Chapter 218: First Target

"Fifth brother," Hendrix heard a slightly deep voice call him from behind. Despite the owner's attempt to conceal it, a hint of malice found its way into the voice.

Hendrix knew this voice too well. However, he didn't turn right away. From the crude pipes in his mask, he inhaled sharply as though he were inhaling the lingering scent of blood in the air. Though Leon and his teammates had already been teleported from the mysterious realm, the remnants of blood still lingered.

Though these humans are stupid at times, I must say they're talented, Hendrix thought, a brief gleam of fascination crossing his eyes at how the runesmiths had managed to create such a vivid realm. The next moment, his expression darkened. The fascination was soon replaced by regret.

Too bad it wasn't real... that would've been more fun.

Meanwhile, the four siblings behind him were beginning to grow restless and impatient at Hendrix's blatant disrespect for not acknowledging their presence. An irritated expression crossed their features. Though they were used to it, it always stung as if it were the first time.

"Fifth brother," the eldest son called out, his voice resembling more of a growl. However, Hendrix remained lost in thought.

"I think we should just tell him. This psychopath is doing his weird stuff again," the only girl in the group whispered to the eldest son in a low voice, so low that even the person she was whispering to didn't hear it well. She didn't want Hendrix to catch a whiff of what she was saying.

The eldest son nodded and looked at Hendrix's back. He said in a slightly hurried voice, "Fifth brother, we've decided to split into two teams... that way, we could effectively hunt down the other teams faster—"

Before he could finish, Hendrix started to walk ahead purposefully, as if he had spotted something of interest in the distance. As he slowly left the area, his nonchalant voice rang out. "I don't care. Do whatever you want, but I work alone." Then, he disappeared into the forest.

"That went easier than anticipated," the fourth brother commented, scratching his cheek.

"Arrogant bastard," the first brother muttered, standing still for a little while, fists clenched and eyes bloodshot. He should have been the one to lead the team and make all the decisions. The mere thought of taking permission from the youngest disgusted him.

"I know you want to murder him, but trust me, I've poisoned that bastard countless times, and he still survives," the third sister said, stepping closer to him. "It's as if he's unkillable."

"It's not just about wanting to murder him, sister," the eldest muttered, voice cold and measured, his jaw tightening. Rage barely contained, he clenched his fists. "I can feel it... he doesn't belong in our family. It's so obvious, but I don't know why Father is too blind to realize it."

"You know what Father always says, right?" the fourth brother chimed in.

"That he's the lucky charm?" seaʀᴄh thё nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Nonsense." The firstborn sneered.

"Although I don't want to admit it," the third sister paused briefly, her face darkening as she added in a solemn tone, "there might be a bit of truth to that theory."

"Sister is right," the fourth brother chimed in reluctantly, a bitter smile on his face. "After Hendrix's birth, two dimensional rifts appeared in our barony. Both times, Father came out victorious with treasures that changed the course of our baron's fate. Then, a few years later, the barony was promoted to a duchy, and Father became a duke. It's hard to deny that there's...

something strange about him."

"That's just coincidence. Don't tell me you've fallen for Father's stupid superstitions too." The first brother's scowl deepened. "Hendrix is not a lucky charm. He's a curse."

The third sister shrugged. "Call it what you will. All I know is that no matter how many times we try to get rid of him, something always brings him back—stronger, more dangerous, and always ahead of us."

The first brother's eyes glowed with a wicked gleam. "That's why we'll snag all the attention from him. I can sense it—he's very eager to get rid of the Cromwell Barony, but we'll beat him to it." He waved his hand a moment later. "Come on, let's go hunt some prey."

"I have a bad feeling about this," the fourth brother whispered with furrowed brows. "If we eliminate the Cromwell Barony, isn't it the same as going against Brother?"

"Hmph! Stop being a coward. Since we can't get rid of him, this is the only way to pay him back!" the second brother said and soon followed after the first brother, then the third. The fourth brother looked around and shook his head one last time before reluctantly following after his siblings.

---

Meanwhile In a valley inside the mysterious realm, Nox and his teammates were walking, sweat glistening on their foreheads. After the announcement of Leon's team being disqualified, there had not been any more announcements, meaning that, just like them, the other teams had yet to encounter a rival team.

Nox had even sent Astralux to soar through the surroundings, but because of the sheer size of the mysterious realm, the jellyfish had a difficult time detecting any team. The only team she detected was on the other side of the realm. Nox pondered riding on Astralux's large head but dismissed the thought, as he would have to leave the rest of his teammates behind.

Despite his urge to hasten the tournament, he didn't want to be selfish. He wanted their achievements in this tournament to be a result of teamwork. Since keeping Astralux in her combat form consumed additional energy, he had no choice but to call her back into the taming space.

If only he had kept Astralux out a bit longer, he could have spotted the figures standing on the peak of one of the valley's cliffs.

"I see them," one of the figures smiled.

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