Ray darted out of the underwater cave, his steps swift and light.

As he burst out of the sea, a gentle breeze blew, lifting him upward.

In the blink of an eye, he scaled the jagged cliffside. His boots struck solid earth, and without pause, he raced toward White Sparrow Town.

On his way there, his face rippled like a disturbed pond, changing into the face of another man.

He had recovered enough magic power to use Mimic. He had used it to mimic Torvin.

The change spread to his body.

His skin tone and height changed, his aura grew murkier, and his temperament developed a palpable savageness to it.

Suddenly.

He looked and felt no different from Torvin.

Even if he stood before Torvin's mom and dad, who had watched him grow from infancy, Ray was certain they wouldn't be able to see through his disguise unless he made a mistake or purposely gave himself away.

Anyways.

There were two reasons for disguising himself as Torvin.

Firstly, for reasons beyond him, White Sparrow Town believed he was dead. He wanted to keep it that way.

Him in the dark, his enemies in the light.

Just this alone gave him an upper hand against the bastards he wanted to so bloody kill it was driving him crazy.

Secondly, Torvin's identity opened doors. Doors he needed to walk through without raising alarms.

A thoughtful gleam crossed his eyes as he broke past the town's gate.

"In its lifetime, the Demonized Alpha Wolf had understood human speech… even created a method that allowed demonic beasts to commune in the tongue of men."

"If my Metal King Slime devours that corpse, it will inherit the wolf's ability… making communication between us far easier, far more efficient, and far more direct, leaving no room for confusion. It will be able to understand all my commands without problems."

"I sold that corpse to Selena… if it's still there, this is my chance."

Creak.

The wooden door of Fang & Fang swung open.

A figure stepped in.

The attendant behind the counter stiffened, watching the person who had just entered.

His eyes widened, then a genuine smile bloomed on his lips, untouched by the plasticity of professional courtesy. It was the joy of a man greeting his idol.

"Welcome, Sir Torvin. How may I be of service?" He came up to Ray and asked.

Ray blinked. This is… better than I thought.

Reality had exceeded his expectations.

Torvin was not just Ashclaw's son. He was also a member of the Beast Hall. His identity made him a celebrity in White Sparrow Town.

Ray knew that.

But he hadn't expected his popularity to be so deep-rooted that even an ordinary attendant from a store dealing with all sorts of precious items on a daily basis would recognize him on sight.

"It seems you're my fan," Ray said evenly.

The attendant nodded vigorously.

"You're right, Sir Torvin. Your exploits are well known throughout the town. I'll never forget how you destroyed that den of fiends that attacked Sunshine Village. Although no villagers survived, you avenged them! I've been your fan ever since."

Ray's gaze softened with pity.

'Poor fool. He doesn't even know… Sunshine Village's destruction was a scheme staged by Ashclaw and Torvin to help Nisha and that bastard Varun double their pill production. The Sunshine village was targeted by those scums simply because it was easy prey, lacking backing. As no notable figure had emerged from that place, no one would care to investigate thoroughly even if they all died.'

That massacre had been six months ago. The villagers' remains? Refined into pills. Consumed with grins.

His pity flashed for only a breath before vanishing behind eyes like a stagnant pool, showing nothing but unwavering calmness.

The attendant never noticed

"I heard the corpse of a Demonized Alpha Wolf was sold here," Ray said casually. "I want to purchase it."

"Sir Torvin…" the attendant hesitated, then shook his head. "You came too late."

Ray's heart sank, the weight of it pulling down his chest. It was the same feeling as a man forced to sell a priceless heirloom for a handful of copper, only to see it resold later for a king's ransom by a stranger.

"Not all of it," the attendant quickly added. "Only its fur. Madam Selena had it refined into a cold-resistant cloak as a gift for her father."

"Where is she?" Ray asked.

"You know Madam?" The attendant asked.

"We had some dealings in the past. We became… friends after a few talks." Ray's voice was calm, though in his mind he added, She gave me books. Only friends give gifts, right?

The attendant smiled faintly. "Then I suppose there's no harm telling you. Winter is near, and her family called her home out of worry. She has already left."

Ray sighed lightly. "I never asked where her home was."

"She hails from the Labyrinth City's Aurum Family."

Ray's eyes widened. His shock was real.

If he had not devoured Torvin's memories, perhaps this name would've been meaningless. But now? He knew exactly what it meant.

The Aurum Fang Family—one of the Seven Pillars of Labyrinth City. Weakest among them, yes, but their patriarch was still a certified Silver Rank. In a frontier region like the Northern Outer, that strength made them kings.

'From the very first time I met her, I knew her identity wasn't ordinary. When she introduced herself as a pure blooded noble, I thought she was from a powerful family. I didn't expect her family to be so powerful as to work as the hand of a viscount,' Ray thought.

Perhaps one might think being a town master was a better position for a silver ranked expert.

In fact, it wasn't.

The best position was to be helping hand of a gold ranked expert!

After all, such silver rankers enjoyed safety and privileges that far outweighs the benefits enjoyed by a typically town master.

"Someone from such a powerful family… what was she doing here?" Ray asked.

"Proving her worth," the attendant replied without hesitation. "Since she was assigned here two years ago, the store's turnover nearly doubled, profits soared, and new contracts flowed in. She brought in new contracts, secured larger shares of trade routes, expanded our customer base, and stabilized supply chains that had been unreliable before. In the two years Madam managed this branch, business flourished."

"She accomplished all that in two years?" Ray said in disblief.

"She wanted to show her family she was worth investing in, worth nurturing as the next heir to the Aurums, so she worked really hard," the attendant smiled.

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