Bandit Town

 It didn't take long for him to lock into a tavern. After all, the pile of bandits outside, most likely hungover from drinking, is not that hidden.

 He went to a nearby alley before using his concealment technique. Only after that, he walked towards the tavern, timing it properly so he would enter at the same time as one of the newcomers.

 When he entered the place, the first thing that hit him was the smell. The smell of liquor is so overpowering that if he was not a cultivator, he would likely had a hangover from the smell alone.

 Thankfully, he is one so he remained sober as he moved through the group of people. As he walked into the depths of the tavern, he could feel several powerful presence, but nothing he could handle.

 The only reason why he noted them is because they are the strongest people inside the tavern. He moved closer to said tavern, spotting three bandits, each one of them had their arms around a young woman, who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but right there.

 His blood boiled at the sight but he suppressed it. He still needs to know if the strongest person in the town is someone he would stand a chance of beating or not. If it was possible, then he wouldn't mind killing them, for just because.

 However, he still needed more intel so he remained quiet, trying to listen to what they were about to say.

 "Woah, the boss is so strong, he could even beat the mayor of this town!" one of the bandits said.

 "Hahaha! Of course, the mayor is just a weakling at the 7th Stage Genesis Source while the leader is a full-blown Genesis Spring expert!" what the bandit said next causes his blood to run cold.

 If the leader is a Genesis Spring expert, if he is a Stage 2 Genesis Spring expert then he would only be able to run. His thought was broken when the bandit leaned in, "But the boss is injured, but not too much. Just he spends most of his time healing,"

 "Oh, how did he get injured?" that was what he was thinking as well. After all, for a Genesis Source expert to injure a Genesis Spring expert would be nearly impossible.

 "The mayor powered himself up, before releasing a powerful blast. It didn't kill the leader but he is injured from it. But not enough to be killed by any of the other vice-leaders unless they want to die so badly," the bandit's laughter was ignored by Ryker as he thought of the implication.

 If the bandit leader is really injured, he is not sure if the bandit lied to make it seem like he was close to the leader but if it was the case then he is given a rather good opportunity. However, before he could start the plan, he should try to gain more information, to determine the accuracy of the information he just heard.

-x-

 His next target is the guard tower. Most likely there would be a high-ranking bandit watching over patrol nearby. After all, they only just conquered the town and might face retaliation from any survivors who were able to escape from the bandit's grasp.

 His suspicion is proven correct when he spots a Genesis Source expert on one of the walls, ordering a group of bandits. He then moved closer to the man, allowing him to hear everything he said.

 "Make sure to watch over for any enemies! If you let even a single one escape, you will be fed to the hound! You hear me!" a loud "Sir yes sir," was the answer the bandit received, prompting him to nod at the group.

 "Good, now go!" the group quickly began their patrol, watching over the section of the walls.

 He wondered if he had to snatch and interrogate the man when he sensed another Genesis Source expert coming towards the man. The one who just ordered the group nodded at the new arrival before they went towards one of the rooms in the walls.

 Naturally, Ryker followed them, allowing him to hear snippets from their talk.

 "So, about him...."

 "I see..."

 ".... maybe we should,"

 By the time they reached a room with a table and chairs, he had heard almost 30 useless information unless he could find a way to blackmail a bandit. He was wondering if he should seek another source of intel when he heard something interesting.

 "So, how's our leader's injuries?" the watcher of the walls asked, the newcomer shaking his head.

 "At this rate, he won't be able to fully recover before the Duchy forces arrive," hearing the answer, the watcher slammed his fist to the table, making a huge bang that surprised him a bit, almost making him jump.

 "Curse it! If the mayor didn't commit the suicide attack then we could hold this town. At least the force send won't be too strong,"

 "Haha, true!" the newcomer said. "Even if they wanted to send another force after we defeat the incoming one they can't, after all, they have another threat to deal with," 

 Unfortunately for Ryker, he had left the place when he heard about the news of the leader's injuries being real. So, he didn't hear the more important piece of information.

-x-

 It didn't take long before he arrived at the huge mansion, the previous mayor's home. While the leader might hide elsewhere, he didn't have any clue where to start looking so he could only find the most important and luxurious-looking place in the entire settlement.

 Thankfully, his guess is correct by the fact many bandits are patrolling the area. While they might be able to spot any intruder, against him, they might as well not be there as he easily passed them.

 He quickly headed deeper, until he reached the main bedroom. He was about to head in when he heard grunting and moaning. He quickly realized what was happening and his face quickly turned bright red as a result. He wondered if he should wait but what he heard next stopped him.

 "Come on your whore! Move your damn hips! If not, I'm going to take it out on your daughter as well!" red quickly appeared in his eyes as he changed his mind. The leader should die now.

-x-

 "Come now! We should get going! Who knows how many of the people would still be alive," the leader of the reclamation force told his men. 

 Currently, he is leading a force numbering 2000, enough to usually take on the settlement that was taken. With it being located at the edges of the core region, the bandits there are usually not too strong but they still brought many troops just in case.

 When they arrived at the settlements, they were stopped by a rather surprising sight.

 The bodies of the bandits were all impaled, all arranged into a straight line towards the settlements. The one nearest to the gate, whom he believed to be the leader, was the same, with extra pointy objects turning him into a pincushion.

 He quickly wondered who could have done it, after all, no other group besides the reclamation force was strong and motivated enough to slaughter what he believed to be the entire bandit group.