Raven walked toward the fish monster, but he didn't dare act rashly. Even though it had been defeated, its body was still twitching.
If he let his guard down for even a moment, he could be seriously injured.
Taking a deep breath, Raven picked up his sword from the ground, raised it high, and drove the blade into the center of its head.
Scrk!
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out clearly. The fish monster writhed in pain, struggling to fight back, but it couldn't.
Raven gritted his teeth and pushed the blade deeper until it pierced the monster's brain.
Finally, after five minutes, the fish stopped moving.
At the same time, a mysterious notification echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations on completing the first mission! You two are the first to successfully complete it! Reward: 300 experience points!]
[Since you two are the first to successfully complete it, you are entitled to an additional reward! Please open the email that was sent!]
DING!
A system notification rang out in Raven's and Claire's heads. At the same time, an email window appeared before each of them.
They exchanged glances, then nodded and opened the email together.
Buzz!
A bright light suddenly flashed, and both of them quickly closed their eyes. When the light faded, they opened them again and saw a glowing orb floating in front of them.
Without hesitation, they pressed it, and two weapons—a sword and a magic staff—appeared in their hands.
Raven immediately whispered, "Open this sword's panel."
[Status]
Name: Blazing Fire Sword
Rank: Common
Ability: It can emit fire from its blade, and each strike can deal up to 5% additional damage. Though weak, this weapon is enough to help you overcome the obstacles in this test.
'Oh? What a fine sword,' Raven murmured in admiration.
Weapon ranks were divided into six main tiers: common, rare, epic, legendary, mythic, and divine.
There was a vast gap between each tier. The higher the rank, the harder it was to obtain.
Although it was only a common-rank weapon, Raven knew it was the best one he could hope for right now.
"Raven, I got a common-tier magic staff!" Claire's excited voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Raven smiled and gave a small nod. "Good. With that staff, the spells you cast will be much stronger than usual."
"You're right!" Claire clutched the staff tightly, as if afraid to let it go. Then she looked at him with gentle eyes and lowered her head. "Thank you. Thanks to you, I've been able to get this far. Once again… thank you."
She knew that without Raven's earlier intervention, she might have ended up like the many victims slain by the terrifying monsters in that hall.
Not to mention, Raven had looked after her, cooked for her, and done so much more.
His kindness was something she had never truly felt before—not even from her own family.
"[Ding! Obtained 10 affection points!]"
Raven glanced at her love tank, which had risen from sixty to seventy, and smiled faintly.
'Slowly but surely, you'll fall into my hands, Claire… Hehehe…'
Conquering Claire was only the beginning. In the future, there would be two, three, even ten women who would become his targets.
And when that happened, becoming the strongest with their help didn't seem impossible.
Composing himself, he quickly replaced his sly smile with a relaxed one.
"Don't hang your head like that."
Raven gently patted her head. "Thanks to your help, I was able to complete this mission. You could say we need each other."
Claire felt his touch and blushed, but his words warmed her heart.
She lifted her head and smiled.
"You're right."
Raven nodded in satisfaction. Then his gaze shifted to the fish monster's corpse, and he placed his right palm on its head.
"Gluttony…"
Whoosh!
A powerful suction force pulled the fish's body into him. At the same time, notification sounds rang out continuously.
[Congratulations on obtaining life energy!]
[Congratulations on obtaining life energy!]
After three minutes, the fish monster's body had turned into a pitiful pile of bones.
Raven smiled faintly and whispered, "Status panel."
[STATUS]
Name: Raven Draxel
Age: 27
Nickname: The Most Disgusting Bastard in the World
Level: 4 (290/500)
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) 60/500, 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.
He read it and felt deeply satisfied. His level had risen to four, and the progress of the Gluttony skill had increased to 60/500.
Although it was still a long way from reaching Rank F, it was more than enough. After all, this survival test had only been going on for a single day.
"Alright, let's go. It's starting to get dark, and there are plenty of monsters wandering around."
Claire didn't refuse. Together, they left the area.
***
AWOO!
The sound of wolves howling echoed from both sides. Raven and Claire sat by the riverbank, with a small campfire burning in front of them.
"Dinner's ready," Raven said as he lifted the hot pot hanging over the fire.
He carefully set it down and opened the lid. A mouthwatering burst of steam rose into the air.
Claire's eyes sparkled. "Is this fish head soup? It smells so delicious!"
Raven smiled, took a plate, and placed a yellow-spiced fish head onto it before handing it to her.
"I used various spices I found along the way. Try it. It's really delicious."
Claire accepted the plate and stared greedily at the fish head, which was as big as two palms.
She picked up a fork, stabbed it into the meat-filled neck, and popped it into her mouth.
"Mhmmm! Yummy!" She squirmed happily as her eyes closed in delight.
She quickly took another bite.
"[Ding! Obtained 5 affection points!]"
Raven nodded in satisfaction at her reaction.
Who said only women could win a man over with their cooking?
The same rule applied in reverse.
Raven took another fish head from the pot and placed it on his own plate before digging in.
"It's delicious," he murmured contentedly.
The fish head was salty and savory, with a hint of sweetness and a mild spicy kick—not strong enough to overwhelm the flavor.
As they continued eating, a notification suddenly appeared before them.
[The time for the first mission's completion has ended!]