"Do you remember anything at all?" Leandre asked as he walked over. Behind the Waverlys' house, Felix sensed Leandre's approach, but he didn't show it. He quickly pretended to be startled. "Oh! It's you, Mr. Campbell."Leandre smiled and took out a smoking pipe. "I used to look out in the village like this every night when I was young."Felix turned back and sighed. "Although I haven't exactly experienced it, I keep feeling that there's something terrifying in the darkness…"Leandre nodded. "That's for sure. Otherwise, how could so many people have died? Even the powerful fighters never return once they leave for Desolated Lands at night."Felix had a feeling that Leandre might be hinting at something else, but he pretended not to notice and turned to look at the fire in the east. "Thank goodness, the flame is there to protect us! Otherwise, I'm afraid there'll be no one left alive here."Turning to the flames, mixed emotions reflected in Leandre's eyes. "Yeah, Nine Flames are t
"Dr. Zeller, my father picked some mushrooms and cooked them for you!" a pretty girl announced as she walked into the clinic. Felix instantly smiled and thanked her, "Thank you, Quinley!"On the other hand, Lincoln blushed as soon as Quinley Salvatore walked in. Their feelings for one another weren't a secret at all. However, Quinley's family disapproved of him, as he had been incompetent with a disabled father before.But now, with Lincoln learning medical skills from Felix, of course, her family had a different opinion now."Lincoln, help me send Quinley off."While eating, Felix wondered whether he should leave or not. He hadn't seen anyone else outside of the village for a whole month now. Leandre seemed quite knowledgeable, but he was also wary of Felix. So, it was almost impossible to get information from him.When the sun was about to set, Lincoln suddenly ran in. "Mr. Zeller! Six fighters came into the village, and one of them was seriously injured!" he exclaimed anxio
There was a clang as the tool in Lincoln's hand fell to the ground. He rushed outside, grabbing the woman who sent them the news."What? Quinley is dead?"The woman could no longer hold back her cries. She pointed at the group of fighters angrily. "One of their people is a monster! He raped her and killed her!" She screamed, "I don't want to live anymore. I want to die!" Just then, a man's voice came from behind her, "Why are you crying? Your daughter is lucky that I took a liking to her! Yet, she slapped me and forced my hand to kill her. She got off easy!"He was a rough-looking man, and he glared at the woman in contempt. The woman, Quinley's mother, Susan McLoughlin, wanted to rush forward in anger, but Leandre quickly stopped her. Even with everyone in the village, they couldn't fight against these brutes. Susan would die if she rushed up to fight the man now."I'm going to kill you!" she screamed again. Leandre held her back, but he couldn't stop Lincoln, whose face w
Wagner glared at Felix, gritting his teeth. "You'd better help her! Otherwise, you know what will happen!"Felix showed no expression as he said, "I'm a doctor. If I say I can do it, I definitely can help her."Wagner took a deep breath, and he felt something he had never felt before—humiliation. "What must he do?""Tell him to follow Mr. Campbell. He shall kneel and pray before Quinley's body before compensating her family with 100 silver coins!"The rough man almost fainted when he heard the request. "Kneel and pray? How dare you ask me to do that?"Him, a fighter, kneeling to a mere villager? How could he withstand such humiliation? Even Wagner was furious by this request. He looked at Kathlynn lying on the bed and held back."Follow the chief and do as you're told!" Wagner barked.The rough man wanted to argue, but Wagner clenched his fists and said angrily, "Was I not clear, or are you deaf?"Hearing this, the man could only glare at Felix angrily before following the he
A secret? Felix watched Leandre leave after speaking. That meant that it wasn't the time yet. Of course, Felix didn't expect anything much. Although he could see that Leandre wasn't as simple as he seemed, Leandre had been in Innswood Village for so many years.How powerful could he be?…As the sun rose, so did Kathlynn. Wagner was extremely happy. "Kathlynn! You're finally awake!"After Kathlynn shook herself awake, she looked down at her body, confused. She felt around and muttered, "I'm… I'm completely healed? I can only feel a slight ache now… What happened?"The last thing she remembered was the moment she was attacked. The injury was so horrible that she couldn't forget the feeling. She thought she was a goner for sure."We got lucky. We found a doctor in Innswood Village, and he saved you."A doctor? She followed Wagner's finger and was surprised. A doctor from a village could actually help her?As she thought of this, she stood up and said, "Thank you for saving me
At this time, Felix finally went to Quinley's house. The funeral hall had been set up, and the villagers were watching. With his arrival, everyone quickly made way for him.Perhaps it had already been explained, but no one showed hatred to Felix for what he did, nor did they worry Wagner and his companions might come back for revenge."Dr. Zeller! Thank you… Thank you for getting justice for my Quinley!" Her parents rushed to greet him, falling to their knees and thanking Felix. Their only remaining son followed behind.However, only Lincoln was left beside the corpse, mourning like he had lost his soul. "Please, get up. My deepest condolences," Felix replied gently.After lighting up a few candles for Quinley, Felix, who was about to leave, told Lincoln softly, "Come to me when you feel better."When he arrived at Leandre's house, there was a bottle of wine on the table along with two side dishes. "Quinley's family is going to move to town. With the hundred silver coins, they
Felix stayed quiet for a while. In fact, he had been extremely restless for a while now, but he didn't dare to show it. Finally, he let out a laugh."If you dare tell me, of course, I would listen. In fact, when I lost my memories in the forest, it had something to do with Nine Flames. But my story should be kept a secret."A sharp glint flashed in Leandre's eyes. He clinked their glasses again and said, "In fact, when the Flame Monarch appeared with Nine Flames, Aquamarinus was still peaceful, and there were no Desolated Lands at all."Huh? Felix was shocked. This was truly a startling secret. It was something that could get someone killed."When the Flame Monarch came, so did Desolated Lands. But the current history books say the complete opposite. Instead, it says that Desolated Lands were spreading, and when the Flame Monarch appeared with Nine Flames, it gave Aquamarinus peace."Memories seemed to flash by in Leandre's eyes. "Back then, people could come and go freely on Aqua
Leandre cleared his throat. "Well, yes! I do want you to join The Recovery Association! Regardless of your strength as a fighter, your medical skills alone are extremely useful to us."Don't rush to decide! You can give me your answer once you've made up your mind."Felix stood up and asked, "So, you're one of the survivors from 30 years ago, right?" But without waiting for an answer, Felix left.As soon as he did, Leandre spilled the wine on the ground, falling to his knees. He looked up at the sky with tears in his eyes. "My people… I am utterly useless, and this is all I can do now… I hope I'll be able to enjoy the moonlight again in this lifetime."After returning to the clinic, Felix began to think about how to save Innswood Village. With his strength, he could definitely kill someone like Wagner in just a few days. However, it would be too obvious.If the fighters die, wouldn't their families investigate? However, Aquamarinus wasn't as restricted by laws as Earth. As l
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