“Sir! Sir! Something has happened!” Shouted a guard to his commander. “It has been reported that there is a horribly mutilated and burnt body in pool of blood at one of the backalleys!”

The guard commander turned to look at the guard. “Hmmm, I hear there was someone being a hero again and was messing with the Blood Hand? Thats the way such people end up. Have one of the newbies to go clean it up.” Then he continued to sip his tea casually.

“I remember the last one”, continued the guard. “I saw it personally. This is not the same.”

Before the guard had chance to explain his point further the door to the room opened once again. Another guard entered.

“Sir! Sir! A major Blood Hand hideout has been hit!” Said the other guard. “It was full of Heavenly Touch and other contraband! It wasn’t our doing either.”

The two guards looked at each other. “I think this is connected”, said the first guard.

The guard commander frowned and sipped his tea. “Send in a team to search the place entirely. We better get to the bottom of this.”

Around at that time screams and shouts started to sound from outside. The commander and the two guards stood up and left the room, each of them armed. What they saw at the entrance of the guard house was relatively small person, covered in blood and in his hand was a decapitated head which had been torn off, not cut off, torn off. There were bloody footsteps leading inside and people surrounded him with their weapons out.

They quickly realized the person was basically a teen. What was going on?

“This is Jed the Slasher”, said the boy and threw the head forward for everyone to see. It rolled on the floor a bit and left some blood stains until it stopped.

The boy was obviously Kaden!

“A proof of bounty kill”, Kaden continued calmly. “I would like the payment now. If I recall correctly it should be three hundred mid grade mana crystals.”

This was relatively large sum. Mid grade mana crystal was worth roughly hundred low grade or common ones. Kaden might have originally had only a bit more than that in his pouch. Jed had been a problem and bounty on his head had grown over and over again. In fact, while the bounty had been to deal with him, dead or alive, the judges had prefered him to be captured alive. Repeated failures to deal with Jed had been like being repeatedly mocked by him. They had wanted to put up a show. If Kaden had brought Jed alive, he would have got much higher reward, but Kaden wanted mostly to just kill people. He hadn’t even considered of trying to get the bigger reward by leaving Jed alive.

The commander looked at Jed’s head. “Indeed, this is Jed. Looks like we don’t have to worry about him any longer. I assume the corpse in the backalleys is rest of him?”

Kaden nodded.

“Get the money together”, the commander ordered his subordinates and then he turned to look at Kaden. He felt like he had a growing headache. “Aren’t you the one who has been heroing around lately? Shadow Wing or something.”

“I don’t know who came up with that stupid name”, Kaden said with some annoyance. “Nor have I been heroing or anything. I just beat up criminals whenever I found them and easiest was when someone screams and I hear it. It just happens that it is rarely the criminal that screams, but their victim. I don’t give a shit about them. I just figured, if I caused enough problems there would be a reaction. Eventually a proper target like Jed appeared. Does that explain the matter? Tell people to stop calling me Shadow Wing or thinking I’m a hero.”

“So it is all for money” The commander continued questioning. He personally disliked all sort of vigilantes, but it wasn’t illegal activity despite whatever problems it might bring along the way. It had long since been allowed. Apparently it gave people incentive to get stronger and right to fight with their own strength. Yet, Kaden seemed to be different from the usual vigilantes.

“Its just good bonus”, Kaden explained. He didn’t feel there was anything odd or it mattered, if he did explain his reasonings. “It’s just that these bounties I’m allowed to legally kill.”

Yes, that headache was now real for the guard commander. Jed might have been a lunatic, but this supposed ‘hero’, Shadow Wing, was clearly a degenerate too. Yet, this one followed rules. Who was this kid anyway? The guard commander decided to start asking around.

Around at this point a bag of mana crystals was brought and the commander emoted to give it to Kaden.

“Now, if you would move out”, the commander told Kaden. “You are dripping blood in here. Also, in the future, could you make slightly less mess? Put the head in the bag or something, for gods sake.”

“Whatever”, Kaden replied and left.

Perhaps the entire restraint and long work was worth it. The amount of money he got was good! Kaden already knew what he would spend his money on. That new self inspect skill. His old one was nearly useless. He did not really even inspect himself all that often so he had forgotten about it for a while now. He still felt the money spent on other things had been good use, but now he was nearing next stages and he just had to see what was happening.

His core had that glowing ball inside it, but only reason he could even detect that was because it could be said to be very bright to his senses. Yet, everything else was nearly completely obscured by it. To even begin with, it had been like looking through fog ever since his rebirth.

Kaden decided to return to the arena and rest. He had devoured quite a bit of mana and flesh and he needed to make use of that and heal. It wouldn’t be much use otherwise this time. There was time to settle whatever he needed to purchase the next day. The wounds he had received were not exactly minor. Had he not acquired so much flesh, Jed would have caused far greater damage. The man could do some extreme damage with those blades of his. Specifically that technique he was using.

He had not been able to find that magic from Jed’s body. It was probably entirely in his mind, just like Kaden had been doing with his Devour. As for the blades Jed had been using, they were not exactly Kaden’s style and he didn’t know how to use them properly. He was thinking of selling them since they were probably relatively good quality, if someone like Jed had them. At least the metal used was once again something Kaden did not know, but was extremely dense. The small blades weighed probably about as much as a large sword made of more common materials.

Once Kaden stepped inside the arena, screams were heard soon after. He had not yet washed himself and was still covered in blood, though perhaps mostly dried in comparison to when he walked into the guard house.

“Sidon!” Kaden shouted. “Get here.”

Whether it was the screams or Kaden’s shout, Sidon did quickly appear.

“What the fuck, Kaden”, Sidon stood there and tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

“How much do I owe you?” Kaden asked calmly. He had enough money now and he would pay whatever Sidon felt like he owed. He was willing to still work on the arena and live there in exchange for fighting on the arena. That is, if Sidon allows it.

“For all that is holy, what have you been doing, kid?” Sidon continued. “Why are you covered in blood. Do I have to hand you over when guards come asking? And get washed!”

“I killed some people obviously”, Kaden replied and pulled out his crystal pouch. “I killed a bounty and I got money. I don’t want to be tied to you, but the arena is useful so, if me not fighting is the problem, I’ll willingly fight, but it will be because I want it and not because you say so. I can fuck off whenever I want. So how much did I owe you or was it just an excuse to tie me to you?”

Sidon frowned. He was aware that Kaden had been going out to beat up some criminals and thats where that moniker ‘Shadow Wing’ came from. He had not really expected Kaden to be able to kill actual bounties, but now he returned back, covered in blood and holding a pouch of crystals. Sidon knew the bounties did reward rather significant sums of money. Thats the only way people bothered to go do them.

“Is there a price you can put to a life?” Sidon started talking. “You tried to kill people that work for me and trust me to lead them. What you owed to me is more like making you learn a lesson than anything you can pay off with money.”

“Fuck you, Sidon”, Kaden immediately answered. “I dont give a shit about their lives. They are weaklings that wandered into the forest. It is the way things work there. If you are weak, you are prey. Their lives were worth equal to their strength. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Sidon slapped Kaden in the face, it was relatively strong, but not enough to bounce Kaden around. Still, Sidon was surprised that Kaden simply tanked the hit.

Kaden was growing stronger. Sidon was only at initial Formation stage. While Kaden’s Channel Opening was still at mid stage it was starting to near advanced. Kaden’s core was at advanced dire beast stage and he had been cultivating it a lot directly, not to mention devouring Jed who had been at advanced Channel Opening. If Kaden’s core progressed to high beast stage, he would be able to fight Sidon openly and not even at disadvantage.

Kaden practically didn’t care about anything else than growing stronger. His desire to have vengeance was driving him. While he still could not reach actual targets, he saw nothing wrong on killing lesser ones and while doing so growing stronger. Kaden grew unusually quickly.

Kaden spit out some blood. “Perhaps you should cut your losses, Sidon. Just accept that lives have a price. Thats that everyone agrees to even if they pretend not to. What is the price for almost hurting your workers? That bitch is a weakling to begin with. She isn’t worth much, I think.” Then he pulled out a mid grade mana crystal from the pouch. Just one. “I think this should be enough, yes?”

Sidon was getting really angry.

“Oh? Its not enough?” Kaden continued, not caring about Sidon’s rage. “I might remind you that in here, within the civilization where you dragged me, out of the wilderness, there are rules. Why do you think I havent gone out and kill basically everyone that offends me? These rules are restricting, aren’t they? I haven’t broken any laws. If you were to attack me, it would be assault… or murder, if you go that far. Still, strength reings. Perhaps there would be some leniency since you are stronger and thus more valuable than I am, but who knows what would happen.”

Sidon was furious, but Kaden’s bullshit was effective. Indeed, there were rules, laws to keep order. Out of sight, you could do anything, but not in the city.

“So, just say the price”, Kaden continued calmly. “That is the only option that makes sense right now. I can still fight on the arena and give you benefits when people place large bets. All I care is that you have some shitty reasoning you use to keep me around. Soon, whatever happens, I will be able to ignore you. At that point, you lose these benefits. Say the price. None of what I say and do is nothing personal. Just benefits.”

Sidon was calming down. He was extemely clear that Kaden meant what he said. It was entirely tied to his twisted mindset.

“I said its not a matter of money, Kaden”, Sidon finally replied. “I won’t take anything from you. If I did take, it would seem like there is indeed price. As for you, just fuck off if you want. If you want to fight on the arena, you aren’t one of my fighters anymore so you will pay like the rest. Until then, get the fuck out of here.”

“I’ll come to fight”, Kaden replied as he turned around. “I have found so many different ways people fight. I can learn! I guess thats the reason why many people come to fight in this squalor.”

This was the best way! He could pay the entrance price which was quite acceptable to Kaden. There was no reason to take part in the bets, which are the thing Sidon truly relies on. Only thing he lost is place to sleep and access to the forge. Yet, for now he had all the things he had wanted to make so it was not immediate problem. Formations he could craft on his own.

There were still problems related to Sidon, but so far most had been solved!

“Looks like I’ll have to rest elsewhere, though”, Kaden muttered to himself.

He felt very succesfull!