As Felix's hand touched the piece, it felt like it was being sucked in. In an instant, the chess piece became as heavy as a mountain and was impossible to move. What was more terrifying was that Felix felt something inside him being drawn into the chess piece. It was his soul energy! The chess piece was actually absorbing his soul energy, which was something unheard of. Looking at Bonnie, she was caressing her pale neck, her expression one of extreme pleasure. She even let out moans. "So there is something wrong here. You're actually trying to absorb my soul energy! How dare you!" Felix activated the Phaeron Codex. All restraints instantly vanished as he placed the red piece where the red light glowed. "Huh?" Bonnie, who had expected to enjoy the sensation much longer, was stunned that Felix had broken free so quickly. Her reaction was delayed because of that, and she hurriedly placed her piece after regaining her composure. After that, Bonnie's expression soured. Felix w
Felix ignored the others, growing more certain of his suspicions. The woman had died around 3:00 am. Now that ten hours had passed, by all logic, the body should be decomposing. There was no way any bodily scent could last. As for perfume, Felix had already ruled that out. Aside from his medical expertise that could detect such things, common sense told him that no one would spray perfume before going to sleep. "What about surveillance or neighborhood interviews?" Despite everyone's confusion, Felix's rank meant they had to respond promptly, though the woman's poor hygiene and the lingering fragrance seemed bizarre."No surveillance footage was tampered with. We've carefully reviewed everything and found no suspicious individuals. The neighbors we interviewed said that there were no unusual sounds." Felix frowned as he recalled the woman's scent. "I want all of this woman's information. The more detailed, the better. And I mean everything—don't miss a single detail. What cof
After Marley finished her call, Felix asked, "Had the victim only visited one dental clinic?" "Yes, throughout the two years she lived in Kashmere, her medical records show only this single dental clinic." She had only gone for a teeth cleaning. Felix continued reviewing the file but found no other suspicious details. Was this really connected to body odor? Even he was becoming uncertain. Felix remembered an incident from his past when he was accompanying Gerald to a village. They had found an elderly person recently deceased. He was lying on a mat in the yard while emanating a peculiar fragrance. Gerald had commented that the human body was mysterious, with some unexplainable phenomena. Could this woman's death be categorized the same way? Felix left the headquarters. Wandering aimlessly through the streets, his mind was a tangled mess. If every supernatural killing case proceeded like this, investigation would be incredibly challenging. Eventually, the smell of barbecue
Felix's nose picked up that nasty smell. Even with all that perfume, the stink was impossible to miss. He zeroed in on a good-looking woman in her 20s, who was sitting with two guys and chowing down on barbecue. She looked like she was part of the group, but her eyes gave away her total lack of confidence. He snapped a quick photo and turned to Lindsay, who was already enjoying a fresh plate of barbecue. "You probably shouldn't eat too much. Aren't you afraid of putting on weight?" Lindsay just let out a devilish chuckle. "I'm one of those lucky people who never gain weight. My manager's just worried I'll wreck my voice. Most singers won't touch spicy food, and some won't even eat anything crunchy. "They're scared of some freak accident, but I couldn't care less." After Felix ordered some food, Lindsay finally felt satisfied with all the food she had. "I'm not going to let you buy me dinner for free. Come have lunch with me tomorrow. I've got a college buddy in Kashmere. She'
Felix said, "Maybe you should check out this video." Chloe was scared at first and was ready to scream for her friends. But when she saw her friends in the video, curiosity got the best of her, and she kept watching. As those nasty comments hit her ears, she saw the pure disgust in their eyes. Finally, she broke down. "You never really know people. It's best to just walk away from these young men." Chloe fought back tears as she glanced at the two young men, who were still chatting away. She muttered a quick thanks before heading in the opposite direction. Felix followed her and said, "I'm a traditional medicine practitioner. I can cure your body odor." What? Chloe looked totally shocked. As someone dealing with body odor, she knew how impossible it was to treat the condition. But her guard went up instantly. "I don't even know you. Stop following me." She knew better than to believe in free services from strangers. Even though Felix had just helped her, who knew what h
Felix asked, "Is your boss a Malevolent Phantom?" Hearing this, Reeco sneered. "Are you regretting what you've done? Too bad now. It won't help. But if you kneel and knock your head on the ground a few times, I might consider letting you go." A crisp sound rang out. Both young men collapsed to the ground while clutching one of their arms in pain, which was clearly broken. "Go ahead and send that Malevolent Phantom after me." Felix had figured it out. Whatever Malevolent Phantom they were talking about was probably just somebody's nickname. No actual Malevolent Phantom would be this brazen. Those Phantoms knew exactly how officials referred to them ever since they existed on this planet. Acting like this would be suicide. …The next day, Felix received a call from Marley at 10:00 am. "Mr. Zeller, the supplementary investigation is complete."Felix immediately perked up. This could determine the entire investigation's direction. "Were any of the dead victims known to have
Angie did not show any look of disdain to Felix, and she seemed like a nice woman. Felix replied, "You're right, Ms. Sinclair. I'll remember that." Just then, Lindsay arrived, and the atmosphere immediately became more lively. "Hey, one's my high school friend, and the other is my college friend. What a rare moment! Cheers!" After a while, Angie asked, "Lindsay, how's your entertainment career going?" Lindsay pouted. "Not great. Without a big-shot mentor as a middleman, breaking into two fields is tough. You know how it is." Angie looked sympathetic and helpless, sighing. "I can't really help with that. My dad might know some people in entertainment, but your fame is actually bigger than mine." Hearing this, Felix asked, "So, you want to do movies and TV?" Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, that's actually my dream. How fulfilling would that be to make a few films with great reviews? They might be remembered for hundreds of years! "Music's okay, but it's just sounds without a face.
Everyone looked at Felix, their eyes showing different reactions. "Felix, thanks for your good intentions. But sometimes, we just can't make things go the way we want them to." Lindsay quickly tried to smooth things over, knowing Felix meant well. But sometimes, well-meaning lies just would not cut it. Yet, Felix spoke again, "I know someone who can probably solve your current crisis. So, you really don't need to do something you don't want to do." Chad could not hold back anymore. He wondered what kind of friend Felix was to talk big so casually. "Listen up, you brat! The worst thing you can learn in life is bragging. For every lie you tell, you'll need a hundred to cover it up. Got it? "Stop giving Lindsay false hope. You're just making things worse." Angie frowned, too. Though she knew Felix meant well, how could this possibly help? "I wonder if Dreamscape could solve your problem." Dreamscape? The two who were about to leave turned back, their eyes filled with dis
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