Chapter 420: The Apex’s Appetite

Alexander was enjoying a cut of meat while listening to Marcus’s complaints about Stephen’s training. Laughter and toasts echoed throughout the penthouse when the glass door slid open.

"Well, a party and I wasn’t invited... How cruel of you," said Stephen, crossing his arms at the doorway with a smirk.

Marcus, Ben, and Leo snapped to attention, nearly knocking their glasses over.

"S-Sir Stephen!" said Marcus, straightening his back. "We didn’t know you were coming!"

"Please excuse us, instructor," said Ben, giving a bow. "If we had known you were on your way, we would have set a place for you."

"We didn’t mean to exclude you at all, sir," said Leo.

Everyone in the room stood up and greeted him with respect, except for Alexander, who remained seated at the table gazing out the window.

Stephen walked over and gave him a tap on the shoulder.

"Are you alright, brother?" said Stephen.

Alexander turned around and blinked.

"Oh, you came... Sorry, I was distracted," said Alexander.

"I can see that. What’s going on? Why so deep in thought?" said Stephen.

"I’m thinking about how to prepare for going into The Breach," said Alexander, resting his elbows on the table. "After what we discussed, I realize things will be dangerous out there."

"So that’s what’s bothering you?" said Stephen.

"Yes. I want to know what skills exist out there," said Alexander, glancing toward his women. "I want to find the right ones for my women. If something happens to me, I don’t want them to be unable to defend themselves."

Stephen turned his head toward the corner of the table, eyeing the folder.

"You didn’t open the folder, did you?" said Stephen with a smile. "Did you think I’d hand you trash?"

Alexander picked up the dossier and unknotted it.

"I didn’t know you sent it," said Alexander. "Let’s see."

He opened the file and began reading the first entries:

X1 - Concentrated Fire Spiral: Allows the user to surround themselves with fire and create a whirlwind as large as their energy permits. Ideal for enclosed spaces.

X2 - Diamond Skin: Allows the user to form a layer of skin with the hardness of diamond. Resistant to impacts.

X3 - Werewolf Transformation: Allows the user to transform into a werewolf with physical enhancement. On full moon nights, the user becomes 300% stronger than on normal days.

X4 - Lava Golem: Allows the user to transform into a lava golem capable of absorbing surrounding magma. The user can increase their power 1500 times if fighting inside a volcano.

X5 - Shadow Lord: Allows the user’s body to merge with shadows. If the shadows disappear and the user fails to exit in time, they will be ejected with a risk of fatal injury.

Alexander flipped through several pages. The file contained hundreds of detailed skills, each accompanied by a photograph and profile of its female user.

"What do you think?" said Stephen.

"Impressive," said Alexander, looking up. "Where did you get this?"

"From official TMC channels," said Stephen. "There are many awakened women out there; we aren’t the only organization. We gathered the skills we could find. Does any of them catch your eye?"

"Not really," said Alexander, shaking his head. "Lava Golem sounds strong, but it seems limited by the terrain. Shadow Lord doesn’t look bad, but my skill is similar, so I don’t know if I could fuse it well... Is this all you have?"

"It’s complicated to gather data on the best skills from the world’s top ranks," said Stephen. "No one hands out information on them for free, and Platinum Ranks never reveal what their skills do. It depends on whether you can gather intelligence on them without them knowing you’re looking."

"I understand, thanks a lot," said Alexander, letting the folder drop back onto the table. "But I don’t think these will be useful."

"Brother, we compiled that list," said Stephen, letting out a laugh. "Do you think we put trash in it? Check the last page."

Alexander glanced at him and flipped the document to the end. Upon reaching the final page, his eyes locked onto three profiles.

"This is impressive... Really impressive," said Alexander.

X271 - Bloodthirsty Empress: Allows the user to unleash a bloodlust that creates a destructive domain. Any blood-bearing creature that dies within heals 100% of the Empress’s health. As long as there is blood available within the combat area, the Blood Empress is immortal.

X272 - Berserker Empress: A skill that allows a person to increase their damage based on the damage they accumulate. The more wounds the user receives, the higher their combat power becomes.

X273 - Dark Empress: A skill that allows the creation of a zone of absolute darkness. All dark-type beings fighting within the domain will see their power increased by 500%. The user gains the strength of every summoned warrior, receiving 100% of their power.

"What do you think?" said Stephen, crossing his arms. "Based on what we know about you and the factions we’re allied with, the three women you read about are faction leaders, and each one is Platinum Rank. Which one do you think would help you best?"

Alexander snapped the folder shut and looked at Stephen with a smirk.

"I think all three would be great," said Alexander.

Stephen burst into a laugh that rattled the glasses on the table.

"Damn, brother... You’ve got quite an appetite," said Stephen.

"I have the philosophy of taking advantage of everything I can," said Alexander, slipping the profile back into the folder.

"Sure, sure..." said Stephen, pulling a document from his jacket and sliding it across the table. "Here, this is a contract. If you accept, we can try to arrange it. It will be up to you to convince them, but at least we can send you to meet with them so you can talk to each one."

Alexander picked up the document, skimming through the clauses before pushing himself up from the table.

"Well, I see how it is here," said Alexander with a smirk. "A gift before the whip. I’ve been thinking about this ever since I walked out of the offices, and I’ve made my decision."