100 points of spiritual energy were quickly drained in the intense clash, like a candle flame extinguished by a fierce wind. But in return, Buck obtained the answer he had long sought. Under the powerful control of the Apostate’s hand, the high priest struggled to reveal the identity of the person backing Viddens.

  "The Hunter... Guild... Someone from the imperial capital... A big shot... The details, I don't know..." The high priest’s voice was weak and trembling, like a candle in the wind, ready to flicker out at any moment.

  Buck, hearing this, felt a bitter sense of irony. The Hunter Guild, which should have been the defenders of the light, had now willingly allowed their hunters to embrace the darkness. How absurd and tragic that was. He shook his head helplessly, a glimmer of resolve flashing in his eyes, before he abruptly tightened his grip around the high priest's neck with the Monster's Hand. The high priest's body tensed immediately, his face contorting in pain as he struggled futilely, trying to break free from the deadly grasp. But against Buck's level 2 Monster's Hand, it was all in vain. With a dull sound, the high priest’s life force was completely extinguished, and his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground, becoming nothing more than a cold corpse.

  These cultists, having been strengthened by dark powers for so long, possessed extraordinary physical strength and far surpassing human life force, reaching 180 points. This explained why they dared to fight head-on with fully armored guards. To them, the strength of ordinary humans was like that of ants. However, in front of Buck’s powerful Monster’s Hand, they were no match at all, easily crushed like fragile ants underfoot.

  In contrast to the Monster's Hand, the Apostate's Arm was less offensive. Its power was mainly focused on control. Once it touched any living being, it would briefly plunge them into a "foolish" state, as if their soul had been drained and they had lost their sense of autonomy. This was undoubtedly a potent control ability, but it had a long cooldown of 5 minutes, which was a significant limitation in fast-paced combat.

  Buck's mind stirred as he fixed his gaze on the high priest's arm. He knew that the Apostate's Arm could grow, and that its targets for consumption should be the arms of other humans who had fallen into darkness. With an expectant look in his eyes, Buck reached out and slowly grasped the high priest's arm.

  【Devour Apostate's Arm, absorb life energy, max limit +180.】

  The system prompt echoed in Buck's mind, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. After absorbing the old man’s arm, he felt the Apostate's Arm becoming more agile, as though it had gained its own consciousness. The length of the arm increased slightly, and each finger exuded a mysterious aura.

  The people outside the wooden door of the tomb seemed oblivious to the bloody carnage occurring within. They were still immersed in their own world, unaware of the impending danger. After waiting for five minutes, the cooldown finally ended. Buck took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the door, his eyes gleaming with cold light. He simultaneously unleashed the Apostate's Arm and the Monster's Hand on the two cultists guarding the door. The Apostate's Arm struck one of the cultists like a white lightning bolt, plunging them into a foolish state. The Monster's Hand, like a fierce beast, tore into the other cultist’s body with its sharp claws. The two cultists, their faces covered in blood and marks, didn’t even have time to scream before they were silently and swiftly killed.

  Buck absorbed their arms and casually tossed the bodies back into the room before continuing to walk out of the tomb as if nothing had happened. Along the way, some cultists, upon encountering this noble young master, greeted him with eerie smiles and praised him using the cult's unique etiquette. Buck returned their smiles with an especially bright one, though behind that smile lay an endless murderous intent.

  It wasn’t until he reached the only exit of the tomb that the cultists suddenly realized what Buck’s smile truly meant. It was the smile of a butcher looking at a lamb ready for slaughter, filled with blood and cruelty. Buck’s monstrous claws instantly shredded the cultists in front of him, blood splattering and bodies flying. His figure flickered in and out of the blood mist, like a demon from hell. The sounds of slaughter and screams intertwined, echoing throughout the tomb. The cultists grabbed their weapons, trying to resist, but their strength seemed insignificant before Buck. Thousands of points of life energy acted as an impenetrable wall in front of them, and they couldn’t even get close. Corpses quickly piled up, forming a small mountain, bearing witness to this bloody massacre.

  ...

  On the other side of the tomb, in a locked secret room, two young hunters, Muken and Veronica, were trapped in an iron cage. Muken’s face was bruised, with a wound on his forehead still seeping blood. His eyes were filled with anger and frustration. Veronica, on the other hand, had a wound on the back of her head. Her face was pale, and her body trembled slightly, clearly still not fully awake from her fainting.

  It was clear that these two hunters had been captured by the cultists. As trained church hunters, to fall into the cultists' trap, knocked unconscious with forks and hammers, and have their gear confiscated, was truly a disgraceful event. What awaited them would be a bloody sacrifice. The cultists loved to use hunters as offerings to their dark lord, believing their blood would please the dark god and grant them power.

  Listening to the cries and wails of the captured outside the secret room, Veronica’s heart sank to the bottom. She even felt a sense of despair. In her mind, no other hunters would come to their rescue. They were like lost souls trapped in the dark abyss, abandoned by all.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Damn it! I knew that damned noble young master had a problem! Otherwise, why would they have discovered us the moment we found traces of his dealings with the cult?!" Muken angrily smashed the cage, each blow filled with force, but the iron cage didn’t even budge. His voice echoed in the secret room, full of rage and regret.

  "We should have reported this to the guild earlier..." Veronica muttered to herself, her eyes filled with regret. At first, they hadn’t believed that Viddens' mentor would die so easily, so they had secretly investigated Buck Frank. When they discovered the noble young master’s dealings with the cult, the confident Veronica had thought she could solve the problem on her own. She wanted to catch Buck in the act, leaving him no chance to turn the tables, and avenge her mentor. However, reality had delivered a heavy blow.

  Now, Veronica regretted it. But it was too late. Soon, those cultists would carve open their bodies and extract their hearts. At this thought, Veronica’s body couldn’t help but tremble, fear engulfing her like a tidal wave.

  It seemed that the cries and screams outside the secret chamber grew even louder, as if the cultists were preparing for a ritual, or perhaps more victims had already appeared. This filled Veronica with fear, as it was the closest she had ever been to death and the most helpless she had ever felt since becoming a hunter. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her breathing became frantic, as though she were a lamb awaiting its fate.

  After a while, the silence outside the door was absolute, leaving only the sound of her own rapid heartbeat in the female hunter’s ears. Suddenly, the door to the secret chamber was flung open, startling both hunters. However, to their surprise and confusion, the one who opened the door was not one of the black-robed cultists, but a blood-soaked nobleman.

  Buck Frank.

  Muken was stunned. He had just thought that Buck Frank might be here to personally sacrifice them, but now he saw that behind the nobleman stood several freed commoners. Their faces were filled with fear and gratitude, and their eyes sparkled with the light of hope.

  Buck Frank wasn’t here to kill them. On the contrary, he had slaughtered all the cultists in the crypt, not leaving a single one alive!

  Buck’s face remained expressionless as he looked at the two, feeling somewhat strange, even amused. No wonder these two had stopped bothering him recently and had disappeared as if off the face of the earth—they had been captured by the cultists.

  The two freed hunters stared dumbfounded at the bodies of the cultists in the crypt. Dozens of cultists had been killed by this nobleman, all by himself?! They could hardly believe their eyes; everything felt like a nightmare, yet the bloody scene before them was all too real.

  Undoubtedly, this was the truth. All the rescued commoners could attest that it was Buck who saved them. They gazed at him with a mixture of fear and reverence, although the fear far outweighed the reverence. In their eyes, Buck was like a mysterious and powerful being, capable of both bringing death and offering hope.

  Buck smiled and raised a finger to his lips in a “silence” gesture. The people immediately nodded anxiously, as if frozen in place, forcing themselves to forget the terrifying magic claws of the nobleman. They knew well that if this secret got out, it could cost them their lives.

  Not only were they terrified of his magical claws, but Buck had also torn off the arms of all the cultists. The bloody scene was even more disturbing than the cultists themselves. His figure appeared especially menacing in the blood mist, as though he were a demon risen from the depths of hell.

  Buck didn’t care that these commoners had seen his arm; he only cared about his power. After absorbing and merging dozens of the “Heretic’s Arms,” his arm had undergone significant changes.

  [Heretic’s Arm II: Can consume 90 points of spirit or life energy to activate the ability “Touch of Foolishness,” cooldown: 4 minutes.]

  This grown pale arm reduced energy consumption and cooldown time, while becoming longer and more flexible. Every swing seemed to carry endless power, able to control life and death. More importantly, Buck’s maximum life energy had been greatly increased once again, growing ever more exaggerated.

  [Life Energy: 9080/9380]

  ...

  By nightfall, everyone in the crypt had returned to the surface. The golden rays of the setting sun bathed them in light, as though cloaking them in a golden robe. They cried and sobbed as they looked at the sunset, some even kneeling and kissing the ground, thanking Buck for saving their lives. In their eyes, Buck was their savior, the only hope they had seen in the darkness.

  Buck didn’t linger too long with these commoners. He sent them to the church, as if shedding a heavy burden. The priests of the church were in a panic when they saw these unlucky souls, having no idea how to handle them. With the unspoken rule of never offending Buck Frank, the church later secretly sent these people to Buck’s manor... but that was another matter.

  The two hunters stood in the twilight, looking disoriented. They still couldn’t accept everything that had just happened, as though it had been a dream. Their eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, as if they were lost lambs in the dark.

  “I don’t believe him. Killing cultists doesn’t mean he’s not a heretic. Maybe he just wants to cover up his own crimes…” Muken gritted his teeth, saying stubbornly. His voice was full of doubt and anger, as he still believed there were too many questions surrounding Buck’s actions.

  From a distance, Buck, who had stopped at a new grave, heard him and smiled, baring his teeth. “You were right.” His smile held a hint of mockery, as though laughing at Muken’s na?veté.

  He turned around and walked away from the graveyard, his silhouette fading into the setting sun. The new grave contained the remains of the guards who had sacrificed themselves to save him that night. Their loyalty was something Buck deeply respected. The viscount had, of course, provided their families with ample compensation, but Buck had also secretly sent them money himself... This was one of the few compensations he could offer. In his heart, he felt guilty for their sacrifice and hoped this would bring some comfort to their families.

  As for the events that had unfolded, Buck planned to credit the two hunters for the work. Buck Frank would still be the ruthless behind-the-scenes patron, and it would be best if more cultists came to him so his arm and life energy could grow even further. He knew that he wasn’t strong enough yet, and in this dangerous world, he had to keep growing in power to survive.

  Not enough—he was still not strong enough... After learning that the supporter behind Viddens was a bigwig from the Hunter’s Guild, Buck felt a sense of crisis. He understood that future enemies would not be these weak cultists. He might face other battle-hardened old hunters, even more difficult opponents than Viddens. With this in mind, Buck’s gaze hardened, and he silently swore to become stronger.

  “It’s time to go out…” Buck muttered, his voice echoing in the night sky as if declaring his resolve.