The little skeleton could clearly see an astonishing amount of pure energy condensed within the pill. The energy was so dense that it almost seemed alive, swirling gently beneath the pill's surface.

For a moment, its mind went completely blank.

"If... if I consume that pill..."

The skeleton swallowed nervously.

A terrifying possibility appeared in its mind.

With the amount of energy contained inside that tiny pill, it might never need to absorb energy from the Pillar of Light again for a very long time. It could store the energy within its Spiritual Sea and slowly nurture it over the years.

The more it thought about it, the faster its heart would have beaten, if it had one.

Its flame in it's empty eye sockets locked onto the pill as if it were the greatest treasure in existence.

Then, without any warning, the skeleton lunged toward Aron and grabbed his arm.

"Master!"

Its voice trembled with excitement.

"You're my favorite master in the entire world!"

Aron looked at his clingy assistant with visible disgust.

Without hesitation, he kicked the little skeleton away.

"You damn skeleton! If you ever try to act cute again, I'll burn you alive!"

The skeleton rolled across the ground before getting back up and scratching its skull awkwardly.

"Master, why are you getting angry with this little assistant?" it asked innocently. "Just tell me what you wa..."

Before it could finish, Aron interrupted with a sneer.

"Didn't you just say you were going to tell me something about the SIRE Association?"

The skeleton immediately nodded.

A moment later, a stream of images and voices flooded directly into Aron's mind.

Aron froze in his place.

As he absorbed the information, a look of shock appeared on his face. Then, slowly, a mysterious smile formed at the corner of his lips.

The information was far more valuable than he had expected.

Meanwhile, the little skeleton stared at him with pitiful eyes.

"Master..." it said hopefully. "Can I have that medicine now?"

Aron glanced at it before letting out a cold chuckle.

Without another word, he tossed the pill over.

The skeleton leaped into the air and caught it like a priceless treasure. It immediately rushed onto Aron's shoulder, sat down cross-legged, and began refining the pill with an expression of absolute concentration.

Aron ignored it and took out his phone.

After reading the information his assistant had given him, he quickly sent a message to Frederick.

***

At the same time, Frederick had just arrived at the Archeon city SIRE Association. Before he could enter the building, his phone suddenly vibrated with a ring.

A notification appeared on the screen.

Frederick opened the message and immediately frowned.

After reading it, he turned toward the Association members around him.

"The Association has ordered me to return to the capital immediately with this prisoner," he said. "You all stay here. Find every spy hidden within those families and thoroughly clean up the city."

The Association members nodded, while confused looking at each other...

Without wasting any more time, Frederick grabbed the shadow user's collar. Then he shot into the air and landed on a nearby rooftop.

His destination was the nearest train station.

Although he could travel on foot, moving across the rooftops was far faster. If he wanted to reach the capital as soon as possible and deliver the criminal for interrogation, this was the quickest option available.

With a powerful leap, Frederick disappeared into the night.

While inside a dark corner in the Archeon city SIRE association,

A dark figure received a report from a member of the Association...

"Damn! That Iron Fist and that little guy who hasn't even reached proper A-rank yet! How dare they disrupt my plan?!"

He gritted his teeth violently and looked at the reports in his hand.

"No! I need to inform headquarters soon... We need to change our plan, our names are already revealed... But they don't know my identity yet. And with that useless guy they caught, they won't get any proper details either..."

Saying this, the dark figure immediately contacted headquarters...

***

On the other side, Aron slowly walked toward his new villa.

The moment he arrived, he was completely stunned looking at the place.

It was easily the most luxurious house he had ever seen in his entire life. Even in his previous life, he had never stepped foot inside a residence this magnificent.

The villa was fully furnished with modern designs and equipped with every facility one could imagine. From the elegant interior decorations to the spacious rooms, everything radiated wealth and comfort.

Then his gaze shifted toward the driveway. A sleek sports car was parked right outside the villa.

For a moment, Aron stopped breathing.

It was the most beautiful vehicle he had ever seen. His eyes lit up instantly, and a trace of drool almost escaped the corner of his mouth.

The little skeleton, sitting on his shoulder, immediately sneered.

"Tsk, tsk... What a shameless master. You're actually drooling over a car."

Aron snapped out of his daze.

Realizing his embarrassing state, he quickly wiped the corner of his mouth and straightened his posture as if nothing had happened.

"Ahem. I was merely appreciating its craftsmanship."

The skeleton rolled its eyes.

Ignoring his assistant, Aron entered the villa for the first time.

After spending some time exploring every room, he finally collapsed onto the soft bed in a room with a open window.

The night passed peacefully.

For the first time in a long while, Aron enjoyed a deep and comfortable sleep.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows.

Aron slowly opened his eyes and stretched lazily.

The first thing he noticed was his assistant.

The little skeleton was sleeping on the desk nearby while tightly hugging the pill Aron had given him. Its skull rested against the treasure as though someone might steal it at any moment.

A thin line of drool was practically about to fall from its jaw.

Aron's mouth twitched.

"Tsk..."

A mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"He was mocking me yesterday for drooling the car."

Aron glanced at the sleeping skeleton.

"And now look at him. He's practically drooling over a tiny pill."

The sleeping skeleton hugged the pill even tighter. Seeing that scene, Aron's face twitched a little and he couldn't help but shake his head.

After freshening up, Aron prepared for the day ahead.

Today, he planned to leave the city and venture into the wilderness beyond its walls.

Outside Archeon City stretched a vast forest that seemed endless. Countless monsters roamed its depths, ranging from F-rank creatures to powerful B-rank beasts, even some of them reached the unprecedented A-rank. 

The deeper one traveled into the forest, the more dangerous the monsters became. Even experienced Sires would think twice before entering the deepest regions alone.

After making the necessary preparations, Aron headed toward the door.

Just as he was about to leave, the little skeleton suddenly flew over and landed on his shoulder.

Aron glanced at it in surprise.

"You're awake already? Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"

The assistant immediately puffed out its bony chest with pride.

"Who wants to sleep more?" it declared. "We assistants don't actually need sleep. If we want to conserve energy, we simply take naps like humans do."

Aron raised an eyebrow.

"So that means you were pretending to sleep?"

The skeleton coughed awkwardly.

"That's not important."

A faint smile appeared on Aron's face.

"I see."

Now understanding a little more about his assistant, Aron left the villa and began walking toward the city wall.

The towering walls of Archeon City soon came into view.

Beyond them lay the monster infested wilderness, a place filled with danger, opportunities, and treasures waiting to be discovered.

Aron's eyes narrowed with anticipation. Today, he intended to test the true extent of his newly gained strength.

At the city gates, groups of people were discussing the biggest news in Archeon City.

After an entire decade, the city had finally produced a new A-rank SIRE.

The news had already spread throughout the city, and countless citizens were talking about it with excitement and pride.

As Aron approached the main gate, one of the guards immediately stepped forward and stopped him.

"Hey, kid!" the guard shouted. "This isn't a place for you to wander around. Go back! Without permission from City Hall, we can't allow you to leave the city."

Another soldier standing nearby sneered.

"Kids these days all want to hunt monsters. At least look at your age before running outside to get yourself killed."

Just as he was about to continue, he suddenly noticed something strange.

The surroundings had become unusually quiet. Confused, he turned around. His eyes immediately widened.

Aron was calmly showing his SIRE Association badge to the first guard. The guard's expression changed instantly.

He straightened his posture and gave a respectful salute.

"Sir! We didn't realize it was you. We sincerely apologize for stopping you."

Aron chuckled lightly.

"It's fine. You're only doing your job."

As he walked past the guards, he suddenly paused and glanced at the soldier who had mocked him earlier.

The soldier's heart skipped a beat.

"Thank you for protecting the city gate with such dedication," Aron said with a faint smile. "For a moment, I was worried you would let just anyone walk out of the city."

The soldier immediately understood the hidden meaning behind those words. Cold sweat formed on his forehead.

"Sir, I'm truly sorry for my behavior," he said hurriedly while bowing his head.

Aron simply nodded.

He had no interest in arguing with a gate guard over a few careless remarks. Without another word, he continued forward and entered the wilderness beyond the city walls.

Soon, his figure disappeared into the vast forest. Only after he was completely gone did the atmosphere around the gate relaxed a little.

The first guard walked over and smacked the second soldier on the back of the head.

"You idiot! At least let me check someone's badge before you start lecturing them."

The soldier rubbed the back of his head and grinned awkwardly.

"At least that sir was understanding. If it was someone else, they might have reported me for disrespecting an A-rank SIRE."

The other guards nodded in agreement.

They all knew one thing.

For someone who had reached A-rank at such a young age, Aron was surprisingly easygoing. At least... compared to most powerful SIREs.