Chapter 162

Max flew through the sky, his black wings cutting through the cool air as he absentmindedly scrolled through his super phone.

The landscape below was a mix of thick woods and sprawling plains, with a massive cliff rising in the distance. He was so engrossed in his reading that he almost didn't notice the figure blocking his path.

Almost.

Max came to an abrupt halt, his wings beating steadily as he hovered in the air. The man before him was unlike anyone he'd ever seen. Bat-like wings stretched wide, his disheveled hair and beard giving him a wild, almost feral appearance. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with an intensity that made Max wary.

Max could immediately tell this guy wasn't weak, so he turned peaceful Max mode on.

"Whoa, whoa," Max said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I thought you were a vampire or something, i was a about to attack you know?"

The man shook his head, his expression calm but guarded. "No. I'm not a vampire. I'm a Beastholder. My name is Varek."

Max raised an eyebrow. "A Beastholder, huh? So, what's a Beastholder doing stopping random passerbys in the middle of nowhere?"

Varek's eyes flicked to Max's hands, where over twenty space rings glinted in the sunlight. "Why are you wearing so many space rings?" he asked, his tone curious but laced with suspicion.

Max glanced down at his hands, the rings clinking softly as he moved. He shrugged, his expression shameless. "I'm a merchant. Gotta carry my inventory somehow, right?"

Varek's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't press further. Instead, he glanced at the ancient compass in his hand, its needle spinning slowly.

Max noticed the movement but didn't comment. Instead, he crossed his arms, his tone light but probing. "So, you stopped me just to ask about my jewelry? Or is there something else?"

Varek looked up, his gaze steady. "You're the only living soul around. I thought it would be polite to introduce myself."

Max chuckled, though his eyes remained sharp. "Polite, huh? Well, nice to meet you, Varek. But I've got places to be, so if you don't mind..."

He made to fly past, but Varek shifted slightly, blocking his path again. Max's smile faded, his wariness growing.

As he glanced around, his mind racing. The landscape below offered no mountains for Lucy to control, just thick woods, plains, and a massive cliff going upwards in the distance. He cursed under his breath. Bad luck indeed.

What made him even more uneasy was the fact that Varek seemed completely unaffected by his passive ability.

That could only mean one thing: Varek was a good person, normally Max wouldn't have cared, since most good people aren't unreasonable, only those self-righteous are, but Varek didn't seem to be of that type.

However something felt off...

.

Max's grip tightened on his super phone, his other hand subtly reaching for one of his pistols. "Look, Varek, I don't know what you're waiting for, but I'm not really in the mood for games. So, if you'll excuse me..."

Varek's eyes flicked to the compass again, his expression unreadable. "I'm not here to play games either. But I apologize... Just wait here for a moment."

Before Varek could respond, the needle stopped spinning, apparently the cool down of that thing was over, or something of sort.