Chapter Five: Silver Legion

Valen hailed a turbo car, heading home. The automated, floating car zoomed through the air at a speed inconceivable to the naked eye.

From within the car, Valen could make out a dense black cloud in the distance, making him sigh.

Day Walkers weren’t foreign to the common people. They were the cause of the apocalypse over a century ago.

During the day, they were at their strongest, capable of defeating over a hundred humans of the same level. At night, they fell to their weakest and would sometimes even have to enter slumber.

Even so, with their ability to command other mythical beasts and make them their guards, it was almost impossible to breach their lair and attack them at night.

Although there were a few successful night operations in the past—such as when his father slew a dragon guarding a Day Walker—they were few and far between and would cost a significant amount of lives.

Still, once the sun rose again, humans would have to charge forward and defend their cities as the Day Walkers would lead their massive army to attack.

If his father hadn’t fallen, perhaps the situation would’ve been a bit better.

As he was deep in thought, Valen didn’t realise when the car had stopped, and it took him some time to snap out of his daze. A determined fire blazed in his eyes.

’Father, do not worry. Once I’ve grown strong enough, I’ll head into the abyss. If it was a Day Walker who killed you, I’ll stop at nothing to exterminate them. If it was a human, then I will bring you justice. You once said to Aaliyah and me that if we had the power, we should defend this world with all we can. Now that I’ve evolved, I’ll strive to grow stronger. Not for fame or glory, but to fulfil your dream. I’ll lead humanity on the righteous charge to exterminate all evil and bring the world back to the control of humans. This... I must fulfil!’

With a fighting fire burning in his heart, Valen exited the turbo car that had stopped before a massive gated villa. A few words were engraved on its surface: Dragon Slayer.

In the sky were several drones recording all that happened around the villa.

Valen approached the towering silver gates and placed his thumb on the scanner. Immediately, the gate slid open and he entered.

The refreshing scent of flowers wafted through his nose as the feeling of being home made him subconsciously relax.

"If it isn’t my little grandson." A calm voice sounded from above.

Glancing upwards, Valen saw an old man with a long beard standing atop a round, floating platform. He was dressed in a black suit, and the carefree smile on his face made him seem harmless.

Valen knew it was a total misconception. His grandfather, Hamza, had been among his father’s party during the conquest when he slew a dragon. If he wasn’t strong enough, even a swipe from a dragon would’ve killed him.

Usually, his grandfather wasn’t always at home and would mostly reside in the Astral Veil. This made Valen forget at times that he had one.

Shaking his head to dispel such thoughts, Valen smiled brightly. "Grandpa Hamza, it’s nice seeing you here. Well, you wouldn’t guess what happened today."

"Is it your evolution and the broadcasting of your SSS-grade rating? Haha, I can very well guess that." Hamza chuckled while stroking his beard.

Valen awkwardly scratched his head. He had forgotten about the announcement. His effort to look mysterious had totally failed.

As though seeing through his embarrassment, Hamza’s smile broadened as he beckoned at Valen. "Aaliyah and I had just returned from raiding a powerful beast haven when we received the announcement. You had to see how excited she was about it, saying you would finally be able to join us adventuring in the Astral Veil."

"Really? Aaliyah is back?" Valen’s eyes lit up as he hopped onto the floating platform. "I can’t wait to see her then."

Since she had evolved last year, Aaliyah had resided with Grandpa Hamza in the Astral Veil. If it wasn’t for his powerful support and abundant resources, she might not have reached the Level 30 she was currently at.

"Look at you, so excited about it." Hamza let out a small laugh. Then his expression turned serious as he asked in a low tone, "Now tell me. What’s your path of evolution?"

Valen also became serious. Similarly lowering his voice, he said, "It’s some kind of weird path. A seventh path, I’d say."

Hamza stared at Valen with a complicated look in his eyes. "Is it called Twilight Gene?"

"How did you know?!" Valen subconsciously blurted out.

Hamza shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Have you ever heard of Great General Eustace?"

Valen nodded, confusion lacing his voice as he replied, "Wasn’t he the one who had created the Humanity System, pushing back the Day Walkers just when humans were doomed to be exterminated?"

"Indeed. That’s what the public knows. However, no one truly knew that he had spent two and a half years consistently absorbing energy to no avail. Unlike others who could not absorb energy and therefore couldn’t evolve, his situation was different. He could absorb energy but just couldn’t evolve no matter what. It wasn’t until he was nineteen years old that he finally evolved. Guess what? It was through a legendary path that had never been recorded before. He named it the Giant Gene evolution path. It granted him 2.1x the strength, 1.7x the speed, 1.7x the blood flow, 1.7x the endurance, 1.7x the vision, and 1.7x the hearing with every evolution and level up.

"This was already an epic feat considered irreplicable by others. However, during his later years when he created the Humanity System and found out the truth of evolution, Great General Eustace had felt deeply regretful. He had recorded that if only he had waited 6 more months, he might have evolved through an ancient path called Twilight Gene. You’ve been absorbing energy for three years now and so, I guessed that you evolved through the legendary Twilight Gene path. As for how I know about the information on Twilight Gene, I found Great General Eustace’s hidden records. However, I am not the only one who knows this, so you must be careful not to reveal your secret."

As Hamza finished his piece, Valen fell silent. He had always been confused about this. It had always been a fact that so long as you absorbed trophic energy, you would evolve, and if you couldn’t, then evolution was not possible. Take those teenagers back at White River Energised Chamber who hadn’t evolved, for example.

It was because they couldn’t absorb trophic energy. That’s also why there was a 20-year rule. Between 17 and 20, a teenager’s senses were at their peak. So, their pores would subconsciously absorb the trophic once it was released. But if they couldn’t do so by 17, they could try by 18, 19, or 20 years old. Beyond that, their senses began to deteriorate.

Valen was different. He could absorb trophic energy, but he could not evolve. The energy would just mysteriously vanish. As it seemed, it was the precondition to evolve through the eighth evolution path... Twilight Gene. Or the seventh called Giant Gene.

"Thanks for the information, grandpa. But why didn’t you tell me this years ago? I’ve always been feeling down and disappointed. Also, I’ve gone ahead and caused a ruckus by getting my SSS-grade rating. What if those people who know the truth about Twilight Gene become suspicious?" Valen asked, feeling puzzled.

Hamza smiled bitterly, shaking his head. "I’ve always wanted to cheer you up, but what if a change in your mental state caused you to suddenly evolve and not complete the three-year process? It’ll be a real pity then. That’s also one of the reasons why I don’t stay home often. I can’t bear seeing that disappointed expression on your face.

"Besides, do not overthink. Throughout the years of ratings and among numerous countries, there are quite a few dozen people who have achieved an SSS-grade rating. Your feat was only announced in White Star City as you were the first here. They may have some suspicions, but wouldn’t dare act on it. My old bones still have some strength.

Valen secretly let out a sigh of relief after hearing his grandfather’s words. The Humanity System would never share the true details of a person’s results without their permission—unless they showed it to others, of course. But Valen wouldn’t show his 2x results to all stats to just anyone.

Following which, he and his grandfather exchanged a few casual words as the floating platform came to a stop before a small balcony attached to a room on the upper floor of the villa.

Valen leapt off the platform, lightly landing on the balcony. He waved at his grandfather. "I’ll head downstairs after I change in a few moments."

"A few moments? Take as long as you want, I’ll be waiting for you. I left a surprise for you in your room. Neither your father nor I could gain its acknowledgment—even Aaliyah had failed. Now that you’ve evolved, it’s your turn to try. Perhaps, with your Twilight Gene, you would have a chance." Hamza said meaningfully as the platform rose and departed from the area.

Valen was a bit confused. He pressed his fingers on the glass door behind the balcony which led into a tidy room.

Glancing around, he found a silver suitcase on his bed, and his heart couldn’t help but tremble at the sight.

’Could it be...’

He gradually approached the silver box, his mind in turmoil. Everyone knew that his father, Alaric, had slain a dragon. However, only those within his family actually knew the cause of it.

Before slaying a dragon, his father had been called the Silver General because of his command over a small party of five who possessed Silver Exoskeletons from an ancient era.

Valen could remember his father telling him that they were called the Silver Legion. He had said that the reason they were so strong was due to their inherited memories of being trained by the ancients after their acquisition of the exoskeletons.

His father had also said he found two legacies, but could only gain the acknowledgment of one—the legacy of a Silver General. This gave him the locations of 100 silver exoskeletons.

Throughout his father’s life, he could only reach five, and he gave them to his trusted five friends. After inheriting the memories of being trained by the ancients, they became supreme experts.

The other legacy, on the other hand, was given to his grandfather just before Alaric ventured into the abyss. His father had said Grandpa Hamza should try unlocking it and if he couldn’t, then he should hold onto it until either he or Aaliyah evolved.

Then, they could try getting the acknowledgment of the legacy. What exactly the legacy was, even his father hadn’t known.

As these thoughts surfaced in his mind, Valen picked up the silver box, which was around 1.5 to 2 feet long.

He glanced over it, seeing no opening.

’How does this work? Is it just touching and then getting acknowledged?’

Valen stared at the silver box in confusion. Its metallic surface was cold and smooth to the touch.

Just as disappointment began to rise within him and he prepared to stand up, a thin silver light suddenly swept across the box like a scanner.

A soft mechanical voice—sounding childlike—echoed from within: "Analysing genetic structure. Rare Evolution Path detected. Target possesses the qualifications to inherit the Silver King’s Legacy."

Valen’s expression turned to one of shock, but before he could even process the words, the silver box abruptly unfolded in his hands.

Streams of liquid-like metal crawled across his arms, spreading rapidly over his body.

’What the...’

The silver substance expanded at an astonishing speed, wrapping around his torso, legs, and back. When it arrived at his back, it further expanded and turned into six robotic spider arms. In mere seconds, only his head remained exposed, with the rest of his body covered by an exoskeleton.

Then, with a sharp metallic click, a silver fire engulfed his head, scaring Valen. Then, he paused as he realised it wasn’t hot, but cool like a soft breeze. This made him conclude that it was a fake fire. Regardless, he was confused as to its use. It only shielded his face with no further physical benefit.

At that moment, the childlike mechanical voice from before sounded again: "Master, I am Alex—your personal assistant. You can ask me any questions you have."

"Alright," Valen said, nodding. Then he went on to ask his question, "What can the suit do?"

---

In a place far away, beyond Greenfield Planet and the Astral Veil, a ship so massive that it spanned millions of kilometres travelled through deep space at the speed of light.

Meteors and shooting stars occasionally flashed by, leaving a dazzling trail in their wake.

A large bubble enveloped the spaceship, defending against the constant attacks of various creatures. Despite the spaceship’s shocking speed, these beasts could keep up with it and even attack, their eyes gleaming with greed as they sniffed the scent of millions of lifeforms.

Occasionally, individuals clad in red exoskeletons would depart from the spaceship in teams of ten, attacking the beasts.

Although their numbers were few compared to the creatures’, their strength was astonishingly overwhelming. One man could take on a hundred or several hundred beasts at the same time, massively depleting the creatures’ numbers.

Meanwhile, at the depths of this massive ship was a large control room showing all the happenings outside.

The occupants of this room were all silent as they stared at a middle-aged man standing before the huge screen which displayed the outside situation.

"The situation is becoming perilous. With the way things are going, if the next batch of void creatures attack, the Crimson Legion might not be able to stop them. They adapt too fast, and they’re willing to deal with us using numbers. The production rate of the Crimson Legion’s battle suits is terribly low, and if we do not do something, sooner or later, we will lose." A young man in his 20s reported as he operated a blue projection floating before him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The middle-aged man seemed unfazed as he asked, "How far are we before we arrive at ’that’ place?"

"If we continue to move at our current speed, it’ll be in 2–4 years, sir." Another young man responded as he, too, operated a blue projection. Excitement appeared on everyone’s faces when they heard the report as they subconsciously clenched their fists.

The middle-aged man was just about to reply when a red screen suddenly popped up before him. On reading the message, his eyes turned cold and the air around him became heavy.

Everyone’s breath seized as they stared at the middle-aged man in shock and fear.

"Captain Gilbert!" the middle-aged man roared.

"Yes, sir!" A battle-hardened man stood up from the side.

The middle-aged man’s cold eyes swept over him, the hatred in them apparent. Then, in a voice so chilling it could freeze one’s heart, he said, "I just received the signal of the long-lost Silver Legion King’s legacy being activated. Take the nine Platinum Legion members under your command and find the wielder of that legacy. Bring him to me and if that’s impossible, kill him and retrieve the silver box... no matter the cost. I’ll send you the coordinates. It’s on a small planet a few thousand galaxies away. Use the ultra battleship and arrive there as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir. I’ll make sure to bring it back." Captain Gilbert nodded, hatred similarly flashing in his eyes at the mention of the Silver Legion. Once upon a time, that was the strongest legion—trained personally by the ancients. Even their battle suits had been designed by the Sages of the past using the rarest materials possible. But who told the Silver Legion’s king to make the most stupid decision back then? Now, the silver legion has become history... and it should remain history!