The Rise of a Master: It Starts With Rejection

"You brat! Why do you always have to bring that? I'm hanging up." Gerald scoffed.

"Wait, Mr. Hoffman!" Felix shouted. There was something even more critical he hadn't yet addressed. "My soul... it has a problem."

Gerald grew serious. "Don't scare me. Soul-related issues are no small matter."

"Here's what happened. Headquarters initially sent me to Seapoint for a mission, and I encountered..." Felix recounted everything in full detail. This was Gerald, his mentor, after all. There was nothing he couldn't share.

"Vigilantes? And no one remembers them? Destiny Crystals? Honestly, I've never heard of these things," Gerald admitted.

"But what you're describing is beyond bizarre! Especially the ability to erase all memory of their existence. There are only a handful of individuals in the entire Dragonia capable of that."

Felix was stunned. "What? Can people actually do that? How many more unbelievable things are hidden in Dragonia?"

"Did you show it to Fatso?"

"Fatso? Who's that?" Felix was confused.

"Billy, that shameless disciple with a name as ridiculous as his master's," Gerald laughed.

So Gerald knew about Billy. Although Felix was curious, he realized asking wouldn't get him anywhere. He could only respond honestly, "I showed it to him. Billy didn't know what the Destiny Crystal was either. He only said it was good for the soul and admitted that he felt an urge to snatch it from me."

Gerald roared with laughter. "Haha! If Billy says that, then there's no problem. Forget the details. Just count it as a stroke of luck! This might be the perfect time to meet Naomi."

Felix was baffled. "Why are we talking about Naomi now?"

He was about to ask more when the call abruptly ended.

As Felix returned to the clinic, the news of the martial arts competition and the prize, Lone Paragon, sent shockwaves throughout Dragonia.noveldrama

In an icy wilderness, a figure sat cross-legged, most of its body buried under snow, resembling a corpse.

Two brown bears approached cautiously. Feasting on the corpse might provide enough energy to hibernate through the winter.

When they were just a mile away, the figure suddenly opened their eyes. A loud bang echoed, and both bears exploded.

"The martial arts competition? And Lone Paragon is the prize? Interesting. Time to stretch my legs." The figure smirked.

A woman stood gracefully atop a massive boulder in a serene mountain rangè amidst chirping birds and waterfalls. She held a long sword in her right hand, though she hadn't moved it. Yet, the waterfall split as though some invisible force sliced it apart, A sudden voice broke the tranquility. "My dear apprentice! The country is hosting a martial arts competition, and the champion will receive Lone Paragon. Are you interested?"

The woman laughed. "Lone Paragon? How interesting. Wait for me."

In a vast desert, a man staggered forward. Strapped to his back was an enormous boulder, yet he left no footprints in the sand.

A bird descended, landing at his feet.

The man set down the boulder and retrieved a note tied to the bird's leg. After reading it, he smiled. "Lone Paragon? I'll take it."

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