***** For a moment, no one could respond. Not the elderly man, not his granddaughter, and most especially, not the masked mercenaries. Everyone continued staring at Xavier in a trance who should have already been slaughtered, completely unsure of how to react until finally… “Where… where is Fifth Brother?” One of the masked figures stammered, shattering the silence like a fragile piece of glass. In the next second, speculations filled the air. “Fifth Brother and his usual antics.” “Why hasn’t he finished off this idiot already?” “Ugh! I should have been assigned the task.” The masked men began to express their discontent and irritation while scanning their surroundings. However, Xavier did not interject. Instead, he remained entirely at ease, even leisurely chewing on a blade of grass he had procured from who knows where. At last, however, when the group of mercenaries began to complain after not seeing what they were searching for… “Are you searchin

***** For a moment that felt like an eternity, an oppressive, deathly silence consumed the area. It was so stifling and suffocating that no one could think or even blink. They couldn’t even move their limbs, making them suddenly resemble frozen statues. Every single person became so rigid that one would assume they were standing before a celestial being who could erase their very existence should they make a single movement. Aside from the three masked men on the crooked streetlight pole, who had already lost consciousness, their leader and the last remaining subordinate slumped against the wall, fixating their gaze on Xavier. Although their expressions were concealed beneath their masks, anyone could envision the sheer dread and panic currently lurking beneath. Meanwhile, Sage Myron and his granddaughter—both remained petrified on the ground, their faces resembling those whose very souls had been ripped away from them. They neither blinked nor stirred; instead,

***** Both Sage Myron and Lyria remained frozen in place for what felt like an eternity, staring blankly at the spot where Xavier had once stood. A long silence stretched between them until finally— “Grand… Grandfather, he… I think he has just vanished,” Lyria stammered, snapping the old man out of his stupor, and the moment her words sank in, his expression changed significantly. Although he had already realized Xavier was gone, the weight of it was only now settling in, and with it came an overwhelming sense of loss. His features, already aged, seemed to wither further as his eyes dulled with pain and despair. Then— Thud! He collapsed to his butt. “Grandfather!” Lyria cried out with panic, rushing to the man’s side and clutching him tightly—her pillar, her only source of stability. “Are you all right?” she asked, her voice heavily laced with anxiety. Sage Myron trembled violently, his eyes rimmed with red. “I… I don’t think I’ll be able to wake your fath

*****Bloodfang Viper scrutinized the trembling subordinate kneeling before him, his features eerily composed, his expression an enigma.With this, the oppressive silence in the bright ordinary room stretched unbearably, wrapping around the masked figures like an invisible noose.This was no ordinary matter—it was the singular reason he had journeyed to Riverton City.For years, he had scoured countless regions, exhaustively seeking an Everdusk Bloom, only to always come up empty-handed. Then, finally, a glimmer of hope surfaced—intel revealing that such a rare treasure was within the city's reach.Bloodfang Viper was not a man who procrastinated and the very notion of delay was an insult to his nature. He always executes his missions with unwavering resolve, even if it means wagering his own life. And yet, this time… he had delayed doing his own thing. But instead of receiving the long-sought-after Everdusk Bloom, what he was given instead was this… failure.His calm, express

*****“Kakakaka!”A sudden burst of maniac, unrestrained laughter echoed from deep within the Scoan family estate, sharp and chaotic, like the crazed cackling of a madman consumed by madness.It was already late into the night, and given the sheer size of the estate, the eerie laughter carried far and wide, slicing through the silence like a blade.Those still awake felt their spines stiffen in alarm, while those already asleep were wrenched violently from their slumber, jolted upright with pounding hearts.“Who? What in the world?”The estate’s servants, guards, and workers rushed out of their quarters, confusion swirling among them like a thick fog.“Who could possibly be laughing like that at this hour?”Their anxious gazes darted around, searching for the source of the disturbing sound—when suddenly...“This father has finally ascended to supremacy! I am now an F-rank fighter! Let’s see who dares to stand in my way now!”A voice, dripping with arrogance and untamed glee,