The complete disappearance of every adventurer across the land caused a tremendous stir. The task guild fell into sudden silence. Several Terrans who still hadn't completed their mission handovers were sweating nervously. They had no idea what had happened. This wasn't the disappearance of one or two adventurers — it was all of them.
What kind of joke was this supposed to be?
Yet some people remembered that a few years ago, adventurers had vanished in a similar way for a short period. Maybe, after some time, they would show up again… maybe.
With the adventurers temporarily gone, Felix was left with only two legions under his command. But since Kazdel was not at war, the brief disappearance of the Emperor's Children was not a critical issue.
More importantly, he could finally invest the immense amount of accumulated experience he had stored over the past few years into his own character panel. With the fires of Version 3.0 ahead, he needed to become even stronger.
The Gunsmith advanced from Tier 5 to Tier 7, becoming a War Gunsmith, granting +15 Strength, +39 Dexterity, +31 Endurance, +14 Intelligence, +10 Spirit, and 60 free attribute points.
The Mechanic advanced from Tier 5 to Tier 7, becoming a Transcendent Mechanic, granting +10 Strength, +35 Dexterity, +11 Endurance, +37 Intelligence, +7 Spirit, and another 60 free attribute points.
The Blacksmith Apprentice crossed several tiers at once and reached Tier 7, evolving into a Master Blacksmith, granting +40 Strength, +19 Dexterity, +40 Endurance, +15 Intelligence, +20 Spirit, and 90 free attribute points.
The Artisan Apprentice and Engineer Apprentice advanced similarly, both reaching Tier 7 and evolving into a Wondrous Artisan and Program Hacker respectively. Together they provided +47 Strength, +58 Dexterity, +36 Endurance, +85 Intelligence, +73 Spirit, and 180 free attribute points.
He didn't forget his main profession either. The schedule of his Divine Chosen Legion had been moved forward, so the blessings he provided for the entire legion needed to keep pace. His support profession rose to Tier 7, evolving into a Soul Mentor, providing +40 Strength, +50 Dexterity, +55 Endurance, +68 Intelligence, +65 Spirit, and 115 free attribute points.
Including his previous remaining points, he now had 630 free attribute points in total. Felix decided to distribute them evenly across the five attributes available for allocation.
As for those expert-level professions and skills, he maxed all of them as well. The 20 free attribute points he gained were also divided evenly. After these professions reached max level, he noticed that his blueprint section now included schematics infused with pre-civilization technology… perhaps Terran technology ultimately led only to the starting line of the civilization that came before.
[Attributes: Strength 230, Dexterity 281, Endurance 235, Intelligence 343, Spirit 246, Charisma 90, Luck 1]
His level had also reached Level 246.
[Level 240 detected. Racial evolution path extracted.]
[Current race: Sankta Seraphim. Extraction complete. Please select one of the four options below as your evolution race. Warning: evolution is irreversible. Choose with caution.]
[Sankta Seraphim II] — 91% Compatibility
[Sankta Archangel] — 85% Compatibility
[Sankta Fallen] — 97% Compatibility
[Teekaz Heavenly Pardon] — 96% Compatibility
Felix narrowed his eyes. What kind of evolution was this "Teekaz Heavenly Pardon"? He opened its description and began to read.
[Teekaz Heavenly Pardon] — A Sankta who knows the past and future of the Sarkaz, who understands the truth of atavism, will resolutely walk this path unrecognized by their own people. They are free Sankta… no, calling them Sankta may be an insult to their courage. They should be called Teekaz.
Felix frowned. The attributes provided by this evolution were indeed tremendous, and it even enhanced his Originium arts. He would no longer need a medium ring to use them. But… could this still be called Originium arts? It felt more like a power drawn from the very origin of the Teekaz.
He knew that the only innate ability comparable to this might be Draco's flames. As one of the oldest bloodlines on Terra, the Teekaz must carry their own legacy.
But if he chose Teekaz, he might never return to his former way of life. All Sankta would see him as a traitor. His fate might be even worse than choosing the Fallen path. And his home in Laterano… he might never go back.
Yet if he didn't choose the stronger evolutionary branch, how would he face the future? Felix calmed down. In only a few years, Terra would descend into ragnarok. Before the Observer, all schemes and struggles would be reduced to dust.
He drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
He had already made his decision.
As his fingertip pressed the Teekaz Heavenly Pardon option, his vision abruptly went dark.
He returned to that place once more.
"To drink when wine is at hand, to sing while life allows"—with that sentiment lingering in his mind, he stepped toward the table and sat down. Tilting his head back, he gazed at the clouds drifting between the mountain peaks. Then he lifted the small cup on the table and drained it in one go. It was a sweet, comforting rice wine that warmed the heart.
"Hah… so you've ended up like this after all, young hero."
Ling leaned casually against the railing, breath warm with the scent of alcohol. She glanced back at him with a smile.
"I had a feeling you might take this step someday, but I didn't expect you to do it so soon."
"Time waits for no one."
Felix realized he could speak again. He walked over and gave the railing a light tap—then noticed that Ling was not the only Lung present.
"Pioneer sir, I have received an invitation from Kazdel… After informing Sui Regulator in Yan, they agreed that this could serve as a promising diplomatic opportunity."
Shu, the young lung girl, approached him and offered a graceful bow, her gentle smile as warm as ever.
"For now this is only a dream. I will meet you properly another day."
"Thank you."
Felix let out a breath and looked back toward Ling. She only offered a helpless shrug.
"I won't ask why you chose this… but the scent on you now carries something ancient—something oddly familiar."
Ling leaned closer and took a faint sniff near his shoulder, then tipped back her wine again.
"Mm… your Venus landship still has single-person rooms, right? Take me with you~"
"…"
Felix stared at her, but Ling only smiled in that slightly tipsy, unreadable way of hers.
"I want your help."
Felix paused. "You're welcome, Miss Ling. I hope the two of us can find whatever it is we're searching for."
"Mhm~"
At some point, Shu had handed him a bronze mirror. In its surface, Felix saw his own reflection.
Though time had weathered him, his features hardly seemed different from the days when he had left Laterano full of spirit. Only his brows had lost their youthful softness—now they carried a steadiness and maturity earned through experience. Perhaps that was the price of growing up… and the cost of becoming a Sankta who had stepped away from his own kin.
It was hard for him to even imagine the carefree self who once lived peacefully in Laterano. Maybe he would have become a simple gunsmith—meet someone he loved, marry, and live out an uneventful life.
Two paths, completely different. But he believed he had chosen the right one.
In the mirror, a golden halo shone above his head. What had once been a smooth ring now bore pointed shapes, resembling a coronet from afar. Yet the ancestral horns he expected did not appear.
Felix fell silent for a moment, then summoned the power in his blood. Bright blue flames flickered to life, and a pair of elegant pale-gold horns formed atop his head. Behind him, a slender tail of the same faint gold appeared. Like his halo, neither was truly physical.
"This is…"
Ling's half-closed eyes opened a narrow slit. She felt her very soul stir—unsteady, pulled between a desire to approach and an instinct to retreat. There was a strange, inexplicable power in that flame.
When his bloodline power receded, the horns and tail dissolved into drifting golden motes.
Shu smiled but said nothing more. She turned and began walking down the mountain path. Ling remained silent for a long while.
"Thank you, Ling."
"What are you thanking me for?"
Felix recalled that fleeting moment from an earlier dream. He did not elaborate. Instead, he nodded at her with a quiet smile.
"I look forward to seeing you again in reality."
Ling lifted her wine gourd toward him in a toast. Felix closed his eyes and let the dream come to an end.
When he awoke in the real world, the system notification appeared before him.
[Race changed to: Teekaz Heavenly Pardon]
You have received attribute completion:
Strength +50, Dexterity +58, Endurance +51, Intelligence +55, Spirit +50, Charisma +80
[Attributes: Strength 280, Dexterity 339, Endurance 286, Intelligence 398, Spirit 296, Charisma 170, Luck 1]
With Charisma that high, it was downright frightening.
Felix checked himself in the mirror. Aside from the halo above his head gleaming like a crown and his wings having grown into something closer to true feathered biblical archangel, there were no horns or tail to be seen. Yet the moment he invoked the power of the Teekaz, the horns and tail appeared. Whenever he used that bloodline power, the marks of atavism would manifest on his body.
With the ascension finally done, Felix exhaled in relief. He would keep the remaining tens of thousands of experience points stored away, hoping to gamble for some new blueprints. With that settled, he could finally end his seclusion for now.
Before stepping outside, he took out the fully repaired Helena's Sorrow. The weapon, once unbearably heavy, now felt as light as a feather in his hands. A lance might never deliver the same devastating, sword-art-level blows that Lord Wei's Chi Xiao style could in a duel, but in large-scale battles it would let him provide immense support, protection, and damage for an army.
As he secured the weapon on his back, he suddenly felt as though, somewhere in a swirling black fog, a figure sat upon a throne. A king in ancient robes, eyes weathered by ages, looked directly toward him.
Felix met the gaze calmly. Their eyes held for a silent moment before both averted.
Just before the vision vanished, he thought he saw the faintest curl at the king's lips. Then his sight returned fully to the training chamber.
Was that… the Witch-King's soul?
He glanced at the Helena's Sorrow strapped to his back. There didn't seem to be any curse on it. It should be fine… probably.
Before version 3.0 arrived, he had already done almost everything he could. Making his way back toward his office, he spotted two unexpected visitors standing at the door.
W and Mudrock were pressed against the crack, secretly peeking in, trying to see whether he was inside.
"You were looking for me?"
Felix's voice came from behind them. W spun around first, and the moment her eyes met his face, she panicked and looked away. Her thighs pressed together tightly, her cheeks turning bright red as if on fire. She instinctively stepped toward him, then froze mid-step. Biting back frustration, she clenched her teeth, desperately resisting the urge to blow something up and vent her emotions. Her whole body felt far too sensitive after seeing him.
Mudrock, meanwhile, simply stared at him in a daze. The pure-hearted Sarkaz girl's face flushed a soft pink, her eyes unable to focus properly.
"Mm…"
In the end, Mudrock spoke first, her voice gentle. "It's the routine meeting. Loughshinny learned you had left the training room, so she asked us to check if you were in your office."
Felix nodded. "Then let's go."
"W-wait… I—I need to use the bathroom."
As Felix stepped closer, W trembled, retreating until her slender waist pressed against the cold wall. She let out a helpless little sound, cheeks burning even brighter. The next moment, she staggered away toward the restroom in a flustered panic.
Felix watched her stumble off, then turned to Mudrock. "Let's go."
"Mm."
Mudrock led the way, though her steps were unsteady as well. She could feel Felix's gaze occasionally drifting toward her back.
So innocent… she still might not realize she's a Gargoyle, right? Felix watched her quietly. The others never explained it to her, so she probably still believed she'd simply been lucky enough to meet many Sarkaz who coincidentally had similar Originium Arts to hers.
He said nothing more as they entered the meeting room. The moment he sat in the central seat, countless startled and admiring gazes fixed on him.
The unmarried female officers flushed bright pink, as though they had just tasted a rich, intoxicating wine. The male officers, on the other hand, looked as though they were resisting the urge to kneel, convinced that following him would lead to a brilliant future.
Everyone present fell silent—men wordless, women on the verge of tears.
And some of the women weren't only tearing up.
For example… W, who had just run to the restroom.