On a seemingly calm morning, yet one filled with hidden turmoil, the soft sunlight gently bathed the city of Frank in the Viscount's territory, draping it in a layer of golden gauze. Buck Frank quietly boarded his carriage, like a night owl hidden in the darkness, discreetly leaving his estate and the city, both familiar and foreign to him, heading toward the border fortress in the Cran Mountain Range. For this trip, he traveled light, bringing only his twin maids, LeftYi and RightYi, along with some necessary belongings. The carriage driver was none other than Doug, the man Buck had once cast out of his house.

  That's right, young master Buck had eventually taken Doug back. Over the past few days, he had sent people to secretly observe Doug's every move. It turned out that Doug, aside from drowning his sorrows in drink at home and getting drunk every day, had done nothing to harm him, nor was there any sign of revenge against Buck Frank. As a loyal follower who had been with Buck since childhood, Doug's loyalty was beyond question. To Buck, there existed a special and profound master-servant bond with Doug, and at least, he felt he could trust this scoundrel who would likely be killed in the streets without him. Thus, Buck chose to welcome Doug back, ignoring all of Doug's obsequious praises and gratitude, simply making Doug follow him as a laborer to do his bidding.

  Thus, Buck and his party smoothly settled into the border fortress, taking up residence in a small house beside the military camp. The military officers were not unfamiliar with Buck, and initially, they thought this infamous young master had come to the camp looking for someone to accompany him on a hunt, as Buck was known for such antics. But this time, he did not do that. For once, Buck did not disturb anyone, and he remained secretive, almost never interacting with anyone at the fortress. In fact, most of the time, he was not even in the fortress, disappearing without a trace, as if he had evaporated.

  ...

  Deep in the unmanned forests of the Border Mountains, a mysterious and ominous atmosphere hung in the air. Tall, dense trees blocked the sun, making the valley and forest dark and damp, quiet enough to send a chill down one's spine. Buck, dressed in a black long coat, resembled a messenger from the dark world, holding a light axe in hand as he casually stepped into this shadowy region. His figure weaved through the forest like a black lightning bolt, silent and swift.

  Buck pulled a bottle of black potion from his waist, and under the sunlight’s refraction, it shimmered with a strange glow. Without hesitation, he poured it onto the ground, and immediately, the black liquid emitted a pungent, nauseating odor, like the stench of decaying corpses, making one want to vomit. The smell quickly spread with the wind, diffusing through the surrounding area.

  This potion was a special concoction Buck had obtained through those black channels. Its effect was to attract evil, non-human creatures. Over the past period, he had made full use of Buck Frank's original wealth and connections, obtaining considerable knowledge about monsters through cults and various underground black markets. This knowledge taught him how to lure these monsters, much like possessing the key to open the gates of darkness. After all, this potion was not something to be ingested; its preparation was not overly complicated. And as expected, the potion proved highly effective.

  In less than ten minutes, some large and bizarre figures appeared in the dark forest. They seemed like demons crawling out of the depths of hell, slowly closing in on Buck. These monsters had pale skin covered in a layer of fur that emitted a foul stench, and in the sunlight, they shimmered with a nauseating gleam. Their faces were as horrific as drowning victims, with hollow, lifeless eyes, yet they seemed to see through everything. The claws on their arms were deep black, sharp as blades, dripping with a foul-smelling liquid, telling of their evil and terrifying nature.

  These creatures were different from the claw monsters Buck had previously hunted; their vitality was even higher. Buck looked up, and the monster's health bar appeared in his vision: [Health: 320/320]. He expressionlessly pulled up his mask, attempting to block the suffocating stench, but the cloth's effect was minimal, and the odor still seeped through, invading his nostrils and irritating his nerves.

  In the next moment, several of the creatures, like hungry beasts, simultaneously launched an attack. They bared their claws and pounced on him, quickly surrounding Buck. Looking at the monsters rushing towards him, Buck felt no fear at all. Instead, a wave of excitement surged within him. He raised his axe in a symbolic gesture to block, but with his current combat skills, the block was almost ineffective. He didn’t mind, though, because he had his own advantages. A black claw slashed at Buck’s coat from behind, making a sharp sound, but the wound left on him was shallow. The damage caused by the monsters' attacks was only around 100, and compared to his nearly 10,000 health, their attacks felt like mosquito bites, causing only minor injuries.

  Buck grinned, his smile tinged with cruelty and madness. With a thought, the Monster Claw shot out like a green snake, piercing the chest of a monster behind him in an instant. The monster’s body froze, terror in its eyes, before it was lifted like a ragdoll by the magical hand, then thrown viciously onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

  Seeing a companion easily killed by the green monster claw, the dark creatures seemed somewhat surprised, but they showed no signs of retreat. On the contrary, they immediately changed tactics, becoming more agile and trying to dodge Buck's attacks. Their bodies were swift, darting through the forest like ghosts. But to Buck, all of this was meaningless. Wielding his axe, he was like a berserker, unafraid of the monsters' counterattacks. He swung the axe wildly—though without technique—each time he swung with full force, his strikes carried immense power, forcing the monsters to dodge. Every time the monster dodged, the monster claw would follow like lightning, landing a crushing blow.

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  This tactic proved effective, and Buck quickly found his rhythm in the battle. He fought like a seasoned warrior, learning and growing with each move. He learned how to use his substantial health advantage to crush his opponents, how to kill efficiently. His eyes grew more determined, his movements more practiced.

  A few minutes later, four or five monsters lay dead in the dark forest. Their bodies were sprawled across the ground, their blood staining the earth around them, filling the air with a strong, metallic scent. Buck dropped his axe and grabbed one of the monsters' arms. Instantly, a powerful surge of life energy flooded into his body, and the system’s prompt sounded in his mind: [Devour Monster Arm, Absorb Life Energy, Max +320]. A large amount of life energy flooded in, and the max limit increase prompt continued to chime. Buck felt a surge of comfort, a pleasure that temporarily numbed his nerves, which had long been tortured by malevolent spirits. Devouring the arm of these non-human monsters would enhance his Monster Claw, and he eagerly anticipated making this key weapon of his stronger.

  Suddenly, there was a rustling in the forest, followed by the sound of branches being pushed aside, as if a giant beast was passing through the trees. The heavy footsteps came next, thunderous like the sound of a storm, causing the ground to tremble slightly. It seemed that the smell of the potion had attracted another large creature. Buck slowly turned his head and looked at the enormous shadow approaching, his pupils narrowing. A massive monster appeared in his line of sight, standing on all fours, towering at three meters high, like a small mountain. Its body was covered in disgusting fur, but its head was like that of a wolf, with vicious fangs and blood-red eyes that seemed to glow with malice, as if it could devour anyone. Buck's eyes once again showed the creature's health bar: [Health: 4800/4800].

  Seeing the first blood bar of such length, Buck couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. A strong sense of danger surged in his heart, but at the same time, it ignited his fighting spirit.

  Not only that, but the creature's size was also massive, standing at three meters tall on all fours. It resembled a giant gorilla covered in disgusting fur, but with the head of a wolf-like beast, complete with menacing fangs. Clearly, this was a higher-tier dark creature than the ones he had encountered earlier.

  Upon noticing Buck, the creature let out a roar that echoed like a giant bell, shaking the leaves around them. It then charged toward him, its massive body crashing through the trees in its path. Buck felt a powerful gust of wind hit him, and instinctively, he turned and ran sideways. But the creature was too fast, reaching him in the blink of an eye. Three thick claws swung at him like giant iron rods, accompanied by a whistling sound. Buck was hit and sent flying, his body arcing through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.

  Buck spat blood, his health dropping by over five hundred points. He rolled several times on the ground before managing to stop, his bones feeling as though they were about to break. This hit was even more terrifying than Viddens’s blood bullets! The stench of blood covered Buck’s entire body, splattering onto the trees in the forest, painting a horrific picture.

  He climbed to his feet, brushing away the monster's black blood from his hair and muttered, “Looks like I’ll need to wear a hat next time…” Despite the dire situation, Buck still maintained a bit of humor, perhaps as a way to cope with the pressure.

  The massive creature collapsed to the ground, its neck, now severed, spraying black blood like a fountain, quickly pooling into a foul-smelling puddle on the ground. The dark, crimson “corpse hand” slowly retracted. Buck’s face turned pale as he spat out the remaining rancid taste in his mouth. It turned out that while the creature struck him, his “corpse hand” had grabbed its head and, using immense strength, tore it off. This cost Buck 4800 points of health, leaving him with less than three thousand.

  Indeed, his decision to not frequently use the “corpse hand” was correct. When facing such terrifying enemies that could not be defeated by regular means, using the “corpse hand” to quickly take them down was the right choice. Fortunately, this monster’s health bar wasn’t as long as his own… Buck silently congratulated himself.

  However, the rewards from this dangerous monster were exceptional. Wounded, Buck immediately rushed over to the creature's body and grabbed its arm without hesitation. Instantly, a massive amount of life energy surged into him, and the system’s prompt echoed in his mind:

  “[Devour Monster’s Arm, Absorb Life Energy, Upper Limit +4800].”

  The overwhelming life energy flooded his body, making him breathe heavily as if a powerful force was coursing through him.

  At the same time, his “monster’s claw” underwent another transformation.

  “[Monster’s Claw III: Requires 10 spirit or life energy to activate, cooldown: 2 seconds.]”

  Its level had increased, the cooldown time had shortened, and the claws had become sharper, with a significant boost to attack power. The feeling of overwhelming strength in his arm made Buck feel confident. If he faced Viddens again now, he might just be able to kill him with a single slap.

  …

  In the evening, the dying rays of the sunset bathed the borderland in a golden glow. Buck appeared before a border outpost, where the bored Doug had been waiting for him. Doug was sitting idly by the carriage, occasionally glancing into the distance with an anxious expression. When he saw Buck returning, covered in blood, his whole demeanor froze. His eyes widened in shock, and his face turned pale as he hurried toward him.

  “Master, what happened to you?” Doug asked anxiously.

  Buck paid him no mind and waved off his suggestion to treat his wounds. He then tossed a large bag of materials he had collected from the monster onto Doug's horse. The bag contained claws, teeth, and fur from the creature, exuding a strong, foul odor. Doug’s face turned white as he covered his nose, his brow furrowing with disgust.

  The clever lackey immediately recalled that his master, Buck, had once shown an interest in mysterious powers. Perhaps the ritual he had performed earlier had truly succeeded, and he had become a powerful transcendent being… No wonder his presence had become so terrifying. Doug’s sense of awe towards Buck grew even stronger as he pondered these thoughts.

  …

  Over the next two months, Buck continued hunting dark creatures in the border mountains. Like a lone hunter, he moved through the forests, engaging in life-or-death battles with various monsters. During this time, his strength steadily grew, and his combat skills became more refined. In fact, these dark creatures weren’t overly abundant, and Buck even felt that, with each hunt, there seemed to be fewer of them. He was like a dark purifier, gradually eradicating the evil forces in this land.

  Just when he thought he had cleared out all the dark creatures in the area, a dark tide arrived. A massive shadow, like a heavy curtain, descended upon the border mountains, casting an eerie shadow across the land. The entire world seemed to fall into an endless darkness, and a suffocating, terrifying aura spread, making the air feel thick and oppressive…