As soon as all three of his senior apprentices turned to look at him, Felix felt the pressure pile on. There were so many things he did not quite understand yet. He asked, "Mr. Hoffman, are you serious? You're saying this Starmark doesn't just protect my seniors—it can actually stop the second wave from hitting Earth?"

Gerald nodded seriously. "Would I joke about something this big? There's an organization out there in the universe called the Star Alliance. At least from my time until now, they've always followed the rulings of the Star Gate.

"Every 500 years, the Star Alliance hosts a massive competition to find the top talents across the universe, where participants are put through a series of tests and battles. The prizes are insane—especially for the champion. Not only do they get rare and powerful rewards, but they also get to claim an entire planet as their own territory. Do you understand now?"

Felix was starting to get it—kind of. He asked, "So, the Starmark is basically a