Alex

-Alex's love for solving puzzles and traps

Alex, aged 15, whose adventurer name is "Star Guardian", is the main character of the Golden Age of Adventures series. Last ranked 65th in H18- Scourge of The Beanstalk, he is an optimistic and determined young man who is said to be a gifted, high-potential child and a genius for his age. He ultimately led to the defeat of Akhator, Adolf and Sigurd Bodon, the main villains in the series.

His adventuring partner, Lulu is a cursed half-human, half-cat and has the ability to change from a human to a cat.

## Biography

Alex grew up somewhere in Malaya, near the Cameron Highlands. When he was 10, his "retired" grandfather, the former No.1 adventurer Phantom Spider took him along for an adventure in the Malay Archipelago. He faked his death there as a motivation for Alex to study

harder. He studied hard, and later became a graduate from Harvard, and is proficient in various ancient languages as well as mechanical engineering.

Inspired by his grandfather, Alex became an adventurer of the World Adventure Union to experience the thrill of searching for treasure. As opposed to most adventurers, he believes the joy of adventuring lies not in obtaining the treasure but rather, in process of solving the puzzles he encounters along the way. He wants to follow the footsteps of his grandfather, hoping that someday, he would become the No.1 adventurer.

## Design

Since the deadline for the first ever Golden Age of Adventure book- (H1 Wrath of the Mummy) was very tight (This hadn't changed for any of the X-venture books), Alex and Lulu's physical and character designs were kept simple, but became more elaborate over time. At that time, Alex was designed by *Tadatada* as character designer *Fishball* was busy finishing the final book for the Primal Power series.

#### Physical Appearance

Alex has black hair, red eyes and fair skin. He also has an 'X' shaped scar on the left side of his cheek and is often seen dressed in an orange top, oversized brown trousers, red and white-coloured gloves, black and red boots as well as a bladed hat kept at his back if he is not wearing it. His outfit also comes with several side pockets around his waist, which contains his adventuring equipment and rope.

#### Alex's Adventuring Equipment

Like his grandfather Jones, his techniques and fighting style revolve around the use of ropes and weapons shown below

* Shock ropes, charged by his backpack.
* Hidden blades in his hat, inspired by Jackal's darts
* Razor thin spider silk in hidden glove compartments, strong enough to slice through metal.
* Hooks to seize targets
* Drill rope (Inspired by Garth's drills, they explode to maximize damage)
* Rope Edge
* A Sun Stone torch that only needs sunlight to recharge
* Flash bangs
* Glue bombs (releases powerful glue)
* Poison Dart traps ( triggered by stepping on wires)
* Bug Repellent (used against bugs and as a smokescreen)
* Whirl of the Stars (A move copied from Akhator. Drill rope is spun around his fists to imitate Akhator's move. Alex can used his Ibyon powers to enhance his move)
* Phantom Spider Web (used to capture big targets, a pale imitation of his Grandpa's move)
* Prince Theseus' Magic Rope
* A strong magnet tied to a rope (Attracts metal projectiles away from Alex)

## Powers

### **Alex**

Alex's body is human, but is noted by Tempesta and Luminus in H36- The Sword Of Gaia's Children to be able to easily assimilate planetary powers.

### Ibyon Cells

Alex's Ibyon Cells were given to him when he fused with Akhazane's arm in H10- Trial of the Sacred Tribe.

   Abilities granted from this fusion were:

* Starseed Manipulation

* Weak partial Shapeshifting

* An Ibyon form

* Enhanced regeneration

* A Berserk State

* Superficial Strength

In H26, Alex lost control of his Ibyon powers and went berserk against The Ferocious Four. He gained immense strength that enabled him to defeat the Shadow mercenaries with ease and even destroyed their almost-invulnerable amour. However, when in Berserk form, he even attempted to hurt innocent people, like Axe and his own grandfather. A little smooch from Lulu saved him. ~

In H27, Alex was able to remove IBYon cells from Woe and The Void, breaking the Sky Demon's curse in them that resulted them to feel only an emotion.

In H28, Fenrir taught and trained Alex how to control his Ibyon cells like how he managed to control his werewolf abilities previously.

Later in H36 - The Sword Of Gaia's Children, Alex's Ibyon cells were expelled from his body when he accidentally triggered a defence mechanism from Gaia that also conveniently took away Sigurd Bodon's immortality. Part of his Ibyon cells formed into Akhazane's remnants, who helped to calm Gaia down, and was reborn as Gaia's seventh son after Caelus transferred his remaining lifeforce to him. The other half contained only the instincts to feed and destroy, and fused with Sigurd Bodon.

### Star Seeds

In H24- Light of the Star Guardian, Alex received the power of the star seeds from three dying planets: Ignis, Frigus and Oude Boom, which helped him finish Adolf and save Gaia. As a result of the powerful impact of the powerful star seeds, Alex's legs are temporarily paralyzed until H26.

### Tempesta and Luminus's powers

After the Clash of Sigurd Bodon in H36 - The Sword of Gaia's Children, Tempesta and Luminus began hibernating within Alex's body as they were too injured, and Alex was allowed to use their powers while they were hibernating within him. This prompts Akhazane to liken Alex's body to "A hotel, with beings checking in and out"

## Abilities

-Delmar to Alex

* **Genius-Level Intellect**: Alex is a highly intelligent adventurer. Foresighted and bright, he was a Harvard Graduate at the age of 15 and shows aptitude in aspects like mechanical engineering. He is also a polygot and is proficient in ancient languages. His intellect is also valued by many accomplished adventurers like Aligon and Delmar (who described Alex as more experienced than most men in the Alliance).

* **Experienced Puzzle-Solver**: Alex is comparable to top-ranked adventurers in terms of puzzle-solving. Apart from being a puzzle-solving enthusiast, he has brilliant skills and is able to solve any puzzle that crosses his way, sometimes even effortlessly. Alex can also think clearly when under pressure. He is also an excellent teacher, notably when he taught Michio by guiding him to solve the puzzle, Chief Batu was impressed.

* **Expert Engineer**: Alex has an affinity for working on and building mechanics, and has become an expert in mechanical engineering. As such, he constructed his own airship (Fly High) by himself and probably with limited resources.

-Alex to The Void

* **Expert Tactician**: Alex draws inspiration from other adventurers when coming up with weapons, and shows experience in combat and coordinating his tactical attacks. Although he is sometimes flawed compared to more experienced adversaries, he is nonetheless proficient in combat. For instance, when he was battling The Void in the Dryad Realm, he managed to plant dart traps that trigger poison while distracting him by fighting the giant stingray.

## Relationships

### Family

Since every other X venture's main character's parents were crazily awesome, Tadatada wanted to make Alex's family normal. Completely reliant on Alex to do house chores, their lack of skills allowed Alex to be independent and grow his know-how.

#### Elder Sister

Alex's older sister is a nurse living in Malaya with her parents. Like them, she is completely inept in household chores, but a top-notch nurse.

#### Mother

Alex's mother is an animal surgeon and a member of the World Wildlife Society. She is rather inept in performing household chores, but a world-class vet.

#### Father (Doctor, Vet)

Alex's father is an animal doctor and a member of the World Wildlife Society. He is rather inept at performing household chores, but is nonetheless a world-class vet

#### Alex's Maternal Great Grandfather

Alex's Mother's Grandfather, he left behind a puzzle leading to a box containing the "magic beans", which he got from some sailors (H18 - Scourge of the Beanstalk), as a prank for his descendants. He did not know that it actually was magical.

#### Alex's Grandfather

Alex's Grandfather, "Phantom Spider" Jones is an extremely powerful adventurer. The former No.1 Adventurer, he trained Alex along with other adventurers like Jackal and Jabba and has a habit of causually teasing his grandson. Jones often adventured with Robert before his retirement and his signature moves include Phantom Spider Web, Phantom Spider Rope Line and Spider Dive. (Refer to H5 - Riders of the Rough Sea)