"Dry meat tastes like shit," Reign grumbled to himself about the taste.
Anna had already absorbed the blood from the corpses, leaving them parched and lacking moisture. It felt more like eating dried fish than a satisfying meal.
However, there was a bright side to this. At least the brain matter, which was the tastiest part of the corpses, stayed intact. So, he enjoyed its flavor.
[Level Up+ 1]
Finishing the first batch, the sound of leveling up echoed in his ears, but he simply ignored it and continued to feast on the remaining corpses.
[Level Up+ 1]
After completing everything, he leveled up for the second time. However, the number of corpses required to gain a level had increased again, causing him some concern.
Just contemplating how many people he had to kill to boost his level made Reign realize that he would have a very difficult life.
Forget about keeping it low-key, his system was rewarding him for killing and eating people, so there was no way for him to gain levels without attracting the attention of others.
His fate was sealed the moment he acquired this system. He would become an enemy of mankind.
Not that it bothered him much. To him, people were just as wicked, if not greedier, than monsters. Monsters, at least, didn't fake being good or morally upright. They just killed because it was their nature.
"Are you done?" Anna asked, after seeing Reign crawl out.
"Yes," Reign grumbled.
She began to observe him from head to toe, and despite his appearance remaining unchanged, she sensed that he had grown stronger again by smelling his blood. The stronger the scent, the greater the potential it held.
"Anna feel like you have grown stronger," she voiced out, after being the first to notice how Reign had gotten more powerful.
But, she couldn't help but feel curious about how quickly he was advancing compared to her.
"What's your secret? Anna wants to know!" She pouted her cheeks, hoping to coax an answer out of him.
Unfortunately, Reign remained unmoved by her actions.
He was a monster, and even in his past life, he was never the type to be easily swayed by girls, especially someone like Anna who looked too young.
Anna was the type of girl that, if he touched her, some guys in suits would be knocking on his door, and he would be labeled as a criminal, regardless of the fact that she was already of legal age.
From his perspective, she was more like potential food than anything else.
"I'm done," he answered.
"So, what's the next plan?" he asked. There seemed to be no reason for them to linger here any longer.
"Anna has a plan, but for now, let's just stay here," she replied with an excited smile.
Reign paused, considering the situation. This location was ideal for their hideout, and there was a chance that some of the workers here would arrive, presenting another opportunity for him to consume.
"Okay," he nodded, having considered everything.
***
A couple of days later
In the heart of Summit City stood the imposing headquarters of the Demon Hunter Association, a bastion of power and influence in the supernatural world.
Within its walls, McGaven, a prominent figure in the association, lounged comfortably in a leather chair, while checking his emails.
A sharp knock interrupted him, and a sexy female secretary entered, bearing a document in her hand.
"Sir, the investigation team has sent over a document. Please, have a look," she said, her voice dripping with professionalism.
"Hand it over." With a nonchalant gesture, he accepted the document, his eyes wandering appreciatively over the secretary's curves as he did so. It was clear from her reaction that such lewd acts were normal.
In fact, she even gave her a seductive smile. They were in a relationship, and he was cheating on his wife for her.
"I'll treat you to dinner tonight," he said, subtly touching her hands.
"I'll be waiting," She winked at him before leaving the office.
Alone in the office, he stared at the document. It was in a black envelope, indicating its importance.
Moreover, it was sealed with a type of technology that would cause it to self-destruct if opened by someone unauthorized.
He opened up the documents and started reading them.
"Five Demon Hunters dead?" His facial expression soured the moment he read the report. According to it, the High-Level Demon had sacrificed its own life to take down the Demon Hunters with it.
While five might seem like a small number to some, for a demon hunter, it was a significant loss. Searching for and training individuals with the aptitude for this kind of work was extremely taxing.
RING RING RING.
His phone suddenly rang and he picked it up .
"Hello," he answered, his brow furrowing as he glanced at the unfamiliar caller ID. This was his personal number, and only a select few people knew it.
"Mr. McGaven?" came a female voice from the other end.
"Speaking," he replied, his curiosity piqued by the unfamiliar caller.
"My name is Elaine, and my grandfather, Dominic, told me to call you if something happened," she said, her voice tinged with anxiety.
"What happened to him?" he asked urgently. Dominic had been his mentor in the field, and he held great respect for him.
"He told me that he would be hunting for a demon, and that if he didn't come back after 5 days to call you, my grandfather hasn't contacted me since then," Elaine explained, her voice trembling with worry.
"What!" he exclaimed, knocking his desk in frustration.
'That old man, I told him to retire already and enjoy his life!'
"Don't worry, Elaine. I will send someone to look for him. Just give me the information he gave you," he reassured her.
He knew Dominic's work ethics well, and he was sure that he had left behind some information that could be used to track him in case of an emergency.
Elaine quickly sent the information via email, and McGaven wasted no time. He immediately called for a group of young Demon Hunters to assemble for a search and rescue operation.