One of the advantages of living in a secluded area was the lack of trouble. The Wyndham family had been reaping these benefits for years-until now.
For the first time, right under their noses, a member of the family's raising clan had been murdered in a brutal and shocking manner.
The death was gruesome, and what made it worse was that none of them had sensed anything. There had been no abnormal noise, no signs of a struggle, nothing to indicate that something extraordinary had happened.
Lucius was only informed of the incident because of the spoil collection spell enchanted on the ring the humanoid pig had been wearing.
"How...? Who could be responsible for this?!" John shouted, his voice filled with anger and unease. It was clear he felt threatened by the situation.
"We're looking into it," Lucius replied calmly. "Footage of what happened here is being collected as we speak."
The tension in the room was palpable as they waited for answers.
After a while, someone entered the gym hall. By this time, the cleanup process was already underway.
Several men, their bodies fully covered in protective suits, moved about the scene. They carefully worked to gather the body parts that had been split in two, handling the remains with grim efficiency.
Despite their experience, the sight of the mutilated body left a chilling effect on everyone present.
The person who had just arrived was covered head-to-toe in a white suit, resembling an astronaut. In his hands, he held a laptop, which he handed over to Lucius before bowing respectfully and stepping back.
Lucius immediately opened the laptop, and the Triple J's gathered around him. Eddie also joined them as the footage began to play on the screen.
The video showed a large man with a thick, bearded face. It was Orion, a member of the Wyndham clan and one of the few among them with notable powers.
At first, no one said a word, their eyes glued to the screen. The footage was clear, and Orion's presence dominated the scene. But suddenly, the video turned blurry. The image dimmed, and instead of a clear picture, only shadows could be seen moving across the screen.
"What just happened?" Jim, the youngest of the Triple J's, asked sharply as the footage became distorted.
Lucius paused the video and turned toward the masked man who had brought the laptop. His gaze was cold, demanding answers.
Eddie, however, wasn't as composed.
"What did you do with the original video?" Eddie growled, striding toward the masked man. Without waiting for a response, Eddie grabbed him by the neck and slammed him hard onto the floor.
The sound of the impact echoed through the gym, and the masked man let out a muffled gasp of pain.
"Let him be. He has nothing to do with this," Lucius said firmly, gesturing for Eddie to step back.
Eddie hesitated for a moment before releasing the masked man, who scrambled to his feet and quickly moved to a safer distance.
"This isn't the result of someone tampering with the footage," Lucius continued. "This is Qi Block—an advanced technique spies are well-known for using."
"Does this mean someone sent a spy into this place? Who would dare do something like that?" John asked, his tone sharp and accusatory.
"I'm not sure," Lucius replied, his expression grim. "It's not uncommon for other factions or clans to send spies to stunt a rival's growth or gather information. It seems like Orion was just unfortunate to be here when something like this happened."
John clenched his fists tightly, the wrinkles on his hands deepening as his anger boiled over.
"We need to find them," John said, his voice laced with determination. "We can't let someone step on us like this without hitting back."
Lucius gave a slight nod but remained silent, his mind clearly working through the possibilities.
The Wyndham clan, though gaining recognition, was still considered a rising clan among the Paragons. As a newer clan, they constantly faced challenges from more established factions. These clans either sought to stunt the Wyndham clan's growth or aimed to take over the achievements they had worked so hard to build.
Moments like this served as a harsh reminder of how difficult it was for the Wyndham family to hold their ground in the world of Paragons.
It was for this very reason that Lucius had enchanted all the clan's valuable items with a spoil collector spell. This magic ensured that any useful items belonging to the clan would be returned to a special chest if something happened to their owners.
Orion, known for his unwavering dedication to the Wyndham clan, had been entrusted with a magical shapeshifting ring. The ring granted him the ability to transform into anything he desired, making him a formidable force.
However, despite his strength—presumed to be on par with a Stage 5 mage—Orion had been killed. And what was more disturbing was that there were no signs of a struggle. Apart from the gruesome, bloody scene before them, it was as if no fight had taken place at all.
John, the leader of the Wyndham family and a key decision-maker in the clan, burned with the desire for retaliation. But the problem was clear—they had no idea where to start.
"You all might think this is a dead end," Eddie suddenly said, breaking the tense silence.
The group turned to him, their expressions wary but curious.
"But I don't think so," Eddie continued, his voice calm yet purposeful. "If I remember correctly, there was someone in this gym when all of this happened. Perhaps he had a hand in it."
"Alex...? Have you gone crazy?" Jake exclaimed, glaring at Eddie as though he were a madman.
"How in the world do you expect an ordinary human being to take down a Stage 2 Paragon equipped with a Stage 5 shapeshifting stone and fused with a Stage 3 beast?" Jake asked, disbelief clear in his tone.
"Come on," Eddie said, rolling his eyes. "You really think that just because a Stage 2 Paragon got a Stage 3 power boost, that makes him a true Stage 5 Paragon? I've bested Orion in his transformation even as a genuine Stage 4."
Eddie crossed his arms and continued, "As for the boy Alex, he was here. It's only right to question him. He might not be the one responsible, but he could at least know something about what happened."
The room fell silent. Although many thought Eddie's suspicion was far-fetched, none of them could deny the need for answers.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the gym.
Everyone turned to see an elderly man with gray hair walking in, leaning heavily on a wooden stick. His presence immediately commanded attention.
"Well, it's a good thing our lie detector has arrived," Lucius said with a faint smirk. "Now, let's find out exactly what happened here."
---
Meanwhile, Alex, his mother Anna, and Sera had already left the gym and were now in Anna's room.
Alex quickly headed toward the bathroom, leaving Anna and Sera in the bedroom.
"Does he even realize this isn't his room?" Sera asked, raising an eyebrow.
Anna sighed, exhaustion clear in her tone. "He's never liked it here, and they're not exactly making it easy for him either. It's best we let him be," she replied.
The two women shifted their conversation, discussing the possible reasons for the alarm that had gone off earlier.
However, what they thought Alex was doing wasn't what he was actually doing.
Inside the bathroom, Alex had turned on the shower, letting the water run. But he stayed far away from it, making no move to step under the stream.
Instead, he held out his hand. In an instant, his axe, Death, materialized in his grasp.
But something was different this time. The aura surrounding the axe had grown stronger. It pulsed faintly, radiating with power.
Curious, Alex activated the system to analyze the weapon. Almost immediately, information appeared before him.
[Congratulations! Your weapon, Death (Axe), has reached its peak energy gathering and successfully evolved into a Stage 2 weapon.]
[All weapon effects have been enhanced:]
[Call: The weapon can now be summoned from up to 2 miles away.]
[Self-Healing: The axe now heals twice as fast as before when damaged.]
[Evolution Points: Use the axe on more targets to gain points toward evolving into a Stage 3 weapon. Upon reaching Stage 3, a new weapon effect may be unlocked.]
Alex studied the updates carefully, his grip tightening on the axe.
The axe, Death, was a uniquely crafted weapon, known for its versatile effects. Among its many features was a rare one called "Equivalent Upgrade," which allowed the weapon to grow stronger the more it was used.
The axe, Death, had a unique feature. Based on what it was used to kill, it would drain a portion of the target's force. Over time, as the axe absorbed enough force, this accumulated energy could push the weapon into its next stage of evolution. This process didn't require finding a crystal or melting the axe down to forge a new one—it evolved naturally.
What Alex hadn't expected was that the gathered force in the axe had already reached its peak. During his fight with Orion, the energy stored within Death had triggered the weapon's evolution.
However, at the time, Alex hadn't been able to focus on the changes because of interruptions.
"Thinking about that… I wonder if his plans will work," Alex muttered under his breath, reflecting on the fight and the aftermath.
Just then, a loud bang came from outside.
Startled, Alex quickly stored the axe away and rushed out of the bathroom. As he stepped into the room, his eyes landed on the Triple J's standing there. At the front was Eddie, his intense gaze fixed on Alex.
It was clear Eddie had been the one to burst into the room so forcefully.
"Alright, Alex boy, spill it out," Eddie demanded, his tone sharp and accusing. "What do you know about what happened in the gym?"
Eddie's fierce eyes locked onto Alex, his posture tense as though he was ready to attack at any moment.