CHAPTER 105: VANISHED

Noah flinched at the sudden sound of a familiar voice behind him.

Only then did he realize where he was. He is in the capital, at Golden Phoenix Tower, on the sixty-ninth floor, in his father’s private hospital.

The distance from Opal City to the capital was so great that it had taken him three hours to fly there.

It was hard to believe. How could he have returned in the blink of an eye? Through a portal?

"Edgar..." Noah winced, unable to finish his words as a sharp ache shot through his shoulder when he moved.

"Sir, you need to follow me now," Edgar said urgently, noticing the pale color on Noah’s face. He signaled to a few doctors, who quickly moved in to assist, guiding Noah toward the operating room.

In just a few minutes, he was already lying on the operating table. His vision began to blur as the anesthesia kicked in, and within moments, everything faded into darkness.

...

When Noah finally opened his still-heavy eyes, he noticed the room was softly lit.

A warm yellow lamp glowed beside the bed, casting a gentle light and creating a calm, cozy atmosphere.

He took a slow look around the room. It was clear he was still on the sixty-ninth floor.

Several pieces of medical equipment stood near the bed, and an IV tugged lightly at his hand.

But when he glanced toward the window, he was stunned to see that the sky was already bright.

"Did I sleep too long?" His voice sounded strange, which made him chuckle slightly. But the moment he looked at his shoulder, the amusement vanished. He was shocked.

His shoulder looked... healed.

No bandage on the wound from the night before.

And what truly stunned him was that the skin appeared flawless.

No scar, no trace of trauma.

It was as if he had never been shot at all.

"What the fuck is this? What are they doing to me?"

Noah sat up on the edge of the bed, startled once more by how fresh he felt. There were no aches, no stiffness from lying too long. On the contrary, he felt completely renewed.

Noah sighed deeply as he tried to get out of bed, but seeing the IV line still attached to his hand, he remained seated, choosing instead to check his system.

His system had granted him four rewards from his Rengeve ledger after his guard ally made kills on his behalf. And surprisingly, after the devil possessed his body, he was still included in the tally.

The rewards resembled those he had received after killing five people in the barn.

But one thing in the notification caught him off guard. It was about the young devil.

Even though Kizley was the one who delivered the final blow, the system still credited the kill to him.

...

[Congratulations, Noah Morgan, on your first time eliminating a devil.]

[Target: Imp-type Devil]

[Role: Lowest-ranked devils—messengers or pests.]

[Status: Successfully Eliminated]

[Congratulations, Noah Morgan! You received a reward of $500,000.]

[Congratulations, Noah Morgan! You gain Skill Points +30]

[Congratulations, Noah Morgan! You gain Personnel Points +30]

[Congratulations, Noah Morgan! You unlock Mind Reading Skill, Level 2]

...

Noah couldn’t hide his joy as he stared at the list of rewards.

Taking down the young devil—indirectly or not—had earned him a massive payout.

What thrilled him most was the ability to upgrade his mind-reading skill.

This upgrade will really help him to know his enemies’ every move in battle. And this time, he would be ready.

"What a bounty tonight, Noah..." he praised himself, then checked another section of the system.

He was stunned when he saw that he had already leveled up.

...

[Congratulations, Noah Morgan. You have reached Power Level 5.

[Unlocked Benefits:]

[1. Unlock Space Shop]

[2. Unlock Negotiation Skill, Level 3]

...

"Finally, I leveled up..." Noah smiled, but the smile faded when another notification popped up. "Ugh, I also reached Level Six?" he muttered, shocked by the sudden second upgrade. "Wow, killing that young devil boosted my experience points."

...

[Congratulations, Noah Morgan. You have reached Power Level 6.]

[Unlocked Benefits:]

[1. Unlock Shooting Skill, Level 2]

[2. Unlock Driving Skill, Level 2]

...

Noah dismissed the system and glanced at his digital watch. It was already one pm and the sun shone brightly. Suspicion began to stir; were they deliberately letting him sleep this long?

Deciding he no longer needed the IV, since he felt fully healthy, he pressed the ’EMERGENCY’ button near the head of the bed.

It didn’t take long. The doctor, who had always cared for his father, appeared first, followed by Matthew and Edgar, who trailed behind him.

"Sir, I’m happy you finally woke up..." Edgar greeted him, polite as always.

"After that injury, you look so much better, and also handsome, sir..." Matthew added, standing at the end of the bed with a grin.

"Thank you." Noah smiled warmly at their cheerful words, then turned to the doctor, who had just finished checking him. "How is it, doc?"

"You look healthier, sir. Better than before." The doctor smiled as he gently removed the IV needle from his hand.

"I’m glad to hear that..."

"Sir, you’re free to leave the hospital now. Just remember not to overexert yourself. Rest well and enjoy life..." the doctor said with a slight bow before exiting, leaving Noah alone with Edgar and Matthew.

Noah stood up from the bed and walked to the window. He looked out at the bustling street below, letting his thoughts wander, before suddenly remembering Jason.

His loyal bodyguard must be panicking, not knowing he was already back in the capital.

"Where’s Jason?" Noah asked, turning to glance at Edgar and Matthew.

"Jason’s waiting upstairs. He’s been causing a fuss and demanding to see you. But he still doesn’t know about your father, so we didn’t let him come down here," Edgar explained.

"He’s a pain. He nearly hit me when I showed him a photo of you sleeping... said, ’You sleep like a dead man, sir.’"

Noah chuckled.

He turned fully to face the two most trusted men in his life.

"Thanks for handling my mess in Opal City... However, I now need to head upstairs to the control room. Something strange happened with the voice in my head—she vanished..."