"Awooo!"

With a wolf's howl, three or four red-eyed werewolves emerged.

"Awo... hiss!"

They stared intently at Ogre, already consumed by a certain madness. After a few more howls, they lunged at him, drooling.

Werewolves are one of the most typical and common mutants.

Compared to the rare shadow demons, werewolves or ghouls were actually Ogre's targets this time.

Whether born or made, werewolves share a common trait—they transform uncontrollably at intervals and fall into madness after transforming.

Only the legendary werewolf king—the Alpha Werewolf—can use sheer willpower to regain control.

'Why didn't you say something earlier?' Ogre pulled out a dining knife from his waist, a silver dining knife.

Silver has a strong restraining effect on werewolves, inhibiting their regenerative abilities, and even mere contact can burn their flesh.

This is also why silver coins are part of the mainstream currency, as they can greatly curb werewolf infections.

'You didn't give me a chance...' This was what the shadow demon truly wanted to say, but when it reached Ogre's heart, it turned into another sentence: "It's my fault, I'm damned, almost got the master into..."

"Shut up."

Shadow demon: "..."

As Ogre finished speaking, he charged forward.

The nun's robe did not slow Ogre down, and in a flash, with a gleam of silver, several werewolves reverted to human form after the clash.

The only way to undo the transformation under a full moon is death.

Thud—!

The sound of heavy bodies hitting the ground signaled the end of the battle.

"Too bad you came late, I already have a dog."

After calming the shadow demon residing in his forearm, Ogre flicked the silver dining knife clean of blood.

Drawing, slashing throats, stabbing hearts, and finally sheathing the knife—a seamless flow, as if a butterfly danced gracefully under the moonlight.

"What a fulfilling night."

After sheathing the knife, Ogre swiftly left the scene, disappearing into the night without a trace.

Stolen novel; please report.

Only a few corpses remained to prove his presence.

"As expected of the master, accomplishing what other mere apprentices cannot." The shadow demon's flattery did not cease.

Though not entirely false, it was indeed afraid of Ogre—it felt this guy wasn't a normal human.

More twisted than itself, liking to dress as a woman and feign weakness was one thing, but enjoying tormenting the shadow demon with unpredictable moods was another—and yet, he was so strong.

"I don't need a pet that only knows how to flatter; I need you to show your worth," Ogre responded calmly.

Flattery is the most meaningless thing.

Some aspire to be heroes from a young age, while others want to become the ultimate villain, but neither type of person ever starts out wanting to be a sycophant.

"As expected of the master, steadfast and unmoved, surely destined to become a renowned... uh, hero."

"I'll give you four sentences to show your worth—now, you have three sentences left," Ogre said indifferently.

By now, he had left the graveyard and reached the wilderness.

It's not that Ogre liked doing good deeds without leaving a name; he just didn't want to involve too many people, ruining his disguised identity in the village.

Even though under the cover of night, anyone coming by probably wouldn't see him clearly, it's best not to leave any evidence if possible.

Being cautious never hurts.

"I am willing to sign an equal contract to help the master become a shadow mage!" The shadow demon immediately offered a bargaining chip.

"An equal contract? Why not a soul-binding master-servant contract?" Ogre asked calmly.

Everyone's soul power is limited; most apprentices can sign with three transcendent beings at most.

Controlling ordinary transcendent demon beasts using contract scrolls or magic runes as intermediaries is undoubtedly the best choice—it significantly increases the number of controllable entities.

But the downside is that control ability decreases.

Contracts not signed with contract scrolls are generally divided into three types—equal contracts, master-servant contracts, and symbiotic contracts.

Ogre hadn't studied the differences in detail; he only knew that a master-servant contract could be severed unilaterally by the 'master' side at any time, with the cost usually borne by the servant.

"A master-servant contract won't allow you to gain my power—I can let you master shadow magic, shadow jumping, shadow weapons, stealth techniques, etc. Human thieves love signing this type of contract with us. After signing, I don't need much energy to survive, just need to avoid sunlight."

Shadow demons, as shadow beings, are actually hard to catch because given time, they can return to the shadow world.

Ogre capturing this shadow demon involved not just restraint but also a significant element of luck.

Of course, most shadow demons don't want to return to that wretched place, so they need human bodies to maintain their limited existence in the normal world and not sink back into the shadow world.

This is their only way to survive normally in the human world besides signing a contract.

Of course, they still fear certain attacks.

"If it's so beneficial, why don't you just sign contracts with humans instead of harming them?" Ogre asked curiously.

Shadow demon: "If it weren't absolutely necessary, who would want to sign a contract with you short-lived species—ah, master, I didn't mean it like that. Someone as outstanding as you looks like a hero!"

Barring any accidents, the lifespan of shadow beings is nearly infinite.

Only when injured, devoured, or overwhelmed by the long memories will a shadow demon truly die.

Signing a contract with humans provides a stable residence and helps recover from light damage through the contract's power, but offers no other benefits.

It's a loss no matter how you look at it.

Unless captured or wanting to escape the shadow world, only a fool would sign a contract with humans, who barely live a century on average.

Even an equal contract is quite damaging to a shadow demon.

Contracts are rooted in the soul, meaning after a human dies, the shadow demon must accompany their soul until it completely dissipates, weakening itself to nourish the soul in the meantime.

It's like being forced to guard a corpse.

Moreover, without a living person as a supply, even a bit of sunlight could kill a shadow demon.

Even in a safe underground place, guarding a human corpse isn't a long-term solution—it's no different from being dead.

When the contract holder's soul is extinguished, the shadow demon suffers great harm, losing the ability to act and slowly waiting for death.

Unless they find another contract holder before dying, or the contract signer willingly lets the shadow demon devour their soul, or they pay various soul costs to dissolve the contract before dying.

Only then can the cost be avoided.

That's why shadow demons don't casually offer contracts.

As for the other two types of contracts, they're even worse for shadow demons.

One is a symbiotic contract, which directly ties their lifespan to humans.

The other is a master-servant contract, which is even heavier—who would hand over their life for someone else to easily kill them?

None of these seem like good deals.

That's why shadow demons prefer to harm humans; the bodies they obtain this way offer more freedom.

Of course, when choosing between dying immediately or later, shadow demons can make the clear choice.

"What if I insist on a master-servant contract?" Ogre didn't want to create a major weakness for himself.

An equal contract, though not life-and-death binding, still links the parties in certain aspects. It's easy to sign but hard to dissolve.

If one party dies, while not necessarily dying together, losing a significant portion of life force is inevitable—a shadow demon isn't a dragon, lacking the confidence to sever ties easily.

"Without an equal contract, master, you won't be able to use our shadow realm's magical powers..." the shadow demon said gloomily.

This guy acted like it had suffered a huge loss, but who would willingly sign that thing if not for wanting to avoid death?

Of course, it was also grateful that Ogre was the one who captured it; if it had been a Dawn priest, it would have been crushed already.

However, this gratitude didn't last long, as Ogre's next words filled it with despair.

"No worries, I don't care."