Felix thought Milo's explanation made sense. They chatted for a little while longer before Milo left Notura City.After she was gone, Felix sat at home, deep in thought. Since the Malevolent Phantoms's hunting ground was clearly hotels, maybe Eddy could actually be useful. Felix could not be everywhere at once, and without any pattern to the Malevolent Phantoms's hotel selection—even small motels had been targeted—there were simply too many places to cover.He mumbled, "It looks like it's time to implement my plan. I need a job that allows me to work in hotels."The only job that came to mind was food delivery. Delivery drivers had access to hotels, motels, and inns across the city without raising suspicion.Just as Felix was stepping out, his phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number. Confused, he answered."Hello, sir," said the voice on the other end. "This is about the payment you made last night at the barbecue stand. There seems to be an issue. Could you come by for
Felix had not planned on responding at first. After all, what he did back then was just a spur-of-the-moment decision—he never expected any kind of reward or follow-up.Nonetheless, now that an A-tier Malevolent Phantom was in the picture, it seemed that Eunice might actually come in handy. So, he asked, "You're probably someone with status here in Notura City, right?" Eunice froze for a moment before quickly responding with sincerity, "I'd say I have some influence, but if you need something, I'll do everything I can to help."Felix replied, "I'm Felix Zeller."Hearing his name, Eunice could not help but feel a little excited. This had never happened before—men were always the ones approaching her first, but this time, the roles were completely reversed.Felix added, "If you want to repay me, it's really simple. Do you know any big shots in Notura City's underground scene?"The underground scene? Eunice's mind went blank for a second. She felt like Felix was not playing by any
Suzie felt like crying but had no tears left. She was terrified of completely disappointing Felix. She had just been pulled out of one hellhole, only to walk straight into another. How was that any different from being a complete idiot?Draco had not even bothered to gag her, which meant he did not care if she told the truth. This was his territory—his word was the only one that mattered.Felix barely glanced at the contract before saying, "So, you really think I'm just some rich fool, huh? Too bad—if you had just taken your winnings and enjoyed yourself, you could've made a solid profit, but instead, you just had to push me into handling this another way."Draco's smile disappeared. "Listen, kid! If you had real connections, you would've used them by now, and as for throwing away half a million dollars? My patience isn't unlimited—either you put down two million dollars and walk out of here with Suzie, or you get lost. "From now on, I will decide her future. Pick one."Felix sho
Draco saw his opportunity and jumped at it, eagerly pointing at Felix. He said, "Mr. Doyle! I happened to find out that this punk offended you, so I took the liberty of capturing him and waiting for your orders."Eddy stood there in complete shock, his confidence crumbling into dust. He had assumed Felix's bold spending and unwavering composure meant he had powerful backing, but if he had pissed off Yadiel, then no one could save him now."Shit! Please don't drag me down with you," he silently prayed.Yadiel's expression twitched with something unreadable as he stepped closer to Draco. He growled, "So, what you're saying is… I should be thanking you?"Draco's spine nearly folded in half as he bowed even lower. "Oh, no, Mr. Doyle, not at all! It's my honor to be of service to you."Yadiel had half a mind to slap him, but even that felt like a waste of effort. Instead, he asked Felix, "Mr. Zeller, how would you like to handle this?"Of course, Yadiel had been sent by Eunice. Otherw
"No need, Mr. Zeller. Since Ms. Jamison sent me here, your business is my business," Yadiel said smoothly.Felix frowned. "I wasn't asking you. Give me your account number.""Son of a—" Yadiel silently cursed, biting back his irritation. His patience had limits, but he decided it was not worth the argument. With a sigh, he rattled off the numbers.Felix tapped away on his phone, and a moment later, Yadiel's own device buzzed. He glanced at the screen and saw a deposit notification—five million dollars."Mr. Zeller, what's this for?" he asked.Felix answered casually, "That G-Wagon parked in the alley is yours, right? Five million dollars should be more than enough to upgrade to a G63. Go get yourself a new one."Yadiel was not entirely sure what Felix was playing at, but he had to admit that this level of generosity did make him feel a little better. Now that was more like it. Eunice didn't have total leverage over him, after all. Business should be a two-way street—that was ju
Two hours later, Felix was officially working for a local food delivery company in Notura City. The restaurant called out, "Delivery order number 19, ready for pickup."Since the city was famous for its unique cuisine, the local delivery services were far more dominant than Uber Eats or any national competitors, making it an easy choice."Alright. Thank you." Grabbing the takeout order, Felix packed it into the insulated carrier and hopped onto his electric scooter. Thanks to Yadiel pulling some strings, his account was set up so that he would only receive orders going to hotels and motels—everything else was blocked.Wearing his helmet and riding through the streets, Felix felt an unusual sense of peace. Ever since he had left the mountain, he had been constantly on the move, but now, blending into ordinary life like this felt strangely refreshing.He mumbled, "I wonder how that fatso is doing in Martial City, looking for the Phaeron Codex."Felix did not believe for a second t
For some reason, Felix picked up on something odd in Xena's tone—something subtle yet hard to ignore. He could not quite put his finger on it, but he also did not care enough to figure it out.…Meanwhile, in the penthouse office of a high-rise in Notura City, Eunice was staring at her computer screen when a young man suddenly stormed in, his face filled with anger."Horace? What's wrong?" she asked, surprised by his outburst.Horace Sawyer stopped in his tracks, but his expression only grew darker. "Tell me. What did you say to me back then? You swore that for the next three years, you wouldn't consider marriage, and if you did, I'd be the first in line."Eunice frowned. "That's right. Why bring it up now?"The man standing before her was, in fact, her fiancé—or at least, the man her family had arranged for her to marry. Given that both their families were of equal standing, it had never been a forced engagement but rather a logical alliance. She had made that promise at the tim
Ever since Felix learned that the Ancient Sage was actually Gerald's half-brother, he had been feeling conflicted. Yet, for some reason, he could not bring himself to ask Gerald about it—not because he was afraid, but because something inside him hesitated. Now, hearing that Averill also knew about it, he immediately perked up. At least he was not alone in this anymore. He urged, "Averill, hurry up and tell me."Averill flashed a sweet smile. "Aren't we Mr. Hoffman's family? I don't see why you're getting so worked up."Felix was instantly disappointed. But as much as that answer frustrated him, he could not deny the truth in it. Hence, he simply muttered, "Yeah… We are his family."Still, if they were family, then why had Gerald placed seals on all nine of his senior apprentices? What was the reason behind it?"Alright! Enough of small talk," Averill said, stretching lazily. "Eat up, and after dinner, I'm coming over to your place. I've got skills to show off."Felix sighed
The guide said, "This is where the selected contestants rest. The yard is huge and has everything you need. As long as you don't leave this yard, you're free to move around. I'll bring you to your room now."The yard looked huge, with fixtures of bridges and flowing rivers. Felix even passed by a fake mountain. It was large enough for hundreds of people to climb, standing thousands of feet tall and looked quite majestically.No one on Earth or Aquamarinus could have built such a luxurious residence. Felix could even see a bar and massage parlor, showing how indispensable technology was in the universe. His room was luxurious, around 2000 square feet, and was decorated with traditional but modern touches. "This is your room. I'll take my leave now, goodbye." The young man left with a bow. Felix turned around and stood on the patio. Outside his room was a large lake, with even fish swimming inside."A new neighbor? Did you just arrive today?" The sudden voice came from the patio
Felix arrived at the location of one of Nine Flames, where the guards instantly collapsed, their eyes rolling back as they fainted.By now, darkness had arrived. He walked forward without any hesitation, his right hand touching the flame.There was no need for any special tools. The flame simply vanished, and only Felix knew that it was absorbed in an instant by his Starmark.With the disappearance of the flames, people in many places immediately dropped to their knees.The light that should have lasted throughout the night vanished, and the darkness of Desolated Lands descended almost instantly. Every light went out in an instant.Screams echoed everywhere, and panic spread like wildfire. Even though their loved ones were close by, they couldn't see them with their eyes and could only communicate through voice.Scenes like this were unfolding in many places, even in Cloud City."It's really started," Eira said. She was in Cloud City. Although Luigi was standing on her left, h
Despite Thiago's murderous glare and overwhelming killing intent, Felix wasn't scared. In fact, it made him smile.Due to the unique trait of the Dragon Rebirth, his opponent had to harbor a true desire to kill him in order for Felix to grow stronger. Otherwise, it would all be meaningless. At least so far, everything was unfolding just as he expected.Meanwhile, Holt was silently praying like crazy as he lay on the ground. The battle had already begun, and his companion had understood his message. This was their only shot, however slim, at killing Felix.As time passed and the afternoon crept past 3:00 pm, his companion started to falter. His attacks were growing sluggish. He hadn't been injured, but he was clearly on the defensive now.Seeing this, Felix completely lost interest. Once his opponent lost the will to kill him, the Dragon Rebirth would no longer grow.Still, the battle wasn't for nothing. He'd made solid progress and was a little closer to becoming a Celestial Realm
Felix had clearly found Holt's weak spot. These guys were so desperate to extend their lives that they turned the entire Aquamarinus into a breeding ground. Obviously, they were terrified of death. As long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, they'd take it.And sure enough, Holt immediately agreed. He pulled out some kind of device and flew off, clearly contacting his comrades."But even if I agreed," Holt said, "the three of us split up and searched in different directions. Even if they rush over, they won't make it until tomorrow."The fear in his eyes was obvious, so much so that Felix couldn't help but laugh."How interesting," Felix said. "You made a deal with the Ant Queen, right? Couldn't she at least give you something to help you move freely through Desolated Lands at night?"Holt shot him a bitter smile. "The Ant Queen's children—the soldier ants—are born hunters. That instinct can't be erased. And honestly, we've never needed to go out at night anyway."
Lumen flew out and quickly returned. Felix's expression eased completely, and with a step, he vanished from where he stood."Chasing me was fun last time, huh? Did you think it'd go the same this time?" he asked.When he reappeared, someone was already lying on the ground about ten yards ahead. It was a figure fully shrouded in a gray robe, a man named Holt Bovington.That was Felix holding back. Otherwise, Lumen's previous strike could've shattered Holt's soul on the spot."Felix Zeller? It really is you!" Holt's voice was full of shock. Whatever he'd planned to do was already too late. His soul had taken a devastating blow, and he no longer had the strength to fight."Yeah, it's me. Just like I suspected, you people really aren't all that strong when it comes to soul power."Felix had spared his life because he wanted answers."If you answer a few questions honestly, I'll let you live. Even with your soul badly damaged, I assume someone who knows about Nine Flames and Desolate
Three months later, deep within a mountain on Aquamarinus, a meeting was taking place. Who would've imagined palace-like structures hidden within the mountain itself?In one of the chambers, a sky-blue dome adorned the ceiling. Beneath it, three figures in gray robes sat cross-legged, their bodies cloaked in shadow. Their faces were completely obscured."I went to see the Ant Queen yesterday. There's definitely something wrong.""Enough with the vague talk. Be specific.""In just three months, the Ant Queen has lost millions of her children. Do you even understand what that means?"The atmosphere shifted as all three took a sharp breath. A long silence followed before one finally spoke, "Perhaps our earlier theory is right. Is someone hunting soldier ants in Desolated Lands at night?""It has to be. How else do you explain millions of casualties? At this rate, we're down to just a million soldier ants across the entire planet. If this keeps up, they'll be wiped out in a month. An
"I didn't expect you to be a doctor, too. Thanks," Myles said, but then suddenly froze. His mind started racing.Wait a minute! He took down a tiger of True Blood Realm. On top of that, he was extremely skilled in medicine. That could only mean…"You figured out who I am?" Felix asked with a smile, trying to put Myles at ease. Despite that, Myles couldn't hide his fear. "You're Felix Zeller?""That's right. Judging by your reaction, I take it I've become a traitor to The Recovery Association? Or maybe some kind of unforgivable villain?"The air grew a bit awkward, and Myles shot him a strained smile."Not exactly… It's just that you took down the Flame Monarch. That's kind of hard to wrap my head around."His expression shifted again."Actually, everyone's still pretty confused. When we woke up this morning, every city, town, and even the smallest villages received a message. Five days from now, the Flame Monarch is holding a Flame Ceremony."Felix paused, frowning. "What's t
With Lumen and Indigo attacking and the Infinite Shield defending, Felix held his ground. Occasionally, he cast minor spells that barely consumed any soul power. Even as the monsters surged toward him like a tidal wave, not one of them could so much as scratch him.Feeling the steady stream of energy flooding into him, Felix grinned. If things kept going like this, there was a high chance he'd break through to the next major soul realm—Soul Overlord Realm.If he could level up again during the elimination rounds, his odds of winning the whole thing would increase significantly. Especially since Soul Overlord Realm required soul enhancement, it was a whole different league compared to Aetherium Realm.Once he hit Soul Overlord Realm, he was confident he'd be able to go toe-to-toe in a soul battle with the powerful figure who had chased him during dusk.That guy didn't dare appear in Desolated Lands at night, which likely meant his soul wasn't strong. In that case, Felix might actual
The sun had already begun to set. After fleeing in a panic, Felix had no idea if there was even a single place ahead that could shield him from the coming darkness.A few minutes later, the presence chasing him within his domain disappeared. Logically, the pursuer should've caught up in less than ten minutes, but they gave up. Still, Felix didn't relax for a second. The darkness was about to fall, and that could only mean two things. Either the pursuer wasn't confident they could survive the desolate night themselves, or they assumed there was no flame nearby and Felix was as good as dead.Either way, this was the most dangerous moment yet.After sprinting several more miles, Felix finally stopped. All around him stretched a barren wasteland with no end in sight. Even though he had memorized maps to identify different areas, they were useless now. As darkness swallowed the land, all reference points vanished."Damn it! I guess I'll have to see for myself what the hell comes out i