Devouring Dragon Heir-Chapter 51: Ch Join Me!!

Klaus was now seated in front of the old man, William.

The plush sofa felt strangely comfortable, a stark contrast to the intensity emanating from the man across from him.

The silence in the room was thick, broken only by the faint hum of the building’s ventilation system.

"Let’s start with introductions," the old man started

"My name is William. What about you, young man?" He regarded Klaus with an open, assessing gaze which was surprisingly filled with kindness

"Klaus," he replied, his voice calm and even.

"Klaus, hmm, good name," William said, stroking his thick grey beard, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before his gaze sharpened.

"Young man, you know why I am here, right?" William asked, his voice still gentle but with an underlying current of expectation.

"To recruit me to your association, I guess," Klaus stated, directly addressing the unspoken intent. "But since I am speaking, I should tell you in advance that I don’t see a reason to join the Association." His words were blunt, uncompromising.

Listening to his audacious words, Ria, who stood respectfully by the door, and the man who was acting as William’s assistant, stationed silently behind him, both visibly tensed.

Their shoulders stiffened, and their eyes widened slightly.

They had never, in their entire careers, seen someone speak so blatantly, so disrespectfully, to their revered master, the chairman of the hunter’s Association, the biggest organisation of the world.

Klaus wasn’t currently under pressure from his Draconic Pride; his Buddha Incarnate trait was still in an active state, maintaining his composure.

However, even with the calming influence, he felt an almost inherent need to test boundaries, to stretch his limits, and see how others reacted to his unfiltered truth.

After all, he genuinely didn’t care about the Association’s hierarchy or the old man’s authority. He was simply stating a fact as he saw it.

Despite his outward indifference, a tiny part of Klaus’s mind registered the golden thread he had seen between himself and William through the Fate Threads trait.

This connection confirmed that the person in front of him was, at the very least, not an enemy.

This small reassurance allowed him to maintain his directness without feeling the need for immediate hostility.

"Ho ho, confident, are we!" William chuckled, a deep, hearty sound that filled the room.

His laughter seemed to be one of genuine amusement, rather than offense.

"Well, it’s true, even though it is surprising, that the Association doesn’t have anyone with strength of an SSS-rank"

William then leaned forward slightly, his kind smile widening.

"Well, looking at your age and your remarkably clean background, given what you’ve achieved, I wanted to adopt you."

Klaus’s eyes almost bulged out in genuine surprise, a crack formed in his composed demeanor.

He had expected an offer of mentorship, perhaps a special position, but adoption? That was completely unexpected.

Behind William, Ria and the assistant gasped audibly, their surprise mirroring Klaus’s. This was an unprecedented offer from the Head of the Association, perhaps they knew the implications of this offer even more than klaus.

Seeing their reactions, the old man laughed heartily, a booming, infectious sound. "Hahahah! You two should go out while I have a chat with Klaus." His words were unambiguous.

On his direct orders, Ria and the assistant, still wide-eyed with shock, bowed quickly and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind them.

They were left alone now.

the old man wanted to see a shift in klaus’s expression.

Klaus’s expression did not shift to the fear or intimidation that the old man would have seen in others when they were isolated with him.

This lack of visible apprehension seemed to genuinely intrigue William, who regarded Klaus with renewed interest.

"Aren’t you afraid of me forcing you into submission with my power, young man, or even trying to kill you?" William asked, his tone now devoid of kindness, instead carrying a subtle, but immense, pressure.

It was a test, he was trying to probe klaus.

To his query, Klaus just calmly replied, his voice even, imbued with an absolute, unshakeable certainty.

"Old man, even if you wanted to kill me or force me, you wouldn’t have been able to."

"HAHAHAHAHAH!" A huge, booming laughter spread across the room in reaction to Klaus’s audacious dialogue.

William threw his head back, his laughter echoing, a sound of unbridled amusement.

"Tch, why does this old geezer laugh like that," Klaus thought,

a mild irritation creeping up inside him. The repeated, booming laughter was grating on his nerves.

"Well, let’s start with basics," the old man said, finally regaining his composure after his bout of laughter.

He leaned forward again, his gaze piercing. "How about you tell me your relationship with Vance?"

Klaus’s mind immediately ran through the information.

"Seems like the old man did his background check thoroughly," he thought. "I had made up a story about being Vance’s brother from the orphanage in front of Ria, a simple lie of convenience. But he must have contacted the orphanage directly and found out about the truth. He knows Vance wasn’t my brother, and I wasn’t from that orphanage."

Klaus decided there was no point in maintaining the charade. The old man was not an enemy, and he respected directness.

Klaus smirked "That was me before dying in a mutated dungeon."

He delivered the line with blunt honesty.

On this response, another wave of William’s irritating laughter followed.

"Hahahaha! You are a very clever young man, I have to say! I want to adopt you even more now!" William exclaimed, a genuine warmth in his voice despite the boisterous laughter.

"Look, old man," Klaus said, cutting to the chase.

"I don’t know you that closely. I don’t have any reason to follow you or become your grandchild. I don’t even know why you want a grandchild, let alone me."

klaus thought that it was now time to drop all the pretenses.

"Aah, kid," William began, his voice softening, becoming more serious.

He settled back into his chair, his expression contemplative. "You want to know, so listen carefully.

The Hunter’s Association is not a government-run organization, as most people think. It is, in fact, a private organization, which was established by a powerful individual."

He paused, gathering his thoughts. "It was started at the epoch of the Alien Invasion seventy years ago."

"Well, aren’t gates and monsters around us for thousands of years?" Klaus interjected, recalling historical records that spoke of ancient tales of beasts and rifts.

"Listen carefully," William said, not rising to the interruption,

"I am not talking about the appearance of gates, since they are indeed from many eras, their origins still shrouded in mystery, appearing periodically throughout human history.

I am typically talking about the direct attack of an alien civilization on this world, specifically the Watchers."

William’s voice grew grim. "They attacked with huge armies, not just monsters from gates, but their own advanced forces, pushing the human race behind by many, many years.

Although we had abilities to fight our mana, our innate skills the Watchers’ technology and power were not as simple as the monster gates we faced. They were devastatingly superior."

"At that time, many heroes rose from the dirt, from ordinary backgrounds, discovering immense powers within themselves and pushing back the Watchers.

The human race, through desperate struggle and sacrifice, studied the physiques of the Watchers, their technology, and their biology.

From this, we made many unexpected discoveries. Many hidden powers, many secrets to much greater power that we possessed at that point in time, became evident.

These were not just about fighting monsters; they were about understanding our own potential, our own limits."

"My great-grandfather, a pivotal figure in that era, wanted to elevate humanity, to ensure our true independence and ascension among the stars.

But unfortunately, the other so-called ’heroes’ who rose during that time wanted only to rule humanity, to consolidate power and establish themselves as new overlords. They saw an opportunity for control, not liberation."

"That is why they created these Legacy Families, which came to possess great power and immense influence over humanity.

They hoarded knowledge, monopolized resources, and manipulated the narrative.

And here we are, decades later, living under their shadow." William concluded, a note of deep regret and resentment in his voice.

"There are many details left out in this story but I want to come to the main point directly."

His gaze sharpened, becoming resolute.

"These Legacy Families have become too corrupt. They have strayed far from the path of protecting humanity.

Some are even actively colluding with alien races, with the Watchers themselves, for their own gain, exchanging lives for power and technology. They have forgotten their purpose."

"In my family, both my father and my grandfather ensured that we would carry on the true legacy of our progenitor.

We operated the hunter’s Association with full force and energy, striving to elevate humanity from the cursed name that has been designated to it across the universe by various races"

"What are we called across the universe?" Klaus asked, a flicker of genuine curiosity in his eyes, his internal calm maintaining itself even with the heavy revelations.

The old man replied, his voice heavy with the truth. "We are called livestock."

"The Watchers claim that they raised us as livestock, a species cultivated to do them service, to be their laborers, their soldiers, or even their food source.

Their ultimate goal for humanity is to worship the Watchers and eventually be eaten by them, or to be used by them as a disposable resource for their grand galactic schemes."

Klaus’s brows furrowed deeply. A very explosive anger surged inside his head, a primeval rage awakening within his soul. The truth, stark and brutal, ignited something deep inside him. He felt his blood boil.

[Draconic Pride is getting active!!!]

"How dare they!!!!" Klaus roared, the sound echoing through the otherwise quiet guest lobby, a guttural, terrifying sound that carried a hint of draconic power.

His voice cracked with pure, unadulterated rage at the sheer audacity of an alien race claiming humanity as livestock.

[Buddha Incarnate is suppressing Draconic Pride!!]

[Draconic Pride is being suppressed!!]

The wave of intense anger that had threatened to consume Klaus rapidly receded, pushed back by the overwhelming calm of the Buddha Incarnate trait.

His face, which had twisted into a mask of fury, slowly returned to its serene composure, though a flicker of cold, calculating fury remained deep in his eyes.

He took a deep, measured breath, regaining full control.

"Ahem, sorry for the eruption, old man," Klaus said, his voice now calm again, almost apologetic despite the underlying coldness. "Please continue."

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