24

In one of many bars in Konola city, the chatter was lively, and drinks were chugged like water. 

Some were singing and having fun, contributing to the positive atmosphere in the bar. Unfortunately, the majority of humans came to wash their worries with alcohol. They usually sat by themselves, a cloud of depression hanging around them.

In a place like the Theokin empire, the feelings of the common folk didn't matter. 

Oh, there was a riot? Send the army to slaughter the protestors; future civilians won't dare to go against the government after seeing this.

Now they want to leave the city? Fine, they will be pleading to come back once they realize the dangers of the outside world. Bandits and demons ran rampant—staying unharmed was a privilege reserved for the strong, and only the strong.

Hence, the morality of the civilians was seldom high. The majority were struggling to make daily ends meet.

While the powerhouses of the empire were less ruthless than Ray, they didn't care much for most humans. Whether they lived happily or even stayed alive, was of no importance to the truly powerful.

No complex solution was needed since the common folk depended on the strong. It wasn't a situation where the people in power needed much social influence.

"Did you hear? The Red Bandits took a big blow yesterday."

"Mhm, I saw. Their leader was a strong cultivator, and he was killed."

As per usual, the men conversed about major news throughout the empire. Most of the news usually came from the cities near the Demon Empire, but today was a little different. 

An important piece of news was recently released, which caused minor turbulence among the public. Many were excited to hear the bandits were out a hold on, but some had their doubts.

A few of the stronger folk realized things were not as simple as they seemed, but they kept their lips sealed in fear of the people on top.

"He even raided their main site, killing thousands of bandits," one of the drunks exclaimed.

"Pfft, he did a number on them." 

While the two men were talking, a mysterious person in a black robe slid to their table.

His figure was tall, and visibly muscular through his loose clothes. A dangerous aura surrounded him, which shut the drunks up to examine him.

"Who are you?"

The mysterious person ignored the question. "You know, one of the surviving bandits claimed the attacker was a demon."

The two men looked at him strangely.

One of them laughed, then said, "I hope he comes to this city as well, Jax could use some replacing."

The other man joined his laughter, agreeing with him wholeheartedly.

Although talking negatively about the city lord was usually risky, the consequence was frequently avoided in bars.

However, the two men met an unlucky fate that day.

Without any warning, the two men's heads burst into pieces, splattering blood into people's drinks.

The rowdy mood came to a halt, the chatter stopping in its tracks. Everyone cautiously inspected the offender, a mysterious man in robes.

The man stood from his spot, dwarfing every person in the room by a couple of feet. 

Before walking out of the bar, he said, "You know, talking ill about the city lord is a criminal offense?"

…

Ray entered the city a few hours ago, and he hadn't been spotted.

The unfortunate merchant, Bob, was killed and dumped in an alleyway. He died quickly, but his life wasn't completely useless. 

His oranges would be remembered for being delicious.

At the moment, there was no smell of fresh produce; only a nasty stench surrounded Ray as he stepped through the green water. 

He was currently in one of the most under-maintained parts of the city: the sewage system. 

Stepping through shit and piss mixed in green water was not pleasant, but it was certainly the safest way of travel.

At least for Ray, it was a safe route. If a normal person tried adventuring the sewers, they would get eaten by the strange monsters that managed to evolve in this environment.

The sewer monsters made Ray wonder, when was the last time they checked on the sewers? There was nearly an ecosystem down here!

Suddenly, Ray punched his fist into the air above the sewage.

At the same time, a blob-like monster jumped out of the waters, gunning for Ray. Its body exploded in contact with Ray's fist, leaving a beast core hanging in midair.

The beast's core turned gray, its energy absorbed before the monster's flesh could touch the ground. Just like that, a ferocious sewer monster was treated like trash, all taking less than a second.

Ray didn't give the monster so much as a glance, since his eyes were glued on the slimy ceiling of the tunnel.

Before he went into the sewers, he gathered information about Porter's whereabouts. Although a few more soldiers met an untimely death, he now had a couple of good guesses on Porter's location. 

The sewer exit he was staring at was the first of his guesses: Porter's mansion.

Ray stood beneath a solid steel trap door, its openings bolted tight.

For the first time since entering the city, Ray released his ki perception to inspect the mansion.

He didn't dare to let his aura run wildly since he wasn't sure if there were detection methods that could catch him. He would be foolish to think that he could detect others, but others couldn't do the same to him. 

After a moment of search, he let out a sigh of relief.

He discovered one stage-1 practitioner in the entire mansion. Everyone had a unique aura, so he could match the aura in the mansion to Porters.

Even if aura manipulation techniques existed, a low-rank cultivator like Porter could never fool him.

His nails pierced through the steel, then he used singularity to make soundless cuts.

In the end, a hole the size of his body was made.

His head popped out, like a bunny checking its surroundings. Except he was a demonic creature breaking out of a sewer.

…

Porter sat on a carpet in a meditative style.

His eyes were closed, and he held his arms in front of him.

Spurts of electricity periodically ejected from his palms, some bigger than others. They dissipated into a metallic wall in front of him, which saved his house from the fate of burning down.

Beads of sweat rolled down his face, and his expression looked strained.

He meant to learn the spell 'lightning bolt', a long time ago, but he never found time to practice it.

However, after the quick interaction with the Tiefling, he learned of his weaknesses. He realized he wasn't remotely invincible, which prompted him to put his full focus on growing stronger.

Just as he was about to send another wave of electricity, he heard a loud 'thump' outside his room.

His eyes widened open, and his head snapped to the direction it came from.

Without thinking about anything else, he cast a mage shield, an instinctual behavior he developed for anything surprising.