."Felix! I'm Jerry Gonzalez from Star Alliance. Are you free to chat? Let's head into a more private area."Everyone in the bar watched with bated breath, and their mouths fell agape as they watched the scene unfold. One of the top three elders of Star Alliance came all the way here to find a contender. This has never happened before.Even if there was a contender from a pow
Xenon helplessly said, "Dude, it doesn't matter if you sign the agreement. They've met their goal as long as you meet Lachlan in the round! If you lose to Lachlan, it doesn't matter if you live or die—you won't be able to save the Earth."At that point, you can't go back to Earth, so where will you go? Even if you run, you won't be able to escape death." Xenon was right—the Orions wanted to kill Felix quickly in the past so he wouldn't hinder their plans to invade Earth. …As Felix followed the two, he experienced the entirety of the Star Alliance headquarters. There was advanced technology that Felix had never seen before, as well as delicious food. "Felix, don't you want to check that place out? There are women from all races in the universe. You can do them however you want. Besides, Star Alliance will pay for it all," Julius teased.As a man, Felix naturally wanted to experience it all. But as a man with a family, he didn't want to. After a full day, no other families
Just then, Yvian interrupted, "Dad, since Felix is this sincere, I think we should tell him some things in advance—to prove our sincerity."After a pause, Lyle nodded, and Yvian looked at Felix, saying, "What I said about Star Alliance was a very big maybe. Because of your current situation, they may not even come to help you. If they do, I can't predict what they will do."But one thing is for sure—if you need Star Alliance's help, you must join them. My family can't compare to them. I believe you understand that." Felix looked a bit unsure but smiled. He replied, "Thank you for telling me the truth. Let's take a look at the contract."Lyle's eyes glinted mysteriously. He knew that Yvian's words convinced Felix. Sure enough, with someone like that, Lyle could only treat him with sincerity—lies and deceit were meaningless to Felix.After reading the contract, Felix confirmed that it was exactly as Lyle had said. There was not even a word out of line."Alright, I'll sign it," F
"No idea. Oh, right. My dad told me to check in with him, too," Julius said.Julius lifted his wrist, and a white wristband flashed briefly. Then, he closed his eyes.It was a communication device developed by Star Alliance. It was way more advanced than anything on Earth—it could handle video, voice, and even silent messaging—meaning it allowed direct brain-to-brain communication without anyone around knowing you were chatting.Right now, Julius was silently talking to Trent. "Father, Lyle just approached Felix to recruit him. What do you think about that?"To his surprise, Trent chuckled on the other end. "His instincts are still as sharp as ever. Don't worry about it. Lyle has always trusted his intuition, and so far, he's never been wrong. "His move doesn't affect us. You already have the upper hand. Like I said before, just stay friends with Felix. As long as you maintain that bond, it's as good as recruiting him for our family."When Julius thought back to how Felix had sa
Julius and Xenon exchanged a look and chuckled."Do you know why they gave you two days of free time?" Julius asked.Felix shook his head and signaled for him to get to the point."Among the ten finalists, those without a strong family background are prime targets for recruitment. Hence, you might be one of them," Julius said.Felix thought it made sense—it wasn't all that different from how things worked back on Earth."Recruitment by families? Do they expect you to change your last name or something?" Felix asked.Julius laughed. "Of course not. Every strong martial artist has their pride. No one would agree to something like that. The ones they're interested in are people with limitless potential, like you. Since you come from a developing planet, you have no resources—you're a perfect target."He added, "For instance, if my family wanted to recruit you, we'd propose an alliance. You wouldn't have to give up anything—you would only need to agree to a contract saying you'd hel