Seth sat lotus style in the middle of the cave.
He had woken up an hour ago and planned to leave as soon as possible but what's with the rush?
His mana core was almost empty and his condition wasn't good. If he decided to heal himself and refill his core after leaving the cave, it would take longer but there was an abundance of mana in this dungeon and he planned to refill his core using this.
Although he only took in the purer mana, his speed was twice as fast as it would've been outside.
His absorption continued, unhindered for the next four hours until his core was full. The mana he had taken from this cave would be refilled soon.
Dungeon areas were just like that. No matter what happened, the density of mana in that area remains the same.
He stood up and dusted his body. Across from himself was the demon he had pinned to the wall. He was going to run experiments on this creature so he swallowed it using his bag that he had upgraded. The bag's storage was now dozens of times its previous size.
Using a Class Five spell — Way of the Wind, he bolted through the tunnels in this dungeon. He would only stop to pick up mana cores as they were items that went for a lot in the market. They had different uses but above all, they could be used as a general currency.
The dungeon that had taken him five hours to get to the end, had taken him an hour to exit. Above the sky, the sun was vanishing at a slow pace. The night was encroaching and soon, the surrounding of this dungeon would be filled with other beasts.
He had no time to waste and had lots of work to do once he got back so he couldn't wait to kill more beasts and get more cores.
Since he didn't know how long he had spent sleeping in the cave, he made his way back to the city immediately.
When he arrived at the city's gate, it was already past curfew. The city gates closed two hours before midnight and would only open to special people like merchants. The guards present at the gate asked him to identify himself and he showed them an identity plaque. The smaller entrance into the city was opened immediately for him to enter.
The son of the city lord and the next city lord couldn't be left standing outside for too long after all.
Zhod city was almost two thousand miles long and over a thousand miles wide too. Getting to the estate would take a full day and night running at full speed but Seth didn't have the time on his side. He had wasted enough just leaving the city a few days ago.
Luckily, Seth had acquired a small place in the city that he called his den even though he was the only one going in and out of this place.
It would take him an hour to get there using Way of the Wind and he did just that.
Only after entering did he check today's date. He had wanted to ask the guards but it would feel awkward and suspicious. Of course, his identity couldn't be suspicious but Seth wanted to be more discreet.
He returned a day later. That was not so bad after all. He was afraid that he might've slept longer.
He walked into a room that had a big bed and crashed on it. He was somewhat exhausted and hungry but above all, he wanted to sleep. His eyes closed and he fell asleep.
Only when the morning sun ray hit his eye did he wake up. Well, the main reason he had woken up this early was hungry. His hunger might kill him if he stayed longer without eating.
He walked out of the house and headed to a well-known pub just close by. Most restaurants wouldn't have opened right now but he couldn't wait for restaurants to open.
*****
Rayd's Pub was well known around the slums of Zhod city. It was very popular even though it wasn't the best. One reason for its popularity was that it was a place for information.
As early as six, the pub was already open and six people were inside including the bartender. One of the people looked particularly menacing because of the eye patch covering one eye which was sure to have been damaged.
The pub's door opened and a fourteen year walked in. All eleven eyes turned to him and when they saw him, they were stunned to see the young man that was making his way to the counter.
If it was an ordinary fourteen-year-old, these six people would've told him off but this particular fourteen-year-old carried an air of nobility and a face of… hunger.
They held their tongues and watched Seth walk over to the bartender. "Please, I need a plate of everything you have to offer, and uhmmm…"
Seth looked around before speaking. "...milk." He wasn't at an age where he could drink yet.
"Sure, young master." The bartender said as he headed for a door behind the counter.
"Oh, also give these guys as much as they can drink. The bills are on me." Seth said, staring at these men and women who seemed to have met a creature from the abyss.
"Well, thank you, young master but that's going to cost you quite a lot. Don't you think so?" One of the braver ones asked.
"It's fine. I said I'll pay, so I'll pay no matter what." Seth waved his hand.
"Well, thank you very much for your kind gesture." The man said with a genuine smile. His face looked crooked but he knew when to be thankful.
The bartender returned with a tray that held several dishes and Seth began to devour what came to him.
*****
Seth was back in his 'den' as he called it. He was in a different room this time. This den of his had three rooms but Seth used one for his hidden purposes. Using magic, he would make this room seemingly disappear.
"I guess I should get prepared. It's going to take a while." Seth placed all the materials he needed on the table as he let out a sigh.
Those Institute bastards were making him stress himself and he hated overworking.
The first thing he did was grind a certain bone. Using magic, he ground the bone into smooth powder before adding it to a furnace that held a pot of a particular melted iron.
The blood from the bat was boiling in a different pot but it wasn't red as he had mixed different items into the blood.
The metal was placed into the furnace again and the melted metal continued to boil along with the bones as they mixed.
The pot of blood continued to boil for two days until it became a thick purple gooey liquid.
He once again took out the furnace and added this liquid to the boiling metal and bones and left it to boil continuously.
*****
Today was the last day Seth would be staying in this place since he was done with his item, a metal bracelet and a necklace that was a matching pair.
All that remained was the final touch to one of the items he had created.
The necklace required a pendant and he had just the perfect one. The mana core of an Alpha Vampire Bat was many times smaller than the mana core of others of the same species. It was so small that it would fit on a ring as a jewel.
After adding the core as a pendant and source of power for the necklace, Seth placed both items on his body, the necklace going on his neck while the bracelet went to its designated area.
It didn't take long for its effect to kick in. Seth could feel more than seventy percent of his mana core being sealed. He wouldn't be able to use it unless the items on him were taken off.
He smiled as he walked out of the house. Now, he didn't have to constantly veil his core. The items would do a better job.
All he had to do now was return home and await the ride they would be coming to pick him up in two days.
"Shit! I still have to pack my things!"