The kobold cave was filled with bones of various other animals and humans, indicating that they used to go hunting, but have recently been starving.

They'd rather go hungry than hunt in the forest, which means there's a much stronger presence around here.

At first glance, perhaps it's this tiger.

Herag considered for a moment and decided to bypass the tiger while it hadn't noticed him to avoid a direct confrontation.

Although it seemed like he could handle it, there was a chance the tiger's actual combat strength was formidable, and he didn't need to take risks.

He had just arrived in this world, and everything needed to be approached cautiously.

As he was preparing to retreat and detour, he noticed someone approaching from afar, a teenager appearing about seventeen or eighteen years old.

...

Ed was the only exorcist in Falling Leaves Town, and at the young age of seventeen, he single-handedly protected this small town.

He lost all his family members during the war, and after wandering to Falling Leaves Town, he was discovered by an old exorcist who noticed Ed's exorcist talent and took him as a disciple.

Three years ago, the old exorcist lost his life in a battle with a demon, leaving Ed with the heavy burden of protecting Falling Leaves Town.

Ed took up this responsibility without hesitation and actively protected everyone in the town.

When he was a child, he nearly starved to death, and it was the people of Falling Leaves Town who took him in and fed him.

For Ed, the residents of Falling Leaves Town were his family, a presence he must defend.

He glanced at the pitch-black longsword in his hand, his reliance and source of power.

Ed had demonstrated remarkable talent during his exorcist apprenticeship, which left the old exorcist in awe.

This world was filled with powerful demons, which could enhance themselves using a type of energy called demon aura.

More importantly, the demon aura could be plundered; by killing a target, one could acquire the demon aura within the target.

This resulted in the emergence of many immensely powerful demons that grew swiftly like a snowball into terrifying monsters.

But humanity was also progressing, and the emergence of exorcists allowed them to catch a breath and barely have the capability to contend with demons.

While demons could absorb demon aura to strengthen themselves, a small number of humans could too, and those with this ability were called exorcists.

However, merely being able to absorb demon aura wasn't enough, as human bodies were inherently frailer than demons'.

Therefore, they needed prolonged training and cultivation to gradually enhance their physical capabilities and unlock more potential within themselves.

This stage was where one would be considered an exorcist apprentice; once they awakened their unique exorcist abilities, they could be considered an official exorcist.

Exorcists had a wide variety of exorcist abilities; no two were quite the same.

The pitch-black longsword in Ed's hand was his exorcist ability, extraordinarily sharp, and able to cut through anything so far.

Ed discovered that every time he slew a demon and absorbed its demon aura, this sword also became stronger.

He and this sword were growing together, gradually becoming more powerful.

However, compared to other exorcists, this ability seemed somewhat weak.

For instance, some exorcists gained fire manipulation abilities, casually tossing large fireballs with tremendous power.

But Ed's ability wasn't as versatile; no matter how strong the sword, he still needed to strike his target.

The extent of the sword's power was entirely dependent on Ed's own combat prowess.

Compared to other exorcists, Ed, apart from this sword, didn't have any special abilities, much like an ordinary warrior, but with a slightly stronger physique.

Thus far, Ed relied entirely on combat techniques he'd learned since childhood and his incredibly sharp black sword for fighting.

Unlike other exorcists who, upon awakening, had powerful abilities and could easily handle certain demons.

Ed had to fight every demon up close, making it much riskier.

A slight mistake could lead to death under a demon's claws.

Ed's visit to the Silver Frost Forest this time was mainly to deal with a new demon that had appeared.

This demon had already killed two hunters from the town, making no one dare to hunt in the Silver Frost Forest anymore.

For the townspeople, hunting was the main source of acquiring meat.

With this demon around, no one dared to hunt there, cutting off a vital food supply line for the town.

More importantly, Ed had to quickly eliminate this newly appeared demon.

This was a principle all exorcists understood: if you discover a demon, it must be dealt with as soon as possible.

Otherwise, after a certain period, you may find that the demon has likely grown too strong for you to handle.

Thus, upon hearing the news, Ed immediately grabbed his sword and came.

After entering the Silver Frost Forest, drawing from years of experience, he quickly identified probable locations of demon activities based on various clues.

Ed crouched low, moving silently through the jungle like a wild animal, making no noise.

He was too familiar with this forest, able to navigate freely even with his eyes closed.

When Ed saw the tiger in the distance, he halted.

The tiger appeared very ordinary, seemingly just a typical fierce beast.

But Ed, based on his years of experience, knew it wasn't that simple; on the contrary, it indicated the tiger was extremely dangerous, potentially already a Tier One Demon.

Low-Level Demons and High-Level Demons correspond to exorcist apprentices' strength, while Tier One Demons match official exorcists' strength.

Tier One Demons, like official exorcists, possessed some special talent abilities, making them particularly troublesome.

Ed understood this but didn't back down, pondering how to take down this tiger.

At this moment, a gentle breeze blew through the forest, rustling the trees softly, creating an unusually tranquil and relaxing atmosphere.

But Ed's eyes widened abruptly, thinking, "Crap."

The breeze had blown over to the tiger, carrying Ed's scent over.

Ed couldn't have assumed that the tiger's sense of smell was ordinary.

Sure enough, the tiger, which had been lying on the ground resting, suddenly lifted its head, looked over, and spotted the hidden Ed.

Ed's gaze sharpened, decisively making his move, his figure resembling an arrow as he shot forward, charging straight at the tiger's face.

He appeared like a sword himself, moving with incredible speed.

The tiger immediately rose, roaring furiously at Ed, following which black smoke began to emanate from its entire body, and its size started to change.

What had seemed to be an ordinary tiger had, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a massive black tiger towering up to five meters high.

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