Alex had expected the trip to the Dragon Roar base to feel different this time.
After all, he wasn't using a coffee shop toilet anymore.
But the moment the transfer started, that hope died fast.
He was yanked forward, body stretched and pulled as he was slingshot from one pipeline to another. Water roared around him, pressing from every side. It felt like being trapped inside an endless water slide, fast, twisting, and completely out of his control.
Then—stop.
The pressure vanished.
Alex stumbled forward and steadied himself as he arrived at the Dragon Roar base.
He stood inside a large, open room. White tiles covered the walls and the floor, clean and smooth, almost like a massive restroom built for giants. Behind him was where he came from—a small round hole filled with gently swirling water.
Not a toilet. Not a bathtub. Just… a hole.
And there were several of them spread across the room.
Before Alex could even brush himself off, the water clinging to his clothes and skin drained away on its own. In a blink, everything was dry, warm, and clean.
'Yeah… no difference at all,' Alex thought.
He didn't linger.
Alex stepped out of the white room and moved into the familiar halls of the base. The corridors stretched on, quiet but alive, carrying that same sharp, disciplined atmosphere he remembered.
Nothing had changed.
After a short walk—long enough for his thoughts to settle—he reached his destination.
He pushed the door open.
Inside, the trio were already there, bodies moving, qi flaring as they were fully engaged in training.
"Wow… I'd be dead if someone told me to do what you guys are doing for a whole month," Alex said, finally making his presence known.
His voice cut through the room.
Tamsin and Gwen were in the middle of a close spar, fists and feet moving in tight arcs. Qi flared briefly with each clash. Off to the side, Merrick was seated at a worktable, fully focused, hands busy tinkering with a few mechanical objects that clicked and hummed softly.
"It's been over three months here, I think," Merrick replied without turning around, his eyes never leaving his work.
Alex's arrival broke the rhythm of the spar.
Gwen stepped back first, lowering her guard. Tamsin followed a second later. Gwen then walked over, stopping right in front of Alex, eyes sharp as she studied him.
"I heard you joined a new clan," Gwen said.
Then she raised her fist, stance clean and confident, already ready to move.
"So why don't you show me what you've learned from them?"
Alex lifted both hands slightly and took a step back.
"Nah… I don't think I've learned enough to beat a stage five warrior yet," he said, polite but firm.
Before Gwen could reply, another voice cut in.
"You—why are you back to being a stage one warrior?" Tamsin asked, brows furrowed as he stared at Alex.
Alex blinked, then chuckled softly.
"Oh… about that," he said.
He paused, then added casually, "I'm surprised it fooled you too."
Alex relaxed his control and released the suppression he had wrapped around his qi.
The change was instant.
His aura spread out, not wild, but steady and clear.
Tamsin and Gwen both stiffened as the pressure hit them.
"Stage three?" Gwen said, eyes widening.
She stared at him, then scoffed.
"And you said nothing much was going on in this new clan of yours."
"Ah… maybe there is," Alex said, scratching the back of his head.
He let out a small breath, then looked at them properly.
"Actually, I came here to ask something," he added.
He paused for half a second.
"Have any of you heard of the Paragon Battle Royal?"
Gwen's eyes lifted instantly. Tamsin froze in place. Even Merrick—who had been busy and looked completely uninterested a moment ago—stopped cold.
The tools in Merrick's hands slipped and clattered softly onto the table.
Alex blinked.
He hadn't expected that kind of reaction.
"What?" Alex asked. "Is it a bad tournament to be part of?"
Merrick straightened and walked over, wiping his hands as he did. Whatever he had been working on was clearly forgotten for now.
"The tournament itself?" Merrick said calmly. "That's not the problem. At least not by our standards."
He stopped in front of Alex.
"The real danger is the people who attend the tournament."
Alex frowned slightly.
"So… in simple terms," Alex said, "the tournament is dangerous."
"Not the participants," Merrick corrected. "The spectators."
Seeing Alex's confusion, Merrick continued.
"As you probably already know, the world is divided into factions," he said. "Under each faction are clans. Under some clans are families formed from those clans. That part isn't important right now."
He raised a finger, tone steady.
"What matters is this. Inside a faction, clans are ranked. High-tier clans. Mid-tier clans. And then the low-tier ones."
"Every once in a while, a tournament like this is held," Merrick said. His voice was steady, almost flat. "It's meant to let clans from different tiers clash head-on. This is the one chance a low-tier clan gets to prove they're worth more than the label stuck on them."
He lifted his hand slightly as he spoke, counting it out.
"In the tournament, low-tier clans can rise to mid-tier. Mid-tier clans can climb to high-tier." He paused. "And high-tier clans? They can fall. All the way down to mid-tier… or even lower."
The room stayed quiet.
"This isn't a joke of an event," Merrick continued. "Real power shows up to watch. Influencers. Big names. People who decide which clans matter and which ones don't."
He looked straight at Alex.
"And the rankings aren't the only thing at stake. Based on performance, some powerful factions will try to steal clans from other factions. They come with sweet deals, promises, resources. Sometimes protection."
Alex frowned.
"What about clans without a faction?" he asked.
"They're not allowed in," Merrick answered without hesitation.
Alex let out a slow breath.
"That doesn't make sense," he said. "My clan is already preparing for this tournament, and as far as I know, we haven't joined any faction."
Tamsin snorted.
"Then it's either they're stupid," he said, "or they've already handled it behind the scenes."
Alex went quiet for a moment, thinking.
"So what about the tournament itself?" Alex asked. "I get that high-influence factions will be there, but that doesn't sound like a problem for someone actually fighting."
Merrick's expression hardened slightly.
"The reason I said the visitors are the real problem," he said slowly, "is because divine beings attend these tournaments."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"At least one," Merrick added. "Sometimes two."
"And you know what that means?" Merrick asked.
He didn't wait for an answer.
"Everyone who enters that tournament will be desperate," he said. "Not just to win, but to be seen. To be noticed."
He took a slow breath and continued.
"Every winning clan, and even the one that places second, gets an invitation." His eyes narrowed. "An invitation to join a divine being's faction. Which faction it is depends on which divine beings show up that year."
The room felt heavier.
"The divine beings are treated like gods," Merrick went on. "Imagine fighting while knowing something like that is watching you. Judging you. Deciding whether you're worth keeping as a follower… or discarding."
He let the words settle.
"That pressure is what makes the tournament truly dangerous," he said. "More dangerous than most people expect."
He glanced at Alex.
"If someone isn't careful," Merrick added, "they can die there. And when that happens, nothing is done about it."
Alex fell silent.
He stood there, thinking it through piece by piece. The picture was clearer now. Too clear.
'So death isn't an accident there,' he thought. 'It's expected.'
That realization sat deep in his chest.
Now he understood why Lucius had avoided explaining it. Why he had shut him down so quickly.
"I've been thrown into this without a choice," Alex said at last. "Is there a way for me to get out of it?"
Tamsin answered without hesitation.
"The only way out," he said, "is getting stronger."
Alex frowned slightly.
"I can't use my full power in the tournament," he said.
"Who said anything about using your full power?" Gwen cut in.
She stepped forward, her eyes sharp with interest.
"There's a new technique we're learning," she said. "One built from peace energy."
Tamsin nodded.
"It lets you fight people who are stages above you," he added. "Without exposing everything you have."
Alex's eyes lit up, just a little.
"Well…" he said, exhaling. "If it's training, then I've got time for training."
Gwen's grin spread wide.
"I was hoping you'd say that," she said.
Alex looked at her.
"So," he asked, "what's the name of this technique?"
Gwen answered without missing a beat.
"Reflector."