"Distancing yourself won't save you from me. I hope you know that." Ryder turned sharply to his back, and he could see Leo's face inches away from his. Those eyes—cold eyes displaying amusement. Despite how beautiful they were, there was something predatory in them, something that made Ryder's instincts scream danger in ways he had never experienced before. Swoosh He felt his hand slice through the air, colliding with nothing but emptiness. The momentum of his missed punch carried his body forward awkwardly, leaving him off-balance and vulnerable for a short while. "What the hell..." The words escaped his lips like whispers of shock before he could stop them. Leo's chuckle, barely audible, but Ryder could hear it clearly. He was toying with Ryder and deriving amusement from it. Quickly jumping backwards, Ryder tried to distance himself from Leo again. His muscles tensed, preparing for the retreat that might give him some benefit, but mid-air, he subconsciously blinked. That

Meanwhile, earlier... Walking through the street was Mo Fan, his posture carrying a reflection of his inner emotion — annoyance — as he carried out his assigned task. The night breeze was cool against his face, but it did nothing to soothe his wounded pride, nor cool his temper. Street lamps cast long shadows as he moved, his footsteps heavy and echoing at every step he took. The FSG were taking Ryder's case quite seriously, and their collaboration with multiple capable guilds and anomalies was enough evidence of just how dangerous they considered the situation. The Red-Eastern guild head, the silver-gaze possessor, and who knows how many more skilled hunters had been called in — all for one hooded troublemaker called Ryder. "A demon plane contractor," Mo Fan scoffed, kicking a small stone out of his path with unnecessary force. "As if we haven't dealt with worse before." After stating their intent on how they planned to bring Ryder down, the FSG still didn't stop and conti

Splash! Blood painted the air instantly as a pair of sharp claws sliced through the body of the griffin. The beast's dying screech tore through the air as its blood sprayed. The black spray hung suspended for a fraction of a second, droplets catching the moonlight like rubies before gravity finally brought them down. The griffin zoomed past Luxy unexpectedly and headed for Ryder with maintained motion, but Luxy sliced it into pieces with a clean, instantaneous swipe the moment it got just a few inches away from Ryder. The monster's momentum carried its severed parts forward as chunks of flesh and feathers rained down around Ryder, who stood frozen in place, still struggling to command his body. Luxy's speed nearly made it feel like he was in two places at the same time at that moment. One second standing puzzled as the griffin zoomed past, the next materializing between the beast and Ryder—claws extended—and then, disaster. Even Leo was taken aback at the quickness of Luxy.

His temperature was burning, and he was shivering—symptoms of a high fever that should have been like an insult to their dignity to tend to as FSG members. Yet, Captain Morgan found himself scratching his head in confusion as he reread the medical reports for what felt like the hundredth time. Every test they had conducted showed the same results: perfect condition. Not a single anomaly detected. "What could this be?" Captain Morgan muttered, tapping his foot against the polished white marble floor. The sound echoed throughout the room, coincidentally matching the steady beep of the monitoring equipment connected to the unconscious figure on the bed. "What explanation could this have?" The medical agent handling Mo Fan—a relatively small woman with striking emerald eyes and hair pulled back in a bun—cleared her throat. If anyone had bothered to check her personnel file, they would have discovered her name was Dr. Elara, one of the FSG's top medical specialists due to her field

"You should be careful about Leo," our guild master warned us about him. The words hung in the air like a stagnant fog, settling into the mind of everyone present. Mo Fan had just finished delivering his report. Suddenly, upon hearing all that Mo Fan had to say to conclude the conversation, Lucian's eyes lit up. They lit up particularly due to the name he heard, Leo. Lucian, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his face a mask of carefully controlled facial reaction, suddenly straightened. His eyes, previously half-lidded due to his internal monologue as he listened, now blazed with an intensity, his assumption must be right! For the fact that he wasn't the only one who guessed it was Leo. He was about to mention Leo out loud, to voice his suspicions about the blue-silver eyed person and suddenly now, he didn't need to guess anymore, he found his hypothesis. "Son of a..." Lucian's voice was barely above a whisper as he clenched his fist so tightly