Roger was a little dazed. As the actual owner of the Hunter’s Cabin, he could sense a peculiar "emotion" throughout the entire process.
Like an old man impatiently handing over a treasure he had cherished for thirty years for the first time.
Roger didn’t interfere with the process. Back in the Land of Eternal Darkness, the Hunter’s Cabin had absorbed a portion of Shadow Fragments. He had been alerted then:
If the Shadow Cottage could reach Level Eleven, it would mean all three Hunter’s Cabins would surpass Level Twenty, bringing about a brand-new transformation.
However, Shadow Fragments were rare and elusive. Roger had no clue where to find more.
Who could’ve thought this accidental action... Wait!
Roger suddenly realized something.
Shadow Fragments—could they be...
Hillrenes’s wings or another World Fragment?
Just then, the massive dragon, restrained on the ground, let out a horrifying scream. The sound was unnervingly bone-chilling as the black substance covering its surface began eagerly burrowing into its body.
The scales, bones, and muscles were pierced effortlessly. The dragon’s singular eye grew cloudy, filled with utter madness.
Soon, the black substance disappeared entirely. Even as the dragon shook free of its bindings, it didn’t seem to regain ease. Its spine tore open, revealing a pair of black, fleshy wings that unfurled wide.
The wings flapped, and the gigantic dragon’s massive body rose into the air, seemingly attempting to flee the area.
But before long, an unknown force seeped into the black wings.
The dragon let out another dreadful scream, "What are you doing? My power... my power...!"
Roger detected what was happening and leaped into action, slashing with the Black Moon in his hand.
It seemed like a casual strike, but it contained all of Roger’s strength.
No sound, no energy ripple. The Black Moon’s light effortlessly pierced through the dragon’s spine.
In the next second, blood sprayed everywhere. The dragon’s body came crashing down, and at the same time, its now-detached wings were engulfed by swarming energy.
This was a confrontation Roger could not see. Deep within his consciousness, the Hunter’s Cabin’s projection quivered; the assimilative force was unstoppable.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Roger finally landed back to the ground, satisfied. By this point, the black substance that had merged into the dragon’s body had already been entirely eradicated.
The Hunter’s Cabin returned to tranquility.
But Roger knew that a new round of evolution had already begun. When it all concluded, the Hunter’s Cabin would step into an entirely new phase.
Shifting his attention, Roger only now noticed that the massive dragon’s body had disappeared. In its place, lying on the ground, was a stark-naked...
Roger recalled that in Hillrenes’s account, she’d always referred to this creature as "him."
He was slightly baffled.
A cross-dresser? Or had prolonged torment driven "him" to change gender in a frenzy?
Even at lower levels, there were many special methods to alter a Transcendent’s gender—let alone after reaching High Tier stages.
Moreover, as Hillrenes had explained, the dragon’s body they formed seemed to exist in a state between physical essence and energy.
From Roger’s current angle, he could see the woman’s bare back, hips, and...
He quickly averted his gaze and walked forward.
Heavy breathing filled the air.
After a long moment, the woman lying prone on the ground finally raised her head slowly.
Seeing her face, Roger inhaled sharply.
Long black hair cascaded straight down, shielding the critical areas of her chest. Her face was pale, lips devoid of any color, and her body was riddled with scars both large and small.
Upon closer inspection, this woman only bore a superficial resemblance to Hillrenes. Her features were softer, lacking Hillrenes’s sharpness and unreal perfection.
The woman stared at Roger in a daze, then slowly sat upright.
While there was reason for his actions, Roger certainly couldn’t tell this woman that his initial plan had been to kill her.
"I told you before, I’m not one of Hillrenes’s people. On the contrary, there’s some kind of discord between us."
Roger briefly recounted the grievances between him and Hillrenes, as well as why he’d come here.
But now, there was another problem he had to deal with.
Hillrenes spoke of wings imbued with the Shadow’s Power, and those wings had already been devoured by the Hunter’s Cabin. The wings were merely a materialized form; at their core, they were still a Shadow Fragment.
With the item gone, his deal with Hillrenes would undoubtedly...
"I can no longer trust anyone."
The woman’s gaze burned as she asked, "Why did you save me?"
"I already refused you."
Roger didn’t reply and only tilted his head slightly upward, adopting a proud expression.
"Doing what you want—does it need a reason?"
What an act... But before he could say more, a wisp of black smoke floated by. The woman stood up, her once-bare body now cloaked in a black robe.
"I used to be like you, trusting others too easily—until I was betrayed by the person closest to me."
She sighed. "You may call me Sonia."
"Hillrenes is my sister."
"You saved me." A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes but was soon overtaken by resolve.
With that, she suddenly extended a finger and stabbed it into her own forehead!
Accompanied by a low, pained groan, Sonia extracted a bloodied, golden eye from her skull!
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