William entered the forest in search of magical creatures to tame. Unlike flying beasts, which would be harder to find, the terrestrial ones were not as elusive.

It didn't take long for him to encounter various different beasts. He managed to tame some wolves, monkeys, and even a plant that could walk on two legs.

In total, he had six tamed magical creatures. This was a number he had never achieved before.

His mind was exhausted because of this. It wasn't easy to keep all those beasts tamed, but William held on.

When he returned to meet Geneva and Rebo, and they saw that small army, they were shocked.

"Can you control all of this at the same time? Impressive!" Geneva said.

"It's been exhausting, but I'm managing for now. Now, let's hide well and send them to attack the house."

The location they were using to hide wasn't ideal. They searched for a spot with denser vegetation, which would provide better cover from the people in the house.

Once everyone was hidden behind thick bushes and trees, the moment for the attack arrived. William sat on the ground, entering a meditative state.

He wanted to see through the eyes of his tamed beasts, so he needed to focus. Controlling so many beasts at once was mentally draining, but sitting like that helped him concentrate and endure the strain.

The beasts under William's control moved swiftly toward the mansion, leaping effortlessly over the gate.

It was a team of six magical beasts—not particularly strong ones, but that wasn't their purpose. They were there to scout the area and flush out anyone inside.

That had been the plan from the start. William watched everything through their eyes, while Rebo and Geneva studied the mansion's exterior, focusing on the angles the beasts couldn't see.

Then, the mansion's front door creaked open. A young man stepped out, no older than his early twenties, gripping a staff in his hands.

When he spotted the approaching creatures, he shouted, "Six beasts?! Uh, little help out here!"

He clearly wasn't confident in handling them on his own. William could tell—this guy didn't have much power.

But the next person who walked out after that call? Now that one was different. An older man, radiating power.

Rebo muttered a few words when he saw the older man. The shock on his face was as clear as day.

"Grandfather!" he whispered.

William was focused on his beasts, but he could still hear things from the outside.

"So that old guy is Rebo's grandfather," William thought.

The old man was much stronger than the young one who came first. He held a sword in his hands, different from the staff the young man had.

"Let me deal with this," he said. "Go back inside."

Rebo's grandfather wanted to deal with the beasts alone. That was not a good thing. William knew the old man would easily crush his beasts, and if that happened, they wouldn't be able to see anything inside the house.

The plan had to change. William opened his eyes.

"Geneva, take care of Rebo and find a way to enter the house. The open window I saw was at the back. I'll draw their attention to the front door and fight them. Wait for the right moment to enter the house."

This was the new plan William was ready to follow. It was the only way they could get into the mansion.

Geneva didn't say anything—she simply nodded. Time wasn't a luxury they had, so dragging things out wasn't an option.

Before he left, Geneva handed William a sword. "It's the best weapon I've got. Might come in handy for you."

The sword was made of far better material than the one William had with him.

William moved toward the mansion. Meanwhile, Geneva and Rebo circled around, searching for a better place to enter.

Rebo's grandfather had already killed one of the beasts before William arrived. It was a wolf that had leapt toward him to bite, only to be struck down and split clean in half.

When the old man saw William approaching, he was surprised. But beyond that, there was a trace of fear—he hadn't sensed William's presence beforehand, and that could only mean one thing: this was someone formidable.

"Who the hell are you?" the man said.

William stared him down. "I'm not sure you're even capable of grasping that. Tell me, what are you all doing out here in this isolated place?"

The old man's mind went straight to suspicion. Almost no one knew about that house. Only one name came to mind.

"Geneva sent you to check on things? If she found out we have connections in the capital, that would make sense. That way you'd show up stealthily like this," he said.

He wasn't foolish. In a matter of seconds, he'd cracked the situation. It wasn't that hard, really—Geneva was the only person who knew about that mansion.

"The reason I'm here doesn't concern you. You should be worrying more about whether you can beat me in a fight."

The old man began to laugh. "You sure are confident for someone with only one arm."

William's enemies always liked to mock him for that. He never let it slide.

"And you're not doing much better. You look like a mummy, old man. I'll do you a favor and bury you right now."

That ticked the man off. Without warning, sword in hand, he dashed straight at William.

His movements were blindingly fast—almost like teleportation.

William managed to block the strike just in time, using the sword Geneva had given him.

"Oh! You actually defended. Not bad," the old man said. "But can you handle more than one?"

William braced for a flurry of attacks—but that wasn't what he meant.

Behind him, a clone of Rebo's grandfather appeared out of nowhere!

He could create copies of himself mid-fight—and judging by how the clone moved, its attacks were just as dangerous as the original's.

William was in a tight spot. He commanded his tamed beasts to hold the clone off. They didn't last long.

The old man's clone tore through them with ease. But William didn't just stand there.

He launched a powerful kick into the man's gut, sending him flying with the sheer force of the blow. Then, without wasting a second, William dashed at the clone, catching it off guard.

With a swift, clean strike of his blade, he took off the clone's head—killing it instantly.

Then he turned back toward the real body of the old man.

The fight had only just begun.