
Overview
Catalog
Chapter 1
001 Free Bird
The gates of Montserrat Prison clanged open to release a prisoner.
A tall man in ordinary clothes walked out, having served his three-year conviction term.
"I can finally be with my family again,"
Tyler said aloud, shielding his eyes with his hand from the bright noon sun.
He didn't turn back to look at the prison facade.
Montserrat was a maximum-security prison, home to the most heinous and dangerous criminals in the world.
But Tyler never belonged to this living hell.
Three years ago, Tyler stood on the cusp of glory—top grad, dream job.
And Erica Sinclair, his stunning childhood love, one of the prettiest girls in town, just said yes to his proposal.
Then came the nightmare. Trent Cooper, a rich playboy with a twisted obsession for Erica, ambushed them in a drunken rage.
"If you won't be my girlfriend, I'll make you my girlfriend by force!" the billionaire brat roared, dragging Erica into his car.
Tyler fought back, managing to save her. In the scuffle, the drunken Trent loses his balance and breaks his own arm.
Trent cried assault, and with the Cooper family owning the local police, Tyler got framed.
Nobody believed his story and a corrupt trial judge sentenced him to three years at Montserrat prison.
Tyler let out of a sigh. Finally, it was done.
But Montserrat prison had left him some souvenirs.
He eyed the uncharacteristic tattoo on his own right bicep, the six-wings, called the Seraphim sigil.
It was not a prison souvenir but one given to him by Butch Salvatore, one of the other inmates serving a life sentence.
Butch was an eccentric old man who claimed to be the leader of a mysterious group.
Most other inmates considered Butch a deluded old psychopath and avoided him, but Tyler befriended the man and showed him kindness.
One day Butch invited him to his practice sessions.
"I suffered a near-fatal attack from my enemies many years back," he told the young man. "It took most of my life energy to heal myself. My life is about to end soon. However, I see innate talent in you, Tyler. I can teach you to master invincible skills that will aid you in reaching the pinnacle of the world. It won't be an easy or enjoyable path. Will you accept your destiny?"
Tyler was both skeptical and intrigued by Butch's tall claims.
In the end, he decided to put them to the test. From that day onwards, he spent his time in prison as Butch Salvatore's disciple.
The old man put him through hell to learn martial arts and abilities.Eventually, Tyler realized Butch's claims were not imaginary.
Just before Tyler's release from prison, Butch imprinted this tattoo on his arm.
"Someone will be waiting for you outside," he instructed in a serious tone. "I don't have anything of material value to give to you right now. However, you are my true legacy; everything I own is yours. There’s a place hidden from the maps—Wings Island. You must go there when you’re ready. "
Tyler didn't really expect anything else from Butch.
But indeed, someone was waiting for him outside the prison.
A tall, athletic woman dressed in rugged leather leaned on a Harley Davidson. Her eagle-green eyes scrutinized him.
"Are you Tyler?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I am. Butch Salvatore said you'd have gifts for me."
Three years back, Tyler would have been intimidated by such a perfectly sculpted female.
However, the new and improved Tyler had drastically changed. He was tall, lean, and muscular. An air of confidence and indifference surrounded him.
"I'm Britta, Butch's granddaughter," she said, handing him a paper bag. "There are three gifts inside. Handle them carefully. I’ll drop you at Sapphire City now."
Tyler nodded and pocketed the bag.
Britta handed him a phone before leaving.
"My number is in the phonebook. Call me whenever you need anything. "
Tyler breathed in the city air as he walked down a familiar street.
Sapphire City had barely changed, Tyler slowly walked up the street he was raised in.
As he made the turn towards his ancestral home, the scene shocked him to the core.
His parents' home looked decrepit and run-down, as if thirty years had passed.
Mold and creepers grew on the walls while the boundary itself was crumbling.
There were cracks on the facade, and the garden was overgrown with grass and weeds.
Tyler took a moment to process the bizarre scenery.
What tragedy had struck the Grants while he was gone?
It had been only three years! The city itself had prospered, but his ancestral home had turned into ruins!
The Grant family had never been billionaires, but Tyler's father owned a mini-mall in the city. He made enough money to keep his family in comfort.
Tyler approached the porch and rang the doorbell. However, the power was out, and the bell was useless.
He knocked on the door. After five minutes, he heard the sound of rolling wheels, and someone opened the door.
The figure that emerged from the shabby house was that of a wizened old woman in a wheelchair.
She had disheveled hair and was dressed in tattered clothes.
"Who is it?" she asked with a pained tremor in her voice.
Tyler's heart did a double-take.
The shriveled woman before him was none other than his own mother, Ruth Grant!
She seemed to have aged twenty years and was pinned to a wheelchair!
What the hell happened while he was gone?
"Mom, it's me. Tyler. Don’t you recognize me?"
"Tyler… Is it really you?" she stammered, raising a trembling hand to touch his bearded face.
"Yes…" He figured his unkempt hair, scraggly beard, and rugged physique made him look quite different from the boyish young man she remembered from three years ago.
Tears of mixed emotion streamed down Ruth's eyes as she pulled her son towards her and hugged him. "Am I dreaming…? I can't believe it… You're finally back…"
"Mom. What happened while I was gone?" Tyler asked with concern.
"Why is our home in this dilapidated condition? What happened to your legs? Why do you look so unwell?"
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Latest Chapter
The Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives 274 The Gift
The world had stopped, but Tyler could still move. His heart pounded in the unnatural silence. Victor stood before him with a faint smirk playing on his lips."What the hell did you do?" Tyler demanded. He glanced around, confirming what he already suspected: time itself had bent to Victor's will."Did you... stop time?"Victor chuckled and crossed his arms casually, as if they were discussing the weather over tea. "Not quite, Salvatore, or whatever your real name is. Stopping time? That is close to impossible. What I've done is freeze the world around us. That's a subtle difference, but an important one."Tyler narrowed his eyes and found he could move. He circled Victor warily. "Explain. How is it different? And why?"The prince tilted his head in mild amusement, as if indulging a curious child. "Freezing the world creates a veil between us and them. Time still flows, but only for those I choose. The rest are paused, unaware, unharmed.""No memories of this moment will remain for th
Last Updated : 2025-07-25
The Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives 273 Clash of Titans
Whispers rippled through the crowd as the High Council elder stepped forward. "It is decided," he announced. "Prince Victor Cromwell and Lord Tristan Salvatore are the finalists of this courtship banquet. The winner will marry Princess Michelle Douglas and ascend as King of Petra with her as the Queen." Gasps filled the room, followed by a wave of murmurs. "All others are eliminated? People from royal lineage and those with generational wealth." The other remaining candidates stamped their feet and grumbled curses under their breath. Charlie Griggs got up from his seat rudely and walked out. Michelle's heart pounded in her chest. It was too sudden. Was her fate going to be decided so easily? Her emerald gown felt suddenly too tight. She gripped the edge of the head table, her eyes fixed anxiously on the finalists. Who did she like better? Both of them? Victor's reputation, accomplishments, and kindness had touched her. Besides, he had not used a champion for the fight like the oth
Last Updated : 2025-07-24
The Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives 272 A Dance of Dragons 2
This time, Tyler met it head-on. His forearm slammed into Li Feng's knee with a thud that made the onlookers wince.Li Feng groaned, stumbled, and went off balance. Tyler swept his legs with a low kick. The kung fu master hit the floor with a crash, spitting blood.Before he could recover, Tyler loomed over him. "Yield," he said grimly. "Or the next attack will kill you."Li Feng's confidence had been shattered. The young man had countered his family secret with a special attack, albeit lazily.The kung fu master nodded. Tyler stepped back, offering him a hand up. The elite present looked stunned, and a few even applauded. Earl Philip glared at his defeated champion speechlessly.Charlie Griggs's champion was next. He was an army veteran with scars across his face."Sergeant Mike Carter!" the herald called out. The veteran stepped into the arena. He had two gleaming combat knives in his hands."Fists won't help you now," he growled, twirling the blades. "There is no rule against weapo
Last Updated : 2025-07-23
The Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives 271 Dance of Dragons
A section of the Great Hall was cleared to build a fighting circle. Tristan Salvatore stood at the center, looking like a heroic prince from the Georgian era.Someone entered the arena and stood opposite him. It was Sir Gideon Whitehall's champion—a hulking kickboxer named Ivan "The Hammer" Sokolov. His shaved head gleamed, and his muscles rippled under a black shirt with gothic prints.The herald's voice cut through the din. "First challenger: Sir Gideon's champion, The Hammer!"The crowd exploded. "Hammer! Hammer! Hammer!" they chanted, pumping their fists. Apparently, this man was quite popular as a pit fighter. Elites often participated in illegal underground battles. Ivan was an undefeated champion in those and had a reputation for killing his opponents with his bare hands.He grinned, cracking his knuckles with a sound like snapping twigs. "Poor little imposter," he sneered in a thick Russian accent. "I'll break you in half!"The onlookers jeered, a few casting pitying glances a
Last Updated : 2025-07-23
The Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives 270 A Matter of Honor
The Great Hall's cacophony of silverware and chatter faded abruptly. Tristan Salvatore's bold entrance had made a bigger impact than Victor Cromwell's. For a minute, nobody else spoke.When the tension dissipated, four of the major candidates—Sir Gideon Whitehall, Earl Philip O'Keefe, Charlie Griggs, and Robert Dunham—moved to surround him.Their expressions were a mix of skepticism and scorn. Victor remained apart, his alert eyes watching Tyler from a distance.Sir Gideon spoke first in an aristocratic tone. "The Salvatore heir, you say? That's a bold claim for a family reduced to ashes after Butch's demise. And his granddaughter was gone without a trace. Tell me, boy, what proof do you have that you're not some impostor?"Earl Philip joined in with giddy indignation. "Aye, the Salvatore empire's a rotting corpse, anyway. Do you think we'll just swallow your story whole? Who are you really?"Charlie Griggs chimed in with brash confidence and a smirk. "Dude, seriously? I have no idea
Last Updated : 2025-07-14
The Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives 269 The Suitors
Monarch Hall was a monument to the Douglas family’s legacy, and also the most ancient estate in Petra County. Its structures dated back to centuries of royal history.Its palatial Great Hall, usually deserted, was decorated like a bride. Over the past week, the Douglas household staff transformed it into a stage for a grand royal banquet.The High Council of Petra had spared no effort in their mission to present Princess Michelle Douglas with the world’s most eligible suitors.Chandeliers cast a golden glow over the scene while long tables stretched across the marble floor. The silk tablecloths were littered with silver platters piled high with roasted pheasant, glazed fruits, and towering cakes dusted with gold leaf.The guests were already here, clinking glasses and goblets. The low, droning chatter of the elite filled the Great Hall. They were dressed in expensive, tailored suits and jeweled gowns, everyone trying to outshine the other.This was not a regular dinner or party. It wa
Last Updated : 2025-07-10
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