Siderius approached it. Before its Mana Core restarted and its healing ability kicked in, Siderius slammed the flaming sword down with two hands.

The sword burned into the neck of the panther and decapitated it.

The panther stopped moving.

Siderius squatted down and examined its body. The panther was purely skin and bones, the little amount of meat on its body was far from enough to keep it alive. The Mana Core must have been the reason it was able to survive for so long.

Suddenly, Siderius saw magic flowing out of the Mana Core. The cold body of the panther slowly regained its warmth.

"The Mana Core is trying to resurrect the body."

Siderius wasn't going to let it do that. He plunged the blade into its neck and with one motion, opened up its belly vertically. The Mana Core was revealed.

A perfect round sphere that submerged in a pool of red blood. Siderius plunged the hunter's knife into the belly of the beast and pried the sphere open. A meaty cord connected the Core to the panther.

"This doesn't seem natural." Siderius chopped the cord and immediately, the panther groaned one last time. Its limbs curled up and its head raised high.

Then it flopped back down the ground. The panther died.

Siderius carefully examined the bloody cord. He knew what a naturally evolved organ looked like. This cord was artificially made.

"A Construct. These Chaos Beasts aren't actually beasts."

Construct, one of the four Dominions in the Alchemy Compendium.

Dominion of Flesh consisted of all beings that were made from and/or drew power from their physical, tangible body. These were the humans, the animals, and even some creatures.

Dominion of Soul consisted of all beings that were made from and/or drew power from their soul. These were the vampire, the witches, and cursed beings.

Dominion of Element consisted of all beings that were made from and/or drew power from the pure elements of reality. These were the spirits of nature and some other rare life forms.

Dominion of Construct was a unique category between the four. This dominion included all beings that were made artificially or came to life because of the impact of another being or species. These were the living constructs, sentient concepts, automatons, golems.

Alchemists knew about Construct best as it was one of their specialties. Automatons and Golems were two favorite creations of all Alchemists.

Siderius had made quite a few of them as well. That was why when he examined the panther. He could recognize right away that it was made, not evolved.

"This kingdom has a lot of dirty secrets."

First, the human farm and the Gray Death. Then, the nature of the Chaos Beast. Siderius guessed that the birth of these monsters must come from a witch.

Siderius took out a water flask and poured it over the bloody Mana Core. The blood was washed off, revealing a sphere made out of some unique red metal. When Siderius tapped the knife on it, a high-pitched ringing sound spread out.

"This isn't steel. Or any metal that I've seen before. Interesting..."

Siderius placed the Mana Core on the ground. It was too big to put it in his satchel. He would need to make a special bag for it later.

Siderius then proceeded to dissect the night panther. He still hadn't forgotten what he came here for.

The golden eyes of the night panther.

Siderius first plucked the eyes out of the panther socket. A pair of bloody eyes with gold irises. He sealed them inside a yellow salt crystal to prevent it from decomposing.

Then he continued to collect its skin. He used the knife to extend the cut on its belly to its anus. Once that line was created, all he had to do was sever the skin from the flesh underneath. He salted it quickly to protect it from bacteria.

The rest of it was also very valuable. Siderius harvested the bones also. The panther's actual body had very little meat so there was no point in harvesting its meat.

"Panther's skin is less than desirable to make protective clothing. Its skin doesn't have any special properties as well. I probably should transform it into a cloak or something.

But I already have a cloak… Maybe I can make this into a cloak for Ashe."

Once everything was finished, Siderius brought everything back to his temporary campsite.

He had achieved what he came here to do. There was no reason to stay here anymore. His original hideout in the Rottin Woods was close by to his current location so he decided to return straight to it.

Siderius used rope to tie a special knot around the Red Mana Core, creating a unique pattern that wrapped around its body securely. Siderius hung it on the side of Red.

He rolled the panther hide into a bundle then secured it with a rope. The hide was hung on the other side of Red. As for the bones, Siderius simply put it into his cloth sack.

The vengeful hunter once again went on the road and returned to Mucktown.

The original hideout was fairly nearby. Siderius only wasted a few hours to reach it.

When he arrived back at the hideouts in the woods, the sky was covered in darkness and the moon stayed high. He could see the flicker light of the familiar campfire.

Lycan quickly jumped off Red and rushed at the fire. Ashe was kneeling in front of the fire when she heard the ruckus. Her eyes shot open as she grabbed the bow in front of her and drew an arrow.

She reacted quickly and before Lycan was able to get close, her arrows already aimed at it. Lycan froze mid-way.

Ashe's serious expression melted. Her face softened.

"Wolverine?" She lowered her bow. "Come here, you!"

The wolverine lunged at her. Not with murderous intent but with the joyfulness of a dog. It dug into her arms as its butt wiggled without stopping.

"Hey. Hey. I miss you too. Calm down."

Ashe's eyes darted around to find his silhouette. The wolverine was here so her master couldn't be far.

Siderius emerged from within the shadow.

"How have you been, my apprentice?"

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