Chapter 10

    At Seven Stars Manor…

    The area was surrounded by colorful crystal shards, arranged beautifully like scales from the pointed ceiling connected by vines down to the floor.

    Inside the room, a man lay sleeping on the bed. His muscular upper body was bare, covered in numerous bandages, with a slight oozing of blood. It was clear just by looking that he had been in a critical condition earlier.

    When it was time for medication, another man entered the room carrying a tray of medicine. It seemed the room’s owners were the injured man and the one who had helped treat him.

    Just as the young man was about to administer the medicine as usual, the injured man, who had been unconscious for several days, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing two differently colored irises.

    "You've woken up! Please take your medicine first," said the young man, immediately starting to administer the medicine upon seeing the man in front of him regain consciousness.

    The injured man looked at the other calmly, accepting the medicine without hesitation. The young man gently supported the injured man's head, carefully bringing the cup of medicine to his lips.

    "Let me check your condition. I apologize for any intrusion," said the young man, smiling as the injured man nodded, staring without blinking. He then placed his hand on the other's chest, sending a stream of energy to examine the internal condition and repair the damaged body. Once he saw the improvement, he withdrew his hand.

    "I'm feeling better now, thank you," the injured man rasped out for the first time, his face showing signs of improvement.

    "What is your name?" the injured man immediately asked the young man.

    "My name is *** from the *** tribe here. And you, what is your name?" the young man replied, offering a slight smile to the person in front of him.

    "I am ***."

    "You! Could it be... you're ***?!" The young man's eyes widened in shock. At first, he wasn't sure, but the man was named *** and had two different colored eyes, a trait unique to one person. He hadn't expected the one he helped to be ***.

    Realizing he had spoken too loudly and rudely, he quickly apologized.

    "I apologize. Please forgive me for my rudeness," the young man quickly said, performing the customary apology gesture of the *** tribe, crossing both arms over his chest and bowing gracefully.

    "I don't mind, I forgive you," the injured man continued to look at the young man steadily, his thoughts unreadable.

    Ding! [Memory fragments collected: 13%]

    Claudia didn't know when he had fallen asleep. He blinked at the status window in confusion, remembering he had dreamed something but couldn't recall it now.

    Last night, he was almost overwhelmed with worry after stumbling upon a leaked photo of him with the protagonist. Luckily, the protagonist called him and assured him that the issue would be handled immediately. Before long, the photo was erased without a trace, bringing him some relief. As for those who had already seen it, he decided to let it go since the image wasn't that clear.

    Alan had to give an interview to the Hunter Association about clearing the 'Prison of Athenos' dungeon. Alan told him that he would do the interview anonymously to prevent any connections from being made between the photo of Alan and Claudia, so he wasn't worried about that.

    But the real concern was...

    "Claudia, is this you?" Karina burst through the door, asking him in shock.

    There it was, right on cue. Every issue, no matter what it was, always seemed to come at him suddenly. He could only think that one day he might have a heart attack.

    "Uh, what's up, Sister Karina?" Claudia adjusted his posture, twisting his body as he had just woken up, blinking in confusion, not understanding what she meant.

    "Oh, I'm sorry, but there's something really important I need to ask right now. Last night, I was browsing the Black App about us and accidentally came across this photo. Is this you? If so, who is the other person hugging you? When did you go there, and what were you doing?" Karina fired off a series of questions while handing her phone to her younger brother to see.

    "Ugh, sister, calm down first. Let me take a look," Claudia replied calmly, looking at the photo and then continued.

    "Hmm, that's not me. I think this is someone else or maybe it's been edited. Look here, you can see the uneven color shading," he pointed out, noticing Karina seemed to be considering his explanation. Claudia seized the moment to add more.

    "Besides, I'm becoming quite well-known lately. News about me is everywhere, so it's not surprising that someone might want to tarnish my reputation," Claudia spoke with a serious and sincere expression, which would surely make him a successful actor.

    "Yeah... that's true. You wouldn't have time to go out since we see each other every day," Karina agreed and added.

    "The photo's gone from social media now. I don't know how it disappeared, but it's a good thing. If I find it again, I'll sue them until they're broke, just watch," Karina declared confidently.

    "Ha ha, thank you," Claudia said, feeling relieved.

    Soon after, Claudia managed to clear things up with Jonathan and the rest of his siblings, safely resolving the issue, which brought him another sigh of relief.

    The week after, the country's Hunter Association invited the Heart Family to the celebration of the '50th Anniversary of the Global Hunter Association's Founding.'

    The Hunter Association of each country would invite Hunters from top-ranking guilds in their respective nations, as well as unaffiliated S-rank Hunters, to attend the event. The main purpose was to network and build connections. As a result, most people wouldn't miss the opportunity to participate.

    The event would be a gathering of renowned individuals, including high-ranking Hunters from around the world. Even the main characters of the story would be there, making Claudia feel a surge of excitement.

    A week had passed.

    During this time, every night he would dream, but upon waking, he would forget everything. Today, however, he could vaguely remember the events, and now he had fragments of memory amounting to 19%.

    In just one week, Claudia had been intensely training in the practice room. Now, he could use various skills more proficiently.

    Instant Movement Level A+ (Can be upgraded)

    Details: You can move rapidly within a 500-meter range. Cooldown: 4 seconds per use.

    Elemental Galaxy Level A+ (Can be upgraded)

    Details: You can wield the basic powers of all 7 elements.

    (Darkness, Light, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Wood) *Can be combined*

    Element Earth + Water = Plant (Clear Aqua Grass)

    Ding! [Congratulations, you have successfully merged basic elemental skills.]

    Clear Aqua Grass + Wood = (NEW) Clear Aqua Vine D

    Ding! [Congratulations, you have successfully compressed and merged continuous powers.]

    Claudia looked at his status with satisfaction. Now, the cooldown for Instant Movement was reduced, and he could merge skills, resulting in one additional skill.

    Clear Aqua Vine Level D (Can be upgraded)

    Details: You can use this skill to bind opponents. The vine is tough and durable but cannot withstand fire elemental power.

    Even just binding could temporarily stun the enemy, which wasn't bad. If he upgraded the skill further, he might be able to create a vine cage to trap enemies, making it another strength of his.

    Claudia left the practice room, took a shower, got dressed, and went down to the living room where he found Cole sitting alone on the sofa.

    "Brother Cole," Claudia greeted his brother with a smile.

    "Hey there. We're heading to country E tomorrow. Have you packed everything?" Cole, who often saw Claudia in the practice room all day, couldn't help but ask.

    "All packed. But aren't they coming home yet?" Claudia asked as he sat down next to his brother.

    "They'll probably be back late. They have to finish up their work before we leave. As for me, I don't have any work right now, so I'm here with you," Cole said, ruffling his younger brother's hair affectionately. Why was his little brother so adorable?

    "Haha, okay."

    "Oh, thank you, Aunt Maria," Claudia said as the housekeeper brought them snacks and juice.

    "You're welcome. Enjoy, young masters," Aunt Maria smiled warmly at the brothers before excusing herself.

    "Mmm... Aunt Maria's cooking is delicious. You should try some," Claudia said, his eyes widening as he took a bite of strawberry cake. This was definitely going to be his new favorite!

    They ate everything, though Claudia ate more than his brother.

    "I see you practicing all day. Don't you ever go out?" Cole gently brushed crumbs off his brother's cheek with his finger.

    "Actually, I was thinking of going to the mall today. Want to come with me, Brother Cole?" Since entering the novel, Claudia hadn't gone out at all. He wanted to explore a bit.

    "Sure, let's go. Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you."

    "Then I won't hold back," Claudia replied. His brother was handsome, kind, and rich—how was he still single?

    In the underground organization…

    Inside a castle hidden from discovery, constructed with dark crystal minerals surrounding a vast hall, young men and women served their master, who sat on a throne, appearing unattainably regal.

    This man had strikingly handsome features, and his age was unknown.

    "What did you find out about the youngest son of the Heart Family?" the young man asked, sipping expensive wine.

    As soon as the question was asked, a green aura smoke appeared below, revealing a masked young man who was presumably the first-ranked servant of the underground organization and the right-hand man of the one sitting on the throne. He knelt in respect to his master.

    "In the past few days, I've come across something very interesting, my lord," the young man said, bowing his head.

    "Hmm, tell me."