"You fucker! You think you can play with me?!"

The imperfect Mana Core inside Germort rumbled. It shook uncontrollably and burst open. His small puddle-size mana pool ruptured, magic flowed out like flood.

Roots burst out from the ground surrounding Germort and attacked Siderius. The hunter was flung back.

Dirt flew up because of the magic explosion, filling the space with a thick brown cloud.

A faint green shield appeared around Siderius. Then it disappeared. Roots came shooting at him but were all slashed away by the flaming gray sword.

"I really can't underestimate ancient magic. It is much more powerful than the usual magic."

Siderius dusted his shoulder and stood back up. He was completely unharmed.

"I kill you! I kill you, bastard!" Germort breathed like a bull. Magic bubbled inside him like boiling water.

"I have no more use for you. Time to die, Germort."

Siderius lifted his left hand up and drew the <Dispellera> sigil. All the magic inside Germort immediately went out of control and detached from Germort's strength.

"No-o-o-o-o-o!" Germort screamed his last breath.

Siderius rushed forward. His flaming sword drew a stroke of orange fire and black smoke in the air. It hit Germort like a bull and crushed his skull into pieces.

Germort fell to the ground. His bladder and bowel lost control. All the waste inside his body was released.

"Shit yourself, huh? A pathetic end for a pathetic life."

The door not far from Siderius creaked. He snapped his head toward it and pointed the flaming sword toward the door.

Behind it was an unfamiliar peasant girl that Siderius did not know. She didn't back away even when the scorching heat of the flame hit her face. Her teary eyes were hypnotized.

In front of her, a man in black and white. White hair and black clothes. A pair of beautiful golden eyes with vertical slits. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Master Snow… Is it really you?"

"Hmmm? I don't recognize her. She must have watched Snow perform before."

Siderius sheathed the blade with a click, extinguishing the flame.

"This place isn't safe. Get out of here."

The girl nodded. She ran past him and Germort's corpse to get out. She spat on Germort's corpse just before leaving.

"Someone's death can reveal a lot about them when they're alive." Siderius mumbled.

He looked down to Germort. "Your puny mana pool probably won't have that much Dark Aether. But I am not going to be wasteful."

Siderius quickly drew the Malevitus Extraction on Germort's body using sulfur and salt. He did the signs and smacked his hand onto Germort's chest. His body was engulfed in the bright orange flame and turned into a tiny piece of Dark Aether.

"Pathetic." Siderius couldn't help but laugh. He stood up and looked around the manor.

The personal soldiers of Germort were wiped out. The Bailiff himself was also dead. Now there was only Siderius in this building.

"All the servants should run away already. It is time to loot."

Siderius didn't expect much from a Bailiff of a small town. But to his surprise, he found a particular chest inside the Bailiff's room. A small chest was hidden under the floorboards of the bedroom. When Siderius kicked the lock open, inside was full of silver coins.

He dipped his hand into it.

"Must be a few hundred silver coins. These are a fortune for someone in a town like this."

A few hundred bronze coins could feed a family for months. A few hundred silver coins could guarantee them generational wealth. These were enough to run a small trading guild or company.

"The miners need to relocate somewhere else. These should be enough for them to rebuild."

Siderius didn't do this out of the kindness of his heart. He intended to turn the miners into his strength. The power of one was very limited. But the power of many could destroy an entire dynasty.

He grabbed the chest and walked out of the room. Surprisingly, no commoners were present. Not even one came and looked at what happened.

Ashe was standing at the gate. Around her were a few cold corpses of soldiers with arrows piercing in their flesh. She must have taken care of the rest of the soldiers.

"Master!" Ashe lowered her head.

"Nicely done, my apprentice. Any injury?"

"No, Master. These people are amateurs."

They lived longer than Ashe. They fought longer than Ashe. But none of them trained properly. At least, not in Siderius' eyes. If he were to train them, they would be more than these flimsy warriors.

But in the end. These weren't true soldiers. They didn't live through a war nor facing death every day. They were simply commoners with the job of protecting the Bailiff.

"What's inside, Master?" Ashe said.

"Silver coins. Lots of them."

It was at this time that Siderius noticed a few shadows hiding afar.

"You can come out." Siderius said.

From beyond the gate, Kraus came. Beside him was Geolark.

"Lord Watcher!" They knelt down in front of him. "Do you need our assistance, my lord?"

Siderius dipped his hand into the silver chest and grabbed a handful of coins.

He gave it to Kraus.

"Nicely done. You have done a good job at being my eyes and ears."

Kraus took a deep breath. He had never seen so many coins before. He didn't dare to refuse and raised his hands to receive the coins. There were around thirty silver coins in total.

"How many people have you taken under?" Siderius asked.

Kraus was truly surprised that Siderius knew this. But in his mind, he thought it was to be expected. This was Lord Watcher of the Xander Guild after all, not just an ordinary commoner.

"We have around twenty men, my lord."

Siderius nodded. "Spend my coins well. You can celebrate but do not use it too much. It is your investment in the future for how far you can go and how many men you can lead.

Anything requires wealth. This includes gaining power."

Kraus nodded. "Thank you, my lord. Thank you for believing in me. I will not let you down."

"I do not expect you to. Letting me down will bring grave consequences, Kraus.

Pick a few men that you trust and come to the Rocky Pit later today. We'll discuss your future there."

"Yes, Lord Watcher!"

Kraus and Geolark shouted in unison.

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