Infiltrating the Riverash family estate proved effortless for Jonn. Armed with the Celestial Magnifying Glass, he could pinpoint the locations of security devices with precision. Most were simple traps that required no mana to operate.

Eschewing windows and doors, which were guarded by more sophisticated magical defenses, Jonn opted for a less conventional entry point: the roof. He chose this route not for its challenge but for its simplicity. The main access to the mansion’s roof became his gateway.

The family had likely neglected to fortify this entrance, assuming the patrolling guards would easily spot any intruders. However, with the chaos unfolding outside the city and the guards’ attention fixed on the supposed events at Yeoman Ferry’s estate, Jonn breached the estate and slip inside undetected.

The attic greeted him with a small, dust-laden space adorned with cobwebs. Various small creatures inhabited this dim domain: white geckos clung to the walls while insects scurried about. These common denizens of the area were a novelty to the boy who had grown up in the desolate Eternal Village.

For Jonn, encountering geckos and spiders in the flesh was a first. Until now, his knowledge of these creatures had been limited to illustrations in books.

Curiosity piqued, Jonn gently scooped up a spider, roughly the size of a dime, into his palm. He marveled as the tiny arachnid explored his hand, treating it as an extension of its web-strewn domain.

This fascination, however, was fleeting. Within moments, Jonn carefully returned the creature to its silken abode. His attention shifted to a retractable ladder, seemingly offering access to the house’s interior.

Upon closer inspection, Jonn identified a single, yet lethal, security measure guarding the ladder. It was a device designed to release a toxic substance upon activation—a trap potent enough to be fatal without swift treatment.

With surgical precision, Jonn disarmed the mechanism. He removed a minuscule component, no larger than his fingernail, from the bomb-like contraption. This subtle intervention was all it took to render the deadly device inert.

Jonn’s mana-enhanced vision proved invaluable, allowing him to navigate the darkness with ease. This supernatural sight was just one of the many advantages his magical prowess afforded him.

As he finally penetrated the inner sanctum of the Count’s residence, the sounds of its inhabitants became more distinct. The muffled noises of residents and servants alike now reached his ears with startling clarity.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice pierced the air, nearly causing Jonn to jump out of his skin as he pressed himself against a corner of the corridor.

“Ellyn! Get your butt in bed!” the voice commanded. “If you don’t, I’ll snatch your botany book and ramp up your fencing training!”

“But Mom!” A child’s voice whined in protest, emanating from what Jonn presumed to be a bedroom merely thirty feet away.

Seeing this place illuminated by artificial lamps that he wondered how they worked, Jonn moved with precise steps, cutting through the residence to the place where he believed he would find the belongings of this property.

What’s the safest place in a house like this? I’d say it’s underground. I’d say that’s where the strongest magical fluctuation of the residence is.

Jonn’s heightened awareness allowed him to perceive the estate’s magical density. While most of the property was mana-poor, specific locations pulsed with concentrated magical energy.

Even if there was a mage there right now, and he probably had a place to meditate on this property, environments where non-mages lived couldn’t be rich, even in natural mana. Even though natural mana was less toxic than the mana left over from {Spells} and {Skills}, natural mana could still be poisonous to mortals.

Guided by instinct and the clues revealed by the magnifying glass in his hand, Jonn navigated the stairwell between the third and second floors. With utmost caution, he made his way towards the building’s basement. As he progressed, he glimpsed servants moving between rooms, mostly women clad in nearly identical attire.

The Count’s family appeared modest in size. Besides the woman and child on the third floor, Jonn detected no other nobles during his descent. He tallied 13 guards in total. Just over half patrolled outside, while the rest were distributed evenly across each floor. Some meandered, seemingly en route to the bathroom or kitchen, while others maintained vigilant posts overlooking the estate’s exterior.

None of the sentries exhibited particular concern about potential intruders. Jonn couldn’t fault them for failing to notice his presence. With no alarms triggered, these men remained at ease, treating the night as unremarkable.

Jonn intended to keep it that way. Upon reaching the second floor, he devoted five meticulous minutes to locating the subterranean access. He moved while skillfully avoiding any encounters that might escalate into conflict.

Jonn reached the area housing the family’s prized possessions, his brow beaded with cold sweat. So far, he’d successfully evaded detection.

If I maintain this stealth, he thought, I can exit this mansion without making enemies of this family. All I need is one offensive {Spell}, then I’m gone.

A pang of guilt gnawed at him for invading the estate. Thievery sat ill with his conscience, but seeing no alternative, he pressed on with his plan, descending the final steps of his journey.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

At the corridor’s corner, Jonn paused. As he pivoted to face the last stretch before him, he froze. There, seated with eyes closed, was a man. Jonn instantly recoiled, pressing his back against the wall, one hand instinctively reaching for a concealed dagger.

The mage!

He didn’t need to feel the man’s magical fluctuation to recognize the mage!

Jonn held his breath for a long moment, but the mage showed no sign of awareness. Cautiously believing himself undetected, Jonn employed his magnifying glass. He peered around the corner without exposing himself, his body still shielded by the beige wall.

Jonn’s brow furrowed as he absorbed the physical details of the man perched on a stool between two posts at the corridor’s end.

Another wounded mage, he mused. This one’s worse off than Wilmot. No broken bones, but his muscles are a tapestry of bruises. His labored breathing is alarming. He’s clearly channeling mana to dull his pain…

Intriguing… A {Spell}? Or perhaps a {Skill}?

Despite his injuries, the mage appeared pain-free and slowly recovering.

Studying the mage with dark hair and trim beard, Jonn felt an unfamiliar curiosity stir within him. It compelled him to step forward and confront the man.

Jonn circulated mana through his body, while his face was protected by a mask he had improvised earlier.

The mage didn’t notice him at first, but a strange feeling, as if something was approaching him, made him open his eyes and see the masked person only thirteen feet away from him.

The mage’s eyes widened in shock as he instinctively rose.

“Intruder…” he began, but his words were cut short as two daggers materialized from Jonn’s hands, hurtling towards him in perfect synchronization.

Jonn’s mana-infused blades sliced through the air with lethal speed, leaving the startled mage no time to react. The enemy could only raise his arms in a futile attempt at defense.

“Aaaagh!” A cry of pain erupted from the man’s lips as the daggers found their mark. One blade pierced his abdomen, while the other grazed his shoulder before clattering to the ground.

“Damn you!” The mage clutched his stomach wound, his face ashen as he realized his attacker was now mere feet away, another weapon gleaming ominously in the artificial light.

The mage’s old injuries flared to life. He coughed, spitting bloody saliva, unable to summon any defensive spells.

Jonn was quick, and within a breath he was in front of the man, attacking the mage with another of his daggers, putting the Riverash Family’s mage in an unfavorable position.

Close-quarters combat was rarely a mage’s strong suit!

With his enemy already hampered by injuries and caught off-guard, Jonn felt the familiar surge of the system activating.

You’ve lost 1,000 respect points with the mysterious mage, changing your Relationship from Indifference to Hate!

The mysterious mage will now do his best to find out who you are and kill you!

A grimace formed behind Jonn’s mask as he adjusted his grip, altering the trajectory of his final dagger.

A cold glint flashed in Jonn’s eyes, his heartbeat quickening with resolve.

If you’re coming for me, I’d better end this here and now!

With lightning speed, Jonn pinned his opponent against the wall, his blade slashing towards the mage’s throat. Channeling mana to enhance his strength and weapon, the youth struck his weakened enemy, opening a deep gash at the base of the mage’s neck.

Terror contorted the man’s features, his eyes wide with fear as both hands frantically clutched at the fresh wound. But Jonn, ruthless in his efficiency, allowed no reprieve. Seeking a swift end, he redirected his weapon, now aiming for his opponent’s heart.

Jonn watched intently as life ebbed from his adversary’s body. He maintained his iron grip, pressing the mage against the wall with all his might until, at last, the man’s struggles ceased.

He is dead.

Jonn inhaled sharply, his heightened senses acutely aware of the blood staining his hands. In that moment, neither guilt nor any other emotion penetrated his focus. His sole priority was to locate his aim and make his escape.

Though he had acted quickly and quietly, an urgent instinct warned him that lingering would only lead to more bloodshed.

Jonn looked from one side to the other and saw two doors in that very spot. One led to a room pulsing with intense mana, reminiscent of the late Count Francus’s cave. The other, fortified by various mechanisms, both mundane and magical, concealed its contents from his perception.

Jonn opened the door that led to the mana-dense room, already imagining that the place had nothing to offer him except as an example of places where mages could cultivate in human cities without contaminating the environment.

A brief glance was all he needed. The chamber was ingeniously constructed to contain its mana, preventing leakage. Aether Tears, he noted, served as the room’s magical fuel source.

Jonn committed the room’s layout to memory before turning his attention to the magically secured chamber opposite.

His [Analysis] proved invaluable, revealing the intricacies of the security devices and confirming its utility in such clandestine operations.

It took him a minute to overcome the mechanisms around that door, finally gaining access to what he thought was the part of the house where he would find his answers.

Beyond the black door lay a compact room, roughly 50 square feet, illuminated by a mana-powered lamp. Shelves dominated the space, leaving only a narrow corridor for entry.

The vault’s contents stunned Jonn. More gold coins than he could count glittered before him. Important-looking documents and books occupied the upper shelves, while jeweled artifacts rested in prominent positions.

Clearly, the Riverash family had accumulated significant wealth over generations!

For a fleeting moment, Jonn felt tempted to take more than his intended prize. But he quashed the impulse, reminding himself of his purpose.

Forget it. I came for spells, nothing more. I neutralized the mage to protect my identity and the village, but I’ve no quarrel with the Riverash Family.

Guilt gnawed at him for the break-in and theft. He struggled to justify his actions as necessary, deliberately ignoring the gold and resources that could undoubtedly benefit his village.

All I need is a better way to fight. I’ll earn everything else through my own efforts.

He reached for the books he believed to be this family’s {Spells}.