Buck was not wrong. As a third-tier hunter, Lucio was by no means someone who could be easily defeated. The muscular mutant, whose body was twisted and contorted by mysterious powers, expanded to a height of three meters as soon as it charged out.


    At that moment, two small burning holes suddenly appeared on the creature, the result of Lucio quickly firing his gun. The steel bar in the creature’s hand swung towards Lucio with a howling force, but the agile hunter dodged it effortlessly. Then, Lucio drew his silver sword, its cold gleam flashing as the blade cut through the creature’s leg. The creature yelped in pain, and its movements slowed considerably.


    Just then, the parts of the creature that were on fire exploded violently! The enormous impact surged like a tidal wave, slamming the creature’s body into the base of the factory wall.


    Through Buck’s sharp eyes, the creature, with a life energy of 3000, had lost over two thousand hit points from Lucio’s two explosive rounds. If Buck were more familiar with the Church’s ritual powers, he would recognize this as a Burst Blessing from the Radiant Sun Ritual. At that moment, a large, horrifying crater appeared in the creature''s chest, and it collapsed to the ground, unable to move.


    Lucio took a step forward, stomping down on the creature’s arm. His eyes, as sharp as an eagle''s, stared at the creature’s head, which was barely recognizable as human. He coldly asked, “You’ve come into contact with the Magic Mirror, haven’t you? Someone saw…”


    However, the creature showed an expression of fear, frustration, and despair, screaming frantically and interrupting Lucio''s question: “No! I am the real one! I am... I’m the real one, save me... Teacher, save me!!!”


    Lucio raised his gun, aiming directly at the creature’s head. He was now absolutely certain that their mission was not in vain. The Church’s seer had provided multiple possible locations where the clues might be found. Everyone had split up to search, and Lucio had tracked down this place using some strange rumors.


    Earlier, rumors had spread that two identical monsters had appeared in this abandoned factory. “Where is the other one?” Lucio thought to himself just as the wall in front of him suddenly exploded without warning.


    A huge, twisted hand swept from the other side of the wall. The immense force instantly shattered the brick wall, and a heavy slap struck Lucio’s body.


    Lucio was sent flying by this sudden attack, his health plummeting to zero, and even his hat was knocked off, flying through the air. Buck, who had been silently watching from a distance, finally took a slow step forward, heading towards the factory.


    A massive figure emerged from the fallen brick wall. It was a muscular monster, as huge as a mountain of flesh. Its height reached a staggering five meters, even more absurd than the previous creature. Its face was completely twisted, and compared to its enormous body, its head seemed like a tiny, deformed bean. Yet, the creature moved with a speed that was astonishing!


    The fallen Lucio struggled to grab a recovery potion, but the giant beast rushed toward him in the blink of an eye. Its massive fist, like a battering ram, came crashing down with tremendous force.


    Terrified, Lucio barely managed to roll out of the way. The ground trembled violently from the impact of the fist. Lucio narrowly avoided being turned into a pancake, but the potion in his hand was shaken loose. The giant monster, showing no mercy, swung its fist again.


    A sharp gunshot cut through the night air, and a burst of blood flashed as the powerful shockwave exploded behind the giant monster, sending it stumbling backward. The wounded Lucio looked up and saw a hunter approaching in the distance. It was Buck, the country nobleman he had previously mocked...


    Wait, what’s that in his hand? Isn’t that the hand cannon Ketch had been tinkering with? More specifically, it wasn’t just a regular hand cannon—it was Ketch’s proud masterpiece—the Heavy Hammer.


    Buck strode forward without hesitation, raising his gun and aiming at the giant monster. Continuous shots rang out, each blood bullet hammering the giant monster’s body like a flood bursting through a dam. The creature’s massive form staggered backward with each impact, its tiny head roaring in rage, yet unable to break free from the relentless suppression.


    Buck’s shooting wasn’t exactly refined, but the target was so large that he didn’t even need to aim. This scene stunned Lucio. He couldn’t believe how recklessly Buck was using the “Heavy Hammer.” Just how much spiritual energy did he possess to be able to waste it like this?


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    No one could answer Lucio’s questions. The giant monster staggered under the continued bombardment of the Heavy Hammer and finally crashed into the wall behind it, falling into the factory. Buck ignored Lucio, who was on the ground, and with a sudden push, he shot forward into the factory like an arrow.


    On the other side, Veronica had already rushed to the fallen creature, hoping to extract more crucial information before it died.


    The creature that had fallen into the factory finally got a moment to breathe. It quickly turned, swinging its thick arms and punching toward the advancing Buck. The enormous force of its punch swept Buck off his feet, but blood bullets exploded on its fist, momentarily halting its attack.


    A cyan-colored demonic claw quickly extended from Buck''s back. It was the Level 5 Demon Creature''s Arm. The Demon Creature''s Arm struggled to block the giant monster''s second strike, but the enemy''s strength was overwhelming. The Demon Creature''s Arm emitted a sound of unbearable strain, as if its bones were about to shatter under the blow.


    Buck, however, paid no heed to the force, enduring the impact as he continued to fire at close range. Each of his blood bullets was able to take nearly 900 hit points off the enemy. The giant monster, with 30,000 life energy, had its health steadily plummet as Buck’s relentless bombardment caused dozens of blood craters to appear on its body.


    The damage the giant monster inflicted on Buck, on the other hand, was negligible, like scratching the surface of a boot. Even if Buck allowed the creature to strike him freely, the mere few thousand points of damage posed no threat to him, given his immense life energy.


    Buck even grew lazy with reloading, letting the Heavy Hammer draw upon his life energy, infusing the gun with 200 spiritual energy and 200 health per shot, a steep cost to power the shots. The chamber of the gun clicked repeatedly, and the blood-infused, powerful bullets were now as potent as artillery shells.


    The giant monster struggled, swinging its massive hand, but it was firmly held back by the Demon Creature''s Arm. Its enormous body was relentlessly battered by the Heavy Hammer, like a large doll being tossed around.


    Buck seized the opportunity, extending his pale Heretic''s Arm to grab the creature and yank it forcefully. In the moment of the creature’s brief hesitation, Buck used the momentum to leap onto the monster’s body and aimed a final shot at its forehead.


    With a dull, resounding crash, the enormous body fell to the ground, smashing through the factory’s ruined walls. This giant monster was clearly once human, but now it had lost all rationality and was completely uncommunicative. Buck, seizing the moment, used the Demon Creature''s Arm to rip off one of its arms, absorbing and merging it on the spot.


    A crisp notification sounded in Buck''s consciousness.


    【Devoured the Demon Creature''s Arm, absorbing life energy. Maximum Life Energy +30000.】


    【Heretic''s Arm IV: Consumes 70 spiritual energy or life energy to activate the ability ‘Touch of Foolishness’. Cooldown: 2 minutes.】


    “The cooldown has decreased again. Not bad.” Compared to the upgrade of his Heretic''s Arm, Buck was more satisfied with the Heavy Hammer in his hands. This weapon seemed tailor-made for him, perfectly matching his abilities.


    His life energy had now increased to an extraordinary degree, but until now, he had lacked an effective way to use the excess health. The God’s Arm could convert both health and spiritual energy into immense destructive power in one go, but its cooldown was too long, making it only suitable as a last-resort weapon.


    On the other hand, the Heavy Hammer, with its high consumption and great power, was just what he wanted. He even secretly thought to himself that if the weapon could be made even more powerful with a higher consumption rate, it would be perfect.


    Buck shook his head, stopping his unrealistic fantasies. Turning his head, he saw Veronica rushing in, holding a box. “Lord Buck, I found what the alchemist master had stolen.”


    It seemed that while Buck was engaged in his fierce battle with the giant monster, Veronica had gathered more crucial clues. It turned out that the creature Lucio had knocked down was the apprentice Dick, who had stolen Julius''s potion. As for why he had turned into such a terrifying monster, no one knew. Moreover, before he died, he kept repeating words like “I’m the real one, save me… Teacher, save me!” until he breathed his last.


    However, Veronica had successfully managed to extract information about the potions'' whereabouts. She placed the box in front of Buck, and they opened it together. Inside, several bottles of potions were neatly arranged. But the liquefied Thunder, the one Julius had specifically requested to be recovered, was missing.


    At this moment, Veronica, inadvertently glancing at the giant monster''s corpse, suddenly had a sharp realization. On one hand, she was astonished that Buck had effortlessly defeated such a terrifying creature without a scratch. On the other hand, the mark on the giant monster''s shoulder caught her attention.


    It seemed to be a birthmark, one that was identical to the one Dick had on the same spot. Despite the giant monster''s body having been completely distorted and expanded, Veronica’s keen eyes immediately recognized it.


    Without realizing it, she stepped closer and reached out to touch the corpse. Just as her fingers were about to make contact, she suddenly saw strange cracks appear on the body.


    The cracks spread rapidly, quickly covering the entire corpse like a spider''s web. Then, the body shattered into countless pieces, disintegrating into nothingness.


    Buck and Veronica watched in astonishment as the bizarre scene unfolded before them, their eyes wide with surprise.


    Buck was momentarily confused by what he had just witnessed, while Veronica suddenly shouted, “I think I know where the Twin Soul Mirror is. No, I should say, where it will appear.”