CRACK! CRACK!
The sound of crackling firewood filled the quiet of the still night.
Raven sat silently, sipping his coffee. His expression was calm, but there was a hint of complexity in his eyes.
'I never expected this woman to have such a tragic past,' he muttered, shaking his head.
If he had a tissue right now, he would probably be sobbing uncontrollably.
Hehehe… of course, that was just a joke. There was no way he would cry just because of Claire's touching story. On the contrary, he felt incredibly pleased.
Now that Claire's past was clear, Raven knew exactly how to win her over completely.
The most brutal way would be to force her, but there was a far better method—to bind her through love.
Claire was a woman who lacked affection, especially from a father figure.
By exploiting the emptiness in her heart, Raven could win her over easily. This method would take time, but it was the most reliable.
If successful, he was certain he could make Claire submit completely to him. If he wanted, he could even make her sacrifice herself for him.
Raven quickly composed himself and gently patted Claire on the head.
"Not everyone has a good past, but that doesn't mean they're worthless," he said softly. "You've been through a lot. It might be late, but… you're amazing."
Those words made Claire's eyes widen. She froze for a moment, then tears began to well up at the corners of her eyes.
How long had she been waiting for someone to say that?
She couldn't remember. Ever since losing her mother, she had been alone.
Her father no longer cared about her. He had his own life, with his new wife and their two illegitimate daughters.
Although, at the end of his life, her father claimed he regretted everything, Claire didn't believe him at all.
Her father was the kind of person who saw everything through a business lens. To him, there were only gains and losses.
Perhaps after climbing the social ladder and becoming successful, he began to see his wife and daughter as useless burdens.
That was why he took another woman and cast aside the wife who had been by his side from the very beginning.
But who would have thought? The words that should have come from her father's mouth instead came from the lips of someone she had only just met.
Strange emotions—shame, sadness, and happiness—mixed together. She didn't know how to react. In the end, she could only cover her face with her arms and sob quietly.
"Hiks… hiks…"
In the silent midnight, her sniffles seemed to be the only sound, aside from the howling of wolves in the distance.
Raven's expression remained calm, as if unaffected by her tears.
He simply waited patiently… waiting to see how many affection points he would receive.
"[Ding! Obtained 15 affection points!]"
A smile curved on his lips. Fifteen affection points meant Claire's affection for him had now reached ninety.
"What incredible speed," he chuckled softly.
But he wasn't surprised. Raven had been involved with women from all kinds of backgrounds—from housewives to the wives of high-ranking officials.
He had to admit, they all had their own distinct traits. Some were strong, arrogant, gentle, shy, and so on.
If Claire were placed among them, she would be the type who was strong on the outside but fragile on the inside.
The suffering she had endured over the years had caused her to build walls around herself against everyone, including Raven.
Unfortunately, the kindness Raven had shown over the past two days had easily broken through her defenses. So it was no surprise that her affection had grown so quickly.
After ten minutes, Claire's sobs slowly subsided. Her face flushed, and she hurriedly covered it with both hands.
"Don't look at me. It's embarrassing!" she snapped.
"Pfft!" Raven chuckled. "No need to hide it. I've seen it all."
Claire was startled. She pulled her hands away and glared at him.
"You…"
Raven reached out and wiped the tear streaks from her cheeks.
"You're even prettier like this," he said softly.
Claire froze. Her face flushed again, and it almost looked as if steam were rising from the top of her head.
"Y-You…"
Claire stammered and hurriedly stood up. She turned and ran toward a cave not far from where they were sitting.
"I'm going to sleep first!"
Raven watched her back and shook his head.
"What a fickle woman."
***
Two days later…
"Phew!" Raven wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked down at the two-meter-long lizard monster below with a satisfied expression. "This is the third level-two monster we've managed to kill. This hunt is really paying off!"
Claire smiled. "You're right. By the way, I want to take a bath in that stream over there."
She pointed toward a small stream about twenty meters away.
"Okay. Be careful."
Claire nodded and walked away. But after only a few steps, she stopped and turned back, staring at Raven with puffed-out cheeks.
"Don't peek, okay?"
Raven: "..."
Raven sighed, then waved his hand as if shooing her away.
Claire giggled and walked off with a cheerful stride.
Raven shifted his gaze to the monster's carcass and placed his palm on its head.
"Gluttony," he whispered.
Fwoosh!
A powerful suction force immediately stripped away the monster's flesh and internal organs.
Moments later, the carcass was reduced to bare bones, which then crumbled and vanished into the wind.
"Open the status panel."
[STATUS]
Name: Raven Draxel
Age: 27
Nickname: The Most Disgusting Bastard in the World
Level: 6 (120/1,400)
Talents: Strength (B), Endurance (B), Intelligence (S), Magic (D), Agility (C), Speed (C), Charisma (S), Vitality (A)
Class: Not Yet Awakened
First Awakening: None
Second Awakening: None
Third Awakening: None
Skills: Gluttony (FF) 280/500, Appraisal (S), Slick Tongue (A), Woman Satisfaction Technique (S)
Storage: One box of XXL condoms
Love Points: 10,000
Description: You have begun your journey as the most terrifying bastard in the world. Your very existence is an anomaly that should not exist. Your future is bleak, and no one can see it—not even the gods.
When he saw his status, Raven couldn't contain his excitement.
"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Level six in just two days. What incredible progress."
Raven almost wanted to clap his hands. After level three, leveling up became extremely difficult. It required a massive amount of experience.
Fortunately, with Claire's help, everything had become much easier.
"The progress of the Gluttony skill is also increasing rapidly. Maybe after I kill a level-three monster, it will rise to rank F. When that happens, I'm really curious about its capabilities," he whispered excitedly.
The Gluttony (FF) skill alone was already incredibly powerful—far stronger than an FFF-rank skill.
But just as Raven was engrossed in his status panel, a scream suddenly rang out from the distance.
"Kyaa! Raven, help me!"
Raven froze. That was Claire's voice!
Without a second thought, he turned and sprinted toward her.