Mission Complete

Many members of the Demon Race around him shared the same thoughts. Wind Shadow, Bear Demon Shi Tai, and Fox Demon Fox Meier were clearly no pushovers either, handling their opponents with ease.

But the old butler truly could not hold on any longer. Besieged by two Universe-level experts of the same rank, he was struggling desperately, with several wounds already added to his body.

Golden Horn swept his gaze across the battlefield. Some Demon Race members of the guard squad had already been injured. As time passed, their disadvantage would likely only grow worse.

If they truly lost, no matter how strong he was alone, he would still be doomed against so many experts on the other side.

So, he sent a voice transmission to Shi Tai and Fox Meier. "Stop holding back, or we really will lose."

The two demons glanced at him in surprise, then nodded and unleashed their strength together.

Golden Horn no longer held back. The Metal Domain instantly unfolded!

A flash of claw light knocked the saber-wielding pirate's weapon from his hand. A sweep of Golden Horn's tail sent the spear-wielding pirate coughing blood. Golden Horn seized the chance to pursue, knocking the snake demon unconscious with one claw.

Then he turned to assist Wind Shadow and Shi Tai, quickly taking care of their opponents as well.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Golden Horn alone had defeated three Stellar-level pirates and helped his teammates clear out the nearby enemies, drawing the attention of the experts on both sides.

"Good lad!" The butler glanced at him, a trace of approval flashing through his eyes.

The Universe-level pirate leader across from them darkened. "You're courting death!"

He immediately increased his output, pressing the butler with a fierce assault while ordering the other Universe-level expert to kill Golden Horn before he could disrupt the balance.

Shi Tai and Fox Meier had also dealt with their own opponents. Ignoring the battle between the Universe-level experts, they both charged toward the other battle groups.

Golden Horn was forced to confront that furious Universe-level pirate.

The man's fist was wrapped in pitch-black origin energy as it came whistling toward him. Golden Horn only had time to cross his claws in defense.

Boom!

An overwhelming force crashed down on him. Golden Horn was sent flying, smashing through a deck. Several cracks burst across his scales, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

So this is a Universe level? Golden Horn was horrified. Even though the opponent had only barely broken through and did not even possess a domain, that sheer energy advantage was still not something he could confront head-on.

He gritted his teeth and climbed to his feet, unfolding the Metal Domain. A golden glow shrouded his body as he pushed Original Body Heaven and Earth to its limit, compressing his body down to five meters. His defense surged, allowing him to barely withstand the second wave of attacks.

The pirate threw punch after punch like a torrential storm. Golden Horn fought while retreating, using his domain's keen perception to narrowly avoid vital strikes every time.

"Ant, do you only know how to dodge?" the pirate sneered, his attacks growing ever more violent.

Golden Horn did not answer, but his mind sank into a strange state at that moment.

Scenes from his three years of secluded cultivation of Heaven-Splitting Earth-Rending flashed rapidly through his mind—those tedious claw swings, those incantations he could never fully comprehend, those claw marks of varying depths left on stone pillars... Under the pressure of life and death, it was as though a single thread had connected them all.

He recalled the core principle of this secret art from his inherited memories: "Heaven-Splitting Earth-Rending lies not in strength, but in intent. Where intent reaches, claws reach. Heaven and earth can be torn apart."

Before this, he had never understood what "intent" was.

But now, he suddenly understood.

It was not some mysterious, unfathomable thing. It was the body's instinct—the memory carved into muscle through countless claw strikes, the resolve to act without thinking at the brink of life and death.

The pirate threw another punch.

Golden Horn did not retreat.

He closed his eyes.

Then he swung his claw.

There was no explosion of golden light, no violent surge of energy. This claw strike was plain and unremarkable. It did not even produce the sound of tearing through the air.

But the pirate's expression changed.

He sensed an indescribable danger—as if that claw was not aimed at his fist, but directly tearing apart the origin-energy defense around his body.

Pfft—

Blood sprayed.

A bone-deep claw mark appeared on the pirate's fist. His entire arm drooped, the web between his thumb and forefinger torn apart as blood streamed down. Clutching his arm, he retreated wildly, his face full of disbelief.

Golden Horn was also sent flying, slamming into the cabin wall and coughing up blood. But light gleamed in his eyes.

Heaven-Splitting Earth-Rending—minor mastery.

So true breakthroughs had never come from agonizing thought in a quiet chamber, but from having the body remember at the edge of life and death.

With Shi Tai and Fox Meier's help, the surrounding battle gradually turned in their favor. The pirates were bullies who feared the strong; how could they endure a hard fight?

Seeing that things had gone wrong, the pirate leader made a prompt decision. "Retreat!"

The pirate ship turned around, swiftly plunged into the asteroid belt, and vanished from sight.

Though the pirate ship fled, the guard squad had paid a price—four Stellar-level guards had died, while more than twenty Planetary-level guards were dead or wounded. The young master hid in his cabin, trembling until the butler reported that it was safe before daring to come out.

"Reward them!" The young master waved a grand hand. "That Gray-Horn Beast gets fifty thousand Demon Coins!"

Golden Horn silently accepted it.

After this encounter, Golden Horn's standing within the guard squad rose noticeably. Shi Tai, Wind Shadow, and Fox Meier all took the initiative to befriend him, and they exchanged contact information.

"Brother Golden Horn, you're quite strong. If there's a chance later, let's form a team and take missions together," Shi Tai said, patting him on the shoulder.

Golden Horn nodded in agreement.

Half a year later, the spacecraft safely arrived at the young master's family's home planet.

It was a prosperous planet, filled with bustling cities and towering buildings. Golden Horn followed the group down, collected the rest of his payment, and took the opportunity to stroll around the city.

The architectural style here was completely different from that of Myriad Monster Star. It leaned more toward practicality and lacked that much exotic charm. Golden Horn was not particularly interested, so after buying some supplies, he prepared to return.

The return spacecraft no longer needed to escort the young master. Only the guards remained, traveling back together. The journey was uneventful, and the group returned safely to Myriad Monster Star.

Golden Horn tallied the gains from this trip: one hundred thousand Demon Coins in payment, plus the fifty thousand extra rewarded by the young master, for a total of one hundred and fifty thousand. It was not much, but it was the first money he had earned through his own strength.

More importantly, he had made three friends: Shi Tai, Wind Shadow, and Fox Meier. In the future, when taking missions at Monster Hunting Hall, he would have people to form a team with.

Golden Horn returned to Monster Hunting Hall and submitted proof of mission completion. The staff member made a record in his file, and his Copper Skull Hunter mission completion count became "1."

"Your evaluation has improved," the staff member said. "Keep accumulating achievements. Once you complete enough missions, you can apply to be promoted to a Silverwing Hunter."

Golden Horn nodded and turned to leave.

He stood at the entrance of Monster Hunting Hall, watching demon hunters of all races come and go as an inexplicable surge of ambition rose within him.

"The next mission should be more challenging," he muttered to himself.

Mouse Nine-Nine stood on his shoulder, excitedly waving her tiny claws. "My lord, you've already taken the first step! You'll definitely become a Golden Horn Hunter someday!"

Golden Horn smiled but did not reply.

He looked back once at the massive beast skeleton outside Monster Hunting Hall, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Golden Horn returned to the courtyard and spent three days recuperating with his eyes closed before recovering.

Only on the fourth day did he remember to inspect his spoils—the spatial rings of the three Stellar-level pirates, which he had casually taken after killing them.

Golden Horn sent his mental power inside and frowned slightly.

There were more than two hundred thousand Demon Coins inside, along with a jumble of materials and miscellaneous items. The most conspicuous was a fist-sized piece of dark-red metal that emitted strange energy fluctuations.

Using the knowledge from his inherited memories, Golden Horn carefully identified it, and his eyes gradually lit up.

"This is... Bloodflame Copper Mother?" He found the corresponding record in his inherited memories. It was an extremely rare metal; adding a piece the size of a fingernail during weapon forging could increase a weapon's sharpness by thirty percent. A piece this large was enough for him to forge a weapon that suited him.

Golden Horn carefully put away the Bloodflame Copper Mother, then stored the Demon Coins in his internal space. He picked out the more valuable miscellaneous items to keep and planned to sell the rest at a shop next time.

"More than two hundred thousand Demon Coins, plus a piece of Bloodflame Copper Mother. This trip wasn't a loss."

"Once my injuries are fully healed, it's time to find out where I can forge a weapon."