BXBX NOVEL Chapter 12: Alex's Father
They often gave all their cultivation methods to their inheritors but placed seals that would only break when the heir reached a certain level.
This was done for several reasons: one was to make sure the heir wasn't overwhelmed by information, but more importantly, it also helped protect them from being killed during their growth phase.
As Mingyue busied herself with her revenge, Alex was trying his best to convince his mother.
She hadn't had any real objections when Alex said he wanted to create a research facility for new products.
However, when he mentioned starting his own guild, his mother was adamantly opposed.
"I said no, Alex! You'd be better off as a useless man at home than creating your own guild!" Luca said, her eyes stern.
"Mom, I'm just opening a guild. I'm not going into any dungeons, you know," Alex replied.
Luca's voice raised again, "And so? You say that now. But what about the future?
Look, Alex, even though things are stable now, how long do you think this will last?"
Her eyes filled with worry as she continued, "You have abilities too, Alex! If something happens, you, as the guild owner, will be required to participate in it.
Have you forgotten what happened to your father!?"
With the mention of those words, tears started to shimmer in Luca's eyes.
Alex turned silent, missing his father, too.
His father's abilities were similar to Alex's; he focused on the brain, allowing him to think about many things simultaneously.
This allowed Alex's father, Edward, to rise and create a large empire in his lifetime. He then married Luca and lived his dream until that tragic day.
On January 28, 2189, a Category Five dungeon suddenly appeared, defying all previously known knowledge and rules.
The dungeon took only an hour to break, unleashing a terrifying monster, each capable of easily killing a normal hunter.
Panic quickly spread, plunging the town into chaos.
At that time, Edward also had his own guild, which, at first, he wanted to name Full Metal. Unfortunately, the copyright committee rejected the idea.
So, he settled on the name Suzaku, inspired by the mythological creature, the phoenix, hoping the guild would symbolize a new, better life for each member.
As a guild owner and someone who had awakened, the situation forced him to stay in the city, using his abilities to coordinate all guild members.
Alex, Luca, and his younger sister Emily were safely evacuated from the city. Initially, Luca wanted to stay with Edward.
But Edward insisted that someone needed to be there for their kids, even though both were already teenagers, Alex being 18 and Emily 16.
Knowing how stubborn her husband could be, Luca left with their children.
A few hours later, they saw the terrifying news: the city had been decimated, with no survivors.
The whole surrounding area had been sealed off and marked as forbidden. It had been five years since that incident, and they never held a funeral for Edward.
Luca kept posting missions to rescue her husband. In her mind, he wasn't dead until she saw his body.
Emily was devastated after the incident and had a big fight with Luca because she wanted to become a hunter.
"I will look for my father with my own hands!" Emily declared.
Eventually, Emily left the house to become a hunter.
She hasn't spoken with Luca since, but she still updates Alex about her life every week.
Knowing his mom wouldn't budge unless he left home, too, Alex gave up. "Alright, I won't make a guild. Happy now, Mom?"
Seeing her son abandon the idea made Luca feel relieved. She then took out her phone.
"So, what do you need to start? I'll ask our lawyer to take care of all the legalities. Is 1 billion dollars enough?
We also have some space you can use. Your father had built it before for the Suzaku guild's expansion.
It's now used by survivors and their families for living.
Give jobs to them, Alex; they are experienced in working with the guild.
I tried to offer them other jobs before, but they all rejected it. They want work related to the dungeon," Luca said.
"If the place is designed for a research facility, I think that should be more than enough, Mom.
I've already found a professor to be the lead scientist. Send me the address, then I'll check the place."
"Alright, I won't tell you how to do it since I don't have experience in that area either.
Just make sure to do everything properly and not get scammed." She chuckled.
"Well, with your ability, no ordinary person should be able to scam you.
Now, tell me, why did you suddenly want to start a business like this?
I know you, my dear son. Something must have happened. You would never move if there wasn't something interesting to you."
Luca wasn't worried even if the business became an epic failure and Alex lost all the money.
As long as he had something to do, it was better than staying at home and wasting away. She was more curious about what motivated her son to undertake this venture.
"Yes, I found something interesting that I am sure can elevate our family to new heights," Alex said with an excited tone.
Hearing this, his mother, Luca, didn't believe it.
They were already in the top 10% of the richest people on their planet. Rising further would mean becoming part of the most elite top 1%.
Each of them has already held their position for generations, with global influence and power. The only way to reach their level was by taking over one of their positions.
For newcomers like them, reaching the top 10% was already a big achievement.
If not for the opportunities that arose from the dungeon that brought the world into chaos, they wouldn't have been able to rise like this.