Far beyond Flamedale City, deep within the darker regions of Greyback Forest. The atmosphere trembled violently, the forest floor was covered in corpses.
Broken trees littered the ground, a few roots poked out of the cracked earth and monster blood covered every surface.
More than thirty Apprentice Rank mana beasts lay scattered throughout the ruined battlefield. Leading them were three beasts that looked extraordinarily ferocious— A massive Glow Viper, A tiny but swift Iron Fang Wolf, and a large Black Leopard.
They were the leaders of their races in the Greyback Forest. Even though they stood at the prestigious Adept Rank, every single one of them had been slaughtered.
At the center of the destruction stood a beautiful crimson butterfly nearly five meters wide.
Its wings resembled flowing flames. Glowing ember-like patterns drifted across its body while the surrounding air distorted from extreme heat.
An Expert Rank Beast— A recently evolved Flameberry Butterfly.
Unlike ordinary mana beasts driven purely by instinct, intelligence flickered clearly within its glowing scarlet eyes. The butterfly slowly fluttered its wings once.
WHOOSH.
Crimson flames instantly spread across the ruined battlefield, reducing several Apprentice Rank corpses into ash within seconds. Then it slowly lifted itself into the air.
Below it, thousands of Novice Rank creatures gathered throughout the forest.
Wolves.
Panthers.
Serpents.
Mutated insects.
And hundreds of surviving Apprentice Rank beasts.
The Flameberry Butterfly gazed toward the distant direction of Flamedale City silently. A cold murderous intent spread throughout the forest.
Then—
A feminine voice echoed faintly from the butterfly itself.
"…It is finally time." Its burning wings slowly opened wider, "To take back our city."
The gigantic gates of Flamedale City slowly opened with a deep metallic rumble. Beyond them stretched the wilderness.
An endless landscape of forests, ruined highways, shattered buildings, and distant mountains covered beneath drifting mana fog.
Daniel calmly stepped beyond the city walls alongside several groups of hunters and transport workers. Unlike the safety within Flamedale, the wilderness carried an entirely different atmosphere.
Danger lingered everywhere, to the point that even the air itself felt heavier.
The moment Daniel crossed the outer perimeter, he could already sense traces of mana beasts scattered throughout the surrounding region.
Most were weak, Novice Rank creatures hiding within the forests or ruins nearby. Still, for ordinary humans, even Novice Rank beasts were deadly predators.
Daniel ignored them completely and continued deeper toward Greyback Forest. The further he traveled from the city, the denser the vegetation became. Ancient trees towered overhead while thick roots twisted across the ground like serpents.
Several hours passed quietly.
Eventually, Daniel slowed his footsteps.
A faint scent of blood lingered in the air.
Then— Rustle.
The bushes several meters ahead shifted slightly. Daniel's gaze moved calmly toward the movement.
A wolf slowly emerged from the undergrowth. The creature stood nearly two meters tall with dark gray fur and glowing crimson eyes. Its elongated fangs resembled sharpened iron blades while faint mana fluctuations radiated from its body.
An Iron Fang Wolf— A Novice Rank mana beast.
The wolf growled lowly upon noticing Daniel.
Its instincts sensed danger, yet its bestial hunger still overcame caution.
The beast lowered its body slightly before lunging forward violently.
BOOM.
The ground cracked beneath its paws. Daniel remained motionless.
Then—
SHING.
A black flash cut through the air. The wolf's body froze midair. A thin crimson line slowly appeared across its neck.
The next instant—
THUD.
Its head separated cleanly from its body, blood sprayed across the forest floor.
Daniel calmly lowered Shadow without even glancing at the corpse.
'Too slow. Too predictable.'
Compared to the battle instincts he possessed, even experienced awakened would appear clumsy in close combat, much less a mere Novice Rank beast.
Still, Daniel did not leave immediately. Instead, his gaze slowly lowered toward the wolf corpse.
Then his eyes narrowed faintly.
'…It should be enough.'
A strange black glow slowly surfaced within his pupils.
At the same time, dark lines resembling cracks spread faintly across his right arm.
A terrifying aura leaked out for the briefest moment before instantly being suppressed again.
(Restricted) EX Talent - Devouring Paragon. A talent so dangerous that even in his previous life, countless supreme beings had feared its existence.
Daniel slowly placed his hand against the wolf's corpse.
The next instant— The body began dissolving. Dark particles emerged from the corpse before rapidly flowing into Daniel's arm.
The flesh.
The blood.
The mana.
Every trace of energy within the beast was forcibly devoured.
Within seconds, the entire corpse vanished completely, not even bones remained.
A faint warmth spread throughout Daniel's body afterward.
The wolf's mana was weak, almost insignificant, yet even such low-grade energy slightly strengthened his body and cultivation.
Daniel quietly flexed his fingers.
'The efficiency is worse than before reincarnation…' he thought calmly. 'Still, that is expected. This body is far too weak currently, using Devouring Paragon recklessly would only destroy me. More importantly, this talent absolutely can not be exposed publicly.'
The moment others learned of an ability capable of directly devouring living beings for strength, the entire world would hunt him without hesitation.
Daniel slowly exhaled before continuing deeper into the forest.
Several minutes later— Another Iron Fang Wolf appeared. This one was larger than the previous beast.
The wolf emerged silently from behind a tree before suddenly attacking from Daniel's blind spot. Its claws tore through the air toward his neck, far faster than the first wolf.
Yet Daniel merely tilted his body slightly.
SWISH.
The claws missed him completely.
At the same instant, Shadow moved. A single upward slash.
SHING.
The wolf's front half separated cleanly from its lower body. Blood splattered across nearby trees.
Daniel calmly watched the corpse twitch for several moments before crouching slightly.
Dark cracks once again spread across his arm. Devouring Paragon activated silently.
The beast's corpse rapidly dissolved into black particles before being absorbed completely. A denser stream of mana flowed through Daniel's body this time.
His cultivation immediately surged faintly.
'Third stage of Novice Rank. Only a tiny step left before Fourth stage.' Daniel slowly stood up again. Then his eyes shifted deeper toward the darker regions of Greyback Forest.
Faint beast roars echoed in the distance. Daniel rested Shadow against his shoulder calmly before continuing deeper into the wilderness.
Completely unaware that far beyond the forest… An approaching tide of beasts had already begun moving toward Flamedale City.