The robust Minotaur demon approached, having just spotted a small bug attempting to hide, foolishly believing it could escape its gaze. A sinister smile crept across its face; how naive! Now that it had been discovered, there was no chance of escape. Perhaps it could savor the taste of flesh and blood after all.

The Minotaur fantasized about its sharp teeth tearing into the tender flesh of the lesser demon, relishing the thrill of blood splattering in its mouth. However, upon rounding the volcanic rock, it found nothing.

"Damn it! Where did that little bastard go?"

The Minotaur circled the volcanic rock twice, failing to uncover any trace. Either the demon possessed exceptional stealth skills, or that unfortunate creature had panicked and plunged into the magma, turning to ash.

Regardless of the reason, the Minotaur's mood darkened. It spat at the bubbling magma and cursed as it set off in search of its next target.

The demon hunting party swiftly scoured the area, wiping out all the newly spawned greater demons. Then, the terrifying dragon flapped its massive wings and soared off to the next zone.

The volcanic region returned to silence, as if those vanished demons had never existed.

In the now deserted magma crevice, a massive bubble surfaced, and a bony hand clawed its way to the surface, followed by an entire skeletal frame.

Karlo's situation was dire.

He looked horrifying; nearly all his flesh had been burned away by the searing magma. His thighs and arms were mere white bones, while his chest and head retained some meager remnants of flesh, albeit in a pitiful state.

If he lingered any longer, he would truly perish in the magma.

Karlo conjured one Sinful Fruit after another, shoving them into his mouth. His exposed gums crushed the skins, and before he could chew the pulp, it transformed into surging energy, spreading throughout his body.

He felt new flesh enveloping his scalding skeleton, accompanied by a hissing sound as steam rose. His burnt flesh sizzled and peeled off, only to regrow again.

Through the relentless cycle of burning and regeneration, every inch of his flesh gained immense strength, significantly enhancing his resistance to fire and heat.

Of course, the pain he endured was doubled. Compared to the agony of feeling his eyeballs and lips slowly being boiled away, this was nothing.

Karlo nearly lost his mind from the torment, but he survived.

Thirty Sinful Fruits had granted him a much stronger demonic form, a worthwhile exchange when he considered he had avoided being captured as a slave.

Gazing around, Karlo hesitated. He didn’t know whether to move forward or not, uncertain of the dragon's departure direction. If he rushed ahead and encountered it again, he might not be so fortunate.

He looked up at the sky, where six blood moons hung high, the seventh just peeking above the horizon. With five and a half days remaining until the system's cooldown for teleportation, he realized he had no immediate escape route. If he faced a life-or-death situation, he might truly perish.

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After all, a mid-tier greater demon was still too insignificant in the Abyss, easily crushed by many entities.

Ultimately, Karlo decided to retreat to the valley, aiming to raise his power to the level of a high-tier greater demon or even a leader-level demon. He might also observe the patterns of the dragon’s appearances.

Given the prior hunting behaviors, this was clearly not the first time. There had to be a rhythm to it. If he could discern the arrival times of the hunting demons and the dragon's path, he could avoid them and pass through the volcanic region safely.

Karlo was too weak, so weak that he had to be exceptionally cautious to survive. The unchanging bold letters on the system's main quest board constantly reminded him: "Survive."

Resolute, Karlo slowly retreated to the valley.

In the valley, a new batch of greater demons reappeared. Karlo effortlessly dispatched two unsuspecting ones for a hearty meal and then exchanged several Sinful Fruits for dessert.

To advance to a high-tier greater demon, he needed 500,000 experience points, and each mid-tier greater demon he killed yielded around 3,000 to 4,000 points. This meant he needed to slay about a hundred mid-tier demons to level up, especially with the additional experience from consuming flesh.

It wasn’t an overwhelming task, just required a bit more effort.

At the same time, Karlo had accumulated a considerable amount of evil points, though he hadn’t yet decided how to use them. After leveling up, the shop would further unlock demon bloodlines for exchange, but the prices were steep, and Karlo felt little enthusiasm.

He didn’t think bloodlines like "Scythe Demon" or "Minotaur" could surpass his current abilities.

Thus, the days became simple yet monotonous. With his strength sufficient to easily crush mid-tier and low-tier greater demons, Karlo found himself continuously hunting and killing within the valley.

By the time the seventh blood moon climbed into the sky, Karlo's experience points reached about 230,000.

Karlo pulled the Jealousy Scythe from the chest of a greater demon several times larger than himself. This high-tier greater demon granted him over 10,000 experience points but didn’t withstand more than three strikes.

Recently, Karlo had been on the lookout for these types of demons—easy to kill with generous rewards.

Just as he finished crunching and swallowing the demon's heart, he suddenly sensed something and reached out to grab a fleeting shadow.

Opening his palm, he found a fierce-looking bug struggling between his fingers.

He swiftly crushed the bug, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. That creature had indeed returned.

“You’re still here, not taken as cannon fodder? Ha ha...” A muffled, dull laughter echoed nearby as the Insect Demon appeared before Karlo. After a day’s absence, it not only restored its bugs but seemed to have even more than before.

Cannon fodder? What does that mean? Karlo's mind raced, but he coldly scoffed, “Don’t think I can’t kill you…”

Flames ignited in Karlo's hand, ready to pounce. However, the Insect Demon showed no intent to engage; it glanced meaningfully at him and swiftly transformed into a wave of bugs, flying away.

What an annoying creature. Karlo felt a bit agitated, planning to chase it down next time and burn it to ashes.

But given his current strength, he didn’t take it to heart. Just as he prepared to continue his hunt, rumbling thunder suddenly echoed through the valley's sky.

Karlo looked up to see a small patch of dark lead clouds flashing with silver lightning, a sign of an approaching storm.

But in the Abyss, that was simply impossible.

In the next moment, a bolt of silver lightning shot down toward Karlo.

His pupils dilated, and his body reacted instinctively, narrowly dodging as the lightning struck the ground beside him, creating a charred crater.

Run! Without hesitation, Karlo spread his wings and fled at maximum speed deeper into the valley.

He had no idea what was happening but guessed it was certainly related to that Insect Demon—it clearly targeted him.

“Lord Beret, I told you he’s special...” The buzzing of the flying insects echoed again.

Karlo suddenly stopped in his tracks, muscles tensed, and began to retreat slowly.

In his path, a massive figure over three meters tall appeared, stout and imposing, with bony wings sprouting from its back. Its flesh had seemingly been flayed away, exposing gory red meat that looked horrifying and grotesque.

“Nemoss, this little guy you found this time is quite interesting.”

The demon's sharp, exposed teeth clicked together, emitting a terrifying chuckle as its blood-red eyes fixed on Karlo, seeming very intrigued.

Karlo swallowed hard. Damn it, a leader-level demon!