Clint is not a very big place, but it's much bigger than the usual small town. The residents here are all outsiders, and the number of people flowing through here every day is at least a few thousand. The level of prosperity is not low, at least for this place.
Although it has been daylight for a long time, heavy dark clouds obstruct the sunlight from scattering in this area. The time when you can see the sun here is not much, and there are almost at least 250 days of cloudy weather like this each year.
Although Clint is a small town, it is actually a defensive line, a front-line position and outpost guarding against monsters. The number of stationed troops here is not many. They only need to report the situation around to their superiors. If they encounter an attack that they cannot defend against, they can directly retreat. After all, this is just a temporary base, a battlefield for a protracted struggle with monsters.
Of course, the majority of people here are adventurers. However, many people prefer to call these adventurers who fight against monsters "demon hunters". Although this place is not peaceful, the resources here are very abundant compared to the already opened up continent. After hunting monsters, it's not surprising to harvest some materials from their bodies. It can be said that even if there is nothing else here, just the presence of monsters can attract countless adventurers.
Sakuya lowered her cloak, covering her white hair and the black marks on her neck. She walked on the streets of Clint and used the few remaining silver coins in her pocket to buy some bread. In this ghostly place, even a loaf of bread that should cost a few coppers is priced at one silver coin, and even a pot of clean water costs the same. And what's worse is that the food here is not fresh.
But this is the reality. It is risky to transport food to a defensive line that can be reoccupied by monsters at any time, but the benefits are also very high. Many merchants like to do this low-cost, high-yield business. Making one deal can be worth several years outside.
Sakuya leaned against a corner, eating the hard black bread. To be honest, the taste was extremely bad, almost like eating dirt. But for the sake of survival, she had no choice but to choose this cheap food because she was out of money.
She was not an ordinary person, but a "half-demon." This term only circulates in the dark border areas because they have all been severely affected by the aura of monsters during infancy, resulting in the appearance of monster features on their bodies, and even the ability to transform into monsters. This also makes their already miserable lives even more difficult. After all, they have been fighting against monsters in the dark border for hundreds of years, and their hatred for each other is a matter of life and death. These "half-demons" are naturally not well received, and if they are lucky, they will be treated with cold indifference. If they are unlucky, even if they are killed, no one will say anything. That's why she wears a cloak.
Sakuya is actually considered relatively lucky. At least her mother did not abandon her when she was young. But unfortunately, her mother also died in a battle a year ago, leaving her alone to survive, living in constant fear every day, not knowing whether she will die at the hands of monsters or other people in the next moment.
Looking at the sky in the distance, a few days ago, something big seemed to have happened in that direction. She remembered the abnormal phenomenon that everyone in the Clint defensive line saw at that time. The whole sky cracked, like shattered glass. She didn't know what terrible thing had happened... Perhaps...
"Perhaps I can try my luck...!" Sakuya thought to herself. She has already spent all her money, and the food can only last for one or two days. If she does nothing, she's afraid she will starve to death.
It is said that many people have already gone there to search for treasures. Sakuya herself knows her worth, but she knows that she probably won't have a chance at any treasures.
However, her goal is simple – to go and see if she can pick up any leftovers. After all, battles are an essential part of life, and where there are battles, there will naturally be casualties. Whether it's monsters or adventurers, as long as Sakuya's luck isn't too bad, she shouldn't return empty-handed.
Swallowing the last bite of dry black bread, Sakuya packed the remaining bread into the pouch on her cloak, covering her body. She ran off in that direction.
Sakuya cautiously walked on the black earth. The cloak she wore was a relic from her mother, an invisible cloak of intermediate grade. It was her lifeline. Without this invisible cloak, how could she have survived until now?
The Dark Borderlands were full of danger. Here, roaming monsters could appear at any moment, not only on the ground but also in the sky and even underground. One moment, a gaping mouth could swallow a person whole. Walking here, no one knew how long they could survive.
Although she had the invisible cloak, Sakuya remained cautious at every step. She wasn't entirely without battle prowess – she had some ability to survive in this place. Despite being only twelve years old, she already possessed low-level strength. And her power wasn't magic, but rather a powerful and corrosive aura similar to the monsters'. Her combat abilities were even stronger than those of an average low-level adventurer.
"Lucky!" Sakuya found something valuable to exchange for money on the broken corpse of a monster. She happily put a slightly damaged claw into a pouch at her waist. Based on her estimate, she should be able to sell it for a few gold coins.
Sakuya silently thanked the goddess of luck as she continued on her journey. She had gained quite a lot, but in her joyful state, she didn't realize that she had already strayed far from the Clint defensive line. When she finally came to her senses, she felt a tinge of fear. As one moved further away from human settlements, more and more powerful monsters would appear. Her invisible cloak would be useless by then.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Sakuya, who was about to leave, couldn't help but tremble at the reverberating noise not far away. Logically, it would be best to leave at a time like this – it was the most sensible choice. However, for some unknown reason, Sakuya hesitated and wanted to go and see for herself. It seemed like something was calling her there, in the depths of her being.
"Just go and take a look, then leave!" Pushing down her fear and apprehension, Sakuya stealthily made her way forward. When she saw the scene of the battle, she immediately hid behind a stone.
In front of her was a huge pit. A giant wolf monster, emanating black aura, was engaged in a battle with a small team of adventurers. From the looks of it, the battle was in a stalemate. Although the wolf monster was powerful, the adventurers had the advantage in numbers, being a dozen or so.
"Awwooo!" Suddenly, a wolf howl erupted, striking fear into the adventurers. Another slightly smaller wolf monster appeared, instantly disrupting the adventurers' cooperation. In an instant, they completely gave in to panic.
