Under the staff's guidance, Felix entered a room. There were already several people inside. Besides Aiden and Asher, there were two others wearing masks gathered together.After sitting down, Aiden suddenly turned to Felix. "Have we met somewhere before?" he asked.Felix was shocked. Aiden's perceptiveness was terrifying."Have we? I don't seem to recall…"Without saying another word, Aiden closed his eyes and began resting again. A short while later, an elderly man came in with an unpleasant-looking middle-aged man."I am Wayne Sutcliff, but you can call me Mr. Sutcliff. I'm the person in charge of the Obsidian Auction." He stretched out his right hand and introduced, "This man next to me is the consignor, Ross Livingston."With that, Wayne got straight to the point. "Mr. Livingston wants to know which master healer you're inviting."Aiden spoke first. "Magnus Grimwald from Medic's Haven."Felix's gaze deepened after he heard that. The Greenes were quite formidable. Magnus
"There's no first come, first serve. All four participants can diagnose the patient at the same time. The specific requirement to claim the item is for whoever can cure the patient the best."This is absolutely fair, don't worry," Wayne said.The severity of the patient's condition was evident. Even with a master healer like Lemuel getting invited, Wayne's calm demeanor suggested that the case was particularly challenging.…It was two in the morning when Felix returned home. He had taken off the Shadow Mask before he entered his house. Melissa, who had been waiting, threw herself into his arms. "Felix! I'm so sorry!"Felix smiled and comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. No matter what happens next time, tell me the truth, okay?"Melissa wiped away her tears. Her fear was evident in her eyes. "It's not like that. He was always by my side. I didn't dare to tell you the truth."As she said this, Felix's expression turned solemn. "Who brought you to the auction?"If the root o
Felix almost turned around out of pure instinct. Who wouldn't react when someone called the name they had their whole life? Fortunately, Felix recognized that this was Aiden's voice, so he held back.His strong willpower allowed him to control his impulses and resume his movements, at least on the surface, without any signs of hesitation."Did you see Felix somewhere, Aiden?" Asher asked in confusion.Aiden shook his head with a smile. "I must've been mistaken."This time, the meeting place was actually the same auction hall they had been to before. Felix was still feeling a little uneasy after sitting down.After his strength improved, his wariness toward Aiden began to decrease. However, this time, it instantly shot back up to an even more exaggerated level.Calling Felix's name to test his reaction meant Aiden believed this "middle-aged man" was Felix somehow. Although he wasn't fully certain, the situation was terrifying enough.Soon, everyone gathered. Felix saw Craig from
"To me, I only care whether they are patients or healthy people—nothing else matters." After Magnus said so, Lemuel nodded in agreement. He clearly shared the same thought. Right then, Wayne turned his attention to Craig. "I hope you could do this for the sake of Skyward Guild, Dr. Dixon. We invited you here today because you're just a master healer who has no relations to the headquarters. "Once our transaction is complete and everyone leaves, whatever happens next has nothing to do with Skyward Guild." Craig remained silent. Skyward Guild was an influential powerhouse with an extensive network of connections, including many high-ranking officials at the headquarters. After all, he was just their chief medical officer, not a warlord. So, he decided it was best to let the matter drop after weighing the pros and cons. Felix was not particularly concerned. Business was business, and given the involvement of the Dragonspine, Dane's identity as a criminal could take a backseat.
Once Felix left, there was no reason for anyone else to stay. They all knew finding the Frost Crystal was crucial. Without it, everything else would be pointless. Craig's departure was particularly awkward. Even with the Frost Crystal, his skills weren't sufficient to fully cure Dane. The gap in medical expertise was just too wide. On his way back, Felix was about to call Seven when he remembered Mira's recent call. That unknown number might still be active. He was running out of options, and his resources were extremely limited in comparison to the Greenes'. Without Mira's help, even if the Frost Crystal still existed somewhere, the Greenes would have far better chances of finding it. "Felix." Felix sighed with relief when he heard Mira's voice on the line. "I thought you might have ditched this number." "I was about to, then you called." Contacting Mira would be much more reliable than dealing with Averill, who would probably just show up at his place trying to get him in
Felix was curious about what kind of strange occurrences would have the headquarters so short-staffed. "When do I leave?" "Early the day after tomorrow. Since this is your first operation, I'll send someone to assist you. You'll still be in charge. I've sent the details to your phone," Xena said.The call ended abruptly. Indeed, it was strictly business. He had to handle it properly since he had taken on this assignment, and this job was tied to the Dragonspine too. Felix immediately started reviewing the mission details. The village was called Pine Valley, tucked away in a remote mountainous region. The reported "strange occurrences" were just disappearing livestock. There were chickens, ducks, and sheep vanishing every few days. Felix had a strange look on his face after reading the information. How could livestock disappearing in a village near the mountains be considered strange? With dense forests around, weren't predators expected? Still, his opinions didn't matter if th
Felix turned around, and his expression darkened. "I won't hire her." Bewildered, Melissa's smile froze. Felix was usually quite patient. He wouldn't dismiss a stranger so harshly without even asking for more of their information. "If you hire me, I can help you find the Frost Crystal!" the woman said.Felix, who had been about to walk away, clenched and unclenched his fists. "That damn fatso!" He wanted nothing more than to storm into Floral Wreath Boutique next door and beat Billy to a pulp. "Do you know each other?" When Melissa asked curiously, Felix just nodded. He was still thinking. The nurse applicant was none other than Nala, who was still wearing her signature veil. Why else would he react this way? To his surprise, this answer only made Melissa happier as she linked arms with Nala. "Perfect! Since you know each other, Felix will definitely keep you around." Felix's expression darkened further. If he wasn't certain Melissa was fine, he would have suspected Nala
At this, Nelly's eyes started to become teary. "I… I do need something. After seeing your medical skills, I remembered my cousin. She's disabled—not from birth, but after a high fever when she was four that left her unable to hear anything. I was hoping you could take a look at her," she said.If it was not congenital, it could be treated. "Of course. Let's go. Keep your money. Every second counts when it comes to changing someone's fate, if you know what I mean," Felix said.Nelly quickly apologized, "I understand, Felix. I promise I won't do this again." Tom was still in Gray City. Killing him could wait as long as it was done before sunset. They arrived at a run-down neighborhood in Gray City, where Nelly's cousin lived. The conditions were below modest. In fact, it was downright poor. "Poor June. After her mother died, her father ran away from gambling debts and left her alone to survive. Thankfully, a factory hired her despite her disability; I can't imagine otherwise!
The existence of crossbreeds was classified as top secret by headquarters. If word got out, even if the general public remained unaware, just the knowledge reaching certain members within headquarters would cause mass panic.Would you dare to question whether your partner might be a Malevolent Phantom? Would you risk wondering if your child inherited some of its traits and became a crossbreed? No one wanted to shoulder that responsibility.Take Johann and his team, for example. They had absolutely no knowledge of crossbreeds, and their resistance right now stemmed entirely from their own moral convictions."Sir!"Johann didn't dare stop Felix outright, but he raised his voice to make his stance clear. The others followed suit, not to mention Lina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, and Steve, whose eyes were red with fury as he glared at Felix without a hint of fear."Mr. Zeller! If you're really going to take my grandson, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"Tears st
"So what?" Lina asked. "Even if I lied, what does that person's death have to do with my son?"Felix suddenly roared, "Are you telling me that when you opened the door, your son never left your sight for even a second?""I—"Lina opened her mouth but suddenly found herself at a loss for words. That instinctive hesitation was the most telling of all."Get the car ready. Take her with us. We're going to Lina's house.""Yes, sir!"The convoy arrived at a luxurious mansion in Zuera. The moment Felix and his team rushed inside, they saw Steve sitting in the living room, holding a three-year-old boy in his arms."Mr. Zeller, why are all of you here?"Lina, restrained by Felix's men, screamed in a frenzy, "Dad! Save Leonardo! They're trying to take him away!"Then, she turned to Felix, shouting in fury, "You monsters! He's just three years old, and you suspect him of murder? I'll expose you! I'll take you to court!"By the time she finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably."Mr. Zel
Even though Lina knew Felix held an unimaginably high status—so high that even Steve feared him—his continued questioning and the direction of his suspicions pushed her to the edge. The mere idea that her son might be involved sent her into a silent rage.She was a mother, and when it came to her child, she did not care who the hell the other person was."I'm just asking questions," Felix said flatly. "Just answer them. Don't make me start quoting laws and rights to get you to cooperate."His voice was so calm. For a moment, Lina wondered if she had overreacted, so she took a breath and continued.She explained, "He wasn't in the stall. It's way too small in there. I left the door cracked open so he could see me, and since I had the tether on, plus the nanny and driver waiting outside, I wasn't worried about him wandering off."Felix did not say anything right away. He stood there, clearly deep in thought.Silvercrest Restaurant might have been an upscale dining place, but it was
"Can you cooperate now?" Felix asked calmly.Lina snapped back to her senses, her face burning with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll fully cooperate from now on."Sure enough, seeing the richest man's daughter completely fold made the rest of the group abandon any rebellious thoughts. Whatever frustration they had been feeling vanished instantly.Once they were settled, Felix began examining them closely. This was not just a casual observation. He activated his Spirit Eye, a skill from the Phaeron Codex that allowed him to see into a person's soul.After reaching Higher Spirit Realm, Felix had gained access to this ability, but he had never actually used it to inspect a Malevolent Phantom before. Still, he was sure of one thing—their souls would look nothing like normal humans'.So, checking with Spirit Sight was a far more reliable method than looking at whether someone's wounds were healing.When Felix finished scanning all nine people, he froze, completely s
A few minutes later, Felix stepped into the restroom that had been sealed off. It was a fully enclosed space, with no windows—just a single ventilation fan. That meant there was only one entrance and exit.He examined the body sitting upright on the toilet in one of the stalls. The man's head was resting gently against the tiled wall. His pants were already pulled back up and fastened, clearly indicating he had finished using the restroom. More importantly, it was obvious no one had touched or tampered with the body.Felix commented, "No need to call in forensics. There are no external wounds, and his internal organs are completely intact. We can also rule out heart failure or brain hemorrhages. This wasn't caused by any natural condition."With his medical background, it only took Felix a glance to determine the truth.Johann replied, "Yes, sir. But then… what now? Should we interrogate those nine people?"The closer they got to confirming Malevolent Phantoms were involved, the
Felix said, "Go ahead, Delilah. Zara's in your hands now—take care of her on the road.""Don't worry," Delilah replied.Once Zara was gone, Felix stood there for a moment, feeling a weight settle over his chest. She had already been through so much just surviving the ordeal of Twinshade Body, and he had promised himself—without saying a word—that he would make sure she never suffered like that again.However, no one could have predicted the sudden arrival of the Malevolent Phantoms. That was a nightmare nobody could escape, and only by ending it would they have the right to even dream of a peaceful life.…That evening, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, Felix was having dinner with Luna at a quiet restaurant, and Paul had joined them, too."Thank you, Mr. Zeller. Holden is awake and doing surprisingly well," Paul said, raising his glass.He was genuinely grateful. Even the doctors had called it a miracle. Holden had a severed artery and was transported across a long distance
"Mr. Hoffman?" Felix muttered. No wonder Delilah had shown up in person."Why didn't Mr. Hoffman just call me?" he asked.Delilah shrugged, raising both hands. "Because it's not convenient. If you make one choice, I can report back and be done with it, saving everyone the time."Felix nodded, finally curious about this big choice. Then, Delilah asked, "Zara, the one with Twinshade Body, came to see you, didn't she?"That caught Felix off guard. "How do you know about that?"Delilah rolled her eyes with a little smirk. If one of her fans saw her like this, they would probably faint from the shock.She explained, "It's not like I'm psychic. Mr. Hoffman told me. Ever since you left Martial City and came back, he's had Ophelia keeping an eye on Zara the whole time, so of course he knows."Ophelia? That explained why he had not seen her around since coming back. "So, what's the choice Mr. Hoffman wants me to make? Is it really about Zara?"Delilah nodded firmly. "Exactly. Mr. Hoff
Donna said, "Felix, Specter's the kind of guy who'll stop at nothing. I'll hold back and observe for now, but if you really prove you've got what it takes, I'll act like I never even saw that woman."…Later, Zara was resting her chin in both palms with a sweet, innocent smile on her face. She hummed, "Mhm!"Felix let out a groan and rubbed his face. "Don't just say 'mhm'! Did you even understand what I just told you?"After piecing together everything Donna had said, Felix laid it all out for Zara. Since Specter could strike at any time and Zara still did not know what Malevolent Phantoms even were, he figured she needed to hear it all."Of course I understood. Relax, honey. I'm not stupid," Zara replied casually. Since she got it, Felix finally let himself relax, too. A weight lifted off his chest, and for the first time in a while, he really looked at Zara's flawless face. He thought, "Yeah—there's no way I can hold back anymore."He said, "Let's take care of something… imp
Felix finally snapped out of it. Just moments ago, Donna had looked so grim, claiming something big was about to happen. Yet now, after her whole speech, it was all about the benefits of Zara being a Hollow Soul.Donna said, "Hollow Soul has a unique trait. If consumed, it can greatly boost your chances of success.""Consumed?" That one word made Felix's face darken instantly. "Success in what exactly?"Donna had tried to be vague, but there was no way Felix did not get the implication. To put it bluntly, she was talking about eating Zara's soul."Whether you're stuck at a plateau in your cultivation, your soul is mutating, or you're trying to master powerful soul-based techniques—offensive or defensive—if it's soul-related, Hollow Soul can drastically increase your chances of success."Felix's expression shifted as something came rushing back to him. Billy had once told him that when the Mystical Explosive Orb absorbed enough soul essence to reach capacity, it could be used to re